Part Three: Morning Star

Chapter One: I Will Take What Is Mine

"How did you survive?" they ask.
How much did they have you bleed;
How long did they make you suffer;
How low did they force you down;
How dark did they tint your dreams?
—until you had their blood glistening on your teeth;
—until your suffering paled in comparison to their own;
—until it was their throats pinned under your boot;
—until you learned to enjoy the sounds of screams.
"I didn't." you reply.

May 7th, 2011 to May 11th, 2011

For days Adrienne lay in bed, depressed and unmoving, her only interaction with the world being when Vetis came to bring her food and carry her to the bathroom. She could barely stand on her own for a week, never mind walk. On the fifth day, Vetis pulled her dress off, picked her up and placed her in the bathtub. Adrienne didn't say anything, remaining motionless when he washed her hair and scrubbed her arms.

The blood was gone now, but the marks were still there, blatantly obvious against her skin, paler now than it was before, though still brown. He scrubbed them, tried a spell, drew sigils with his own blood, even put some burn cream on, but nothing worked.

"I don't think these are going to heal," he told her.

Adrienne didn't say anything.

May 14th, 2011

Adrienne took a few small, hesitant steps forward, leaning on the shoulder of a brainwashed physical therapist while a nurse held her opposite arm. Vetis watched from the side of the room with Meg. Vetis's face was expressionless, but Meg looked worried.

"Do you think she's gonna be okay?" Meg asked.

Adrienne stumbled, landing on her ankle. Two weeks ago she might have cursed in pain, but now she didn't say anything. Her eyes looked like shattered glass. She stayed sat down on the ground there until urged to stand up by the doctor.

Vetis tried to hold it together, but he knew that anyone looking could see how upset he was. "I don't know."

May 20th, 2011

Vetis could remember, upon first meeting Adrienne as an adult, as being somewhat annoyed with her. He'd never admit it of course, and was very careful to always be respectful of Lucifer's daughter. But the girl didn't know anything, and he soon grew annoyed with listening to her constant barrage of questions. Now, as he lay in their bed with Adrienne, his arms wrapped around her middle, he thought of what he'd give to hear her speak again.

The first night, he'd just put her in bed and made to leave, but she'd grabbed his wrist and pulled him back in. He'd sunk in beside her, kissing her forehead. He'd hoped it was a sign that maybe she would be okay sooner rather than later, but now they were in the same position, Adrienne's head tucked under his chin, her hair tickling his arms, and she was no better. They stayed like this through the night, Adrienne eerily silent, only the sound of her heart to keep him company.

But earlier that day, Vetis had to deal some revolting demons; the beasts were not so easily kept in line when they learned of Adrienne's failure. The fact that she hadn't been seen in days probably hadn't helped.

Usually demons were too weak to hurt him, but the sheer number of them that day had been overwhelming. When he took his shirt off to get ready for bed, he saw that his chest was covered in ugly purple bruises. He's surprised Adrienne even notices, to be honest. Half the time it was like she was already dead. The other half, she seemed to be waiting for death.

But she did notice.

Adrienne stood, stopping his hand when he started to put a new shirt on. She pulled the shirt away from him, letting it fall to the ground before spreading one of her own hands over his heart where the bruises were the worst. Without speaking a word, she healed the bruises, warmth sinking into his chest. He's not sure what to say, but it doesn't really matter since two seconds later she falls forward. He catches her on instinct and lays her down on the bed. Her eyes are only barely visible through her eyelids.

Vetis shouted for her a few times, but she didn't respond, if she even heard him.

"Adrienne!"

May 27th, 2011.

Vetis snaps.

When it happens, Adrienne's sitting in her window nook, surrounded by pillows, staring out past the glass, switching the image from Hell and the a beach in the Bahamas and back again.

Vetis felt guilty, but he couldn't help it. The silence was deafening. Watching Adrienne every day was hellish. He wanted to shake her, dump a bucket of water over her head, anything if she would just talk.

His arms itch with the need to throw something, and he grabs what's closest. That turns out to be a chair, and it explodes into dust and splinters when it lands against the wall. Adrienne flinched, turning to stare at him in confusion and shock. He could easily imagine what she would have done before. She'd have asked him what was wrong, or, if she was in a bad mood, what the hell was wrong with him. But now she was silent.

