Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For as long as I've known Alastor, he's been many things:

The Radio Demon.

A psychopath who enjoys hearing other's screams of pain and agony.

The one man who was able to overthrow several other powerful entities overnight.

But the one thing that I thought he would never be able to do… was to be a father.

********

January 1, 1997

"Salutations! To all of you loathsome sinners out there!"

A brief pause came before continuing,

"Well, to those who are still alive that is! Ha Ha!"

His response was met with the screams of those that were still out during this hour of day, with the occasional gargled shout when a spear pierced through a victim.

"We are now approaching hour 11 of the yearly Extermination… so more is yet to come."

The Radio host sighed in content, while he waved his hand in the air; a cigar materialized into his palm.

He placed it into his mouth; Snapping his fingers, a small flame appeared at the end of his thumb as he lit the end of it.

Taking a deep breath, he released a plume of golden red smoke into the air. 

"I have known you for more than 30 years… it's still strange to see you this happy over carnage." A gruff voice came a few feet from behind him.

The Radio host turned around on his chair, the permanent yellow grin widened even more when he saw him.

A tomcat with large red wings dressed in a pair of overalls and a simple dress shirt leaning against the doorframe, his tail flicking every now and then. 

"Why, Husker! I didn't hear you come in, ol' fellow!" Alastor said, waving his hand and another cigar dropped down into the open paw of the usually grumpy chimera.

The tomcat looked at the cigar for a moment and shrugged, placing it to his lips.

His large red eyebrows rose when the end of it burned slightly and took a deep breath, letting out several puffs of white smoke.

"Damn, does this bring back memories." Husk said wistfully, blowing another puff of smoke through his nose.

"Very true." Alastor responded, and soft jazz music began to play.

Husk paused and looked at him, arching a skeptical eyebrow.

"Al, I'm talking about sex… what are you talking about?"

The music came to a sudden screeching halt, almost like a record scratch. Husk watched as Alastor's face slowly matched the color of his hair.

"Oh! Well, murder and mayhem, of course." Alastor answered honestly, clearing his throat before turning his chair back around and bringing his microphone closer.

"Now, normally I would ramble on and on about the pros to this day. But I'm ending this year's broadcasting a tad early. So, good luck to those who are still running."

He then leaned in, the air around him crackled, "You're going to need it." Reaching over, he flicked a switch and turned off his station.

He stretched his arms above his head, a satisfying pop came from his joints.

"You're finishing early." Husk spoke as he watched the lights in the studio start to dim.

Alastor hummed in agreement and grabbed his staff.

Waving his hand in the air, a golden pocket watch dropped into his open palm.

He flicked it open and Husk's eyebrows raised when he saw his gray face turn pale and that grin of his tighten.

Muttering under his breath, he waved his hand again and the watch disappeared as he tapped his staff against the hardwood floor.

A large portal opened, the image of a swamp with a golden haze illuminating the trees appeared.

Alastor stepped through it as Husk stood there.

The Radio Host peeked his head back in, motioning for the tomcat to follow.

Husk thought it over and shrugged, he had left his casino in capable hands for the rest of the evening.

He walked through… only to regret it a few minutes later.

He hissed under his breath when he felt the mud under his paws and the water up to his shins.

He noticed how Al grumbled under his breath, looking down at the murky water that no doubt was staining his good shoes and pants.

Snapping his fingers, a pair of red rain boots appeared on his feet, drying his socks and pants immediately.

Husk felt his pants dry as a pair of black rain boots appeared on his paws as well.

The two walked or rather trudged through the murky water, stepping over raised roots and broken branches.

"Al?" Husk began to ask, "Al, could you slow down?" 

Alastor responded with a quick shake of his head.

"Well, could you at least tell me where we are going?"

"I promised a friend that I would join her for dinner after my broadcast but it seems I read the time wrong."

Husk paused, "You have other friends?"

Alastor stopped walking and turned around, his hands on his waist.

"Yes! I have friends other than you." He sounded a tad offended.

Husk raised an eyebrow skeptically, "... The overlords that you meet up with once a month don't count, Al."

Alastor visibly deflated, "Oh, shut up, Husker." He said quietly before turning back around.

Husk chuckled under his breath as they continued to trudge slowly through the water.

After a while, an old boardwalk appeared behind some trees and led up to a wooden cabin.

"Oh, dear. I seemed to have teleported to my old home."

"Well, where does your friend live exactly?"

"...on the other side of the Bayou." He admitted, his ears folded back.

"Great. You can't teleport us to her home?"

" 'Fraid not." Snapping his fingers, a small portal appeared before fizzling and disappearing a few seconds later.

"Shit. Well, do you have a boat?"

"I believe so." 

The two walked over and climbed up on the boardwalk and searched for a boat.

They found it… untied near the cabin with a set of wet footsteps leading inside the home.

"Al, who else knows you lived here?" Husk asked.

"My friend… she sometimes watches my house should I ever visit."

They both walked to the cabin's entrance, Alastor pushed open the already ajar door with his staff.

He looked around, his grin softened.

Growing up, he had lived modestly alongside his mother. They hadn't needed much, the Bayou provided for them.

The kitchen was in the far corner, taking up one wall with several cabinets above the wash basin and gas stove.

The dining/living room was next to it, a round wooden table with four chairs pushed in.

A couch was pushed up to the wall with twin love seats across from it.

A large bookcase filled with books with tattered bindings stood against the wall near the entrance.

As they set foot into his home, Husk pressed his ears flat against his head and he sniffed the air cautiously. 

"What is it, Husker?" 

"You don't smell that?"

"Smell what?"

A loud clatter, as if several items fell to the floor, came from one of the rooms in the back.

The two men looked at each other, having flinched from the sudden noise.

"... Is your friend here already?"

"No…" Alastor said, as his eyes turned to radio dials and his grin tightened, "but someone has chosen to trespass in my home."

Green voodoo symbols began to appear along the walls of his home. 

Said walls became warped and twisted as they groaned.

Husk looked at the scene around with bored interest, sighing as he placed a paw on his friend's shoulder.

"Jeez, Al. Calm down." 

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Alastor said, his neck snapping at an odd angle. "Someone is in my Home!"

"Or it could be something… It might be a raccoon that got in through the floorboards." Husk suggested.

The symbols remained on the walls as the house began to tremble.

Husk sighed once again and placed his other paw on his shoulder, physically turning Alastor around.

"Al… please. This house is the last thing that you have of your mother. If I were you, I wouldn't want to get angry and accidentally destroy it."

The radio dials faded away and were replaced with somber red eyes. The house groaned as it returned to normal.

"Did you get all of that out of your system?"

Alastor nodded meekly, his ears folded against the top of his hair.

"Come on. Let's get that rodent out of here and then we can go see your friend."

He nodded again as the two walked past the dining/living room area and down the small hallway that led to three rooms.

Another clatter came from behind the door on the right as both Husk and Alastor looked at each other once more.

Alastor twisted the doorknob to his old bedroom and opened the door, the hinges creaked in protest.

It was just as he had left it.

One large six cabinet dresser against the wall with two picture frames. 

One was of himself as a child standing beside his mother outside of their home.

The other was of himself in his old studio, his mouth open in mid conversation.

A smaller bookcase was next to the window, filled with a handle of books and other paraphernalia.

He noticed that some of the books were either knocked on the floor or were missing.

A single bed with a mahogany headboard and footboard as well as a matching night table and lamp.

Said lamp was on the floor, bits of glass scattered on the floorboards.

And the blankets and pillows were nowhere to be seen.

A rustle came from the opposite side of the bed, what looked like brown fur peeked out from the top.

"Ok. Come on out, little guy. You can't be in here." Husk said, clapping his paws and startling whatever it was that was hiding.

Another rustle came as a young boy slowly raised his head to look at the two men. 

Both Husk and Alastor froze, eyeing the kid who stared right back.

"...That's not a raccoon." Husk said, a deadpanned look on his face.

A few seconds later, another yet smaller face appeared.

A young girl quietly sucked a pacifier as she huddled closer to the boy.

The two men continued to stare at the kids in surprise, until the boy's frightened expression disappeared and was replaced in anger.

He stood up from where he was sitting, hands on his hips and glared at Alastor.

"What are you gawking at, stringbean?" Came the boy's high pitched accented voice.

Alastor felt his left eye twitch and growls at Husk's snickering behind his paw.

He felt his annoyance simmer a bit when he noticed their appearances.

The young girl had stood up as well, grabbing the boy's hand.

The boy had shoulder length brown hair and unkempt bangs that partially hid his blue eyes. A dusting of white freckles covered his cheeks and nose.

His clothes were a sleeveless brown v-neck tunic with a belt wrapped around his waist and a pair of gray pants that were mud stained up his knees.

The young girl had frizzy chin length red hair and light blue eyes.

Her clothes were a long sleeved gray shirt with a sleeveless brown vest and a pair of pants that were also mud stained up her knees.

Alastor turned his head to say something to Husk before a woman's voice boomed through the house.

"Oi! Whoever is in here… Get Out! This is private property and yer trespassing!"

"Ms. Gerdur! It's me!" Alastor answered back as he heard footsteps.

A tall dark skinned woman with long black and purple hair came into view as she entered the hallway. She was wearing a black raincoat, dark blue jeans and a pair of yellow rain boots.

Ms. Gerdur lowered her weapon, an aluminum baseball bat, when she recognized the man.

"Alastor? Honey, what are you doing here?"

Husk slowly turned to look at his friend, his eyebrows raised.

"Honey?" 

"Not now, Husker." Alastor warned him before turning back to Ms. Gerdur.

"Ms. Gerdur. I'm sorry for being late. I misread the time and…"

"Sweetie. I've told you, you can just call me Laila. I don't call you Mr. Boudreaux, now do I?"

Alastor's grin turned sheepish as he nodded.

Laila then turned and smiled at the tomcat.

"And you must be Husker."

He sent a smile her way, "Everyone calls me Husk, 'mam." He jerked his thumb in Al's direction, " 'Cept him."

"Either way, it's nice to finally put a face to the name." Her smile turned mischievous as she turned to Alastor.

He suppressed a groan, he knew what was coming next.

"Alastor, you never told me your friend was so ruggedly handsome."

The tomcat's pale white fur tinged pink at her comment, his ears folded back.

He coughed and averted his gaze, a little embarrassed.

She chuckled at his reaction, "So, what are you two doing here, anyway?"

Alastor cocked his head, confused. "D-Did I get the date wrong? I'm here because you invited me to have dinner with you."

Laila grew quiet, blinking as she thought silently. Muttering, her eyes widened as a dark red blush covered her cheeks.

"Oh, my lord. I knew I was forgetting something. Alastor, I'm so sorry."

She fiddled with the end of her raincoat, "I've been so busy with my shop, my kids' school and the council… I forgot about our dinner."

Alastor let out a good hearted laugh, "It's alright, dear. I nearly forgot as well." He lied, he hadn't actually forgotten but he didn't like to see her embarrassed and sullen.

She chuckled as well.

"As much as I don't want to break up this conversation, we still have a situation." Husk said, lightly cutting into the conversation.

"What situation?" Laila asked.

Alastor simply jerked his head toward the bedroom as Laila walked over and stuck her head in.

"Well… this is an interesting development." She said when she saw the boy and the girl still standing behind the bed.

********

She didn't say another word but snapped her fingers, golden sparks emanated from her nails.

The door across the hall illuminated around the borders as she opened it. What was once Alastor's small bathroom was now her kitchen.

She motioned for both men to walk through, and turned her attention back to the children as she heard their retreating footsteps.

"My name is Laila Gerdur. What are your names?"

She was met with silence as the boy and girl stared at her, he clutched her protectively.

She looked over her shoulder and then back to them. "It's not safe in this old house. You can come with me if you'd like."

The boy hesitated. "...my parents said that I shouldn't speak to strangers."

Laila smiled, "Your parents are very smart but I don't think they would want you to be in this house by yourselves."

Still hesitating, he chose not to say anything else… until his stomach spoke for him. 

A loud grumble came from both him and the young girl, and the boy blushed.

She looked at him and stood back up, holding her hand out. 

He took it and she led them through the door.

Alastor and Husk waited patiently, sitting at the large oval dining room table as Laila released her hand and entered her kitchen. He had placed his staff in the middle of the table.

Overhearing her tell the young ones to sit on the couch that separated the dining room with the living room.

A large mirror hung on the opposite wall.

Husk watched the reflection with a faint smile as the young boy picked up the girl and placed her on the couch, he sat down next to her.

Grabbing the blanket that was folded on the left arm seat, he placed it across her lap and draped it on his as well.

After a good twenty minutes, she placed three plates each with grilled sandwiches on the counter as well as a mug filled with a warm liquid and another in a sippy cup.

The men watched as she walked over to the kids and kneeled down in front of them, placing the drinks on the coffee table.

