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Chapter Text

“Rise and shine, shit birds,” Abigail’s voice filled the couple’s ears abruptly and without mercy. Raelle winced out of her sleep, which was as peaceful as could be considering they were fugitives on a bus to she wasn’t quite sure where, while Scylla just groaned and nuzzled her head farther into Raelle’s neck. Her scent filled Raelle’s nostrils, and in that moment, Raelle wasn’t sure anything else mattered. She stared at Scylla, who was just so beautiful in her sleep…goddess…

“Rae, snap out of it you have literal puppy dog eyes. It’s gross.”

Raelle looked up at Abigail pleadingly, not bothering to lift her head off of Scylla’s just yet.

“I would say I’m sorry but,” Abigail glanced over the two witches who were intertwined on the bus seat together, their closest hands locked together as if they were one singular unit. Raelle’s hand was clasped over Scylla’s, which was placed purposefully on top of Raelle’s thigh. Even their legs had begun to mold together. “I’m really not sorry at all.”

Abigail’s voice softened slightly as her tone grew more serious and tired.

”We’re here, and the longer we stay stationary the more risk we put ourselves in.”

Raelle nodded reluctantly before replying, “Gotcha.”

At Scylla’s yawn, the softest and most pure sound Raelle had ever had the pleasure of witnessing, it took all of the blonde’s willpower to not just revert back to snuggling with the brunette, giving their fugitive situation a huge middle finger.

“C’mon, Scyl,” She prodded her girlfriend lightly on her shoulder. A few more attempts in and Scylla has begrudgingly conceded, lifting her head off Raelle’s shoulder and standing up from the seat, rubbing her eyes gently and taking in a long, deep breath. Raelle followed her lead, taking a few steps into the aisle of the bus before looking back just to make sure Scylla was still there.

It was a silly thought, she reminded herself, but with all they had been through, she still had trouble believing she was back with the woman she loved. There was a new fragility to the relationship that made it feel like it could disappear at any second, and for all Raelle knew, it could. Losing track of Scylla for too long was not something she was willing to risk, not after all they’ve been through.

So, she stuck her hand back out to Scylla, who grabbed it without hesitation and followed the blonde out the bus door, a sighing Abigail not far ahead of them.

It was mostly dark outside, with the exception of a minuscule amount of stubborn and barely present daylight. The night was just getting started, and it would be the first exhausting night of what was guaranteed to be many more.

It didn’t take long before the three witches were caught up with the rest of the group, who had been waiting at the entrance of the woods not far from the bus.

Raelle and Scylla flowed to the front as Scylla led the group through the damp forest, while Abigail trailed slightly behind with Adil and Khalida. Quinn had started the trek by Scylla and Raelle, but had ultimately fallen back out of a serious case of third wheeling. Tally and Nicte were somewhere mixed among the crowd.

“You sure we’re going the right way?” Quinn called to Scylla a few hours into walking. Scylla was yawning left and right, remnants of the nap she wished she was still enjoying. She was still pressed into Raelle’s side though, so that was a huge win in her mind.

“Positive. The safe house isn’t too far from here, that tree over there is a marker,” Scylla pointed, with the hand that wasn’t interlaced with Raelle’s, to a tree that towered slightly above the rest, an oddly-shaped spot at its base where the outer layer of the bark had completely eroded. It looked pretty normal to any unknowing civilian, but to Scylla, it was a huge reassurance that they were not, in fact, both fugitives and lost.

“Define ‘isn’t too far’” Tally questioned hopefully from where she walked, which was not far from Nicte.

“Just a couple more miles.”

And with that, a staggered reply of groans sounded through the crowd. This would be a long, long night.

Chapter Text

It was still dark by the time they arrived at the safe house: an abandoned, worn out, one floor cabin completely hidden from the sky above, with the exception of a few gaps in between the leaves of the trees. The cabin, whose windows were boarded with splintered and diseased planks of wood, looked straight out of a horror movie. It wasn’t all that flattering, to say the least. It even emitted a slightly off putting odor.

“This the best you got, necro?” Abigail quipped through a bated yawn. She had recently drifted to the front of the group and closer to Raelle and Scylla, who had stopped at the top of a three step stairway that led to the cabin’s door.

“Sorry, were you expecting a five star hotel with hot towels and overpriced chocolates?” Scylla snarked in return as she fiddled with the door’s lock. If Raelle wasn’t so tired, she might’ve let out a small chuckle at the response.

“Just saying, it looks like we’re about to get murdered.” She did a quick once-over of Scylla before adding, “I mean not that I would be surprised considering who you are.”

Scylla’s jaw locked as she suppressed a retaliation. She just continued trying to pry open the lock, until it finally worked, a cloud of dust erupting from the newly opened door, sending Raelle and Scylla into a coughing fit. They quickly hopped off the stairs and into the fresh air as they regained their bearings.

“Maybe that was your plan all along. Lead us into some creepy haunted forest and betray us, and Raelle, again. ” It was a meaningless jeer that resulted from sleep deprivation and overall annoyance at their situation, nothing really to do with Scylla personally and a comment Abigail would surely regret in the morning, but it hit its mark nonetheless.

Scylla turned quickly on her heels, taking an angry step toward Abigail before she felt a soft yet firm hand grab her arm to stop her.

“Not cool, Abs,” Raelle spoke before Scylla could. She quickly placed herself between the bickering women, her voice hushed yet authoritative. “She saved our asses, you know that.”

“And there will probably be a lot more of that to come,” Tally chimed in supportively. A vague hint of a sorry expression took hold of Abigail’s features as she mumbled unintelligibly under her breath, walking into the house, closely followed by Quinn, Adil, and Khalida, who were all too exhausted to get involved in the conversation. When Nicte stopped outside the house, Tally hesitated before ultimately entering it.

