Written for: theonlyspl
Prompt: Greta ~ sin
Spoilers: Missing scene during, or possibly after, the events of the season finale. Some of the dialogue in the flashback section is from episode 01x10 "Ave Satani". Beyond that, everything we learned in these 10 episodes is up for grabs.
Warnings: No standard warnings apply.

A/N: I am always down for pitting Sister Greta and Ann against each other. They are two sides of the same fanatical coin, just with opposing ideologies. I love looking at the ways they can be so similar, and yet so diametrically opposed. And any standoff between them is like Christmas morning to me, so I'm all there. For the record, the title of this story is from the "Hail Mary", because it seemed apropos.

Dedication: This is part of a series of stories to thank the phenomenal creative team of Damien, both in front of and behind the camera.

Series: Part 13 of the #666foryou series

Please see profile for Disclaimers.

As she lies in the harsh darkness of the grave, blood and other bodily fluids oozing out of her wound to mingle with the dirt in a macabrely appropriate mud, her thoughts turn to many things, as if she is utterly incapable of concentrating on any one thing: prayers and pleas to God; the sharp end of a branch poking against her wound; Amani's weight across her torso; the still bodies of the other four nuns, martyred for following in the fervor of her own crusade against the rise of the Antichrist; the Jews murdered in Auschwitz and other concentration camps, buried much like she has been here.

With sudden clarity, a scene crystalizes in her mind's eye, one that reminds her of both the strength of faith and the realities of disappointment. Her conversation with Ann Rutledge in her room. She'd refused to look at the bed, to see the blood stains there, both on and under Veronica's body. Rutledge, on the other hand, betrayed her own weaknesses by repeatedly glancing toward her daughter and the last place she was still verifiably alive.

*666*

"God's Son redeems us."

"And mine will bring about a new way and destroy the old."

"No, you can stop it, save the world untold grief, millions of lives. You can save yourself." The bright blaze of pain as Ann cruelly squeezes her wound brings a sense of clarity, a renewal of purpose. And tears, shortness of breath in the face of the fiery pain coursing through her veins. She refuses to show this woman weakness. God will prevail; the words are an internal mantra, steady as the beating of her own heart. "The Darkness will always give way to the light."

"Lucifer is the bringer of Light." So decisive, so certain of the falsities to which she so clearly cleaves.

It takes everything in Greta to rise to her full height and meet Ann's gaze. She will be damned if she shows this apostate any fear. That is exactly what Satan wants: fear and doubt, which can be exploited for nefarious purposes.

"God is..."

"Satan is God," Ann replies in a tone that brooks no dissent, the fire of fanaticism lighting her dark eyes. "Long may he reign."

Greta turns back to stare at Veronica's body, face peaceful in death. "I hope your daughter found salvation in her dying moments. If she was truly repentant, God will have saved her for eternal life in Heaven."

"Veronica knew the truth of God's treachery and lies. She believed in the coming of the Deliverer, the Antichrist just as much as I do. She needed none of God's salvation."

Greta blinks and stares at Ann for a long moment, startled by the familiar patterns to the woman's words. "Even Lucifer could be saved if he would but accept contrition and atone for his many sins. We are all sinners in God's eyes. It is our humility that allows us to be saved."

"No, it's our will. Humility and piety are archaic concepts that no longer matter in the modern world. The Power I serve? It accepts that people are flawed. It doesn't require the false modesty that God does. Admit to your own failings, acknowledge that all people are fallible, and seek enlightenment. Pretty easy, isn't it?"

*666*

Amani shifts with a sudden spasm of pain, forcing the breath from Greta's lungs. The sensation of dirt clogging her lungs pulls her out of that memory, and Greta knows that her end is near. The odds of surviving this without divine intervention are infinitesimal. And so she begins her prayers anew.