She handed the mug to the boy, who looked at the drink curiously.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's chamomile tea, steeped in milk and mixed with honey."

He took a cautious sip, his face lit up as he eagerly drank it.

She let out a laugh. "Slow down! With the way you're going, it might come back up."

He halted, the blush returning.

She smiled and turned around to get the sippy cup. 

"This is the same drink. Just make sure your sister drinks slowly."

Handing the cup to the young girl, she took out her pacifier and brought the cup up to her lips.

She drank it slowly, her eyes lit up from the taste.

Laila smiled and got up, walking over to the counter and picking up two plates.

She placed them in front of Husk and Alastor.

"Eat up, you two." Was all she said as she then walked back to the counter and grabbed the extra plate.

Heading back over to the couch, she handed the young boy a plate; Steam wafted up from the two sandwiches.

"Now, don't eat too fast. Enjoy your dinner and take small bites, please." She couldn't help but ruffle his hair as she stood back up and finally sat down at the table.

"Aren't you hungry?" Husk had asked in between mouthfuls.

"No. I felt a bit sick this morning so I have only eaten a couple of fruits and crackers."

The trio conversed silently as she watched them eat their food.

10 minutes went by and Alastor got up from the table, having finished the meal. The chair creaked noisily against the floorboards.

"Shh." 

He turned around when she shushed him quietly. 

"What is it?" 

She pointed at the reflection over her shoulder, the young girl had fallen asleep and the boy was struggling to keep his eyes open.

********

Laila walked over and picked up the young girl, who remained asleep.

"Come on, sweetheart. There's a bed in my office that you and your sister can sleep on."

The boy let out a loud yawn, rubbing his eyes as he took her hand and was led down the small hallway to the left.

The entrance of the home was only a few feet away as she entered the room that was next to it.

A desk with a monitor and chair was placed against the far left wall. 

The sofa, which was already pulled out, had the blankets bunched up at the end and the pillows assembled at the head.

She gently laid the young girl down, who sleepily grabbed the pillow and gently pulled off her shoes. 

The young boy climbed on the bed, kicking off his boots onto the floor and lay beside his sister.

Grabbing the blanket, she pulled it up to their chests. The young boy clutched the blanket and closed his eyes.

As she turned around to walk out of her study, she heard him say a quiet 'thank you' before drifting off to sleep.

She closed the doors quietly and walked back into the dining room.

"You two want some coffee?"

"Cream and sugar for mine, if you could." Alastor said.

"Just black coffee for me, please."

She nodded before heading into the kitchen once more.

Husk flicked his ears looking over his shoulders before leaning forward, his paws interlaced and tucked under his chin.

Alastor cocked his head to the side, curious.

"Honey? Sweetie?" Husk asked, a smirk already forming. "The hell's with the pet names?"

A faint blush bloomed against his gray cheeks, "...She's always been that friendly."

"Mhm." The tomcat said skeptically, his smirk was still present.

"Husker." Alastor growled, sending him a warning.

Husk raised his paws up in defense, "Alright. Alright. I know when to stop."

"Thank you."

"No problem." Husker said as he turned around in his chair, "...sweetie."

He suppressed the laugh that nearly tumbled from his throat when he heard Alastor's claws dig into the table, a soft growl came from him.

"Al, Don't you dare ruin my table! That is mahogany!" Laila hissed out as she came out of the kitchen, holding two mugs with steam wafting from each.

Alastor sheepishly retracted his claws, setting his now folded hands on the table.

She placed each mug in front of them before walking back into the kitchen to grab her cup, and then sat down at the table.

They both raised their mugs to her before taking sips. She, too, raised her cup before taking a sip as well.

"You have been drinking a lot of herbal tea for some time now, Ms. Laila." Alastor said, eyeing her cup. "Do you not like coffee anymore?"

Laila paused in mid sip and set her cup down.

"Well… pregnant women can't drink coffee due to caffeine."

A beat passes between the trio as both Alastor and Husk set the cups down to look at her.

"What?"

"Relax, Al. It's not yours."

Alastor turned bright red at the implication. Husk let out a snort to which Alastor sent him a glare.

"You're pregnant?"

"Yes."

"Forgive me for asking, how far along are you?"

"I'm a month into my pregnancy." She said, placing her palm on her flat belly.

Alastor paused, before asking, "And what of the-?"

"Council?" Laila finished his sentence. "I was finally granted permanent leave."

"What are you two talking about?" Husk asked.

"Oh!" Laila said, embarrassed that she hadn't explained, "If it wasn't already obvious, I'm a witch. And I was part of one of several witch councils that remain hidden from humanity while also helping them and protecting other fae creatures."

"Was your council one of the good ones?"

"In a way. I, unfortunately, was placed in one of the older councils that is made up of a group of egotistical older witches and warlocks."

Husk thought for a moment, "So, you basically worked with a bunch of narcissistic racists?"

Laila sucked in her teeth and nodded, "Yes. Those old crones called themselves 'PureBloods'."

"Those are the same ones that called you 'Half Witch' or 'Vermin'." Alastor said, his grin tightened at the mention of their name.

"Half Witch?" Husk asked.

"Oh, I'm half murciélago."

Husk blinked, "Mur- what?"

"She's half-bat, Husker."

"Oh...what's the other half?"

Laila tucked her hair back, revealing her long elvish and slightly furry ears as well as the runic tattoos on both sides of her neck. She grinned at Husk, revealing all of her sharp white teeth.

"Troll."

Husk blinked in surprise, "Uh… can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You say you were placed within that council. It wasn't your choice, was it?"

Laila shook her head, "No… I was a dumb kid who decided to steal from one of their shops to make a quick buck."

"I am still surprised that they let you go so easily." Alastor interjected.

"...They let me go because my 2 decades of servitude were over."

Husker took a sip of his coffee before he spoke, "I feel a 'but' coming on."

Laila smiled, "But it's because I got pregnant out of wedlock… and it may have to do with the fact that the baby's father was an apprentice of theirs who also was leaving that council."

"You hooked up with their apprentice?" Husk asked, laughing.

Laila laughed as well before turning to Alastor, who made a face.

"So, you just slept with a random stranger?"

"He was not a random stranger, Al. We dated in secret and… well…" She let the sentence hang there as she gestured to her belly.

"Did you love him?" He asked, his tone of voice was soft.

Laila stared at her now lukewarm tea, "I did." She sighed, "Believe it or not, it… tends to be lonely even when you are surrounded by a lot of people."

She rubbed the side of her cup, "Especially, people who don't particularly like you because that's how they see the world."

She took a sip before setting her cup down, "...Bular helped me battle that loneliness and gave me comfort." 

A comfortable silence fell between the group before Husk spoke up.

"Where is he?"

She drank the last of her tea, "He left 2 months before I did. They transferred him to a distant council. I woke up and saw that all of his belongings were gone."

She looked up from her cup only to see the hair on the back of Husk's neck puff out, his wings raised. His arms were crossed over his chest, his claws gripping the sleeves of his shirt.

Alastor's eyes turned to radio dials, his nails once again digging into the table as his antlers branched out.

She sighed, "Could you both please calm down? I'd greatly appreciate it if you didn't destroy the dining room table."

Both men halted before sheepishly calming down, Husk closed his wings while Alastor yanked his nails out of the wood and twiddled his thumbs.

"Sorry."

"Apologies, Laila."

"It's fine, boys." She said, eyeing the clawed up area near Alastor. I'm going to have to sand that down later.

"...Did he know?"

Laila shook her head, "No. I never got the chance to tell him. And even if I could, I have no way to contact him. We weren't allowed to have modern devices."

"You don't know where he lives?"

"We all lived in the same castle. Though, to most humans, it appeared as a large office building. The elders lived on the top floor while me and the other messengers as well the apprentices lived on the lower floors." She said, sighing.

"Anyway, he made his choice… I made mine. Life goes on."

"Ms. Laila…" Husk began to say, noticing the sad look on her face.

"So, back to the matter at hand, who are the kids?"

Both men looked at each other, choosing not to say anything on the sudden change of conversation. 

"We don't know." Alastor responded.

"This is the first time that we've met them." Husk said.

Alastor thought pensively, rubbing his chin. "You could tap into their memories, and see where they came from…"

His voice trailed off when he noticed her glaring at him.

"Alastor Boudreaux." Her voice boomed quietly against the walls of her home. "That is an invasion of privacy. How could you suggest something like that?" 

He actually flinched at her harsh tone, his ears folded once again as he meekly apologized.

I love this woman. Husk thought to himself, hiding his grin behind his coffee mug.

"I will confess. I managed to get a bit of information from when I held their hands."

"You can do that?" Husk asked.

"Mhm. It's a lot safer than digging through someone's subconscious."

"Well, what can you tell us, Ms. Laila?" Alastor asked.

"I don't have to use any magic to tell that they have been here for a few months. Basically, living off of God knows what and residing in your home." She said, looking over her shoulder in the direction of her study.

"The boy is 8 summers old and the girl is only 5."

"And their names?"

"The boy's name is Prometheus and the girl's name is Lady."

"Prometheus and Lady? Those are some strange names."

"You're one to talk, Mr. Husker."

That got a chuckle out of him, "Touche."

"Anything else that we should know?"

"Yes. The girl is a human… but the boy isn't."

********

We talked for a few hours before hearing the chatter of voices outside as Ms. Laila's kids came home from school: a boy and a girl. 

Though, said boy was a dark gray hare, and the lanky girl was a dark blue/yellow dart frog.

We introduced ourselves and Ms. Laila quickly explained in a hushed voice that there were two more guests sleeping.

Her kids waved goodbye to us and their mother and tiptoed to their rooms.

Returning back to the conversation, Alastor suggested something that left Ms. Laila speechless and caused me to spit out my coffee.

Alastor had decided that he would raise them as his own. 

I, however, complained. Specifically telling him that these were kids, not pets! 

I don't know what caused Alastor to come up with the idea to adopt the kids.

The only thing that he said was that the foster system would separate them and since the boy was a fae, it would be worse for him.

He was right. There was a warning that Ms. Laila said was followed by everyone, hybrids and magical folk alike.

Fae folk need to stay hidden because Humans tend to fear what they don't understand.

Ms. Laila had two conditions: That when the kids woke up, they all would discuss the possibility of them staying here.

The other was that if they decided to stay, the kids could stay with her for half a year and the other half would be with him.

She had told me later on that one of Al's many regrets was never starting a family of his own.

So, I guess I became those kids' honorary uncle when Prometheus said that they would stay. 

I agreed to take care of them as well.

It's a big change… for all of us.

And for them.

What could possibly happen?

********

Present Day

"-llo!" Alastor managed to finish his greeting as the hotel doors slammed once again in his face.

His ever-present grin tightened, as his left eye twitched slightly.

Quiet laughter came from behind him, Alastor's head turned a full 180 degrees at the sound.

"I bet that's the first time anyone's ever slammed a door in your face, Da." His son responded, hiding the lower half of his face with the palm of his gloved hand as he laughed.

"Not once, but twice, Papa." His daughter quipped, snickering when her father narrowed his eyes at her.

"This is simply a minor misunderstanding." He explained, turning his head forward. "A hiccup in the road."

Theo eyed the back of his father's head skeptically before looking at his sister, who also had the same look on her face.

He had no idea what was going through his Da's head, even when he and his sister were young.

Up until a month ago, they and the rest of their family had no contact with Alastor for a decade.

And even during the first three years that they were sent away, he only spoke to them once a month.

Why his Da chose to bring the both of them to a Hotel of all places was something he was still unsure of.

And why now of all times?

He noticed how his father tightened his grip on his staff, and tapped his foot impatiently against the concrete.

"Da, do you honestly think someone is going to let the Radio Demon inside their home?"

Alastor remained quiet, the only indication that he heard his son was him raising his shoulders and his ears folding back against his hair.

"Why don't you let me do the talking? She might feel more comfortable with me."

His Da didn't say a word but raised his hand, motioning for his son to come forward.

Theo walked forward, and lightly rapped his knuckles against the door.

The door opened slightly, just enough for the young blonde haired lady to peer out, cautiously.

"Yes… who are you?" She asked.

"Hallo. My name is Prometheus Boudreaux but everyone calls me Theo." He, Theo, said. He purposely blocked his father's line of sight, so only his ears were visible. He had a feeling she would slam the door again if she so much as caught a glimpse of his father's wide grin.

The young lady could only stare at him, her hand already on the doorknob.

"My name's Charlie… but that doesn't really tell me much." She said, before lowering her voice, "Do you have any idea who that man is?" 

"I do." Came Theo's curt reply, "And he believes that he can help with your project." 

That got her attention as she opened the door a little wider.

"Think of it as a business proposition." His younger sister said, stick her head around her brother's side. "One that will most surely succeed."

