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A year after the Eldritch terrors sought to destroy their lives, the Spellman family was once again whole. This last Year was the worst of their lives, left to pick up the pieces of the Earth that were nearly destroyed. They had lost so much, but also gained so many. The idea of gaining was especially true this New Years Eve, as many new faces joined the family around the living room.
As Zelda glanced around the room she surveyed them all. Immediately in front of her were Judith and Judas. Their past was scarred, and Zelda would always blame herself for that in part, but the best she could do now was see that the rest of their lives were spent in love and safety.
For the first time in what felt like years, she was moved to laugh when she spotted them, chasing each other through the living room and down the various halls in an intense game of tag. She herself was on the floor, her heels long discarded in favor of socked feet as just minutes before she herself bounded around the house chasing after her children. The twins still remained mute a year after everything was over, and Zelda suspected they may not ever speak. It didn’t matter to her, though, They were still her children and she loved them.
Glancing at the couch directly across from her was a sight to behold. Lilith and Mary Wardwell herself, quietly in conversation with each other. Mary happily bounced Baby Adam up and down on her knee as they talked, the young boy cooing and giggling as she made different faces. Mary was a natural when it came to taking care of babies, it seemed, and Lilith trusted her completely with the babe. Lilith sat back into the couch, eyes closed for a moment of rest she didn’t get very often with a newborn. The Queen of Hell was finally at peace, and would never have to worry about Lucifer, or anyone ever coming for her or her child ever again.
It was still quite bizarre, seeing the two of them in the same place together. The process of explaining everything to Mary was long and painstaking, and things were very complicated at first. Still, after all was said and done, it seemed the Wardwell woman was finally coping with the knowledge of everything that had been done to her. She went through so much at the hands of this town, and Zelda realized it would probably take the rest of the mortal woman’s life to fully comprehend what she’d witnessed in the past year.
None of that mattered now, it was over. And the big happy family decided to settle down for a viewing of a classic family movie. The Spellman sisters discovered their shared love of the Disney classic “The Parent Trap” in the middle of the end of the world turmoil. Now that they all could finally rest, Hilda thought it would be the perfect time to grab her old VHS copy and sit everyone down for a New Years Eve movie night.
Zelda couldn’t argue with that idea, it sounded like exactly what they all needed, and it gave her an excuse to drink a little more while everyone focused on the movie. She would need extra alcohol this year if she was going to forget she had no one to hold when the clock struck midnight.
Hilda came back into the living room now yielding the tape, “Everyone settle in now, we’re starting the film.” She moved forward, popping the tape into the machine before finding her place back on the other couch with Dr. Cee.
Judas and Judith finally settled down, sitting back against the couch where Mary and Lilith were resting. Zelda stood and moved to her regular chair, stopping to survey the scene once more before she sat.
They were all… happy. It was a feeling extremely foreign to her family, so seeing them all together this way was fitting.
Everyone was focused on the movie, intently watching and laughing along when appropriate. Zelda wished she could focus like the rest of them, but even these days her mind never shut off long enough for her to pay too much attention to one thing.
She wasn’t the only one, a half hour into the movie she realized Lilith’s attention was focused on her, rather than the movie. Glancing over to the clock she realized it was 11:00pm. Baby Adam was asleep in Mary Wardwell’s arms, Judas and Judith were half asleep in front of the couch, although they seemed as if they were dead set on staying up for the new year, they just hadn’t made it.
Zelda stood up, taking one child in each of her arms and carrying them up the stairs to their bedroom. She set Judith down first in her bed, then Judas. She took individual care to tuck them in tightly, leaving a kiss on each of their heads and whispering a quiet spell for their good rest.
She turned on their night light and shut off the lights to the room, closing the door slightly and whispering a final, “I love you.”
When she walked down the hall she stopped momentarily in the doorway of one of the other rooms. The nursery. She couldn’t help but peek in to see Lilith gently placing her own child down into his bassinet.
“Mommy loves you, Adam,” She whispered softly, almost melodically. Her tenderness with the baby was something Zelda had so longed to experience all her life. She had taken care of babies before in her life, but never one of her own. Her children were young, but still grown, and her ache to hold a baby of her own would probably never fade.
Lilith kissed the tip of her finger and laid it on Adam’s forehead, whispering an incantation of safety to herself. Months passed before the woman was willing to place her child down in his own space, or even trust someone else to hold him. She made so much progress to the stage of acceptance she was at now.
“Zelda,” she snapped out of her own thoughts upon being caught by the woman.
“I didn’t mean to intrude, I just, I saw you and I–”
Lilith smiled, closing the door lightly behind her, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, I know how you feel.”
Zelda nodded, not sure what to say in response, “I’m so lucky to have the children I do, it feels selfish to wish for another.”
Lilith took her hand gently, “Zelda Spellman you are not a selfish woman, you have done so much for your family, for all of us.”
Zelda looked over at the woman, cheeks flushed, “Thank you,” sometimes she needed the reminder that she wasn’t the failure she always thought herself to be.
Lilith led them both down the stairs, and when they got to the bottom she stopped and turned to her. “Looks like everyone else is still wrapped up in that movie,” One glance into the parlor confirmed it, and the Queen had a mischievous glint in her eye. “Why don’t we go out for a smoke, hm?”
As strong as she was, Zelda Spellman was never strong enough to resist the temptation of a good cigarette. She opened the front door, gesturing for Lilith to go first.
The night air was crisp and cool. Just the right temperature to set all of Zelda’s senses alight. The wind chilled her straight to the bone, but it didn’t matter. Nights like these reminded her of just how lucky she was. She was alive, the Earth was still standing, Hell was still standing. And the Queen of Hell was standing next to her now, waiting impatiently with her lighter for a cigarette she could use it on.