The older woman took a few steps out into the wilderness, sending a mysterious glance to Scylla before continuing to walk farther away. She stopped at the edge of the mini clearing, looking out into the vast forest ahead.

Raelle sent Scylla a questioning glance, but the brunette was staring at Nicte, unaware of Raelle’s look. It took a light caress of Raelle’s thumb against the space between Scylla’s thumb and pointer finger to finally gather her attention.

She looked at Raelle as she spoke too softly for Nicte to hear.

“Give me a second.”

Raelle slightly turned her head, clearly hesitant.

“Please. It’ll just be a moment, I promise,” Scylla brought herself closer to Raelle, their body heats combining to produce a satisfying contrast to the cold night air. She brought her lips to Raelle’s ear, whispering, “Then we’ll finally get a good night’s sleep.”

Raelle may have been tired, but she caught Scylla’s seductive tone nonetheless. Without saying a word, she nodded and gently pecked Scylla on the cheek, sending butterflies throughout the brunette before reluctantly walking into the run down cabin.

Scylla made her way toward Nicte, who had not moved from her spot near a particularly large tree. Scylla placed herself purposefully next to her, a few feet of distance between them.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Nicte’s comment caught Scylla by surprise, but looking into the seemingly endless collection of dark, majestic trees admittedly gave her the same thought.

“It is,” was all Scylla replied. A few moments of awkward silence passed before she once again spoke to break it. “What’s your deal?”

It was more of a genuine question than a bitter remark.

Instead of replying, Nicte let out a dry chuckle.

“You kept staring at me, even during the walk,” Scylla continued.

“You were at the front of the group, I was just looking forward. Don’t flatter yourself.”

Nicte’s reasoning did make sense to Scylla, but still, a nagging feeling at her chest told her to push on.

“Why else?”

Instead of the bland, reiterative response that Scylla was expecting out of the older witch, Nicte responded with a childlike “What’s your deal?”

“Real mature.”

“What’s your plan?” Nicte rephrased.

“We stay here for a night or two, then we can-“

“That’s not what I meant, and you know that.”

And she did.

“How about we start with this; How do you see all of this,” She made a general sweeping arm gesture. “Ending?”

Scylla thought for a moment before replying.

“Anacostia and Petra will get Raelle, Abigail, and Tally’s charges cleared. Then they can go back to their lives.”

“And there it is.”

“Excuse me?”

“You keep saying ‘they’ . Their charges. They can go back to their lives. It’s because you know you can’t go with them.”

A beat passed as Scylla was at a loss for words.

“They won’t clear your charges, you know that. I mean what are you gonna do other than go back to running, turn yourself in?”

“No,” Scylla started to grow flustered at the interrogation-styled questioning.

“I know you want to believe that there’s a place for you with that blondie of yours at the end of all this. But life isn’t like that. Not for us. If they’re lucky, they’ll get their charges cleared and they’ll go back to their lives like you said.” She paused to gauge Scylla’s reaction, but got none in response. “Now, if we get lucky, we’ll be back on the run and not rotting in a prison. For every happy ending, there’s an equally as tragic one. That’s where people like us end up. We aren’t good people that the world favors, Ramshorn. The sooner you realize that, the better.”

Scylla didn’t know what to say. What could she say? It wasn’t like Nicte was far off, and it wasn’t like Scylla hadn’t thought of all that herself.

“I’m not you,” was all she came up with. Whether she was trying to convince it to Nicte or herself, she wasn’t quite sure. She was sure, however, that Nicte knew Scylla way too well for someone who hadn’t actually met her before. It was like all her insecurities were out in the open as free real estate to be picked out and attacked.

“That’s what they all say.” Nicte gave a sadistic grin before the two witches sprung into silence once again.

When the silence got a little too long, a familiar blonde popped out from behind the cabin’s door.

“Hey,” She said softly, Scylla turning to face her on instinct. She had been waiting by that door the whole time, Scylla realized, ready to come to her rescue at a moment’s notice. Scylla gave a small smile at the thought of Raelle just listening to her with Nicte, hearing a suspicious moment of silence, and jumping out to check on her.

Nicte made her way inside the house without warning, Scylla not far behind.

Raelle’s eyes traced Nicte’s path, putting an arm out in front of the door just after Nicte had passed through. She looked up at Scylla, who gave another small smile.

“She’s wrong, you know,” the blonde said.

“You were just waiting there and listening to my every word, huh?” Scylla gave a lighthearted smirked as she used humor to mask her visible distress. “Can’t get enough of me, Collar?”

“Can you blame me?” Raelle played along for a moment before reverting to her more serious tone. “I was just making sure you were okay. It’s way too soon to lose you again. I love you, you know that.”

Another beat passed as Scylla got lost in Raelle words, the same words she had been craving to hear their entire time apart. Raelle spoke again, undoing Scylla’s recent topic change, much to her dismay.

“You’re not her. And I’m not gonna just throw you out like trash if only our charges get dropped. I’ll stay on the run with you, if I have to. But I’m not going back without you. It’s both of us or neither of us, okay?”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

The short reply said multitudes. The last thing Scylla wanted to do was drag Raelle down with her, no matter how deep inside a selfish part of her idealized running away with her. They’d make pancakes everyday, kiss whenever they wanted, cuddle up by a fire every night. They’d visit a beach, or dozens of them if they wanted. It would be just the two of them all of the time, nothing ever coming between them.

But they couldn’t. It wasn’t fair to Raelle, or to her unit, or to her father. It wasn’t even fair to her mother, who only ever wanted to see Raelle thrive.

