Chapter Text
Alastor woke up to an ear-splitting screech piercing his ears. The wound in his chest still thrummed painfully even though it seemed to have almost healed. It should have by now.
“ALASTOR!”
He swung his legs over the edge of the edge of the deep red chaise long, ignoring Charlie’s hysterical yelps through the door.
“Yes, my dear?” He sang grumpily, rubbing his eyes as he stumbled to the door, straightening out the collar of his coat.
“Meeting. Now.” Charlie's eyes were wide, blonde hair frazzled and sticking out in every direction. “You, you're not gonna believe this!”
She rushed off down the hallway, squealing with excitement. Alastor wiped his monacal on his jacket edge as he sauntered after her, entering one of the smaller lounge rooms of the hotel.
It had been just over two weeks since the battle with Vox. The hotel was bursting at the seams with new people, every staff member was busy. Alastor finally thought he was going to get some peace and quiet. How stupid he was.
Charlie was practically pulling her hair out with agitation, Vaggi trying desperately to calm her down. Husk was hidden behind his phone, a bottle of whiskey resting in his other hand. Cherri sat with her head in her hands at the small table in the right hand side of the room. Nifty was doing something undoubtedly disgusting in the corner and Baxter was observing with a look of horror. Lucifer was….off. Not that he paid attention to the useless man anyway. He was poised next to Cherri, picking at his nails and flattening back his pale blonde hair.
“Guys. Guys this is so big i-” Charlie bounced up and down, waving her hands around.
He settled across from Cherri, “Well go on then.”
“Mom called."
Lucifer seemed to flinch and the whole room stopped.
Alastor, being the observant man he is, saw the flinch and his eyes narrowed slightly, but he kept his signature grin wide so as to not draw unnecessary attention. Whatever the reason, he still chose to ignore it as he read the room.
Everyone seemed shocked. Even Husker.
The air was thick with tension, so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Charlie finally spoke up, her voice shaky and panicked but trying to stay calm.
“She called me just now-”
“What the actual fuck?” Alastor wasn't sure which one of them that had come from but they had a point. She hadn't exactly been…a present fixture in Charlie's life.
Charlie started trying to explain, gesturing wildly with her hands, as she spluttered to make up a reason why Lilith called with no context and just hung up.
Vaggi slowly stood up, still dazed by the news but happy for the progress. She took Charlie's hands gently, trying to calm her down.
“That's a good thing isn't it? How long have you been waiting for this call? Did she say anything else?”
The others sat quietly, still processing the news. Mostly people looked confused, aside from Niffty still doing... Alastor didn't want to know what she was doing- but Lucifer didn't look as ecstatic as one would to meet one's wife again, more, what's the word, nervous almost.
“Not excited to see the Queen my liege?” Alastor jeered at him, cocking his head with a smirk.
“What- No, NO, of course I am, just need to- thinking of what I need to get done for when she's back now-”
The King rambled on, Alastor had been looking for an argument not a speech, so turned back to the other guests.
“Well Charlie,” He smiled, “When shall we be expecting your mother?”
The girl's face faltered, “Well you see…she didn't really say…”
What kind of person calls to tell you that they’re ‘coming to see you’ but doesn't tell you when? It might be better if he didn't voice that opinion in this situation.
Cherri was reading the room and chimed in anxiously, saying exactly what he was thinking, of course with her usual flare.
“What kind of person calls to tell you they're coming to see you but doesn't fuckin' tell you when? That doesn't give us time to prepare! For all we know she could come through the doors right now!”
Vaggi decided to counter her argument as an attempt to relax the room.
“It's highly unlikely that's happening but you're right. It doesn't give us much time to make the hotel look good. So I… I guess we better start soon”
Almost everybody seemed to nod in agreement.
Husker still had his phone in his face and wasn't really paying attention, most likely desperately trying to get Angel to text him back. How pitiful.
“Well. As nice as this has been, I really just don't know what exactly you wanted us to do here, Charlie my dear-”
Alastor started, getting to his feet and spinning his cane, going to smirk at Lucifer for the usual glare he got for calling Charlie ‘my dear’ but the man was too in his own head. Ah well. Another time.
Over the next week or so life resumes as normal in the hotel, albeit a web of tension stretched over the staff.
