Rebuilding the hotel with everyone was a haze, but Dad and Charlie made things easier with their magic. I took my time rearranging the newly built infirmary. Meko was helping me rearrange furniture and move things around the room. I helped decorate the memorial for Sir Pentious and planted the Winter Dratarde flower next to the statue of Dazzle and Snazzle. Frazzle and Razzle were mourning both their fallen friends and bringing all kinds of offerings to the guardian goats. They both died protecting Charlie and me, and I will forever be grateful for that.

I sat at Sir Pentious' memorial for a long time; I regret not getting to know the sinner better. He was always kind and treated Meko with the utmost respect whenever we came over. He was also always gentle with Fio and Keke, a truly kind sinner under his weird obsession with the Vees. He genuinely had a change of heart; you could see his progress over the months and his affection for Cherri. My heart pangs a little when I think about how he looked at Cherri with pure admiration and love. He found love and stayed loyal to what he wanted.

"I'm actually going to miss that slimy guy," Cherri interrupts my thoughts; I had no idea she was standing behind me,

"It was unfair that so many sinners had to die because Heaven decreed it was overpopulated here. They didn't even give Charlie a chance to fix the problem peacefully. All of Heaven has his blood on their hands." I light a candle beside his portrait. I feel like Sir Pentious was the kind of guy who enjoyed the little things in life, such as candles and candies.

"I have a weird hunch that he is around somewhere for some reason. I feel like his fate is not over in a weird way," Cherri pipes up from behind me. Denial can do weird things when you are mourning someone.

"You know what, Cherri? I think you are right; Sir Pentious will be back soon. He's just busy right now trying to build a massive ship to take you up with him. Your paths will cross once again; I know it." I get off the ground with Cherri's help, and she gives me her signature smile.

"And why would he be coming back for me?"

"Because he's coming back to take everyone to Heaven!" We both laugh in reference to their night out and for the first time, I feel a bit better about everything happening in my life.

Later that day, I went back to the hospital, which, of course, was being overrun by some of the cannibals who were injured early in the battle against Heaven. Soran was running around with his head cut off, trying to coordinate Doctors and nurses. He stops briefly to look at me and then pokes my cheek.

"Ah, good, it is the real you, and I haven't completely lost my mind. Could you please be a dear AND DO YOUR FUCKING JOB?!" Soran snaps his clipboard in half as the ER stops its busy pace and stares at the two of us. I snorted as his anger grew much too big for his body.

"You think this is funny? Do you have any idea how far this hospital has fallen since you vanished?! The nurses are out of control! I caught Toppan performing a sacrificial ritual two days ago with children, LITTERAL CHILDREN! You left me all alone!" Soran has visible steam coming out of his ears at this point. I walk up to the frustrated soul and gently pat him on the head.

"Thank you, Soran. I know I can always count on you to keep this here in order."

I go around the rooms, help where I can, and go upstairs to my destroyed apartment. Leaving Fio alone for too long will have disastrous results. The young Discordia had a heyday here while the two of us were absent. However, he was smart enough not to touch anything that belonged to Meko. I'm staring at the culprit right now as he cowers in the corner, Meko giving him a stern lecture. The mailbox Soran drops my paperwork in is also overflowing with countless documents that must be addressed separately. I silently close the door behind me as everything that has happened catches back up with me. I slide down the door in defeat; everything feels a bit pointless right now. I pull my knees to my chest and cross my arms.

Cleaning off my desk, replacing the couch, fixing the table, cleaning all the pillow feathers off the ground, and doing any paperwork. It all feels pointless. Why? A light knock on the door vibrates against my spine as I bury my face deeper into my arms.

"No one is home right now," I croak out, making my misery pretty apparent.

"Hey, Vera. It's Charlie; I came over to hang out with you. I brought you chocolate, ice cream, stuffed animals and a cozy blanket. Angel came with me too; he brought you a carefully selected basket of Husk-approved alcohol," I hear the sweet voice of my little sister ring through the door. I plop over to my side, out of the way, so Charlie and Angel can enter the room. Rosie also arrives simultaneously, but it is a coincidence on her part.

"Oh dear, it looks like a tornado has run through your room," Rosie basks in the mess that was once my cozy apartment.

"Fio was left alone for too long," I explain without much energy.

"Awe, come on, Doc. You know we hate seeing you like this, too. It's a good thing that Helia's douchebag tendencies were revealed now. Tonight, we will celebrate a new tomorrow and find you a proper spouse!" Angel decrees, picking me off of the ground and ushering me towards the bathroom.

"Angel is right. We are going out tonight to honour those who have fallen and for a new beginning. You go shower; we will have your apartment in order by the time you are done," Charlie insists, flicking her wrist with her magic. I take a moment to look myself up and down in the mirror, with dark bags under my eyelids that make me look much older than I am. Bloody bandages covering my new permanent disfigurement, I carefully unroll the semi-clean bandages and throw them into the trash can. I trace my fingers over the mangled flesh I stitched back together, a permanent reminder from Heaven forever engrained in my arm. My eyes are bloodshot and tired-looking.
I jump into the warm embrace of a well-needed shower and clean up myself; I lather my entire body up with soap and shampoo and go to town, scrubbing away the trauma from the past few days. I find an outfit laid out for me, most likely the work of Angel going through my closet and sorting it out. I get dressed, comb out my hair and open the bathroom door to see that my apartment has been made spotless in a matter of fifteen minutes; there was a new couch in the living room, and my papers were sorted neatly and ready for a later time, and the feathers were all gone.
A minor miracle occurred while I was washing up.
"There you are, Doc. You look better than ever. Let's get out of here and celebrate." Angel gently grabs my hand when I remember something important I was supposed to give him when I got back. I get my backpack from the door and hand over the letter from Molly. He instantly recognizes the handwriting, his gaze softens, and he brings me in for a hug.
"Thank you, Doc. You have no idea how much this means to me." He lets me go to have a moment to himself, and I head outside with Charlie and Rosie, who are both looking ready for a night out on the town.

