Work Text:
Rain splattered onto the windows of the old house. Thunder roaring loudly, almost as loud as the anger clawing it’s way out of Raelle. Her voice shook with each word she threw at her mother. Willa Collar dismisses each jab with a chuckle, just like she always did when Raelle was a child having a temper tantrum. Finally Raelle pounds her fist against the wooden table, the only thing separating mother and daughter.
Willa scoffs. “Stop with the dramatics Raelle.” The older woman shot her daughter a look of warning, folding her arms across her chest. “I did what I had to do for you... what was best.” At that very moment Scylla waltzes in. Unaware of the company the safe house was hosting. Raelle’s eyes travel immediately and find their destination on Scylla. She was as beautiful as ever. Her hair a little bit longer now and eyes just a tad brighter than they were before. Raelle couldn’t think it possible with the way Scylla’s eyes shown the brightest blue. Like an ocean. They were suppose to go to an ocean once. That felt like a lifetime ago.
“I want to go to the beach.” Raelle says sweetly after Scylla places her back down on the ground. Scylla laughs as Raelle kisses her hand. She looks adoringly at her girlfriend.
“After the wedding, I promise.”
A fire rages inside of Raelle at the memory. Burning bright and running wild. Lies. Everything about Scylla was a lie. A ploy to get her here, set up by her own mother. She wonders if the two laugh behind her back. How easy it was for Scylla to enchant her, make her fall in love. God, she was so stupid. Even now looking into those ocean eyes, her heart still yearned for the girl. Raelle’s fingers twitched at the thought of holding Scylla again. She closes her eyes. Focus. Pointing a finger at Scylla, Raelle yells at her mother “So sending her to lie to me was best?!” Willa opens her mouth to say something, but Raelle doesn’t give her the chance. “You know what? Save it. I don’t care anymore! You can take your liberation and shove it up your ass. I don’t want any part of it or you.”
Scylla slowly enters Raelle’s personal space. Her eyes in disbelief. “They said you were dead.” Her hands shook as she reaches out for her. Raelle pushes them away angrily. “Goddess, I thought I’d never see you again.” Tears spill over the rims of her eyes and down her pale cheeks pooling at her chin. “How-“ She wipes at her tears. “How are you here?”
“I could ask you the same question.” She replies coldly.
Willa clears her throat. “I think I’ll leave the two of you alone to catch up.” She saunters out the doorway and into the living room.
The kitchen becomes deadly silent as the two ex lovers stare at each other. “Thought you were being shipped off to die.” Raelle repeats Scylla’s words she spoke that day in her cell back to her.
Scylla licks her lips. “Anacostia, gave me a second chance.” Moving closer to Raelle. “She told me to hold on to the part that’s good.” Scylla blinks and gazes deeply into Raelle’s cool blue eyes. “So I held onto you.” Her hands reaches out to Raelle’s own hands. “You’re the part of me that’s good Raelle. My love for you.”
Raelle sways on her feet at Scylla’s revelation.
Her head spinning. Scylla was intoxicating. Everything about her was. “Raelle.” Scylla’s lyrical voice broke through the trance she was in. Raelle decided her name never sounded so good until she heard Scylla say it. Scylla was like a deadly siren and Raelle the lonely sailor ready to walk into the ocean to never return. “Raelle, say something please.”
Her time with Scylla plays in her mind like a beautiful movie with a tragic ending. The first time they met, first kiss, first dance and their last. “She loves you, that parts real.” Raelle pushes Anacostia’s words away. If she loved me, she wouldn’t have lied to me. She thought. She would’ve told me the truth. Tears burn her eyes as she rips their hands apart. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?!”
“I thought they were going to kill me for choosing you over them. I wanted your last memory of me to be happy. I did it to protect you. Please believe me.” She tries to cup Raelle’s face, but the blonde pulls away.
“I don’t.” She backs away farther. “If you love someone, you tell them the truth and let them decide how to feel. You don’t get to choose their feelings for them!” Raelle’s heel hits the baseboard of the wall. “We could have figured it all out together!” Thunder roared outside, Raelle thought she could feel the ground shake with it. Scylla opens her mouth to speak when suddenly, the lights flicker for a couple seconds, before finally going out. Leaving them in total darkness.
“Dang nab it!” Earl, one of the spree agents who lived in the safe house yelled. Breaking the silence that filled the house. “Willa where’d you put that damn flashlight?”