"And plus, I was feeling quite bored. So, this is entertainment for me." Alastor pipes up from over his son's shoulder.

Both his son and daughter sent surprised glares at their father.

"Da!"

"Papa! Why would you say that?!"

"What?! I was being bloody honest!"

"I'm sorry." Charlie interjected, "Did you just call the Radio Demon 'Da' and 'Papa'?"

Both siblings looked at each before sheepishly turning to her.

"Yes."

Charlie just stared at the three before sighing, "Honestly, this isn't the weirdest thing that has happened today." 

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look, I'm tired. I thought that this was going to be a good day and a great interview. And any of you saw that, you already knew that the shit hit the fan."

She ran a hand through her long blonde hair, "I… can't really think of any other options to make people believe that if they come here, they can better themselves."

"We can help… no matter how big or small."

She looked at the group, visibly shuddering at the Radio Demon's grin.

She thought silently, biting her lower lip.

Rubbing her forearm nervously, she opened the door all the way.

"Ok."

The siblings smiled gently as they followed her inside. Their father was right behind them.

Snapping his fingers, a green mist emanated from his palms; manifesting into large wispy clawed hands, they approached the doors. 

…and shut them loudly, the echo reverberated against the halls of the hotel.

Chapter Text

"But we'll be back in six months!" The leader of the Exorcists sang loudly, strumming his guitar and flying around the room.

The tall redhead had chosen to tune out his obnoxious singing and ignore the smirking grin from his right hand.

Her eyes widened when she heard that last line. From what she had been told, they had never arrived early… they always stuck to their schedule.

She narrowed her eyes when she noticed the smaller Exorcist, Lute, had progressively gotten into Charlie's personal space and threw her papers back at her.

Lute's sudden gasp caused the music to shut off abruptly. Charlie's eyes widened when she noticed how Lady was grabbing her arm, her now black fingernails had ripped through the black sleeve.

Gold blood dripped along the wound, Lute was practically kneeling on the floor. Her yellow eyes glared back at Lady, her lips were in a tight lipped frown.

Though she tried to hide it, she was in a lot of pain.

Nice one, Lady. You've only been here for less than an hour and you have already hurt someone. Lady mentally chastised herself, eyeing the pale skinned woman who continued to glare at her defiantly.

That was a good quality in a person, refusing to back down even in the toughest of moments.

The only problem was that she could sense this woman's blood lust; She was a fighter. Unfortunately, she wasn't the kind that would fight for others to protect them. She could tell that this woman… was too eager to pick up a sword.

"Listen well, you prideful youngblood." Lady began to say.

"She came here for a simple meeting, a chance to talk." Lady explained, pointing at Charlie, who had halted in picking up her pages, "But instead we are speaking with children instead of adults."

She leaned down until she was only a few inches away from Lute's nose, "I would greatly appreciate it if you never put your hands on her again or so much as spew anymore of those vile curses at us."

Lady leaned back and looked down at Lute's forearm, "Lest you want your arm ripped off sooner than later."

She released her grip, her nails made audible 'shink' as she took her hand off her arm. Lute crumpled down onto the floor in a sitting position, her eyes were scrunched close as she grabbed her injured arm and held it close to her body.

"Charlie. Come, we're done here." Lady said, motioning for the smaller blonde to follow her.

She did, Lady put her arm around her protectively. She cast the duo one last look over shoulder.

A cold glare, her eyes turned into blue Radio Dials before reverting back to normal. 

"Ms. Lute." Lady said, causing the winged woman to look up, "Warm water will help bring down the swelling as well as clean the wound." 

Lady scratched the back of her head with her free hand, "arnica also helps with bruises…" She paused before continuing, "I apologize for hurting you."

She snapped her fingers, and the doors slammed behind her and Charlie.

The smaller blonde moved away, gripping the pages tightly. Lady winced when she heard them rip and she started to breathe heavily.

"Oh, shit." Charlie whispered.

"Charlie." Lady called her name.

"Oh, shit. Oh, shit." Charlie whispered again.

"Charlotte." Lady said her full name, trying to get her attention.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Charlie muttered under her breath, as she pushed her bangs with her free hand and started to pace.

"Sweetie!" Lady shouted, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Take a breath."

Taking a deep breath, she let out a shaky one.

"Calm down."

"How am I supposed to be calm?" Charlie said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You heard them!"

She began to tear, wiping away her tears with the heel of her palm. Lady sighed and wrapped her arms around her, placing her chin on top of Charlie's head.

The smaller blonde reciprocated the hug, crying softly into the taller woman's chest.

"What are we going to do? I was supposed to make it better… and I screwed up again."

"Hey, I screwed up as well. I injured someone when I was supposed to back you up." Lady replied, pulling back to look at her friend.

"Don't you worry. We'll figure something out." Lady said, smiling. Charlie returned the smile, chuckling as she wiped away the rest of her tears.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before we run into those again."

"Agreed." Charlie said as they started to walk down the main corridor toward the elevator.

"Umm… Charlie?"

"Yes?"

"Could you teleport us home?... I think that flasher is still out there. I genuinely don't want to see that again." Lady asked, they both stepped into the elevator.

Charlie cringed, "Yeah, you're right. That was disturbing."

The elevator doors closed with a quiet 'ding'.

Chapter Text

"We need someone who Little Miss Bleeding Heart would take in." Vox said, thinking pensively as he stood from his chair.

"Someone...pathetic, desperate, with no direct ties to us?" Velvette responded as she watched him through her peripheral vision.

"I employ every down on their luck loser this side of Hell. Who the fuck is left?" Valentino complained, as he continued to glue rhinestones to his gun.

Vox scoffed, "I think, I have... JUST the one." He replied, slowly turning his back to his shark tank. Just as his right eye starts to glow red, the trio is startled by loud shouting as well as barking from up above.

Velvette yelps when the chandelier crashes onto the table, the crystals embedding themselves into the wood.

"Vels, isn't that coming from your studio?"

The doll Overlord blanched and ran for the main door, muttering 'no no no' under her breath.

Another crash came from above as both Vox and Valentino looked at one another before running after Velvette.

Muffled screams and shouts came from the second floor as Velvette practically flew up the stairs, the other two overlords were quickly behind her.

The now loud barking grew more excited as Velvette burst through the doors and let out a horrified scream, clutching her face.

A large hammerhead shark was currently climbing over a couch and crashing through several racks of clothing while several of Velvette's models and Vox's employees were desperately trying to catch him.

"Somebody, grab the mutt, please!" 

Two models closed on the large hammerhead and jumped, almost grabbing before he ran off and slammed into one of the vanity tables, shattering the mirrors and all of the makeup.

Several models screamed as the shark barreled toward them and smashed through another clothing rack, several dresses were draped across his head as he tried to get off.

"MY DRESSES!" Velvette screeched when she saw that the shark, in an effort to get the clothes off of him, had started to rip through the fabric.

********

The next 2 hours were… migraine inducing to say the least. 

Velvette was busy picking the dresses that hadn't been destroyed while yelling at her assistants to throw away the ones that were irreparable.

Both Vox and Valentino were chasing the overgrown puppy around the studio before the Moth Overlord yelled 'Fuck This!' and stormed out.

He yelled over his shoulder that he would be in his studio, finishing up some films and calling the actors that needed to be here today.

The T.V. Overlord rubbed where his forehead would be and let out an irritated huff as Vark cowered behind the couch, whimpering every now and then.

He sighed, seeing that he finally calmed down before a model knocked over a vase. 

Which startled Vark, causing him to panic and run around the room again.

Vox let out an exasperated groan and threw himself onto the couch, closing his eyes.

In the middle of it all as Velvette half heartedly glared at the overgrown fish, she hesitated before suggesting something that caused him to sit up straight.

"You know there is only one person who can calm him down."

He hesitated, his blue claws digging into the fabric. 

"Yeah, no. I haven't seen her in a long time, Vels. I don't even know where she is."

Vox felt himself freeze up at her next words. 

"She's here, Vox." 

Velvette rolled her eyes when she saw the multiple colors appear on his screen before reverting back to normal.

"For fuck's sake! Just bloody call her! You control all of our technology… it shouldn't take you so long to find her new phone number."

********

He tapped his blue fingers against his desk, eyeing the phone number on all of his screens. 

He had been staring at it for the last hour, debating whether to call.

When was the last time he heard her voice?

He groaned and pressed the phone icon, waiting patiently as the phone rang.

He froze up once more.

Wait… what the fuck I am going to say? Should I just say 'Hello' or 'How you doing?'

He groaned slightly when he replayed in his head. He was so focused that he didn't notice that the phone had stopped ringing and was displaying the time.

So, Vox said the first thing that popped into his head.

"What up, Bitch?!" He practically shouted over the phone before flushing a bright red. 

"fuuuuck!" He whispered softly, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. "why did I say that?"

"Umm… who is this?" A man's voice came from the speaker.

Vox faltered, not expecting someone else to answer.

"Umm… who is this?" Vox parroted back.

The line went quiet for a moment, "...I asked you first. But I genuinely don't feel comfortable talking to someone who answers the phone saying 'What up, Bitch'."

Vox stammered, "I… um…"

"Ok… I'm gonna hang up now."

"Wait!" Vox shouted into the speaker, "Is this Lady's phone?"

The silence dragged a bit longer, "...How do you know my sister?" The man asked, now annoyed, "No… on second thought, who is this?"

"This is Vox… the T.V. Overlord." Vox explained. 

The line went quiet for a moment, Vox faintly heard an almost surprised 'oh, shit.' 

"You son of bitch." The man's voice barked through the phone, "You got some fucking nerve calling her all the years." 

Vox sucked in his teeth and groaned, "Look, is she there? I need to talk to her." 

The man sighed, "I should hang up this phone and block your ass."

"You could try but I kind of control all technology. I could easily find her new phone number." Vox couldn't help but snark back.

The man groaned, "You dick. It had better be important whatever it is that you are going to tell her."

"Hold on a moment." Vox heard whoever it was set the phone down on a hard surface.

"Lady!" His voice sounded far away as Vox waited patiently.

"Yes?" He felt himself freeze up… he hadn't heard that voice in a while.

"Is Da here?"

"No… why?"

"Please don't hate me but… I think your ex is the phone." 

"...what?"

"He wants to talk to you."

"Why?"

"I don't know. But I'm fairly sure that he'll come up with some other way to contact you if you hang up."

He heard a sigh before someone picked up the phone, footsteps could be heard before the sound of door closing reverberated in the speaker.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Hey, Lady." came Vox's meek voice.

The line grew quiet for a moment before she answered, "Hi…"

Vox opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. 

"You still there?"

"Yes!" Vox shouted.

"Ok! You don't need to blow out my eardrums." She said, "What is it?"

"Vark is… tearing apart Velvette's studio and terrorizing all of my employees. I… need you to calm him down."

"... did you honestly call me after so long because you need someone to wrangle your dog?" Lady asked, surprised.

"Yes?" His voice cracked a little when he said that.

"You're unbelievable. You know that, right?" Came Lady's voice, her annoyed tone was evident.

Vox winced, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"After 10 fucking years, this is what you call me for?" 

Vox actually flinched. She rarely ever cursed when they were dating.

A sigh came from the other end of the phone, "You do realize that there is a chance that he won't remember me?"

"I know but I've tried everything: chasing him and bribing him with treats hasn't worked. He's breaking whatever is nearby in an effort to hide under it."

"Ok. I will try to calm him down… but my brother is coming with me."

"Yeah! Sure, that's fine!"

"On one condition…"

"Anything."

"I had better not see, hear or smell your little boyfriend."

"He's not here right now. He's going to be held up in his studio for the rest of the day and evening."

"good… I don't wish to be around someone so horrible."

"Ok. I'll text you the address."

"Vox… you still live in the same building where you work. I know where it is. I'll text you when I get there."

"Oh, ok. See you then."

"Bye."

The call ended, Vox slouched back into his chair.

He remained seated at his desk, the soft blue light illuminated him as he stared at the screen.

Well, that went better than expected. He thought silently, shaking his head. 

Who am I kidding?

********

She texted him a good 15 minutes later that she and her brother were walking to his studio.

He texted back that he would meet them in the lobby.

As the elevator doors opened, he paused as he stepped out.

His assistant and his other employees were chatting excitedly and crowding two people.

Seeing their boss, they quickly dispersed but not before Velix, one of his assistants, gently placed his hand on the young woman's shoulder and smiled warmly at both her and the young man, her brother.

"It's really nice to see you both, again." Velix said, smiling at them.

"You as well, Velix. We should all have dinner sometime." Lady's brother responded warmly.

"Of course, Lady."

Vox froze when he heard that name and got a good look at her.

She… had gotten taller and looked different.

********

A long sleeved black crop top hoodie covered her upper torso, exposing her stomach. A pair of high waisted jeans hugged her hips, accompanied with dark gray running shoes.