People got on with their lives mostly, but Charlie was still tense, probably expecting Lilith to burst through the doors at any moment. It wasn't going to happen, obviously, but she still kept her guard up, fussing over every little thing in case it did.
Alastor himself was starting to get bored, he lounged at the Bar, not really having anything else to do. Husk was being really rather, awfully depressing, and he couldn't even argue with Lucifer because the short man was nowhere to be seen.
“Well,” He said, interrupting the silence between him and the moping bartender. “I'm sorry, I just can't stand your absolutely mind numbing sulking any longer, I'm going to visit Rosie-”
But just as he finally managed to get to the door, it burst open in front of him, the sight causing his ears to flatten against the back of his head in annoyance. Dear God, give him a break.
There stood Angel, looking like a mess, donning more than just a black eye and an …excentric… outfit. As if he'd rushed from his changing room just to come here.
The shocked yet worried expression only added to the scene. Typical. He couldn't even be mad at the lanky twink now.
“Guys! Why the fuck is Lilith at the Vee’s tower?! She's talkin’ to Vox like she's been his friend for centuries! And Val’s fuckin’ takin’ his jealousy out on me!”
He shouts loud enough for everyone to stop in their tracks, even Lucifer teleporting down in a puff of a glittery smoke, his face distraught.
“W- what?!” Charlie says in disbelief and excitement, ignoring her dads expression, as always.
“Didn't ya’ just fuckin’ hear me!?”
Shouting again as he glances not-so-subtly over at Husker, expression softening slightly but still keeping his panicked eyes.
Alastor rolled his eyes. He didn't want to be dealing with this gay high-school bullshit right now. Or ever.
Charlie was finally silent, jaw dropped, pausing again before talking, still processing what she just heard.
“R-Right, well-”
“Legs, why've you been ignoring my texts?”
Husk started, fucking hell, not right now Husker,
“Charlie dear, shall we go see your mother?” Alastor cut in, again, raising an eyebrow.
There's a brief silence, only broken by Lucifer falling over, dropping what only appears to be a large bag of rubber ducks, before sheepishly scooping them up and putting the bag in the bin by the bar.
“...Sorry.”
“Right well, we, we should go! Oh my god! This is-” Charlie starts, realisation finally setting in.
“Okay calm down, we can see her soon, we should still question why she's come back NOW and is talking to VOX of all people” Vaggi chimes in, trying (and failing) to be the reasonable voice in this situation.
“No. No, no, no, no- just- no!”
Angel takes a few deep breaths before talking again. His face had immediately turned to stone at the mention of going over there. His eyes were wide, and looked more bloodshot than they had a minute ago. Alastor wondered if he was high.
“Charlie. Y-You can't go over there- Please! It's not… safe for you all if you go over there. And don't you remember the literal fuckin' war he just tried to start?”
Unfortunately Charlie was too determined for her own good and decided that being stubborn was the best thing to do.
“Angel. I'm sure it'll be fine! We handled Adam AND Vox! Besides, my mom won't do anything to us! Gosh- I'm so EXCITED!!”
Alastor looked at the reactions around the room, most staff playing along anyway. If playing along meant being silent that is. His smile deepened.
“You can’t be fuckin' serious. No, you can't be serious. You don't believe me?”
Cherri walked over to Angel to comfort him and seemed to chime in to try to save this situation from getting any worse.
“Angie, we're just going for a bit. No biggie, we've dealt with worse before right?”
The tension could have been cut by a knife, everyone was tense and for a few seconds it was deathly quiet.
“Fine.”
Angel finally said, the tone making Cherri and Husk deflate slightly more. Cherri offered him a sad smile that he didn't return while Husk just stared. How silly of them. Absolutely stupid if you asked Alastor. He smiled even wider, looking more uncanny and unsettling than usual.
“Now that it's settled, should we make our way there? Don't want to be late for the first meeting in eight years now do you, my dear?”
The persuasion in his voice was undeniable and Lucifer shot him a weak look which made Alastor's eyebrows furrow slightly, his signature smug grin still plastered onto his face.
Lucifer sighed and smiled softly, standing up straight and fidgeting with his ring like mad.
“We, we should go Ducky…”
Charlie beamed up at him, jumping up and down excitedly, ignoring all of the stress now set on the shoulders of the hotel staff as she raced out the door.