"Dammit, Adrienne! Why do you just sit there? Get up, do something! I'm tired of seeing you just sit on your ass and mope! God, it's like you'd rather be dead!"

Vetis kept yelling. Soon, Adrienne stopped looking emotionless (not that Vetis noticed). Now she was angry. For the first time in weeks, her eyes were focused.

Eventually, Vetis stopped. Breathing hard, he finally looked at Adrienne again. What he saw was nearly enough to make him leave with his tail between his legs. Adrienne's eyes were white hot... and so were the marks on her arms.

And finally, he got his wish. Adrienne spoke.

"Get. Out."

May 31st, 2011

Vetis did not speak to Adrienne for several days. He tried going to her a few times, but her rooms were blocked to him and the door never budged. He busied himself with running Hell, but he dreaded the second Adrienne summoned him. He was certain she would kill him the instant she saw him. Still, he wanted to go to her, wanted to apologize for his words. Not to protect himself, but because it was true. He did regret what he said, and he wanted her to know it.

He stood next to Adrienne's throne as he dealt out orders to demons. That's when he felt it. A presence, wriggling in the back of his mind, forcing its way to the front.

For a moment, Vetis thought Lucifer was trying to speak to him, which would not be good. But then the presence spoke to him, and he recognized Adrienne's voice immediately (he wasn't entirely sure which was worse).

Come here.

His heart jumped into his throat. He left the throne room, ignoring the questions and protests of the demons. This time, the door opened easily.

Adrienne stood staring out the window, staring at Hell. The nook was gone. The room looked more bare than ever now. There were no decorations, and the furniture and bed sheets were plain black. On the other hand, Adrienne's floor length dress was black and elegant. The silver belt at her waist looked like interconnecting bones, with a ten-pointed star at the center. Her hair was wavy and lush, falling past her shoulders and down her back. Two gauzy straps held up each side of her dress, revealing the marks on her sleeves. She wasn't wearing shoes or jewelry. All of this contrasted sharply with the black burns on her arms, which were as rough and jagged as ever.

Adrienne turned to look at him. Her eyes weren't brown anymore. They were shiny white, like pearls. It made the black of her pupils stand out more than ever, like tiny coals. He took a step back when he saw them, suddenly more scared of her than he'd ever been, but she made no move to hurt face betrayed no emotion. Even her movements were eerie — silent and fluid, like water. Or smoke.

"Vetis."

He expected her voice to be harsh, angry. But it was practically monotone. No feeling, no love or hate, no warmth or coldness. Vetis wanted to apologize, but stopped himself. Adrienne clearly wanted to say something, and he didn't dare interrupt her.

"How long have you known me?"

Vetis blinked. "I've known you since the day you were born. Hell, I was there when you were born."

"And everyone else who knew me — Lorelei, my parents, Adam — are gone. You're the only one left. The only one who understands me."

After a beat, Vetis realized she expected a response. "Yes."

For a moment, Adrienne allowed a sliver of emotion through her mask — a small bit of warmth in her white eyes. "And you'll stand by me? You'll do whatever I ask of you, no matter what happens?"

"Always. But what do you want me to do?"

Adrienne stopped looking at him, instead staring into the space behind him, deep in thought. "I underestimated the Winchesters. That was my fault, no one else's. It's my job to fix it, to kill them before they can stop us."

Vetis tried not to show his confusion, but he wasn't sure it worked. "What are we going to do?"

Now she focused on him, her face a blank slate. "Humanity can't be wiped out. Not by me, not alone. The only way to fix it is to take complete control of everything — Hell, Heaven, Earth."

Vetis caught his breath. The way Adrienne spoke was enticing. He almost felt like he was in a trance. "How are we going to do that?"

She smiled. "We're going to open the gates of Hell."

A/N: The poem at the beginning is "to defeat monsters: become the greater monster" by dvoyd on tumblr. Also, I'm sorry that it's been such a long time since I've updated, but I haven't had the time or energy since school started, and probably won't be updating again for awhile, but I do plan on finishing this, so stay tuned.