The tips of a large tattoo peeked out.

Her long red hair was down and parted to one side, one of her elven ears peeked out.

Vox's attention turned to the young man.

A long sleeved asymmetrical sweater covered his larger frame, alongside a pair of baggy blue jeans and dark maroon sneakers. 

His waist length light brown hair was braided, draped over his shoulder.

Vox's eyes widened when he recognized him. He had seen him only a few times around his studio when he and Lady were together.

Their first meeting was… rude to say the least since Vox had chosen to ignore him when Lady introduced him.

Afterwards, her brother would wait until she was in the car before sending him an almost disappointed look. 

Vox cleared his throat, alerting all three of them. Velix flinched at the glare that was sent his way before scurrying off.

Vox's piercing glare followed after him, growling slightly before turning his attention back to the siblings.

He flinched when he was met with Lady's surprised yet annoyed expression and her older brother glaring at him.

"That was unnecessary, Vox."

He flushed slightly, "He needed to get back to work anyway."

He turned around and headed back to the elevator, "Come on. I'll take you to Velvette's studio."

The siblings followed after him and her brother chose to stand in between the two as soft music played through the quiet elevator.

The doors dinged open, and the siblings were taken aback at the destruction.

"What the..?" Lady's voice trailed off as she stepped out of the elevator, her eyes looking over the broken and upturned furniture as well as the scratches in the tile floor.

"Did a tornado blow through here?" Theo asked, as he stepped over several discarded ripped dresses that had been forgotten.

"Well, that tornado is called Vark." Vox said as he looked at the room before his eyes landed on the still cowering figure of his pet.

"Whoa. Vark… grew." Theo said, now getting a good look at him.

The last time he had seen the hammerhead was when he was dropping off Lady for her lunch date. 

A tiny blue shark pup had run over and started to pull the hem of one of his pant legs.

"The heck have you been feeding him? He used to fit in the crook of my arm." Lady asked.

"Just the usual: chum and the occasional raw steak and fish."

Lady sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Ok, no promises. I will see if he will listen and recognize me."

"And if he doesn't?" Vox asked.

Lady turned her head and frowned, "We will cross that bridge when we get there."

She stepped over pieces of broken furniture and slowly walked over to the couch.

The couch had scratches in the leather fabric and vibrated from the large hammerhead's whimpering.

She sat down on the edge, the only part of the couch that was destroyed and waited.

Slowly, the vibrating stopped as his tail retreated from under the couch.

She saw one eye peek out from the armrest and then she saw two as Vark slowly walked out from behind the couch.

He was still shaking and she flinched when he let out a terrified bark, his tail tucked between his legs.

He actually circled as she stared at her clasped hands, he continuously barked as he approached several times but backed away at the last moment.

Lady slowly lifted her head, wincing at how loud the barking was, and cocked her to the side to look at him.

She stayed still as he again approached her, this time close enough to smell her.

Vark rubbed his broad nose against Lady's sleeve before freezing up at her next words.

"Hey, Pochito Lindo."

Vark looked up at the woman, his red eyes widened when he caught her scent.

He let out a happy bark, his tail wagging furiously.

Lady winced, she knew what was coming next and braced for impact.

She let out a yelp as the large hammerhead tackled her, causing the couch to flip over.

"I missed you too, Pochi!" Came Lady's laughing voice, "But you gotta let me breathe, you overgrown mutt!"

Both Theo and Vox rushed over, Theo helped his sister up while Vox grabbed Vark and pulled him away.

Which was hard to do since the hammerhead kept trying to pull away and jump on Lady.

He continued a series of loud barks and desperate whines as he tried to break free.

"Well, that solves the mystery if he remembers you." Theo said.

Lady grinned, wiping the slobber from her face with her sleeve.

********

The group decided to clean up the mess that Vark had caused.

Though it was hard to do since the hammerhead kept following Lady around, trying to grab whatever she was holding.

"I've been meaning to ask, what spooked him anyway?" Theo asked, holding the broken remains of a chair.

"It was more of a who. The Radio Freakshow caused a blackout and Vark happened to see his face on my computer screens." Vox said, throwing ripped dresses into a garbage bag.

With his back turned, he didn't notice the surprised and nervous looks on the siblings faces.

After a few hours, the studio was somewhat organized. They couldn't do anything about the claw marks in the linoleum floors or on some of the walls.

They turned to leave, Vark pulled on Lady's pant leg. 

"Hey! Let go, Pochi!" 

Vark bit down on the fabric and tried to pull her away from the elevator doors.

"Vark! Let go of her!" Vox approached his pet and grabbed his collar, flinching when the hammerhead actually growled at him.

"I guess he doesn't want you to leave yet." Theo said, cracking a smile.

"Don't worry, bud. I'm not leaving you for good." Lady sighed and bent down on one knee, Vark briefly let go. He let out an affectionate whine when Lady scratched between his eyes.

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Lady… but if you could… You don't have to! But if you could, it would help if you could watch him and calm him down if something freaks him out." Vox managed to say, fumbling over his words.

Lady blinked, looking between Vark and Vox. "Really?"

Vox nodded, picking at his claws.

"Well, let me call my husband, Ronan. If he says okay, you can drop Vark off at our apartment." Lady said, scratching Vark before getting up and pulling out her phone. She walked over to the elevators and patiently waited for Ronan to answer.

"Um… her what now?" Vox asked.

"Oh, yeah. Lady's married." Theo said, already bent down and scratching Vark near his gills.

He didn't notice when an error message appeared briefly on Vox's screen before returning to normal.

Lady conversed quietly over the phone with Ronan before hanging up after several minutes.

"What did he say?" Theo asked.

"Well, he asked me if I was okay with it. I told him that I was fine and that it wasn't going to be any everyday thing. He's 50/50 on the situation but he said yes, anyway."

Lady bent down again as Vark trotted over to her, wagging his tail and rubbing his nose against her sleeves.

"See you soon, Pochi." Lady said before walking toward the elevator doors, pushing one of the buttons as the doors opened up.

Theo followed after her.

Vox waved goodbye at the two, only Lady managed a small wave as the doors closed.

Vox let out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding, scratching the top of Vark's head.

He sat down on the only chair that wasn't broken, a good twenty minutes go by as he stares at the floor.

He lifts his head when he hears a small dinging sound.

The doors open again; Only Theo steps out as he walks up to Vox.

"We need to talk. Now."

********

"Talk about what?"

"I need to say something to you." Theo began to say, his hands crossed over his chest. 

"One… What the heck was with that response today? You haven't seen or heard from Lady in a decade and the first two things that come to mind are 'What up, bitch'? And 'Hey, can you help me with my dog?' "

Vox remained quiet, watching as the taller man breathed heavily.

"You know, the day that she told me that the cute guy from the club had agreed to a date… she had been so happy." Theo said.

Vox's eyes widened. It had been her 24th birthday and she had been dared to hit on him, dared by her family after she got some liquid courage.

"And I know that she had a great time because when she came home around 10:00 pm a few weeks later, she couldn't stop talking about you… and we were really happy for her." 

Vox looked down at the ground.

"I was actually excited to meet the guy that was putting a smile on my sister's face, the guy that made her laugh."

Vox winced and looked up at him, shrinking under the glare that was directed at him.  

"Imagine my disappointment when you looked annoyed and just muttered a hello and went back to texting on your phone."

"I kept trying to be friendly… at least try to have a conversation with but you ignored every single one of us completely."

Theo sighed, "It got worse over the year… she started coming home earlier. She was smiling less and less."

"And then in the last months, she came home in the middle of the day. She had been crying…" His voice turned into a growl, "because she found out that you had been cheating on her since the day that you guys met."

"What's worse… is that little doll friend of yours, Who she thought was also her friend… knew and didn't say anything." Theo bit back a snarl, thinking about the fashion demoness with the dark pink/purple pigtails.

"Lady came back one last time and left you a letter, telling you in great detail that it was over and that she was leaving." Theo responded.

"I have to ask… did you even see it as an actual relationship?"

Vox hesitated, guilt began to pool in his stomach. In the year and a half that he and Lady saw each other, he had seen the relationship as a passing fling. 

But as time passed, he realized something: he enjoyed her company and found himself excited when she visited him during his lunch or when they went out to dinner after a long day/when he fought with Valentino.

After she ended things with him and disappeared, he realized something else: that he missed her.

That he felt remorse when he thought about what he did and found himself listening to messages that she would leave him during their time when he felt sad.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed what Theo said next.

"Lady has never wished ill will on anyone… even someone like you." Theo said, before pausing, "She also warned me not to deck you."

"D-deck me?"

"She didn't say I couldn't hit you anywhere else."

Vox didn't have a moment to think when he felt Theo's clenched fist strike him in the stomach.

The impact caused his screen to burst into several different colors before reverting to his normal screen.

The TV Overlord let out a series of wheezing coughs as he felt Theo lead him back to the damaged couch.

"Breathe, ya moron." Theo said, giving two rough pats on the back before he turned around and walked back to the elevator.

Vark whined and cocked his head to the side, looking between him and Vox.

"Sorry, pochito." Theo said as he scratched Vark's head.

"But your Daddy had that coming for a decade." Theo pointed to Vox as Vark trotted over to his owner, and laid his head on his knee.

The doors opened as Theo stepped inside, they closed once again when he pressed the down button.

The only sounds in the room were Vox's shallow breaths and Vark's soft whining.

Vark let out a snarky bark to which Vox wheezed out, "I know, bud. I deserved that."

********

"So, how did it go with Lady?" Velvette asked, eyeing Vox who was now laying on the couch. Vark was asleep near his feet.

"How do you think it went?! After she left, her brother came back up. Gave me 'a reason you suck' speech and then punched me in the stomach. I couldn't breathe for 15 minutes." Vox said, flinching when he tried to sit up. 

He could already feel a bruise forming.

"You met with your ex today, Voxcito? You should have invited me up to greet her." Valentino piped up, smirking when he looked up from his phone. 

"Never in a million years." Vox responded, almost defensively before turning to Velvette. "Anyway, what was I saying before Vark tore up your studio, Vels?"

"You were saying that you knew someone who had no direct ties to us that could infiltrate the Hotel." Velvette said, without looking up from her phone.

"Right." Vox responded.

"So, who is it, amor?" Valentino asked, leaning forward.

"That steampunk inventor… Sir Pentious." Vox responded, his left eye began to glow an ominous red.

Chapter Text

"Why would you want to go to that Overlord meeting? You told us when we were in our teens that you stayed away from that because it was too political." Theo said, closing the book that he was reading. His wife, Teddy, was sitting next to him; her head on his shoulder.

Ronan was sitting on the couch, Maia and Tuva were sitting on either side of him.

"Lady… sweetie. Wouldn't your ex be there? From what I've seen posted on that doll Overlord's social media, every meeting has ended quickly because they end hurling insults at one another which leads to Vox having to be held back as he tries to rugby tackle Uncle Alastor." Teddy said, worried. She remembered how Lady had been when she ended that relationship.

And how concerned and furious her uncle had been when he found that she had gotten her heart broken.

"It'll be fine. Velix just texted me, saying that Vox was busy with a project and Valentino is swamped with films."

The entire group made a face at the mention of the Moth Overlord's name.

"Honey… you sure you gonna be alright? I could come with you." Her husband asked.

"I'll be fine. My Papa already draws attention when he is by himself. Imagine how much we will draw when he is with a group. And Theo already told him that he doesn't want to go." Lady said, readjusting the sleeves of her dress and the strap of her purse.

"Well, have fun. And we are all going to make sure that Vaggie does not go overboard with the trust exercises." Theo said, earning him an enthusiastic thumbs up from his younger sister as she exited the sitting room.

"Good luck, then. One last thing, how do I look?" Lady asked. She had decided to wear a loose but form fitting low cut knee length dress that had mushroom elbow sleeves and a sash tied around the waist.

"You look hot." Ronan piped, his eyes shamelessly raked over his wife's form and stopping at her legs.

Lady couldn't help but blush, as her cousins laughed and smiled in agreement.

"Ronan, that's my sister." Theo said, sticking out his tongue.

"And, she's my wife." Ronan countered.

********

"Welcome, Hell's sovereign overlords. I've invited you all here because you represent the controlling powers of our city." Lady Carmine said, her shoes clinking against the linoleum floor as she stood at the head of the table alongside her daughters.

"Together, you own millions of souls. Souls at risk with the new Extermination schedule." She pounded her fist against the table, "We need to discuss what can be done to minimize the impact to our interest."

Zestial, the large spider-like Overlord, took his seat next to Carmilla.

"Zestial, so good to see you, my friend." Carmilla said, a small barely visible smile appeared. 

"Enchanted as always, Carmilla." The elder Overlord's voice reverberated warmly, as a puff of green smoke appeared, a teacup and saucer manifested in the palms of his hands.

