AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is it, folks; the final chapter of Hell Hath No Fury. All good things must come to an end. It's probably not gonna be too long, it just ties up some lose ends. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: In the Aftermath

Adrian sat at his desk, his laptop open in front of him, various biology notes scattered around it. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It was the end of November and he was studying for finals. He looked up at the picture on the shelf above his desk and smiled sadly.

They found that boy in the alley, shivering and mumbling to himself about demons. His friends lay dead around him, a bloody switchblade at his feet. They found Victoria Isle's bag at the end of the alley, but her body was nowhere to be seen. Her blood was on the knife and the boy was charged with her death and those of his friends. His lawyers pled insanity and no one argued. He was clearly no longer right in the head. He was shipped off to a mental institute. He never revealed the location of Victoria's body, and after several months the search was called off. Her family held onto the small hope that she was alive somewhere, but there had been too much of her blood in the alley. They had finally come to terms with their lose and began to mourn. Dimitri couldn't forgive himself for not going after her when she stormed out. She'd died mad at him. He quit his job at the high school because it reminded him too much of her. He went to teach near the college Adrian was attending. Each was the other's main support system. Brought closer together by the tragedy, the pair began dating. Adrian had always thought it was Victoria Dimitri had been after, but he'd been wrong.

Adrian had been the valedictorian at graduation. His wounds had mostly healed by then, but his bones were still on the mend. He'd cried as he mentioned Victoria and the fact that she wasn't there that day. He'd left for college with a heavy heart, knowing that Victoria should have been at his side. She should've been there to help him move in and vice versa. She should've been there now, pulling all-nighters cramming for their upcoming finals.

He removed the picture from its place and gently stroked the glass. It depicted the two of them laughing in the snow that previous winter.

"I miss you so much, Tor," he whispered, a tear falling onto the glass.

Not a day went by when he didn't wonder what had happened to her. The box hadn't been found in the alley. He had no way of contacting the cenobites and inquiring about Victoria's location. He wondered if they even knew, but it would've at least been a place to start.

"Oh, no tears. It's a waste of good suffering."

Adrian spun around. Pinhead sat on the edge of his bed, a smirk on his face.

"Pinhead, right?" Adrian asked.

"At your service," he replied.

"I'm not part of Victoria's bloodline," he said. "Why would you serve me?"

Much to his surprise, a genuine smile played across the creature's lips. It looked out of place on the mutilated face.

"She'd have it no other way."

Adrian smiled sadly. "I suppose you're right. What happened that night?"

"Those boys attacked her in the alley. They must have been lying in wait. How they knew she'd come that way, I do not know. They ambushed her and went after her with a switchblade. She was stabbed in the stomach and then the base of the spine as she tried to escape, the latter paralyzing her from the neck down."

Adrian began to sob as he talked. "How do you know all this?"

The demon smiled yet again. "She told me."

Adrian lowered his brow in confusion. "What?"

"See for yourself."

The opposite wall parted on an invisible seam and slid open. Beyond lay the Labyrinth, a world shrouded in mist. A figure moved toward them, obscured by the swirling substance. Adrian's heart stopped.

"Victoria?"

Her skin had the same unnatural pallor as Pinhead's. Her face had not been marred like his, but a pair of piercings studded each eyebrow. Several more decorated her lips and nose. Her earlobes had been stretched until they brushed her shoulders, large metal disks holding the massive holes open. From the front, she looked like a modern primitive, but when she turned around, the true cenobite mutilation was evident. Her robes were floor length and high collared like Pinhead's, but they were cut low in the back, from the base of her neck to just above her rear end. The flesh was peeled back along her spine, revealing the glistening white vertebrae. Metal bands were attached around the bone every few inches, holding the wound open. At first glance, Adrian thought she'd gained some weight, but on closer inspection, he realized that she was sporting the beginnings of a baby bump.

"You're alive," Adrian gasped.

"Sort of," she replied. It was odd to hear her voice again, especially coming from this new form. "Leviathan chose me. I was paralyzed and dying, but He saved me and made me a cenobite."

"And you're pregnant?" Adrian asked hesitantly.

She chuckled. "Yeah, I am. Just over four months." She smiled at Pinhead, who returned it. Intense adoration shone in those normally void black eyes.

Adrian began to laugh.

"You're really okay…well as okay as you'll get, but still."

He moved closer as to hug her, but hesitated.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," Victoria smiled. "Just watch out for the spine."

He threw his arms around her neck to avoid the massive wound down her back.

"Why didn't you come to me sooner?" he asked.

"I was recovering from the transition and then there was this to worry about," she indicated to her expanding abdomen. "It's an anomaly, that's for sure. Apparently cenobites are sterile."

"Apparently I was misinformed," Pinhead muttered under his breath.

Victoria patted his shoulder and smiled.

"Dimitri won't believe this," Adrian said.

"Dimitri," Victoria said. "Is he alright? I was really hard on him that night."

"He took it pretty badly at first. He felt it was his fault, that he should've gone after you and demanded you let him take you home. He quit his job, but he's teaching around here now." Adrian smiled. "And I was dead wrong about him. He didn't want you after all."

Victoria looked confused for a moment, and then it dawned on her.

"He wanted you."

Adrian smiled yet again. "Yes, he did. It's been three months."

Victoria laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad you've found happiness in my absence"

"But no one could've filled the hole you left," he said.

"I'm not going anywhere now. I'll always have your back. All you have to do is call."

She held out the Lament Configuration. Adrian reached out and took it.

"You know how to use it?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, I'll never forget that day in the art room. You left that pin, didn't you?" He looked at Pinhead.

"Indeed. Who else would have?"

"We're gonna leave now, Ade," Victoria said. "If you need me, you know how to reach me."

She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Adrian whispered.

Pinhead reached over and took her hand. The pair turned and entered the labyrinth through the rift in the bedroom wall. Just before the wall slid shut, Victoria turned and smiled at him. Adrian returned it with one of his own. The wall shut with an almost inaudible snap.

Adrian looked down at the box. He gently ran his fingers over its intricate surface. His cellphone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. He picked it up.

"Hey, babe," he said. "You won't believe who just paid me a visit."

~[END]~

ENDNOTE: And so marks the end of my first fan fic! Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed. I truly appreciate it. So, some interesting surprises at the end there. Victoria has become a cenobite, thus regaining free range of movement. I was a little unsure what to do with her appearance, but I've always been a supporter of the whole modern primitive thing so I decided to go down that route. Besides, what are the cenobites' wounds, but extreme body modification? Victoria and Pinhead did hook up (not that surprising) and are expecting (maybe more surprising)! The idea to have Adrian and Dimitri become a couple was a last minute thing, so it was a surprise even to me. A sequel is definitely in the works, but when it will begin is yet to be determined. Keep on the lookout for it! Again, thank you for sticking with me. ~Ofo~