“Then it’s both of us.” Raelle’s reply was just as final. She rose her hand to wipe a stray lock of hair away from Scylla’s beautiful eyes, tucking it behind her ear as she admired her girlfriend’s features. Her eyes met the brunette’s, then drifted down to her lips. She leaned in, softly meeting their lips before quickly pulling away. She took a deep breath before pulling Scylla’s face in, this time with more force and decisiveness. Their figures melted into each other as if two puzzle pieces joining together. Scylla’s hands drifted to Raelle’s waist, pulling her in even closer as she intensified the kiss. The warmth of the contact echoed through their bodies, contrasting the bitter cold surrounding them. In that moment, they weren’t fugitives on the run. They were just two women in love without a care in the world. Everything around them seemed to disappear.

Without even bothering to break the kiss, Raelle walked backward into the cabin - in which everyone else had already fallen asleep - as she pulled Scylla with her, lips parting sporadically only for short drinks of air. The door shut quietly as if even the inanimate object were respecting the moment.

Raelle led Scylla to the rickety couch, and neither the blonde nor brunette got much sleep that night.

Chapter Text

“Now what?” Abigail was the first to speak as she, Adil, and Tally stood over the couch, where Raelle and Scylla lay spooning under a questionable, stale-smelling blanket they had found goddess knows where. Raelle was in the back, her arms tightly wrapped around the brunette, who had the blanket grasped in her fingertips and pulled up to her face.

“Do you think they’re nak-“ Tally began to question before being interrupted by Abigail, who would have preferred to quite literally be anywhere else.

“Nope nope nope,” Abigail shrugged off the question, shaking her head as a disgusted look appeared on her features.

“Someone has to wake them up, we need to get moving.” Tally and Abigail turned to where the new voice came from as Quinn walked into the kitchen from the bedroom. As Adil and Tally immediately looked to Abigail, both with pleasing faces, Abigail once again began to shake her ahead.

“Nope. No way. I was on Raelle and Scylla duty last time,” and with that, Abigail walked away without saying another word. As Adil followed her, Tally sighed and positioned herself closer to the couch, bending down to lightly shake Raelle’s shoulder, having to maneuver her arm over Scylla.

On the contact, Raelle just deepened her nuzzle into the back of Scylla’s neck. Tally couldn’t help but inwardly swoon at the adorable moment. As Abigail sent her a prodding look, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head, Tally gave a ‘ I’m trying my best ’ awkward smile.

“What if I just rip the blanket off?” Tally offered, only to receive an array of frantic “NO”s from the rest of the group.

“What else can I do!” Tally let out an exasperated, borderline-yell.

At the sudden change of volume, Scylla began to stir from her comfortable position nestled into Raelle. She rapidly blinked open her eyes, letting them adjust to the light before turning onto her back as much as she could under Raelle’s hold, the sudden movement prompting Raelle to follow a similar chain reaction of motion.

The two women groggily sat up right, the blanket still covering them, and Abigail immediately tossed them two old shirts she had found in the cabin’s dresser. Tally walked over to Abigail, the two witches exchanging a subtle high five at what Tally considered a substantial win.

Raelle and Scylla carelessly threw on the shirts as the rest of the group filed into the room. Adil quickly positioned himself in between Khalida and her view path to the couple, scratching the back of his head in an attempt to appear nonchalant.

“So what’s the plan?” Raelle yawned, her words coming out in a subtle, tired slur. Scylla had already picked herself up from the couch, much to Raelle’s chagrin, as she reflected on the situation.

“We need to figure out a food situation. There should be some non-perishables in the cabinets, but not nearly enough to last. We can afford to stay here for a few days at the least, then we can head further into the Cession.” She paused before turning to Raelle, who was quite enamored by how quickly her girlfriend had gone into leader mode, as her tone softened. “I don’t recommend it but we could probably afford to risk a visit to your father.”

“No.” Raelle’s response was instant. “That’s the first place they’ll look for us. And I wanna keep my dad out of this for as long as possible.”

“She’s right,” Quinn spoke up. “If we get caught there, which there is a pretty large shot at, Edwin would get arrested for harboring fugitives. It’s not smart or safe, for any party involved.”

“Okay. Then we can head to a sleepy town not far from here along the decibel. It’s large enough that we should be able to stay on the down low, and there’s a grocery store that I have-“ Scylla stopped momentarily as she took a short, shaky breath, quick enough to not be noticed by most of the group, but not subtle enough to go over Raelle’s head. The blonde made a mental note to ask her about it later. “That I have a connection at. I can get enough food for all of us at a decent price, it won’t dent our money supply too much.”

“We should split up,” Nicte had finally spoke up from where she stood leaning against the bedroom doorway. The group sent her suspicious glances, emitting an eye roll out of her as she continued. “Some of us get the food, some stay at the cabin, and some do recon of the forest. You never know where someone could be hiding. For all we know, we were followed here.”

“She’s right,” Abigail agreed. “As much as literally every horror movie shows us not to, we should split up.”

“I’ll survey the forest,” Nicte offered as she shot Tally a glance. “You in, Red?”

Tally nodded as Adil spoke up.

“Khalida and I can stay here, try to find any supplies we can and figure out a better,” He shot a look to Raelle and Scylla. “Sleeping situation rather than most of us being cramped up in the bedroom.”

“I’ll go with Scylla to get the food,” Raelle offered, though it was already assumed, getting an immediate response out of Abigail.

“There’s no way you two are going alone together. I am not going to risk getting caught on something as simple as a food run because you two can’t control yourselves.” Abigail waited a moment before continuing. “I’ll go with.”

“Then it’s settled,” Nicte spoke once again. “Let’s get on with it.”