Carmilla's warm expression turned into one of surprise when she noticed another familiar face, one who she hadn't seen in a while. "Alastor?"

"Yes, I know I've been absent some time." Alastor remarked, his grin grew larger as he clasped his hands together. "I'm sure you've all been wondering!" The static in his voice faded.

"...Not really." Carmilla responded instead, shrugging her shoulders. "But welcome back in any case."

She didn't notice how his grin tightened or how his eyes narrowed, clearly offended by her lack of interest.

She did, however, take notice of the other red head that sat next to him. Her brows furrowed together as she stared at her silently for a few minutes.

Before she sent the young woman a warm smile, "... And I see you've brought your daughter."

The animosity that swelled up inside Alastor faded away as he turned to his daughter, his grin had softened. 

Lady nodded at the arms dealer, folding her hands under her chin. 

"Yes." Came his curt, yet soft reply.

"And… I see that your son is not joining us today." Carmilla said, eyeing the empty chair in between Lady and Rosie.

"He is quite occupied today. He volunteered to help out with the Princess's… activities." He replied, scoffing under his breath.

Lady frowned slightly at her father's derogatory tone of voice.

"Well, in any case, let's start the meeting." Carmilla said, snapping her fingers as one of her daughters handed a clipboard.

"This year's Extermination was brutal, far more even than years past." Carmilla said, nodding to her daughter Odette as the young lady pressed a button on the remote.

"We have assessed that about 16% of the population was lost." Carmilla explained, as a slide show appeared behind her, "With the angelic legions now returning twice as quickly, I think it prudent we-"

The door slams open… well, more like it was kicked open as a familiar face with magenta pigtails struts into the room; talking loudly on the phone.

Lady's eyes widened ever so slightly when she saw the doll Overlord, her knuckles became white with how hard she was gripping them. She lowered her hands into her lap.

"Yes, I've got it handled, Vox. Are you doubting me? Really? Me? That's what I thought." Velvette laughed, leaning against the back of an empty chair. 

She laughs again as she eyes Carmilla and Zestial, "Yes, I know. They're all a joke." 

Lady frowned a bit, had Velvette always been this… snide?

Velvette laughed one last time, "Thank you, V. See you soon. Kisses, darling." She promptly hung up, sat down in the empty chair and began texting on her phone.

"Nice of you to join us, Velvette." A bored yet annoyed expression appeared on Carmilla's face. "Will your... colleagues be joining?" Her lip pulled back into a disgusted sneer when she referred to other Vees.

"No, they have better shit to do than to listen to an old windbag who thinks she's tough shit." Velvette replied, smugly. Carmilla's eyes narrowed at the intended insult. 

"I'm here to represent." Velvette explained as she looked around the room, before her own eyes widened when they landed on a familiar face.

"Lady? What are you doing here?" Velvette asked, "You an Overlord now?"

"Far from it. I'm here to make sure this one doesn't cause trouble." Lady responded, jerking her thumb at her father, who whacked the back of her hand playfully.

Velvette remained still for a few moments before letting out a snort which turned into a snobby laugh, "You think you can control the Radio Demon? Did you bloody hit your head or something?"

"Well, she's not just anyone, Velvette. She's his daughter." Carmilla interjected, causing Velvette's laughter to die down slowly.

The doll Overlord eyed the room silently, seeing if anyone was in on this little joke.

The rest of the Overlords stared at her with neutral expressions… except the Radio Demon.

She tried to not feel rattled by the smug closed grin that he directed at her before turning his attention back to Carmilla.

Velvette finally sat down, as Carmilla began the meeting again after being interrupted. 

"So, as I was saying, we need to discuss…" Velvette texted on her phone as Carmilla discussed what was the next step.

Though her mind was elsewhere as several times during the meeting, she looked and eyed the other red head.

********

"-nursing home, fuckers!" Velvette said angrily, as she walked out the door. "Kiss my arse!" She flipped everyone off as she exited the meeting room.

Velvette stalked down the hallway, the walls reverberated when the other members exited the conference room.

The only positive thing that happened during that boring meeting was managing to rattle Carmilla with the severed head. 

That and she had struck a nerve when the arms dealer defended that Shakespearean hack mid song.

"Velvette! Slow down." The doll overlord stopped and slowly turned around. The red head was practically running up to her, her gait slowed into a walk as she approached.

"You run very fast." Lady managed to say as she stopped walking, leaving a considerable distance between them.

Velvette stared up at her, her lips pulled back into a frown. Even in her anger, she realized how tall Lady had gotten.

…She used to be shorter.

"Care to explain why you never bothered to mention that you're Alastor's kid?!" Velvette yelled.

Lady merely blinked, a sad yet guilty look in her eyes caused Velvette's anger to simmer a bit.

Without saying a word, Lady grabbed her arm and entered an empty conference room; She shut the door behind them.

Lady sat down on the nearest empty chair and motioned for Velvette to sit; the doll overlord still frowned but complied.

The two women remained quiet for an uncomfortably long time, neither said anything. Lady clenched her knuckles while Velvette stared at the table, her arms crossed over her chest.

The doll Overlord was the first to speak, "I thought we were friends. Friends confide in one another."

The guilty look on Lady's face disappeared as she slammed her fist against the table, cracking the wood as she rose from her chair suddenly.

The action startled Velvette as she looked up at Lady; the blood drained from her face.

Two dark blue radio dials angrily stared back at her as Lady's face hardened. The room slowly grew dark, her eyes illuminated in said darkness.

"Funny." Lady spoke, her voice echoed as if several people were speaking at once. "if we were such good friends… then why did you fail to mention that Vox never cared about me and had been fucking Valentino behind my back?"

Velvette remained quiet, her eyes widened.

"...I-" Velvette couldn't say anything, her words were caught in her throat.

"Lady! Dear, where are you? We need to get back to the hotel!" Alastor's voice floated down the hall and through the door.

The room brightened almost immediately, Lady's eyes turned back to their normal shade of blue.

"I'm coming!" Lady responded, and looked down at the doll Overlord; She was currently leaning back into the chair and still staring fearfully at her.

"I'm sorry, Velvette." She apologized, "There's a reason why I never told you who my father was." 

The doll Overlord remained quiet, but had relaxed a little. 

"... I didn't want you to be afraid of me." She said, crossing her arms over chest, "I know that we aren't close anymore… but I still care for your safety."

Lady didn't say anything else as she walked past her toward the door.

"...He did." came Velvette's voice, her tone was soft.

Lady was already turning the door handle when she heard her speak; She looked over her shoulder, confused.

"What?"

"He did care about you." Velvette said as she stood up from the chair, "What am I saying?... he cares about you still."

Lady opened the door, still staring at her.

"I'm not gonna tell him, you know." Velvette said, staring at Lady.

"You have every right to." Lady said, "That's ammo for you. You could easily tell everyone that Alastor's daughter dated his most hated archrival."

Velvette flinched for the third time. She was right, she could have posted that information… but it didn't sit well with her.

In fact… it gnawed at her insides and turned her stomach.

"How did your dad handle that news?"

The door was already open, as Lady stared at her; a haunted look in her eyes.

"I think you know the answer to that question." Lady said, waving goodbye as she exited the room.

Leaving the doll Overlord alone, who sank against the chair.

She clutched her hands that were shaking; she and the Vees as well as the ones in employment wouldn't be here right now.

Alastor would have torn them to shreds if he had known that someone had broken one of his kids' hearts.

Chapter Text

"Charlie, LEAVE!" Angel Dust shouted, standing in front of Valentino as Charlie's eyes turned back to their normally yellow color.

"But–" She began to say before Angel Dust cut her off, "I didn't want you ta come here. I already asked you to leave and you didn't listen. You made things worse."

"I just wanted to help you." Charlie said, tears now brimming in her eyes.

"Well, you ain't!" Guilt settled into his stomach but he had to get her out of here, "You actually want to help me? Get the…" 

He trailed off when he heard the shattering of glass and noticed Theo standing still, just a few feet away from Charlie. He had been holding two cups filled with cider.

His nephew was eerily quiet as he looked down at his bleeding palms, bits of glass were sticking out from his skin. The liquids mixed with his blood dripped down onto the floor, leaving a small puddle and staining his pants.

He looked up at two of them, zeroing in on the purplish bruise surrounding Angel's left eye.

"Did that fucking Rat do that to you just now?" He asked, puffs of smoke billowed from his mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head.

His voice sounded hollow, echoing as if more than one person was speaking at once.

A hush fell in the studio, the rapid set of footsteps were heard as Angel hurried over to Theo.

"N-no, I slipped and fell earlier." Angel lied, wrapping his lower hands around Theo's forearms and resting his upper arms on his shoulders. 

"Please, don't lie to me, uncle." Theo said, his eyes still shut and his head still down.

"I'm not." Angel said, his voice wavered, "and I am going to need you to take a breath and calm down."

He felt Theo's skin shift underneath the thin material of his shirt… and start to tear.

Angel's mismatched eyes widened when his nephew finally raised his head and opened his eyes.

Pitch black orbs stared back at him, several scales had sprouted along his cheeks, along the bridge of his nose as well as his forehead.

He let go of Theo's arms, "I'm sorry," Theo started to say as he slowly sank down to the floor, "I can't do that right now."

He laid down on the ground, clutching his head. A feral groan erupted from deep within him as he slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the concrete and causing several workers to yelp.

"What's wrong with him?" Charlie asked, concerned and appearing beside Angel.

"Get everyone out." He responded, his eyes still on his nephew as he saw his burned wings rip out from his back.

Sharp cracking sounds cut through the air as his body morphed and grew larger, his bones shifting to accommodate his new form.

At this point, several workers had run out of the studio, the others stayed behind frozen in place.

One of his hands shot out a few feet away from both Angel and Charlie, the spider pulling her away, his hands resting on her shoulders protectively.

His claws sunk in the ground.

The cracking had stopped, Theo's form nearly took up half of the studio. Angel winced when he saw the bone fragments sticking out from Theo's spine, blood dripped down from where the skin had broken.

The growling quieted down a bit as Theo slowly raised his head, cocking it to the side when he zeroed in on Valentino. His lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing the sharp 4 inch long fangs.

Theo began to move his shoulders up and down, his wings vibrated furiously.

The moth pimp froze and felt a chill go down his spine when he saw him do that.

Angel knew what was coming.

"EVERYBODY OUT NOW!" Both he and Charlie shouted in unison, the remaining workers screamed and ran for the exits.

A low roar came from deep within Theo as he lunged for Valentino, who dove out of the way and took out his gun.

"NO!" Angel shouted when he saw Theo once again lunge for the moth, as Valentino pulled the trigger.

A shot rang out in the now empty room.

********

Lady burst through the studio doors, walking past the shaken employees and made a beeline for the elevator.

She passed a mirror and briefly saw her eyes: two dark blue radio dials stared back. 

She walked up to the elevator as the door was opening, she stepped inside just as two other employees hurriedly stepped out.

The doors closed and she noticed her reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator.

Small iridescent scales had started to sprout along her cheeks and around her eyes. The radio dials ticked away soundlessly as her wings unfurled from her back and began to vibrate loudly.

Lady sighed, Going in there furious wouldn't help. Ronan would say that if he were here right now.

She let out a breath that she hadn't known that she was holding and closed her eyes. Her wings settled down and retreated back into her skin. When she opened her eyes again, they were back to their normal blue.

Her phone vibrated as she pulled it out of her pocket and checked her messages.

Her first message was from her husband.

Hey, honey. Me and my sisters are on our way. We'll be there in 10 minutes. Charlie just texted us and told us to go up to the penthouse suite. 

The second message was from Charlie.

Lady, we're up on the penthouse floor. Angel managed to lock up your brother in his boss's suite. 

Lady placed her phone back into her pocket just as the elevator reached the top floor, dinging.

The doors opened and she stepped out, her steps faltering as she walked down the hallway.

Ceramic flower pots were turned over, shattered.

Claw marks were gouged deep into the walls, having ripped half of the portraits that had hung there. 

More scratches were carved into the floor as well as a trail of a dark red liquid.

A low roar was heard and she sprinted down the hallway, slowing down when she saw the group.

Her uncle was sitting down on a couch, his head in his upper hands while Charlie patted his shoulder and gripped his lower hands.

Vox came into view around the corner and leaned against the opposite wall. The other Vees were nowhere in sight. 

All three of them looked worse for wear, with parts of their clothes torn and scratches on their limbs.

"Uncle Angie! Charlie!" Lady shouted, the three of them looked up.

"Lady!" Angel said, hugging his niece when she was close enough. Lady then turned to the both of them, "What happened?"

"Prometheus, he got mad."

"Mad is an understatement, he went berserk." Vox chimed in.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that your brother didn't just attack Valentino… he lunged at him."

"I see you're not mentioning why he attacked him." Charlie spat out, her eyes glowing red for a brief moment.

