Daughter Dearest

thirty-three

Venus wasn't the type to fuck and flee, although she was the type to run away from her emotions. If she couldn't handle them, she simply shoved them in a box in the deepest depths of her soul and avoided the person who made her feel those emotions.

So, in the case of Lucifer Morningstar, the man who made her feel butterflies and made her whole body heat with desire, she did what she did best.

She ignored him. Avoided him like the plague.

If he was in the room, she wasn't there. Just the fear of rejection itself made Venus recoil and shut down. She'd much rather everything be buried under the rug in this situation. Lilith was back and they'd likely end up a happy family.

She'd spoken to Charlie, but not her parents.

Her avoidance gave her time to put a much needed plan into motion.

The Asgardian Princess was sitting on a barstool long after everyone had gone to bed, a singular light above the new and improved bar shining down on the laptop and mess of papers that were sprawled across the sealed wooden surface, here elegant handwriting making the notes seem like important documents.

Unneeded glasses were perched on the bridge of her nose, showing the reflection of the email she was writing. A glass of amber Asgardian ale creating a ring of condensation on the bar where it sat, emptied halfway.

In the week since her return from the meeting with her father, she'd spent the nights after the inhabitants went to bed researching ways to get her family back to the living world. . . And she hadn't had a breakthrough until this very night.

Ironically enough, she was writing to Asmodeus, seemingly the only one who could help her, even in the slightest.

The email was long, detailing the reasons she needed his help, her main priorities, and a promise to fulfill whatever it was he required of her. . . She'd recently heard rumors of how he sometimes sent workers of his to the living world. . . So he seemed like her best choice.

It was after she sent the lengthy email, that a voice broke the silence. The voice of the man she had been so careful to avoid.

"You're still awake." He stated.

Venus nodded curtly, a slight hum falling from her lips as she reached over and grabbed the pile of notes, preparing to ditch the scene once more. How had she not heard him come down the stairs?

"You've been avoiding me — I don't know what I did, but I think we should talk about what happened between us."

The Asgardian goddess snorted and shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about. . . Your family is whole once more and I am perfectly fine with things remaining as they were. . . So, for my sake, drop it."

Venus could feel Lucifer's eyes on her back as she gathered her things. It felt like an eternity, but only five minutes passed.

"Why?" Lucifer questioned, just as the email notification went off on the laptop, signaling that a new one was in her inbox.

"Please." She mumbled, lowering her head with a frown. "Please let me walk away with some shred of self respect. You love her —"

"Loved."

"What?"

"I loved her at some point. . . I'm not sure when I quit loving her, but I have a feeling it has something to do with you — when I met you I immediately felt something and it scared me. I hadn't felt like that since Eden. I — you. . . Venus, you have to understand. . . "

"I don't understand." She turned to him finally, her eyes like fire. He looked a mess, as if her ignoring him had taken a toll. "But what I do know is, you need to get your family affairs in order before you attempt to drag me into it."

"What are you saying?" He inquired.

Venus sighed heavily. "This visit is sudden. I've been here with Charlie for the last few months, she said her mother hadn't called in years. . . And suddenly, she's at the hotel's doorstep not long after the first man was killed. . . I don't think it's a coincidence. Goodnight, Lucifer."

She gathered her things and immediately took off to the stairs, leaving Lucifer standing in the dim light. In the week his ex wife had been in town, he hadn't thought of that. 

★†★

Writing the email proved to be a success as when Venus woke up that afternoon, there was a reply to her second email. Asmodeus had replied quickly to the first one, where she had reluctantly pulled the 'daughter of Leviathan' and 'friend of the Morningstar's' cards, in hopes he would take her situation seriously.

The second email was a picture of a blue, wire wrapped stone on a black cord that he claimed would be in her possession before dark, granted only because she had been born in hell, to one of the seven sins. . . That email had been sent three hours after she went to bed. . . Which had been eight hours ago, by the time on the clock. Which meant. . .

She quickly got ready for the day and entered the lobby, opening the hotel door just in time for an imp to push the small package at Venus before promptly exiting the premises.

Getting it to the nearest surface, she used her sharp nails to slice the tape open and she gently grabbed the slightly transparent bag from the box. With it was hand written instructions.

Venus could almost cry.
She had the means to get her family home.

Upon noticing the lack of people in the room, Venus placed the necklace around her neck, the shimmery blue stone hanging prettily just above the bilgesnipe tooth.

She then called a team meeting, knowing what she had to do.

"What's this about?" Tony questioned.

Venus took a deep breath and smiled. "I have a way to get us back to the living world. . . Everyone seems busy today, so it's best we get this going now." She declared picking up the piece of paper that had the clearly written instructions.

"Simple enough." She muttered to herself. "Shall we go home?"

"Is this to avoid you-know-who?" Natasha questioned with crossed arms.
"No. . . I've simply finally found a way out."

"Are you sure about this?" Steve inquired.

Venus nodded. "I'm sure. It'll work."

"Let's go home." Pietro said, looking out the window at the red sky that was being overcome by darkened clouds.

Venus looked at all of them, plastering their faces and voices to her memory. It would be a while before she saw any of them again. . . But she had to ensure they were safe. They were safer in the living world than in Hell.

She pulled energy from the crystal around her neck, feeling the power flow through her bloodstream before presenting itself as a fluid diamond shaped portal; and for the first time in ages, Venus found herself staring at the brightly lit living room that was in the Avengers Tower.

Steve was the first to step through, soon followed by the rest of them, with Peter being the last one through. They all turned to face the Asgardian Princess, expecting her to come through behind them.

"I'm sorry." She said with a sad smile before the portal closed, separating them all once more. The energy immediately went back to the crystal with a small flash of blue light before it was just the crystal. Her family didn't have a way to go back to hell without her. 

Good.