- - -

The walk to the town started off about as excruciatingly awkward as could be.

Unsurprisingly, Raelle and Scylla were at the front, hands locked and sides physically connected, literally attached at the hips. Raelle had been working up the nerve to ask Scylla about her hesitance when describing the town, and as they got closer and closer to their destination, she realized it was now or never.

“Hey, um,” She cleared her throat. “When you were talking about the grocery store before, you got a little,” She paused to look at Scylla for any indication that she was on to something. There was none. “I don’t know, you just were acting a little weird.”

“Don’t worry about it, I was just thinking.” Scylla’s avoidance of eye contact told Raelle that she was not telling the full truth, but she figured that now was not the best time to push. Scylla would talk when she was ready, a fact Raelle could both understand and respect. She didn’t say anything, but rather just looked over at Scylla intently before leaning her head against hers as they continued to walk hand in hand and side by side.

It was kind of cute, Abigail had to admit. Raelle looked more peaceful than Abigail had ever seen her, despite what was happening in the world around them. She looked happy, despite all odds saying she should feel otherwise.

Abigail did some internal debate before ultimately drifting to Scylla’s side.

“Sorry about last night,” she spoke as she kept her gaze forward.

“You don’t have to-“

“I do.” Abigail looked over to Raelle before asking her, “Give us a second?”

Raelle nodded, sending Scylla a supportive smile before taking a few steps forward, their hands held together until the last possible moment. Scylla looked at Abigail, mildly confused.

“I shouldn’t have said it.”

“You were tired, I get it,”

“That’s not an excuse. You’ve put your ass on the line time and time again for Rae. You didn’t have to do that. You obviously care about her and want to protect her, so, thank you for that.”

Scylla couldn’t help but smile ever-so-slightly.

There was a moment of silence, though it surprisingly wasn’t awkward in the slightest. It was Scylla who broke it, feeling she had one more thing to add before the sweet moment was over and it would be much more difficult to bring up again.

“Not just for her, you know. I did it for all of you. You’re important to Raelle and you and Tally were by her side when I wasn’t. You helped her when I hurt her, so I understand the animosity. You’re her sister and part of her support system, that makes you important to me.”

“Wow, new side of you, necro. It’s endearing.” Abigail teased. “I like it.”

“Of course you do.”

The two women let out a light hearted chuckle. Abigail looked ahead at Raelle, who was smirking way too large to not be listening.

“You make her happy. She trusts you and loves you. That’s enough for me. Maybe I can trust you someday too.” The genuine comment meant more to Scylla than Abigail could ever realize.

Abigail stuck out her hand to the brunette, who examined it for a second before meeting it with her own hand.

It was a firm, admirable shake that didn’t quite resolve all of the bad blood between them at the moment, but it was a shake of respect that said they would work on it. If not for themselves, for Raelle. And that was more than enough.

Raelle could hold in her giddiness no longer. She joyfully glided over to her girlfriend and one of her best friends, rushing behind them and throwing her arms around them both as her smirk only grew.

“Very proud of you both. But hey, don’t get too close.”

Abigail squirmed out of the embrace as the three women began to laugh together.

They continued to joke, sending good-willed teases each other’s way until they finally reached the edge of the town Scylla had described not long prior.

While Raelle and Abigail were still in a lighthearted mood, a somber presence overtook Scylla as she looked over the town. Raelle swore she could see the woman physically shiver, even though the weather was actually quite warm this morning. Abigail shot Raelle a confused glance as the blonde walked over to Scylla, who was still hyper focused as she stared at the town.

Raelle went to lightly press on Scylla’s wrist, prompting a dramatic reaction from the brunette immediately upon impact. Scylla practically jumped, turning to face Raelle with a look in her eyes Raelle wasn’t sure she had ever seen there before. It vaguely reminded her of the Scylla she had seen in the dungeon that day they departed, but it was still somehow different. That had been desperation and fear more than anything else, but this was something different entirely.

It was like she had been caught in a trance, or more accurately, a memory.

Raelle scanned her features, confusion taking over her own. Her eyebrows scrunched as she tried to piece two and two together.

And now, staring at those sparkling blue eyes that had always held so much confidence and presence, Raelle could have sworn she saw a reminiscent, detached, and childlike gaze. Scylla’s hands were fidgeting, playing with a loose thread on the tucked in, oversized t-shirt she was wearing. It was the most uncomposed Raelle had ever seen Scylla, even compared to that dungeon so many months ago.

And at that moment, Raelle realized, this would be anything but a simple food run.

Chapter Text

“Scyl?” Raelle’s soft voice broke through the trance Scylla was in. She quickly blinked it away, directing her more focused, composed gaze at Raelle. A part of the blonde was impressed at how quickly Scylla could put on a facade, but a greater part of her was more chilled and concerned at the fact.

“The grocery store is over-“ Scylla’s attempt to move on nonchalantly was diverted before it really even began.

“Scyl.” Raelle tried again, this time not a question. “Where are we?”

Scylla just stared at Raelle as she swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Her heart raced as she contemplated her response, biting the inside of her lip as the woman she loved looked at her with such care and compassion. She couldn’t lie to Raelle, not about this, but she didn’t know how to actually talk about it to those worried eyes.

Scylla’s saving grace, though it was perhaps not the best term to describe a serious threat to their plans, came in the form of a nosy town police officer.

“Get down!” Abigail let out in a cross between a whisper and a yell. She quickly pulled Scylla and Raelle to the back of the building they were standing near. It was at that moment they noticed the large ‘Wanted’ posters plastered along the alleyway next to them.

There were 4 posters, one for each of the unit and one for Scylla. Scylla couldn’t help but notice that the bounty out for her had a specific wording not present on the other posters.