"Does it matter?" Vox said, taking out a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it and pressed it to his screen, letting out a plume of blue smoke.

"It matters when your damn boyfriend shot him!" Angel shouted.

"VALENTINO SHOT MY BROTHER?!" Lady shouted, her eyes turned an ominous blue as the lights in the hallway began to flicker. Dark shapes manifested along the walls.

All three flinched and backed away slowly from the now furious fae. Vox had dropped his cigarette, his hands now shaking as he gave a nervous gulp.

Lady breathed heavily as a low rumble cut through the air.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The lights returned to normal as the shadows retreated back to her. 

"Where is the suite?" Lady asked.

Vox cleared his throat, stuffing one of his still shaking hands in his pocket.

"Over here." He said, turning the corner as she followed after him.

"Shouldn't we take the elevator to go up to the penthouse?" Lady asked as she tried to keep up with Vox's long strides.

"That would be a bad idea. Your brother practically smashed in the elevator doors as well as the shaft as we ran out of there. I programmed the doors to not go to the suite for everyone else's safety."

"So, how am I going to get in there?"

"You mean we."

"No. Vox, I'm going in there by myself."

"What?!" Vox shouted, his screen glitching for a moment before reverting back to normal.

"Vox, his scent is all over you. You take one step inside that room and Prometheus will tear you apart."

Vox opened his mouth to protest but closed it, and took a discreet whiff of his dress jacket's collar. Lady was right, he did smell like Valentino.

"Ok. There is a side door that Val uses when he doesn't want to use the elevator. It's up ahead." Vox explained and pointed.

There was a tall red door with a gold heart shaped door knob. 

They both stood in front of it as Lady got closer and pressed her ear up against it.

A quieter rumble was heard. 

"He's asleep." Lady whispered. 

"How can you tell?" Vox whispered back.

Another low rumble and what sounded like a snore was heard through the door.

"Does that answer your question?" 

Despite the tense situation, Vox couldn't help but chuckle and slowly turned the doorknob, pushing the door open.

Lady stepped into the suite, halting when she felt him place a hand on her shoulder.

"Be careful." 

"Don't worry, I will." Lady said before shutting the door behind her.

She turned around and blinked, her eyes readjusting to the now dark room. 

Several chairs were overturned or lying somewhere torn in half. Deep scratch marks dug deep into the linoleum floor and one of the floor to ceiling windows had been smashed.

Lady stuck out her tongue when she noticed the moth overlord's suggestive self portraits, she had to stifle a laugh when she saw the deep gouges that cut into each photo.

A loud rumbling snore got her attention as she stared at the center of the room.

Sleeping soundly, Theo's double jointed legs half splayed out on one of the love seats while his upper torso rested on the large couch, which had been spared a bit. His large blue wings rested against his back. The tattered remains of his clothes still clung to his body. His unruly hair covered his face, moving now and then when he snored. Scales covered his forearms and his legs.

Lady let out a small gulp when she got a good look at him. She had thought that Uncle Angie and Charlie had been exaggerating when they told her that he had taken up half of the filming studio but it looks like he had gotten much larger since he was locked in here.

Her eyes widened when she heard a soft whirring sound. Clenched almost tightly in one of Theo's hands was a Robo Fizz, who was trying to get free.

She had seen robo fizzes before but this one was smaller, more feminine with red eyes and blue fanged frown.

She tiptoed slowly over to her brother, keeping her eyes on him as she approached his hand.

"Hey, are you ok?" Lady asked the robot, who nodded. A particularly loud snore caused the both of them to flinch. Lady finally relaxed when she heard him snore again.

"I'm going to get you free. The minute that I open his hand, you need to leave the room, ok?"

The robot hesitated but nodded.

Lady placed her hands on one of Theo's fingers and pulled, looking over her shoulder the entire time.

He continued to snore as Lady pried all of his fingers open, enough for the robot to get out.

"Go now!" Lady whispered. The robot nodded and ran to the side door. Just as she was leaving, the door opened and in came a group: a tall male hare holding a clear plastic bag, a female poison arrow dart frog, a female dark blue skinned troll and a female bat.

"Sorry." The robot said as she slipped out the door.

"Who was that?" The hare, Ronan, asked.

"One of Valentino's assistants, I think." Lady said, as the group tiptoed quietly over to where she was.

He wrapped his arms around Lady, pressing a kiss on the top of her hair.

Looking over his shoulder, she noticed how the frog woman ran her gloved hand through Theo's unruly hair, a sad look in her eyes. 

"He's going to be okay, Teddy." 

She, Teddy, just nodded and kneeled down on the floor, still stroking his hair.

The troll woman checked on his breathing, the bat woman sat on the floor and placed one large ear on Theo's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"How is he, Maia?" 

"His breathing is quite shallow." The troll woman, Maia, pulled away and ran her hand against Theo's shoulder.

"Do you have the medicine?" Lady asked.

"Yes." Ronan responded, opening the clear plastic bag and pulling out a small brown and green ball.

"I thought it was going to be a powder?"

"Ronan said that it was better compacted this way. Easier for my husband to swallow it." Teddy explained.

"Ok. Maia, Tuva." Ronan stood up, "You need to hold onto his legs and do not let go." 

His sisters nodded and quickly walked over to Theo's lower torso, holding his legs.

"Lady, Theodosia, hold his arms."

Lady and Teddy did just that.

Ronan walked over to Theo's head, brushing back his hair. 

Putting his fingers near Theo's lower and upper lip, he manages to pry the slumbering fae's jaws open.

Ronan gulped when he saw the rows of fangs. He stuck his whole arm inside of Theo's mouth, planting the medicine down his throat.

He quickly retracted his arm and using both hands, closed Theo's mouth.

No sooner had he done that, a low abrupt snore came from Theo before the fae's eyes flew open.

He flapped his wings furiously as he let out a loud roar.

Ronan wrapped his arms around his cousin's head and jaw, trying to hold on.

"Hold Him! Hold Him!" Ronan shouted, as the group held to his limbs tightly to keep him from thrashing so much.

It felt like forever but Theo tensed, his throat inflated as he spit out the bullet, blood dropped from his jaws and surrounded the bullet in a small puddle. 

He slowly returned to normal size, the scales on his face faded away.

Ronan looked up at Tuva, who wordlessly procured a thick white blanket from her backpack and tossed it to him.

He and the others helped Theo sit up and tightly wrapped the blanket around him.

He winced every now and then as Ronan apologized quietly. He gently picked up his cousin and stood up.

"Let's go home."

********

I… I don't remember the events that happened. All I remember was getting angry, feeling something rip through my stomach and chasing down four figures that ran out of the studio.

My family told me what had happened when I woke up.

The bullet… was made of iron. Which was why I couldn't change back. 

And Lady had learned that the hard way when she went to pick it up. Damn thing gave her second degree burns on her index finger, thumb and her palm.

Thank heavens, Tuva had brought all of the medical supplies. Maia patched her up as well.

Teddy… she held my hand the entire time.

She had been so worried.

They all were.

Ronan carried me out of that destroyed room with the rest of the family following close behind.

Vox, Charlie, and Uncle Angel were still waiting in the hall, and had stood up when they saw us.

They all asked if I was okay before Charlie asked what had happened to Lady's hand.

Lady didn't want to make a big deal out of it and said that it was nothing.

Tuva and Maia told both Charlie and Uncle Angel to head back to the hotel and rest.

Teddy told me, and it still makes me mad, that Valentino was already downstairs barking orders and had called Uncle Angel that they needed to finish shooting.

He had left in a hurry, angrily cursing under his breath.

Charlie went with our group, Vox waved goodbye.

We all stepped out of the elevator and were heading toward the revolving doors when Teddy told me that Lady had stopped and asked Maia to give her the bullet. 

Maia had placed it into a glass bottle.

The group followed her when she made a beeline toward the studio and pushed open the doors. Everyone remained just outside.

The room became so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. 

Tuva told me that Lady had immediately gone over to our uncle and gave him another hug. She said that Lady had whispered something to him and Uncle Angel just nodded with a curious half smile.

Lady then walked over to where Valentino was sitting, a megaphone in one hand and champagne glass in the other.

They stared each other down for what seemed like a long time until a small plink was heard.

Valentino broke eye contact and noticed the iron bullet floating down in his drink.

When he looked back, he actually froze. Maia told me that Lady had given him a cold emotionless look before heading for the doors.

The doors slammed shut and the conversations in the studio started back up again.

Uncle Angel told me after I woke up that his boss, Valentino… was shaking. 

He said that that was the first time he had ever seen him look afraid.

Chapter Text

"Hey, boss. Can I have a word?" Husk asked, his voice low.

The group continues walking ahead, Charlie's excited chattering could be heard as she showed her father the hotel.

Alastor stopped, his head twisted a full 180 degrees with a sickening crack to face Husk as his body followed a few seconds after.

Even after so many years, that little trick still caused bile to form in the back of Husk's throat.

"What is it?" Alastor asked politely, yet clearly annoyed.

"You and I both know Mimzy only shows up when she needs something." Husk said, frowning, "That bitch is trouble, and who knows what kind of demon she fucked with to come running to you this time?"

"It's nothing I can't handle. Don't worry Husker. Who in their right mind would cross me?" Alastor said, bending down to meet Husk's eyes.

"I mean…" Husk began, rubbing the back of his neck, "you've been gone a while, and it's not like anybody knows why."

"They don't need to know, and don't you worry your fuzzy head about it." Alastor responded, almost condescendingly as he reached forward and rubbed Husk's ears.

Maybe… a long time ago, that would put a smile on the bartender's face.

But now… it just pissed him off.

Husk let out a growl and swatted Alastor's hand away, "You may own my soul, but I ain't your fucking pet!"

The taller man chuckled, "But you are! Haha!" 

He turned around, and walked away to join the tour; silently telling Husk that this conversation was over.

"Big talk for someone who's also on a leash." Husk muttered under breath, glaring at his boss's retreating back.

Alastor's gait came to a halt just as the group left his line of sight. His eyes turned to radio dials as he looked over his shoulder.

The lights flickered ominously as Husk felt the hair all over his body stand up.

"Aha, what did you say?" Was all he said as he turned around.

Husk let out a grunt as a luminescent green chain wrapped around his neck and he was pulled forward, and hit the ground.

"Fuck! Nothing! I, uhm…" Husk stumbled over his words as he looked anywhere but Alastor. He felt the sweat accumulate along his brow… he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Wringing the heavy chain around his microphone staff, he approached the fallen chimera slowly. As he did so, the lights continued to flicker rapidly.

"If you ever say that again, I will tear your soul apart and broadcast your screams…" He said as he grew, his arms elongated as his antlers scratched the corridor's ceiling. "For every other disrespectful wretch who dares to question me!"

Husk trembled in fear and flinched when Alastor leaned down, his grin had tightened to the point that blood was dripping down his chin.

"understood." Husk's voice was barely above a whisper; the lights stopped flickering.

"Lovely." Alastor chuckled before the sound of soft breathing caught his attention.

The smug look on his face disappeared when he noticed who was standing at the end of the hall.

"Papa… what do you think you are doing to Uncle Husker?" Lady's voice boomed softly against the walls.

********

Husker was still shaking when he felt Lady pick him up off the ground by placing her hands under his armpits and placing him next to the wall.

He couldn't help but slide to the ground, his tail curling around his legs as he witnessed Lady enter a shouting match with her father.

He noticed how the taller man's grin turned down almost slightly near the corners as they continued to yell at each other in French.

He felt the floor rumble as winged shadows formed along the walls, the lights flickered rapidly.

"C'est… la dernière fois que tu le menaces. Je peux t'assurer, papa, que si tu te moques de lui… ta punition ne sera pas prise à la légère." 

She warned him, her eyes turned into blue radio dials as she glared at him.

Husker pressed himself against the wall when he noticed that Lady… had started to grow.

She towered over her father, her head nearly hitting the ceiling. The upper half of her face was hidden by the shadows as her blue eyes ticked away and glowed.

"Jusqu’à ce que tu apprennes à ne pas traiter les gens comme des pions et que tes relations ne sont pas un signe de faiblesse… Je pense que j’ai besoin de m’éloigner de toi." 

She said, before extending her large hand to her uncle who took it.

Lady helped him and the two walked past Alastor, who clutched his staff.

She led her uncle back to his room; ignoring her father's calls. 

********

"Watch your head, sweetie." Husk said, as his niece ducked to enter his room and he cleared the bed for her to sit down. 

He grabbed one of the only chairs in his room and pulled up to the bed.

She closed the door with a wave of her hand, two sets of dark blue chains appear and run across the door before disappearing.

The room was small, not too big but not too little either. A large bed with a rusted metal frame was pressed up against the wall; the only wall that had a window. A small night stand was on the left side of the bed, a lumpy pillow was propped at the end with a blanket that was half folded.