“Well, let's- let's go! We gotta go quick!”
She ran back in a second later, huffing she skidded to a stop.
“We’re teleporting aren't we?”
°°°
Alastor grinned at the way the tap of his cane echoed across the hallway in the Vees’ tower. Its ominous rattle fit rather well with the current state of anxiety that surrounded him.
Charlie,as expected, was bounding ahead. She skipped joyfully past several doorways, the tension and missed emotions in the room palpable.
Vaggi sighed at her enthusiasm, hurrying along beside her anyway. The group picked up the pace, tension growing with every step they took. A cacophony of voices, mixed with Vox barking orders at Ethan to get more cameras began to grow as Angel led them through the corridors.
Alastor pitied Ethan, felt bad for him…almost. Working every hour of every day for that pompous, charlatan prick.
They all turned the corner and low and behold Lilith was standing there, calm and collected, smiling warmly but formally at cameras being shoved in her face.
She was taller than Alastor had expected. Her hourglass figure was like every painting of her, a deep purple gown across it and silk black gloves up to her elbows, eyes an unreadable violet. She was a slightly darker blonde than Lucifer. Yet Lilith looked…completely unbothered to be seeing her daughter for the first time in years. A decade, almost.
Charlie beamed, hesitating at first, but then shook the doubt from her head as she flung herself at her mother, grinning as she clung to Lilith like she was a lifeline, not caring about the cameras in the slightest.
In an instant, Vox had ordered all cameras to be turned off to enjoy this ‘sentimental moment’.
“Mom? Mom!! Holy shit it's actually you! You're actually here!”
Charlie rambled and teared up, squeezing extra tight like she thought Lilith might decide to leave again.
“My little apple, I've missed you so much! You can't imagine how hard it was not seeing your face!”
Lilith starts sweetly, hugging Charlie back slowly…almost reluctantly if you asked Alastor but he didn't comment on it. The sweetness in her voice sounded strained as well and made his ears flicker, his eyes narrowing slightly as he surveyed the scene.
Lucifer pipes up, speaking almost too quiet to hear, fidgeting with his wedding ring and offering a small but warm smile…that just doesn't quite reach his eyes…quite odd for someone whose wife had just returned.
“Hey- Heya honey! Where've ya been?” He stuttered, stepping forward. Lilith blanked him, smiling down at Charlie.
“Honey?-” He tried again, only for Lilith to turn and snap at him, rolling her eyes.
“Oh give it a fucking second Lucifer! I….I missed my little girl.” She says like she's trying to justify her shouting, caressing the side of Charlie's face, before mumbling, “You never could just shut up and wait could you?”
He takes it, subtly flinching at the sudden yelling and backing away a little, deflating slightly.
Alastor tilts his head at an unnatural angle, slightly pissed that the King just took that, but he rolls his eyes. Lucifer could be rather pathetic anyway. His signature grin grows more forced than normal as he glances around, seeing if anyone else found that extremely out of character.
Charlie seems to think this is normal, and whilst Cherri looks slightly concerned, Angel is busy …talking… with Valentino in the corner, Husk looking at him from a distance like a kicked dog. Vaggi is just anxiously watching her girlfriend, but does glance over, slightly startled. This is why Alastor never took them anywhere.
He narrowed his eyes as Lilith, he was going to find out what was happening between her and Lucifer. Not that he was that interested of course. He was just…curious is all. But first he had to deal with Vox and the problem he was undoubtedly about to start.
While this was going on The Hotel staff and the Vees were starting to argue. Angel had shied away though, standing in a corner behind Valentino.
Charlie wasn't paying attention, too wrapped up in telling her Mother about the hotel to notice the altercation.
“Yes dear, now, of course your…what was it? Hostel? Sounds interesting but I must speak with your Father about a quite…important matter.”
Lilith smiled, taking her hands out of Charlie's and snatching one of Lucifer's wrists as they marched round the corner.
Now alone, Charlie turned back to her staff, and Alastor watched as she took in the scene before her. Husk and Valentino were face to face, Angel now trying to pull Husker back, Vox was staring down Alastor like some kind of maniac and Ethan- wait. Did he have his greasy little hands on Nifty? And to think Alastor had pitied him.
Now this just wouldn't do.