‘Wanted, dead or alive.’

As the police officer walked further down the alley and closer to the three witches, Scylla knew the man would be seeking the former. With a bounty as large as hers, a voice at the back of her head nagged at her, telling her that the officer would be more than happy with just her bounty, not even bothering to spare Raelle or Abigail for their respective bounties.

At that moment, she forgot Raelle was an immortal, mycelium-infused witch. She was too shaken from everything she had been feeling in the past few minutes. So, she sprung into action.

When Raelle went to get up and confront the officer, Scylla stuck out a hand to stop her. She spoke as quietly as she could, which was barely comprehensible enough for Raelle to make out what she was saying.

“We can’t make any noise. If we fight him and win, someone will find him. If he gets away, he’ll alert the government. It’s too risky to run, and I’d rather not do any unnecessary mind control work, someone could be tracking our work somehow.”

Running and fighting were really the only two options in Raelle’s mind, so she struggled to understand what Scylla was suggesting. Scylla picked up on this, putting her hand gently over Raelle’s as she directly stared at her, eyes wide.

“Do you trust me?”

“Always.” Raelle didn’t hesitate. As she watched Scylla turn away from her, she saw a stray hand slide into her pocket to pull out a lighter.

Oh.

Oh.

Abigail looked away, but Raelle couldn’t help but watch as Scylla flicked the lighter on under her chin, flames bursting out and covering her entire face. Except, when the flames died out, it wasn’t her face anymore. It was the face of some stranger Raelle did not recognize, yet the love of her life was wearing it. The woman- Scylla , Raelle corrected herself, looked at Raelle with murky brown eyes. Raelle wasn’t sure she would be able to recognize the gaze as Scylla’s if she didn’t know it was her, even with the way she was looking at her, a gaze that only Scylla ever used on her. She reminded herself who it actually was, but the completely different, more wrinkly face that seemed to belong to a woman in her 40s told her brain otherwise.

She felt the chills inching their way up her spine. And at that moment, she couldn’t look anymore. She closed her eyes and quickly turned her head, sending a deep pain through Scylla’s gut. She couldn’t even look at her.

Alas, it was not the time for getting emotional. The officer, who looked way too old to be an officer, was still walking down the alley, which was much longer in reality than the witches thought it was. When he was dangerously close, Scylla got up from behind the building and walked directly into the officer’s line of sight.

“Good evening, officer!” The voice came out husky and much lower than Scylla’s voice.

She could see the officer reach for his gun as he cautiously questioned, “What’s a pretty lady like you doing out here this early in the morning?”

Raelle struggled to suppress the anger rising within her. It was stupid, she knew, since it wasn’t technically Scylla. Yet, that didn’t ease the annoyance at a creepy looking police officer even slightly hitting on her girlfriend.

“Just enjoying the view,” Scylla gave a sweet smile as she pointed past the trees, where there really was quite the view. It was just past sunrise, so remnants of oranges and yellows shone through the trees, leaving a beautiful pattern shining onto the town.

“You couldn’t do that from home?”

“Oh, that’s just not the same,” As Scylla walked slowly toward the officer, she put on the flirtiest voice she could muster. “The prime of the view is over,” She started to fiddle with the collar of the officer, who had completely taken his hand off his gun. “Maybe I could show you sometime.”

“Well,” The officer’s voice cracked, clearing his throat as his eyes traces Scylla’s body. It took every ounce of willpower Raelle had to not walk right up to him and sock him in the face, even though it was Scylla doing the flirting. As much as Raelle hated it, it was working, and she knew it. He was dropping his guard. “I haven’t seen you around here, I don’t think, want to explain to me why that is?”

It was more of a conversation starter than an actual interrogation, but a wrong or suspicious answer would escalate the situation immensely. They could not afford any mistakes, no matter how small, and Scylla was ready.

“Oh I’m just visiting a family friend,” The comment was quick, yet not too quick, and believable. “Haven’t seen her since I was 16, can you believe it? It’s been a few long years.

The officer hummed along interestingly, clearly not totally engaged in the conversation, but rather the woman in front of him. It set Raelle’s nerves on fire as Abigail shot her a warning look. She had to compose herself, or else who knew what would happen to the three of them. She stared at the wanted poster plastered with ‘Dead or alive’ as a reminder to keep herself in check.

Just as the officer was about to leave, he stopped himself and asked Scylla one more question.

“What were you doing behind that building?”

At the blink of an eye, Scylla changed her whole presence. It really was a wonder. She went from trying to seduce the man to quite the opposite. She tried to geek him out.

“There’s actually this moss pattern at the back of the building that’s just to die for. Absolutely beautiful, I think it’s Andreaeopsida moss, or maybe Polytrichales? I’m not quite sure, there are  definitely these Pixie Cup Lichens though-“

“Okay, okay,” The officer stopped her, both disappointed yet clearly satisfied with his recon. He gave a small, disinterested smile. “You have a nice day, and stay out of trouble, wouldn’t want someone as pretty as you to end up like them,” He pointed specifically to her wanted poster, the same one Raelle was staring at. The irony was seething.

“Of course.”

And with that, the officer walked off. When the coast was clear, she called out, “We’re good.”

Raelle and Abigail revealed themselves from behind the building, Raelle clearly uncomfortable. She walked up to Scylla, about to say something, but then caught herself. Scylla tried not to look hurt. Raelle sighed before finally speaking.

“Did you really have to flirt with him?” Raelle said with a vague hint of a childlike whine. She looked down at her feet as Scylla smirked, the smirk looking plain weird on the face it took place on.

“What, are you jealous?” Scylla teased. Abigail had completely removed herself from the conversation, going to take down the posters.