A dresser was against the opposite wall, some of the cabinets were still pulled out with a couple of pants hanging from them.

A single shelf was nailed above, half filled with books and half filled with bottles of alcohol. 

There was another door that was half open, revealing the bathroom. 

"Hey, uncle. Would you mind if I-?" Lady asked, jerking her thumb over to the bottles. The chimera looked between her and the alcohol and nodded.

She walked over and grabbed two bottles; walking back and sitting down on the bed. Said bed groaned loudly due to her weight.

She took out the cork from one bottle, handing it to Husker.

She then took the cork out of the other bottle, and proceeded to jug the wine.

Husker's eyes widened, his jaw slack as he watched his niece finish an entire bottle of wine.

Finishing the drink, she placed the empty glass onto the floor before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

She sighed, "Don't look at me like that. I'm not that same 13-year-old who tried to sneak your special moonshine from your Casino bar."

Husker couldn't help but let out a laugh, to which she joined in. The laughter subsided after a while as Husker noticed that she had slowly shrunk to her original height.

"Uncle Husker…" Lady asked, clutching her forearms.

"Yes?"

"What did you say to him… that made him so furious?"

Husk hesitated. Not many people knew his boss's secret… not even his own family. 

"Do you really want to know?" Husk asked.

"Yes."

Husk sighed and stared at his paws, "Your Dad is an idiot… an idiot who has become someone else's pawn."

Husk remained quiet as he slowly looked up.

The haunted look in his niece's eyes caused his heart to plummet.

"... are you telling me that someone much stronger than my Papa has him under contract?"

Husk remained silent, he nodded slowly.

Lady simply muttered a quiet 'shit' under her breath.

********

The entrance of the hotel had been destroyed as well as the amount of shark mafioso bodies lying around littering the front yard.

Courtesy of her father turning into a Kaiju like version of himself.

Charlie's dad had stayed for a while and fixed the entrance before bidding goodbye to everyone when he vanished into a portal that led to his castle.

She waited until everyone had gone to their rooms; her father was already in his radio tower, broadcasting.

She descended down the flight of stairs, and slowly entered the sitting room.

Her brother was the only one there, sitting in one of the large armchairs; engrossed in his book with a warm cup of tea next to him on the table.

He looked up when he noticed her presence, and eyed the suitcases in her hands.

"I'm heading over to the apartment in Imp City. Do you mind driving me there?" Lady asked, as she stared at her shoes. She heard her brother get up, as well as the jingle of the car keys.

"Sure." He said, as the two exited the sitting room and headed for the front door.

"...You want to talk about that fight that you had with Da?" He asked, as he held the door open for his sister.

"I'll tell you on the way there. I can't really talk about it here at the Hotel." She explained.

Theo nodded and shut the door behind them, the echo resounded through the Hotel halls.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure you wanna go with them? They're both grown women and they can go by themselves." Lady said, placing her phone on speaker as she sat on the bed and folded several clothes.

"Charlotte… Charlie insisted. And Vaggie has been tense since Mr. Magne informed them that he would try to get permission." Theo said, adjusting his shirt and tying back his hair. Teddy pressed a kiss to his cheek as she got dressed.

"Ok… Well, just stick by them and help in any way that you can. And make sure to take pictures." Lady said, chuckling when her brother's laugh filtered through the speaker.

"Ok. I'll call you when we arrive." Theo said, as his thumb hovered over the red button.

"Wait, Theo! One last thing." Lady said, picking up the phone.

"Yes?" Theo asked, as he waited.

"Be careful of the ones in charge of the Extermination." Lady said, looking up and noticing her husband leaning against the door frame; a worried look on his face.

"Ok. I will." 

********

"What... NO!! NO!! You can't-" Charlie protested when she saw the portal opened behind her.

Vaggie snarled and let out an angry 'You... Motherfu-' that was lost as both women were transported back, their surprised screams filtered through as the portal slowly closed.

"Well, that was fun." Lute snarked, the triumphant smirk was still present on her face.

"Was it though?" Came a deep accented voice as everyone turned their attention downward.

The third member, Theo, remained; his arms crossed over his chest as he gave the entire room an angry yet tired look.

He gave a slight wave to the duo, "Because you failed to send me back."

He stood still as his wings unfurled from his back; the large blue monarch wings caused everyone to gasp.

Flapping them experimentally, he flew up to where Lady Sera and Miss Emily were.

Both angels gasped when he landed on the edge of their podium.

Theo looked to the smaller angel, his angry expression had faded and became melancholic.

"I am truly sorry, Miss Emily."

The young angel opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the head of the exorcists and his right hand.

"You honestly think an apology is going to work?" Adam taunted, snarling.

"It won't change our minds." Lute added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Their smirks faded when he slowly turned his head. The whites of eyes had turned black while his irises became a deep blue.

"You should remain silent, little ones. I believe the adults are speaking."

The entire room felt a shiver go through them at the sound of his voice.

Theo turned back to Miss Emily, who was trying not to tremble.

"Miss Emily… May I speak with you privately?" Theo asked gently, holding out his gloved hand.

Sera stood in front of Emily, protectively.

"I don't think-" Sera began to protest before she was interrupted.

"Yes." Emily responded, taking his hand.

The two floated downward, landing gently on the floor. Arm in arm, they both headed for the doors.

With his hand pressed against the white wood, he looked up at Lady Sera.

"I don't blame you for not trusting me but if you feel more comfortable…" Theo gestured toward the bright orb in the middle of the room.

"You may listen to our conversation, Lady Sera." He pushed the door open for Miss Emily as she walked out, eyeing her sister.

The door shut behind them, as the crowd murmured quietly amongst themselves.

"Turn on the crystal, please." Lady Sera spoke, as the room was bathed in white; the images of Theo and Miss Emily appeared.

********

"I apologize for my behavior back there." Theo said, as they both walked down the empty corridor.

"Thank you… but I don't accept your apology." Emily stated, grabbing the fabric of her dress.

"Why not?" Theo turned to look at her, surprised by her answer.

"You did nothing wrong. You, Charlie, and Vagatha were simply speaking your minds." Emily explained, looking at the taller man and giving him a somber smile.

"Hmm." Was all Theo said as they approached a nearby bench. He motioned for her to sit and she did.

"I hope that you can forgive my sister for how she acted… She is an elder, she has to bear a lot more responsibility." Emily said, still trying to process what she just heard minutes ago. All this time… her sister had been lying to her.

"I don't blame her for being in charge of the Yearly Extermination. If I thought that a bunch of monsters were to rise up, and harm the people that were most precious to me… I would have thought that I was doing the right thing." Theo said, as he folded his hands and leaned against them.

"I don't agree with her methods… and it feels as if I don't know her anymore." Emily admitted, staring at the white floor.

"I'm not saying that I agree with what she is doing. People tend to make the worst decisions when it feels as if they are being backed into a corner… but I am truly sorry." Theo said, as he turned and faced her.

"Why do you apologize a second time?" Emily asked.

Theo pulled off his glove, revealing his white speckled hand as well as dark red fingertips that had sharp talons.

Closing his fist as tight as he could, he grunted when he felt his nails break the skin and blood began to seep out.

"What are you doing?!" Emily exclaimed, as she produced a handkerchief and hurriedly opened his hand. She stopped when small luminescent butterflies appeared and fluttered around the wound.

She stared as the injury quickly closed, forming a thin pale scar.

She looked up, noticing how his eyes slowly turned back to normal.

"You're…. You're not like them, are you?" Emily asked, it felt less like a question and more of a statement.

"Let's just say, me and my sister… we're not from around here." Theo said, biting his lip.

"…and you let them know that my army is much bigger than theirs. Emily, I am so sorry. It didn't have to come to this."

A worried look crossed over Emily's face.

"Will there be any casualties?" Emily asked, her smaller hand was still resting in his palm.

She gasped when he gently gripped her palm.

"There will always be casualties in war. I can't promise that there won't be any but I can promise to minimize the losses." Theo said, releasing her hand as he sat up from the bench. 

"One last thing before I go." Theo said as he knelt down and pounded his fist against the ground; a blue portal slowly opened behind, showing the image of the Hotel.

"Be wary of Dame Lute. Her skills are quite exceptional, I will admit. But she has… a rage and an overwhelming sense of pride that she needs to let go." Theo explained, the tired look in his eyes returned.

"Why?" Emily asked, now standing from the bench. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"All I can say is that she does not let go… her rage as well as her pride will consume her and by then, it will be too late." Theo said, as he flapped his wings.

"Good day, Miss Emily. I hope that we meet again under better circumstances."

He flew through the portal, it closed behind him almost immediately.

********

"Theo!"

Theo let out a surprised 'oof' when he felt five people wrap their arms around him.

"Você está ferido?" Teddy asked, her pale blue eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Don't you ever scare me like that!" Came Lady's muffled voice as she buried her face into his chest.

"I was so worried! I didn't see you when we got shoved through the portal!" Charlie cried, her shoulders shaking.

"You big idiot! What's wrong with you?!" Maia exclaimed, frowning as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"ou deblozay." Tuva mumbled against his back, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

"I'm fine. Really I am." Theo explained as all five slowly pulled away, wiping their eyes.

His cousin Ronan stepped forward and enveloped into a hug, "Tha thu a’ tuigsinn nach eil duine gu bhith gad leigeil a-mach às an t-sealladh aca, ceart? Companaidh gnàthach air a ghabhail a-steach." 

Theo laughed, "Oh, I know." Ronan gave him a tight squeeze before he let him go, moving aside as his sister, Teddy, approached him.

"Baby… what did you do up there?" Teddy asked, taking his hands into her own gloved ones.

"I simply told Miss Emily… that there would be few casualties."

"So, a war is coming, then." Lady confirmed as she wrapped her arms protectively around her younger cousins.

"Yes." Theo said, "I told them I had an army."

"Why would you lie to them?" Ronan asked, a disapproving frown appeared on his face.

"Because it's not a lie."

"...Why am I getting a bad feeling right now?" Lady cringed, her cousins Tuva and Maia shook their heads.

"Because I am going to make an army… and I have a plan." Theo said, "But I'm going to need Aunt Laila's spell book.

Chapter Text

"And I know just who can help." Alastor said as he appeared next to Charlie, "As long as Charlie can be her normal, charming self." He said, pinching the Princess's cheek.

Rubbing her somewhat sore cheek, she gave him a sheepish smile, "What's that you said about smiles?"

Alastor's smile widened even more as he lightly patted her head, "Good girl." 

Vaggie lightly grabbed Charlie's forearm and gently pulled her down, "Charlie, can we talk about this–" She began to whisper before Charlie removed her arm from her grip.

"We can talk later." She said, as she followed Alastor out of her bedroom before looking over her shoulder, "Right now, we have a job to do." 

"You with us?" Vaggie flinched at the cold hooded glare that she sent her. 

Vaggie sighed, letting out a quiet 'Ugh' as she followed after them.

********

The Gerdurs, Boudreauxs and the rest of the group were gathered in the living area talking quietly amongst themselves when Alastor, Charlie and Vaggie descended the stairs.

Vaggie walked away from the duo and leaned against one of the arm chairs, her arms crossed over her chest.

Seeing her father slow down, Lady gets up from her chair and heads into the kitchen as her husband follows after; leaving her father's greeting in mid-air.

"She's still pissed at you, Da." Theo said, looking up from his book briefly.

"Yes, I am quite aware, Prometheus. Maybe, you could convince your sister to stop being so childish instead of lounging around." Alastor snarked, his grin tightened. Charlie wisely took a few steps.

"Childish?" Theo's voice boomed, causing everyone to slowly get up from their seats and back away as he set his book down.

"Da… she had every right to be furious and frustrated with you. You threw Uncle Husk onto the damn carpet like a fucking rag doll. You threatened his afterlife." Theo had raised his voice slightly at this point, having stood up.

Alastor's neck cracked loudly as he turned to glare at the chimera bartender, his daughter-in-law and nieces were standing in front of him.

"Don't you look at him! I don't know why you threatened him, but no one deserves to be treated lower than dirt." Theo snarled. 

He had lied… he knew why Uncle Husk had been hurt that day, but that didn't give his father the right to hurt him.

"Any person who is contracted to me knows what they are getting into." Alastor explained, his grip on his microphone tightened.

"We both know that's a lie. You would have to be insane to willingly make a deal with the Radio Demon." Theo said, noticing how Charlie lowered her gaze to her feet.

"Some are. I can't help it if some people are just dealt a bad hand." Alastor said, his grin widened as his red eyes eyed Husk for a moment. The chimera growled at his boss, and he looked away.

The memories from that day flooded into his head.

Theo felt a dull pain course through his chest as he eyed the careless look on his father's face.