As the smoke filled her lungs she reminded herself, I’m alive, and happy, and it’s wonderful.
It seemed the mantra wasn’t only in her mind, she hadn’t realized the words left her lips until Lilith turned with an exhale of smoke and smiled at her. “You deserve this happiness, Zelda.”
Zelda turned to her, the woman’s face illuminated from the small light of the cigarette as she leaned forward onto the banister of the front porch. “I’m glad you think so. Sometimes when I sit back during these quiet moments, I do find myself feeling guilty.”
“Guilty?”
“Yes, for the lives we couldn’t save.”
“But think of all the ones we did.” Lilith reasoned, “not just the lives of the people in that house, but the ones all over the world who we will never know except for a fleeting moment in time.”
Zelda took another drag, “What difference does any of it make, in the end?”
“Zelda Spellman, I never felt anything for any mortals before I met your family, your coven.” Lilith explained, her voice raising octaves as if begging the woman to listen to her reason, “Now all of a sudden I find myself a different person. I have a child of my own, a family of my own, a realm of my own.”
The Queen’s words fell to silence for a moment before she continued.
“And you, you have two beautiful children, you have a big happy family waiting in there for you. That’s what difference it made in the end.”
Zelda realized Lilith was right. She had so much to be thankful for, so many people still living that she cherished, and yet here she sat focusing on those she couldn’t. Reaching down with her free hand she intertwined Lilith’s fingers with her own. There would be another day to more fully explore that grief and guilt, maybe the day would never come at all, but today wasn’t it.
“It’s thirty minutes to midnight,” Zelda pointed out, “And if we’re lucky we might be able to catch the end of the Parent Trap.”
Lilith put out her cigarette, squeezing their intertwined hands lightly, “Then let’s head back in, shall we?”
Arriving back into the living room, it appeared Mary Wardwell made herself quite comfortable in Zelda’s normal chair, leaving the first couch completely vacant. Lilith didn’t hesitate when she saw this, dragging Zelda down onto the couch as quietly as they could, in order to not disturb the movie.
Still, Zelda locked eyes with her sister who raised her eyebrows knowingly. She paid no mind to her sister, shooting her a glare back before turning her focus back to the movie.
Somehow, it was a lot easier to focus while being held by someone, and Lilith’s embrace was something to behold. The best thing about being held by the Queen was that she could feel every single one of Lilith’s laughs. They were all quiet chuckles she was clearly making an effort to hide as they watched the ending of the movie unfold. It was a happy one, which was probably the reason Hilda liked it so much. Escape to Witch Mountain was still her favorite, but she supposed that would be for another movie night.
It was 11:50pm when the movie finally ended, Hilda popped up from her seat to switch the channel over to the news in order not to miss the official ball drop.
“That’s what I call perfect timing,” Mary Wardwell remarked quietly, a small smile coming across her face. Zelda wondered why the woman wasn’t with Ms. Meeks tonight. She knew the mutual interest was there, but also knew it wasn’t her place to ask or assume. She supposed now that she’d found her way into the arms of someone for New Years, she felt guilty Mary would be the proverbial fifth wheel.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Whoever was stopping by five minutes before the New Year was cutting it extremely close. She didn’t have to wait long, to find out, though.
Sabrina, Ambrose, and Nick all shuffled into the living room, barely enough room left to hold everyone at that rate.
“You’re home!” Zelda stood from her seat and wrapped her niece and nephew into her arms tightly.
“We promised you we’d make it, and we never break our promises,” Ambrose reminded his aunt with a small laugh to himself.
Sabrina nodded, “We did have to catch a ride from Nick, without him we never would’ve been home in time.”
Nicholas nodded in Zelda’s direction and without further hesitation she pulled the young man into her arms as well. “Indebted to you as always Mr. Scratch.” She reminded the young warlock.
Releasing the younger Spellmans from her grasp she turned back to Lilith who was standing in front of the television set with great anticipation. With three minutes left the suspense was building the longer the announcers droned on.
When Zelda came to her side once more she put her arm around the Queen’s waist, “This is your first time, isn’t it?” The woman turned to look at her momentarily, a gleam in her eyes, “Your first time ever celebrating a New Year.”
Lilith nodded, training her eyes back to the screen, “I’ve never seen the ball drop before, never understood what all the fuss was about. But looking at it now, well, it is rather exciting.”
“Yes, I guess it is rather exciting.” Zelda couldn’t help but wonder what other mortal sanctioned holidays Lilith had missed out on. Watching her experience this for the first time was a great wonder, and she wished suddenly that it could be her first time again too, so she could feel that same exhilaration.
The music coming from the television suddenly got louder, Zelda knew this meant the final countdown was coming. Everyone gathered around closer than they had been before.
“5...4...3...2...1… Happy New Year!”
Lilith’s face lit up like a candle, matched with a smile bigger than any she’d ever seen before. Ambrose popped confetti over their heads, causing the woman to nearly giggle with delight.
Hilda and Dr. Cee wasted no time before leaning in to celebrate with a kiss, as did Nick and Sabrina with fervency. Ambrose turned to Mary Wardwell and pulled her into a hug, finding no one else to latch onto otherwise.
“You didn’t tell me that was part of New Years,” Lilith turned, her expression still full of glee. That same conspiratorial glint remained in her eyes at the suggestion of what this tradition Zelda had failed to mention might mean.
Zelda smiled innocently, “I must’ve forgotten to mention it,” she leaned forward slowly, “it’s the best part of the celebration, if you have someone to partake in it with.”
Lilith pulled the woman in eagerly by her suit jacket lapels, “Kiss me Zelda Spellman, for the New Year.”
And who was Zelda to refuse?