Raelle began to raise her head, but upon eye contact, she just diverted a gaze again.

“You know, I was about to flirt with you, but the whole,” she gestured to her face. “Is kinda giving me the skeeves.”

Scylla wasted no time before fumbling in her pocket for the lighter, recreating the flaming moment from before, this time revealing the ocean blue eyes Raelle had grown to miss so deeply in the little time she just spent without them.

“Thanks,” Raelle started, “You know, that was pretty sexy,”

Abigail groaned loudly from where she was standing. Raelle and Scylla just laughed in response, walking toward Abigail.

“I’ve gotta admit, it was pretty impressive,” Abigail admired.

“Was it?” Scylla’s ego was brimming.

“I mean, the way you came up with that lie about a family friend so quickly, but also not suspiciously quickly, it just seemed so natural,” Abigail didn’t notice the slight change in Scylla’s demeanor at the comment. “Hey, I think you might have a career in acting if being an on-the-run fugitive doesn’t work out for you.”

Abigail gave an amused smile, as did Raelle, but Scylla did not. As Scylla walked toward the front of the alley, making sure once again that the coast was clear, she shrugged off Abigail’s attempt at a compliment completely.

“The grocery store is just across the street, you both can stay here while I go in.” Scylla fully went into the street and toward the grocery store before Raelle spoke, Scylla retracting herself back into the alley.

“Wait, what?” Raelle turned her head hesitantly.

“It’s too risky for all of us to go in. I know this town and I know how to get around without getting caught. You two can just wait here in case something goes wrong.”

“You’re not even gonna use the lighter?” Before Raelle could make another push at why exactly Scylla knew the town, Abigail piped up. “Someone will recognize you.”

“That’s the point.”

Abigail and Raelle shot each other glances as Scylla walked back toward the main street.

“If she doesn’t know who I am we’ll end up spending all of our money on one food run.”

“She?”

Scylla just continued walking out of the alley, making one last comment as she kept her eyes forward.

“Oh, and Abigail, it wasn’t a lie.”

Chapter Text

Scylla snuck into the store easily enough. It was early enough in the morning that she had the luxury of being the only one in the street, but she knew that was only temporary. So, she had to make it quick.

Easier said than done.

As soon as the owner of the small grocery store laid eyes on her from behind the counter, Scylla knew the time crunch would be a bit of an issue.

The owner was a woman shorter than Scylla and much, much older, as her fully gray head of hair would've told anyone. The wrinkles around her eyes accentuated tenfold as she laid wide eyes on the brunette, who found herself drifting toward the woman that emanated comfort.

The older woman let out a gasp as her hands flew to her mouth. She practically threw herself around the counte, running as fast as her legs would take her.

She stopped as she neared Scylla, a look of disbelief washing over her face. Her hands went up to cup Scylla’s face as she spoke in a whisper.

“Is it really you?” She had a tired voice, clearly from a woman who had been through more than anyone should ever have to deal with.

Scylla wondered if her voice would sound like that one day.

The brunette nodded violently, not even realizing the tears that had begun to swell in her eyes.

The woman enveloped her in the second warmest hug Scylla had ever received, second only to another woman she hasn’t seen since she was 16.

Focus on the mission , she reminded herself.

The woman pulled out of the hug, and for a moment, Scylla wished she hadn’t. But it was not the time for touchy reunions, she knew that.

The older woman didn’t. She kept her arms on Scylla’s as she spoke with such love. 

“You grew up beautiful.” She said with such vindication and authority that Scylla couldn’t have stopped her large smile from forming even if her life depended on it. “You look just like your mother.”

There it was. The simple sentence stabbed at her heart and pulled at her mind, infecting every inch of her brain with thoughts she had spent years repressing.

Not now, she told herself again. Not ever, the toxic thought  she meant, but left unsaid.

“I need,” Her voice cracked as she forced the tears back to that same place they had a habit of ending up, somewhere deep in her memory where they would hopefully never escape from. “I’m sorry, I don’t have much time.”

Scylla’s hushed, serious voice was enough to send the message to the older woman.

“What do you need?” She kept her hands on Scylla’s arms as she stared at her intently, waiting.

“As much food as you can spare.”

The woman sprung into action, piling food upon food into the largest cart she could find. As Scylla watched her, she couldn’t help but think about all the times the woman had done this same act of kindness for her during her time as a dodger.

They were the biggest dodger rules her and her parents broke; Never visit the same place twice, and never get attached.

Yet, her family had always made it a point to stop by this very grocery store whenever their situation allowed for a tiny bit of risk, especially when they knew they wouldn’t be able to return for a while.

Her family, there’s a word she hasn’t said in a long time, not even in her head.

Her family had been ecstatic to find out they could finally settle down somewhere, in the town with the woman that Scylla watched at this very moment nonetheless. They thought they would spend the rest of their life in this town, and for two out of the three of them, the sentiment was true.

But not in the way they hoped.

Scylla couldn’t recall a time where she hadn’t known the woman. She was like a mother to her mother. A family friend if there ever was one, someone who had treated Scylla as her own family no matter how much time of not seeing each other passed.

“Nicolette,” She called to the woman, who was still focused on the task at hand. She turned to face Scylla for a moment.

“Yes, dear?”

“Thank you.”

Two words that said more than any amount of words ever could. It applied to every time Nicolette had ever done anything for Scylla, which truth be told, was a lot. It encapsulated their entire relationship in just two simple words.

Nicolette gave a sad smile as she ran the cart over to the counter, going right to bagging. She didn’t even bother to scan the prices, just as she never did back in the day. Scylla would come for food, Nicolette would provide, and Scylla would give her as much money as she could spare. It was tradition, one that had managed to last even up to now.