We met up with everyone later that night at a bar I had never been to before. Drinks and laughs were shared as we honoured our fallen hotel member. We talked for hours about Sir Pentious. He often spoke about how he still wanted to get into the Vees because that would signify his true power. Blitzo met up with us to congratulate the hotel for its success in stopping the extermination. He wanted a reason to drink with friends; we were all having a good time with Loona and the others joining us. Husk pulled me aside after I was pretty buzzed.
"Hey, Doc. I think there is something you should know about. Well, you see, Charlie made a deal with Alastor because—" he didn't need to finish his sentence because I could feel my horns sprouting out of my head.
"What the fuck, Alastor," I could feel my blood boil as the anger from Helia also took over my emotional rationality. Meko was at my side instantly, and I turned her into her snacking form.
"Vera, my dear, there is no need for violence-"
"Meko really could use some extra protein in her diet," I insisted as the situation at the table became more tense.
"It's okay, Vera, really. I got you back, and we won this battle. The deal needed to be made, or things would have gone a lot worse," Charlie steps in between us as Meko paces back and forth, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"I don't care how long I have known you, Alastor; I will not hesitate to send the wrath of the fucking forest after you," I seethe.
"I wouldn't dream of bringing any harm to your baby sister. You should know me better than that, Vera. Calm down; you have had quite a trying week. Have another drink and forget about everything else going on for today," he comes over to calm me down as I take a seat once again, feeling a bit foolish, might I add.

Angel P.O.V:
Things got tense when Doc got pissed at Alastor. She is usually a very calm and rational person, so crossing her would be a fatal mistake. Husk nudges me gently as he nods his head toward the bar's entrance; a familiar blonde fairy is visible for a brief moment. Vaggie also took notice of the unwanted guest, and we all excused ourselves for the moment while everyone else was trying to calm Doc down. I'm not surprised she is having a rough time considering she was held captive by the angels, almost forced to help Heaven kill all of us, has a brutal injury, and got dumped in a really fucked up way, all in the same week.
"What the fuck are you doing here, you piece of shit?" Vaggie verbally attacks first as the asshole scoffs at us.
"I just wanted to see how pathetic she looked drinking alone. I didn't think you would all be here at her sorrow party," his sly grin gets on my nerves.
"Just fucking leave, dude. Get out of her life and never come back, your nothing but scum in a place full of fucked up people," I sneer at the arrogant bastard.
"Yeah, what you pulled was super fucked up. You have no right calling yourself a proper man. You had a responsibility to protect her and cherish her. She went up there to save your sorry ass, and you return the favour like that?" Husk follows up.
"I don't get why you guys care for that freak anyway. She's just some Princess that disappeared, and no one gave a shit about it. If you were smart, you would distance yourself from both of those fucks; Charlie and Vera aren't worth anyone's time," the statement makes Vaggie punch him right in the nose, creating quite the audible bone break.
"Listen up here, you worthless trash. You didn't have to manipulate Vera like that; you didn't have to pull any of the shit you did. Do you know why? Because it doesn't matter how dire your case is; it doesn't matter who you are or what you did to get down here. Vera has always helped people who have needed her. She cares about others too much, and both of them do. Both of the Morningstar sisters are kinder than any of us are worth. Don't you ever tarnish what they are doing? If we ever see you around Vera again, we will end you. You will disappear, and the sisters will never know about it. You don't have any right to live in her head rent-free," Vaggie pulls out her spear as Helia gets the message and scurries away like the cowardly man he is.
No matter who you are in Hell, you know of Vesper, the Overlord of Health. It's well known that she and her hospital staff are off limits; the mobs and weapons dealers have all agreed to her protection for a very long time. A most respectable soul, if you ask me. I will never know why Vera Morningstar decided to become my personal Doctor. But if someone tries to hurt her like Helia, they will pay. The Doc has been nothing but helpful, even to those who don't deserve her blessing. I look back in the bar to see the eldest Morningstar daughter already under the table, her younger sister trying to get her to consume some water, and Alastor picking her up with his creepy voodoo shit.

Vera P.O.V:

Dear Charlie,
It may not seem like it now, but everything will be okay. Whatever the future holds, I will be ready for it. Whatever I can't handle alone can be dealt with; I just need to ask. I know you will be there for me, and I will always be there for you. Sir Pentious will live on through the hotel, and we can mend our family a little more tomorrow. Thank you, Charlie. I couldn't ask for anyone else to be my sister. You have brought me friends and companionship. You never realize how lonely you are until you are surrounded by people who love and cherish you for who you are.

Things weren't okay today, but that's fine because there will always be a better, less lonely tomorrow.

Love, Vera.

And that's a wrap, my lovely readers. I will be moving on to different projects from here on out until the next season comes out. (Please wake me from that coma when that occurs; I will definitely forget about this book)
Again, thank you for all the comments; the serotonin boost was immaculate. I love you guys, as always. See you soon,

-Kate <3