Scylla comes closer to stand directly in front of Raelle. She was so close if Raelle leaned in a little more she could kiss her. Her eyes shut allowing the fantasy to play out. Her lips would softly touch Scylla’s ... lightening flashes and Raelle is back in reality. The reality is Scylla lied and tried to hand her over to the spree, tricking her with every broken promise that seeped from those beautiful lips. Playing a siren’s song every time Raelle was near with her lyrical voice. Luring her in with those gorgeous unworldly blue eyes. Who was Scylla Ramshorn to Raelle if not a traitor and a liar? Something in the back of her mind whispered quietly, the love of her life. Raelle shook her head, she wasn’t a fool for nobody, not even for love. “You know what? I’m out of here!” She pushes Scylla aside and storms out into the storm that rages on outside, slamming the door for good measure. She didn’t care if it was childish. Raelle was hurt by the ones she loved and she wanted them to know it.
Her boots clomps down the rickety old porch steps. She hears the door open again, but doesn’t dare turn around. She knows who it is, can feel her presence. Her feet splash water up as she treads through large puddles the rain has made. Her hair matting to her face soaked with rain water. “Raelle!” There’s that mesmerizing voice again and it’s calling her name. She stops where she is, halfway to the sidewalk. Raelle can hear Scylla’s feet as they splash through the puddles. Her heart quickens as Scylla places her hand on her soaked shoulder.
Raelle turns harshly looking into Scylla’s sad beautiful blue hues. She looked so alone, so sad. Scylla pleadingly says “I still love you Raelle.” Even though it was raining Raelle could see the tears on the necro’s face.
“She had specific orders to take you somewhere called Penelope road at six p.m. You were her target.” Tally explained.
“But she didn’t take me anywhere Tally! She was with me right before the attack telling me she loved me!” Raelle shouted
“...no matter what happens...” Raelle whispers to herself remembering their last dance together before everything was ground into dust. She could still remember how amazing Scylla smelled that day as she nuzzled into the crook of her girlfriends neck. She smelt like safety... home. Her head spinning from Scylla’s words. Raelle couldn’t remember a time she had been more happy than that moment. “I chose you!” Scylla’s plead echoing in her memory. “I chose you instead of them! I chose you! Please!”
Rain continues to pour down fiercely. The two of them completely soaked from head to toe. A puddle forming in Raelle’s boots. “How can I trust you again...” She spoke softly as Scylla’s lips began to tremble. Her resolve was weakening in front of the woman she loves. She couldn’t stand to see Scylla so sad and she was part of the reason for it. Not being able to stop herself she pulls Scylla in for a kiss, trying to soothe Scylla’s pain with her lips. Scylla lifts her hands onto the lapels of Raelle’s military jacket, fisting them in the wet material, trying to get her closer. Raelle moans as Scylla kisses back passionately. God, she missed Scylla. Her hands wrap themselves on each side of Scylla’s face. Raelle scrunching Scylla’s wet hair with her in fingers as their tongues meet.
Several minutes pass by before they break the kiss to come up for air, both panting and hearts beating wildly against their chests. Scylla looks deep into Raelle’s eyes. “Tell me you’re still mine, Raelle. I know I messed up, I know that and I’m so sorry Raelle. I don’t want to hurt you ever again. Tell me I didn’t lose you ... please.” She begs chasing Raelle’s lips with her own. Needing more of Scylla, Raelle leans in until their lips press tightly together. Her bottom lip in between Scylla’s. Raelle could taste the salt from Scylla’s tears as they kiss.She drags her lips to Scylla’s jawline slowly kissing where she thought was the line of tears, it was hard to tell because of the rain, she wanted to kiss them away. Raelle never wanted to see Scylla cry again. Especially not because of her. She kisses Scylla’s forehead lightly before pressing her face into the crook of her neck. “I love you Scylla.” Raelle held on tight to Scylla. “I never stopped loving you, not once.” She could feel Scylla nuzzling her nose against her neck and shivers as she places a light kiss to her pulse point. “I believe you.” Scylla moves her head to look into Raelle’s eyes in disbelief of what the blonde just said to her. “I believe you, I love you.” Raelle reassures her. Tears spill again as Scylla kisses Raelle before hugging her. Raelle holds on tight not wanting to ever let Scylla go again.