Scylla walked up to the counter, taking the wad of cash out of her pocket. As she handed it to Nicolette, she was met with a hand pushing her away. Scylla looked up at her with confusion.

“Think of it as four years worth of discounts accumulating.”

“I can’t-“

“You can.”

It was a mother-like authority that Scylla knew there was no arguing with.

“I’ve missed you,” Nicolette added. “Very much.”

“Me too.”

I’ve missed them too, more words left unsaid.

Scylla helped Nicolette finish up the bagging. It was too much to carry in one trip, so she held off on saying a final goodbye. Though, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to say one anyway.

“Hey,” Nicolette started. “I saw that poster out for you.”

A beat.

The poster that had wanted her dead or alive. The one that had included a not-so-tiny inscription above her head labeling her a Spree terrorist.

“Whatever trouble you’ve gotten yourself into, and whatever trouble you’re going to get yourself into,”

Scylla couldn’t get herself to maintain eye contact out of the fear of disappointment staring back at her.

“This shop is always open for you.”

And with that, Scylla could feel the walls she had so carefully built around her heart begin to crumble. Nicolette continued.

“For the blondie over there too,” Nicolette pointed to the corner of store, where Raelle had snuck into and was filing through the shelves in an attempt to appear inconspicuous. “Who I’m assuming is with you based on the way she keeps looking over here every few seconds with such worry and love in her eyes.”

As Scylla turned to lock eyes with Raelle, the blonde gave an awkward smile and small wave with the look of a child just caught after doing something wrong. Scylla playfully smiled back before turning to Nicolette.

“Yeah, she’s with me.”

“She’s real lucky.”

Raelle made her way over, drifting to Scylla’s side as if by some magnetic attraction. She locked pinkies with Scylla, and just like that, with a woman from her past and the woman of her future surrounding her, Scylla felt at home.

I’m the lucky one, Scylla thought, but was not quick enough to say.

“Sure am,” the blonde agreed with Nicolette, nodding resolutely. She stuck a hand out to the older woman as she introduced herself, “Raelle.”

“It is wonderful to meet you, Raelle,” Nicolette took her hand and weakly shook it. “You can call me Nikki.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

The handshake dropped not long after, Nicolette letting out a small sigh as she gestured to the large lot of bags in front of her.

“Well, I reckon the two of you strong ladies can handle all these in one trip.”

“I think so too.” Scylla nodded.

Raelle scooped up half of the bags, which was quite the number, and Scylla couldn’t help but catch her eyes on the blonde’s flexed muscles for just a moment too long. She heard Nicolette’s suppressed chuckle as Raelle walked toward the front of the store, giving the other two women a moment alone. Raelle stopped right by the door, shooting Scylla one last glance as she waited.

“Now, I might not know much about her, or anything really,” Nicolette’s voice softened as she said in a low, genuine voice, “But that look alone tells me she cares about you deeply. And that means your mom would’ve loved her.”

And Scylla knew she would’ve. She could feel the remnants of grief tug at her heart as she let herself imagine her mother meeting Raelle for just a moment. The pain of something that would never become drove the grief deeper into her being.

A moment passed before Nicolette broke out into a nasty, deep coughing fit. Scylla looked at her in concern, going to drop the bags only to be stopped by Nicolette shaking her head. She forced words out in a husky, frankly ugly voice.

“I’m okay, just allergies.”

It wasn’t. Deep down, Scylla knew as much, but her gut told her to just let it go.

A moment of silence passed as Nicolette took in a deep breath.

“So this is goodbye, then, huh?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Promise me you’ll visit?”

“I promise.”

Two words Scylla shouldn’t have said, she knew that. It wasn’t actually something she could promise. It wasn’t a promise she thought she would be able to keep, and Scylla hated those, her parents making way too many of them to her once upon a time.

Yet, neither woman took it at face value. They took it more as a promise to try, and that, Scylla could do.

A stray tear found itself gliding down Scylla’s cheek. Nicolette brought a finger up to swipe it away gently, her wrinkly hand lingering for just a moment.

“I’ll see you again someday.”

As Scylla left that grocery store, bags of food piled and split between her and Raelle, an eerie feeling told her she never would.

And by some miracle, Scylla was okay with that. For the first time in her life, she felt some remnant of closure.

Being able to leave someone on her own terms. Being able to say what she needed to, even if what she had to say wasn’t all that lengthy or deep. It was sad, that much was surely true, but it was also bittersweet. Part of her wasn’t even sure Nicolette was still alive, a thought that nagged at her for years. To know that she was, and that she wasn’t disappointed in her, it meant everything.

As the door began to close behind Raelle and Scylla, Scylla thought that maybe, just maybe, her parents wouldn’t be disappointed either. 

The door slammed shut once and for all, and Scylla never did see Nicolette again.

Chapter Text

As soon as Raelle and Scylla left the grocery store, Scylla could feel the change in the air. There was a new tension to it that was not present before, and it didn’t take long for her to figure out why.

As they rounded the corner of the alleyway, where Abigail should’ve been waiting for them, all they were met with was a signature army vehicle blocking the exit.

Scylla could feel herself drift back to the haunting memory of her 16 year old self driving home with her parents, excited about their new lives, only to see military personnel waiting for them.

“Shit,” Raelle’s mumble broke Scylla out of her thoughts.

They managed to get back onto the street without being seen, how exactly, Scylla was not sure.

All she knew was that Raelle had dropped some of her bags to pull Scylla to the street and away from the military police, the brunette dropping a few of her own.

Scylla had just enough focus left in her to use her lighter on the remaining grocery bags, disguising them as plain, inconspicuous rocks at the side of the street.

