Daughter Dearest

forty-one

The first day for Venus was the hardest.

Though by Friday, she'd gotten into some sort of schedule and even turned her Midgardian phone back on, only to not be bombarded with angry messages like last time - instead just pictures of Peter's first few days at college and the one message from Bucky that had her on the verge of tears while she read it.

'It was sudden and it hurt. . . But we understand. We're not mad - you have all of us for whatever you need.'

It was the message that pulled her out of a state she didn't even know she had been in until the weight lifted from her chest.

Venus would wake up in the morning and take care of her most basic needs that could be handled in her space.

Then she'd go to breakfast.
Eat with everyone.
Go back to her room and rest while catching up with the latest events on Midgard without interacting with civilians on the internet like she used to.

And if she was lucky, she'd get some much needed rest before Charlie, Vaggie, or Angel brought her dinner up to the room - or came to get her because the others were beginning to get suspicious of her sudden absences.

Venus even managed to keep up appearances by messaging Lucifer throughout the day. He was a busy man but made time for her because he wanted things to work out.

Her heart fluttered whenever his name appeared at the top of her phone screen - and it only amplified when they made it kind of official. She figured she could expect him to do something more exciting once his schedule calmed down. He could only avoid the other sins for so long.

She would have to tell her family eventually, especially if things got serious. . . As in the entirety of Hell knowing their relationship status, serious. . .

Friday afternoon when Venus woke up from her nap, something didn't seem right.

The hotel was quiet.

No staticky hum filling the halls.
No demons barreling down the hall before something exploded.
Charlie's voice couldn't be heard anywhere - nor could Angel's loud music down the hall that she learned to tone out.

There were no glass bottles clinking together as Husk restocked the shelves or Vaggie's voice yelling at someone - likely Alastor.

The hotel showed no signs of life beside her. . . Yet as she sat up, she noticed the tray on her bedside table with a folded note.

Venus picked it up cautiously and noticed Charlie's handwriting.

Niffty made dinner and Husk figured you needed a drink, so he sent one up. Vaggie and I are out on a date, Angel went to work, and Alastor pulled the others out on business for the evening so you could rest uninterrupted.
Love, C. Morningstar ♡

She set the note down with a slight smile, feeling the worry slowly fade away as she examined both the meal and the drink that had been sitting there for God only knows how long — though it was clear it had been a while. 

Both were clear, but she had to be safe.

Venus took a sip of the alcoholic beverage before tucking into the fresh pasta dish that was still warm. It was cheesy and garlicky, which just happened to be how she liked it.

She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she devoured the plate within a matter of minutes, setting the fork down and covering the dishes back up. . . She wiped her mouth with the provided burgundy cloth napkin before deciding to lay back down. 

The cramps that soon came around had Venus in the fetal position as she attempted to fall asleep once again. She always tried to avoid the pain and speed up the process of her cycle by sleeping — it only ensured she wouldn't remember most of the pain, since she would be unconscious. 

Eventually, though, her eyes closed and she drifted off once again, the pain becoming less noticeable as she slowly fell asleep. 

★†★

The call went to voice-mail once. 

A second time. 

A third time. 

A fourth time. 

Yet Venus didn't pick up the phone, which was unlike her. 
Angel finished with work and decided to call and see if she needed anything while he was still out — his ringtone on her phone was unlike the others, he was the one that picked it out. . . It was his favorite Verosika Mayday song from her debut. 

He frowned and called Charlie — he knew she was going out with Vaggie, but something about Venus not answering her phone didn't sit right with the spider demon. 

The line rang three times before Charlie picked up, her cheerful voice coming through the small speaker. “Hey, Angel! What's up?”

“Hey, uh, Charlie — I know you're out, but have you talked to Venus in the last couple hours? She's not picking up her phone.” 

The line went silent for a moment before Charlie replied. “I haven't talked to her, but I took dinner up to her before we left. She was resting so I just left it.” 

Angel sighed and picked up his speed. He usually didn't walk back to the hotel, but he decided to, just to clear his head from the few shoots he did in the couple hour shift. 

“Well I hate to alarm you, but somethin’ ain't right. Called her four times and it rang but went to voice-mail. . . I'm on my way back now.” 

“We'll come back too — it's not like her.” 

The call soon ended. 

Minutes later, the hill that housed the hotel came into view and he practically busted down the front door. The lobby was empty — not even Husk was perched at the bar. 

Angel Dust reached Venus's room in record time, concern fueling his body to move forward. Her door was unlocked, allowing him easy entry. . . But once he saw her laying in bed, everything seemed normal at a glance. . . Until he noticed her phone from the living world was blowing up with incoming messages. 

Unable to help himself, he picked it up and saw hundreds of notifications from the last half an hour, in the group chat labeled ‘The Himbo and the Magic Users™’. 

Each message was accompanied by missed calls. . . And each message was similar. 

‘Are you alive?’

‘Are you in trouble?’

‘Venus, pick up the phone.’ 

‘We can't feel you.’

‘We're going to find a way back to you.’ 

Each one he read caused fear to build up until he dropped the phone on the other side of her and forced her to sit up, just in time for Vaggie and Charlie to appear in the open door. 

“Oh shit.” Vaggie muttered. 

“Help me — Charlie, call your dad!” Angel ordered, wincing when he realized the harshness behind his words. “Please, call him.” 

“Is she. . ?” 

“I don't know.”