"Tu ne changeras jamais. Tu ne cesseras jamais de considérer les gens comme tes jouets."  Theo said, his accent rolled off his tongue. His father grew still when he heard him speak.

"Je suis d'accord avec Lady sur ce point... J'en ai juste marre de ça." Theo continued as he focused his attention on the hem of his shirt.

"Maintenant, vous avez un autre enfant qui ne vous parle pas pour le moment." Theo said as he picked up his book again. A small crack was heard; his father was currently gripping his microphone so tightly that his black knuckles became gray.

"Après demain... Je ne reviendrai pas ici. Je vais rentrer à la maison."  Theo started to walk in the direction of the kitchen as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Transmets mes amitiés à tante Rosie de ma part." Theo said as he waved goodbye to Charlie and exited the room.

The room became quiet before Alastor stalked off toward the main entrance.

"Bye, guys. We'll be back soon." Charlie said as they left the Hotel, closing the doors behind them.

The room became quiet as everyone looked at one another.

"What just happened?" Vaggie couldn't help but ask, breaking the silence.

"I believe Mr. Boudreaux just told his father what for and said that he wasn't coming back to the hotel after tomorrow." Sir Pentious explained, blushing when he felt everyone turn their gaze to him.

"Pen… you understand French?" Tuva asked, surprised. 

The steampunk inventor nodded.

********

"Are you honestly thinking of leaving after tomorrow?" Ronan asked, sitting at the kitchen table. Lady sat next to him, clutching her coffee mug.

Theo sighed and leaned against the counter, "I don't want any of you here after tomorrow. We'll still help Charlie with the Hotel… but I can't be around Da right now."

"Same here." Lady spoke quietly, "You weren't there when he threw Uncle Husk to the ground."

Both men looked at one another, before Ronan took Lady's hand.

"And now… with this… war looming over us… I don't know what to think." The mug cracked, as her eyes turned into radio dials and her wings rested against the back of her chair.

"Get some rest, Lady."

"What? I can't go to sleep now."

"Look, I know that you are worried. Not just because of Da… but because of what's coming tomorrow." Theo said, looking down at his mug.

"And we both know that it's just going to keep going 'round in your head until you give yourself a headache." Ronan spoke.

Lady sighed, "Alright. Wake me up in an hour." She waved to her husband and her brother as she exited the kitchen.

A chorus of 'night, lady' and 'try to relax' floated in through the kitchen as well as a 'bye, vaggie'.

The front doors closed again.

"Ok… so, what is the battle plan for tomorrow?" Ronan asked as Theo motioned for him to follow.

"Let's discuss this with the others in the living room."

As they left, a quiet rumble swept through the kitchen… a firefly crawled out from the now exposed electrical outlet.

********

When did this hallway become… so long? Lady thought, as she leaned against the wall. She clutched her shaking hands together as she opened the door to her old room.

She didn't look around and laid down on the still unmade bed, kicking her shoes off in the process.

"My head…." Lady groaned at the persistent pounding against her temple and buried her face into the pillow.

Her chest had begun to ache as well… as her breathing became quick shallow breaths.

What if we don't make it tomorrow? 

The intrusive thought presented itself into her mind before she could stop as she eventually drifted it off into a fitful sleep.

One by one, fireflies began crawling and flying out of each electrical outlet and from under the bed.

Moss and vines began to creep down the walls… slowly transforming the room.

********

"Hey, Theo?" Tuva interrupted, raising her hand. Everyone looked up from the book that splayed on the coffee table.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry… does anyone else feel a bit hot?"

The group paused, and felt the temperature change. Theo wiped the sweat from the back of his neck as the rest of the group began to fan themselves.

"I actually do. Did someone turn off the air conditioning?"

"No, we're all here." Teddy responded, adjusting the collar of her shirt. She grabbed a small fan and waved it at Nifty. The maid sighed in relief at the cool breeze.

"Except Miss Lady. She went upstairs to take a nap." Nifty spoke.

Both Tuva and Maia froze, staring at the small maid.

"What?" The cyclops asked.

"How long ago did she go to sleep?"

"I don't know… maybe 15 minutes ago?"

"Ronan… did your wife look worried at all before she went to sleep?" Maia asked, turning to her older brother.

"Uh… Her hands were shaking a bit and she told me earlier that her head hurt."

"Oh, dear." Tuva whispered.

"What?" Theo asked.

A loud rumble answered his question as the group began to notice the vines creeping down the walls and curling over the furniture.

The twins looked at one another before running up the stairs, the group followed after them.

They nearly collided with the smaller women, as the group looked at the scene before them.

The hallway had warped and had transformed into a jungle.

Maia looks around and says, "What in the name of Jumanji…?" She then turned to look at her cousin, "Theo! You shouldn't have let her go to sleep."

"I thought her sleeping it off would help…" Theo's voice trailed off as he eyed the growing vines. "She didn't look that worried."

"...All it takes is for one little thought in your head to rack up your anxiety." Tuva stated in a low voice.

They all approach Lady's door… Well, the only part of the door that was visible was the golden doorknob. The rest of the door was covered in moss, vines, and flowers. 

Theo opened the door, and everyone had to lean when a blast of humid air hit them.

"Good heavens… it feels like a sauna!" Sir Pentious exclaimed, already wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Ok." Maia began to say when she saw everyone about to enter the room, "You all need to stay out here, so we can calm her down."

She lowered her ears when everyone began to protest.

"Teddy… would you like to tell the group what happened the last time you tried to wake up Lady?" Maia asked, looking at her older sister.

Teddy felt herself flush when all eyes were on her, "... I got snatched by the vines and was upside down for 3 hours."

"Ronan?"

"I got chased by some crows." Ronan muttered, his shoulders hunched.

"Theo?"

"I spent 5 hours in sweltering heat, trekking through a swamp… I got lost looking for her and my room."

"What did you do?" Nifty asked.

"I just sat down on a tree root and waited for her to wake up… turns out I was in the kitchen."

"Let us help…please." Tuva said, folding her one ear back and pleading quietly.

Theo fidgeted slightly before feeling his wife's gloved hand hold his own.

"... just be careful. Who knows how much she has unknowingly warped her room." 

Tuva nodded as Maia gave the group an assuring thumbs up before heading in, the door closed behind them.

********

The two venture into the now enlarged room, pushing past hanging vines and broken branches. 

"Is it just me or is this place bigger than the house?" Tuva asked, spitting out leaves when a low hanging branch whacked her in the face.

"It's not just you. When the place has expanded, it usually means that her nightmare is getting worse." Maia said, sending a fearful look over her shoulder.

They continued to wade through the muddy before coming across Lady fast asleep in her bed.

The only wall of the bedroom that remained was slowly transforming into a tree, the portraits hanging had fallen onto the floor.

The vines continue to wrap around her bed frame as Lady curled into herself, shivering and murmuring in her sleep.

Her wings had ripped the back of her dress and fluttered every once in a while as blue butterflies and fireflies flew around her head.

Tuva approached the bed before being stopped by her twin. 

"What are you doing? If you try to get to her, she might send you to another part of the room." Maia said, eyeing her cousin warily.

Tuva shook her head as her sister slowly let go of her.

Tuva quietly approached the remnants of the bedroom, her boots nearly sinking into the muddy water.

She stepped onto the hardwood floor and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing away the foliage as she ran her fingers through her cousin's hair.

Lady shivered involuntarily and wrapped her arms around herself, tears wetted her cheeks.

"Lady. It's okay… you're having a nightmare. And you're causing the room and the rest of the hotel to shift." Tuva whispered, as she felt the room rumble.

"Take a deep breath… and try to calm your mind." Tuva whispered, watching as the worried frown on her cousin's face slowly faded away; the plants started to recede.

"So, we're staying to fight right? Regardless of Theo and Ronan, telling us to leave?" Maia whispered, now sitting on the bed.

Tuva nodded, and looked around. The room had begun to shrink back to its original size.

********

"You're worried too… about tomorrow?" Teddy asked, as she entered the living room.

Theo looked up from the spell book, dog earring a page before closing the book.

"Is it obvious?"

She sat next to him, and took his hands into hers. "We've known each other since we were kids and have been married for several years now. So yes, I know when my husband is worried." 

Theo gently removed his hands from her, removed his gloves and rolled up his sleeves. His hands had scales on the back, his talons had turned a darker shade of red and the color had slowly creeped past his wrists and forearms.

"Your hands!" Teddy exclaimed, holding his enlarged fingers. "How long have they been like this, baby?" 

"Lady's not the only one who had a panic attack. I… had one last night. I just couldn't stop thinking about what might happen tomorrow."

"I'm worried too… but I will fight by your side."

"What? No, honey. You, Ronan and everyone else are going topside… where its safe."

"Didn't you tell me that the leader of the exorcists is coming here first?" Teddy asked, "What are you saying? That the four of you, which includes Charlie and Vaggie, are going to fight off an army of several hundred?" 

"Five if Da decides to help." Theo stated, chuckling a bit. He stopped when he noticed the stern, determined look that Teddy was giving him.

"Prometheus Boudreaux… you are my husband. I am your wife. I am going to fight beside you…" Tears welled in her eyes as she spoke, "... or die trying."

"...Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Theo said as he enveloped his wife into a hug.

Chapter Text

Losing someone… has never been easy.

Knowing that said person was going to a better place… it would hurt but at least you knew that it was coming.

Losing someone so suddenly… that your mind comes to a halt and tries to process what just happened.

That's the worst of it all.

Seeing Sir Pentious… get blasted into oblivion was by far the worst.

Worse still when there was no body to bury… there was nothing left to bury.

Sadness comes first… before it warps into quiet rage.

I don't remember much when Charlie took to the air and Dame Lute went after Vagatha.

I do remember one thing… I felt something snap within when me and Lady slammed our fists two times onto the ground.

…And a warm sensation flooded my back and illuminated my shadow onto the ground.

********

Lute, still clutching her bleeding stump of an arm, could only stare at the winged faes in full body armor as they took to the skies… with a multitude of winged fairies clad in white metal armor and swords racing after them.

He had been right…. His army was much bigger than theirs.

The battle was reaching its end more quickly than it was anticipated, as those injured on their side fell to the ground or hid.

Her head throbbed as she wiped away the golden blood that dripped down her temple. 

Her remaining arm still grasped the halo as she spread her wings and shouted for the remaining members to retreat. The ones that were still standing helped the others that were injured as they headed for the portal.  

She… had to admit, she was baffled that there had been very few casualties.

…He had been right about that, too.

She heard a shout behind her as she looked back briefly. The one called Theo, wearing dark blue armor, looked as if he was breathing heavily while leaning forward and slamming his blood stained sword into the ground.

She flew through the portal with the rest of her army.

…And didn't notice when Theo collapsed onto the ground, bleeding from his nose and mouth.

As the armored fairies disappeared into a puff of white smoke.

********

A worn map was laid out on the large table, several sections showed the nearby villages as well as a large section that had been circled various times; a castle.

A group of people surrounded the map.

An older woman with cropped curly brown hair, elven ears, and war paint covered the upper half of her face, and a larger man in full body armor stood at the end of the table, closest to the entrance of the tent.

Four more individuals crowded the table: A raven/white haired man dressed in neutral colors, glasses perched at the edge of his nose, with a bronze piece of metal embedded into his forehead.

A brown haired man dressed in dark green colors, his hand still on the hilt of his sword.

A red headed man dressed in neutral colors, resting in a makeshift chair with wheels; his legs were covered with a blanket.

And lastly, a thin blonde woman dressed in dark purple clothes, dark war paint covered the upper half of her face as well as hiding the scars.

"So, that monster's soldiers have decided to move up North. Quinn has told me via raven that the army will be settling here." 

The older woman clad in blue armor pointed to a section above the map, past the castle and onto a barren area.

"That man has become reckless. Something has spooked him but because he doesn't want his group to know that he is afraid… he has decided to sleep in a tent far away from the camp." 

The other woman with the choppy blonde hair spoke up, marking the section where her sister had pointed.

"This might be the only time we can strike… before he continues farther up North. The farther he goes, the more fairies he and his knights will encounter. And they won't stand a chance against swords and arrows." 

The elven woman spoke, slamming her fist against the map. She relaxed when the man clad in menacing armor wrapped his hand around hers gently.

"So, what is the plan and when can we go?" The raven haired man wearing glasses asked.

"We will go when Quinn and Peres-" The woman halted mid-speech. 

Everyone looked at her curiously.

"Lucy… what is wrong?" The woman with the choppy blonde hair asked.

The blue eyed elven woman whispered something that caused everyone in the tent to freeze.

"My son… Your daughter… They are alive."

********

And so, the first part of this story has come to an end. 

Relationships are strained… and there have been some losses.

The battle may have been won but the war is far from over.

There are still secrets that have yet to be uncovered.

So… this author implores you to relax and stay tuned.

I hope to see you again… in Part 2!