The rest was a blur to Scylla. All she could remember was running as fast she could, Raelle dragging her through the town to try and find somewhere to hide.

Every crevice that Raelle looked into, there was a military vehicle waiting. They had somehow managed to not be seen yet, though she knew that luck was wearing thin.

And it was all her fault. She vaguely remembered a civilian seeing her when she snuck into the grocery store to go after Scylla. She had shrugged it off in the moment as being too quick of a glance for the person to actually recognize her, but the current situation told her just how wrong she had been.

She knew it was reckless when she did it, but the thought of Scylla having to face her past alone was too strong for Raelle to allow her to.

Now here she was, running aimlessly through a town she did not know, but one that Scylla surely did.

The brunette was clearly out of it, one look back to her told Raelle as much. She had seemed so peaceful when they left the grocery store after seeing Nicolette, but now, this was a different Scylla. She had a glazed look over her eyes as if she were in a dream, or a nightmare, more accurately.

Raelle practically dragged her through the streets as she dodged both of them out of the views of military personnel, sticking as close to buildings as they could and in any shadows she could find.

The unknown status of Abigail didn’t help to ease her nerves.

They ran for what felt like hours, though in reality, may not even have been a minute. It was when they were about to pass a particular, abandoned home that Raelle felt the familiar presence in her hand slip away.

As Scylla laid eyes on the old, eerie house, she swore she forgot how to breathe.

It was as if she was no longer in control of her own body as she watched it step toward the house she swore she would never go back to.

And just like that, she was 16 again.

She felt a numbness begin to tingle at her toes, slowly making its way up her body as every sound around her blurred together. The rustling of the nearby trees, the wind, even Raelle’s worried calls molded together into one, indiscernible mass.

Instead, she heard the muffled voices of her parents. She heard their cries of surrender simultaneous to the cocking of the guns of the military police. She heard the gunshots and felt herself shiver as everything came rushing back to her.

Go in the garage and don’t move,  they had told her.

The garage she was staring at now. The garage she had hid in, doing nothing to help her parents as they were brutally killed despite their surrender.

We love you so much, my sweet girl.

Her mother’s voice echoed, becoming more and more distorted each time. It filled her entire being. It was present in her bones, she heard it repeatedly in her mind, she physically felt every syllable, word, and pause. 

This isn’t goodbye. I promise.

But it was goodbye. Another one of those empty promises her mother knew she couldn’t keep.

Oh, how she hated those.

She looked at the spot her parents must’ve been killed at, though she would never know exactly where that was. Whether it was by the now far past dead rose bush, or closer to the cracked walkway, or even by that now shattered window, she would never know for sure. How could she? She hadn’t seen it. Hadn’t been there.

She wasn’t there the one time her parents needed her.

Because she was scared. Sure, she was following directions, but that was just an excuse to make herself feel better. Deep down she knew the reason she stayed in that garage was out of fear. Not necessarily fear of dying, but fear of watching her parents do so.

What a coward,  she reprimanded herself.

Scylla drifted over to her best guess at where it took place. She put herself in their shoes. She let herself feel the anxiety they must have at the thought of leaving her behind. She let herself imagine their dying moments, no matter how bad of an idea it was. She felt the breath leave her lungs just as it must’ve left theirs.

Suddenly, she was in the garage, not sure how or when she got there, the confusion seeming to be a common trend recently.

She laid eyes on the exact spot she hid in that day.

The dusty corner at the very back.

She had huddled into a ball, covering her ears as her parents’ dying screams broke through no matter how hard she pressed and no matter how hard she tried to shut them up.

It was the same position she found herself in now, hearing those exact same screams.

Or was it just a memory?

It was getting too hard to differentiate memory from reality.

No, she was pretty sure, she really was in that corner. It felt just as cramped as it did back then, but much, much colder.

She felt every bad thought that had ever even shadowed itself in her head flow to the surface. Every memory she had spent so much energy trying to repress. Every hint to the day of her parents’ death that had been shoved deep into her brain where they would stay for 4 years.

She felt just as speechless and overwhelmed as she did back then.

Unable to scream, unable to move, and unable to breathe too deeply at the fear of being found and making her parents’ sacrifice in vain.

She shut her eyes so tight she swore she felt blood running out of them.

She felt the scream itching at the back of her throat.

You can’t scream. She told herself. They’ll hear you. They’ll find you and their deaths will be for nothing.

Scylla was too unsure of what was real and what wasn’t to take any chances.

No matter how hard she focused, she wouldn’t have been able to see Raelle kneeling in front of her. Not until long after she had picked up some nearby glass vase and thrown it as hard as she could, the old piece of junk shattering on a nearby wall.

The shattering glass allowed a new feeling to drown out the pain.

Relief.

She picked up another random object from the floor, throwing it in a similar manner, this time accompanying it with a blood-curling, brutal scream. She just couldn’t hold it in anymore, the pressure that had slowly begun to build itself infecting every inch of her until she was sure she would explode if she didn’t let it out.

Then she threw another object. Let out another terrifying scream.

And another.

She threw as many objects as she could find, some shattering and some dully hitting a surface before falling to the floor until her motives shifted. What started as an attempt for relief ended up as pure anger.

Anger at the military for killing her parents even when they had surrendered.

Anger at her parents for leaving her in that garage, knowing they would likely never see her again.

Anger at herself for staying there. So much anger at herself.

And she continued to let it out.

Until she found her hands grasping at an empty floor, a sea of shards of glass interrupting it at some point in front of her. She ignored the stinging at her fingertips as she continued to look for something to throw. She ignored the prickling blood running from what must have been dozens of microscopic cuts in her hand.

The anxiety rose in her throat, along with a hint of bile. She felt a massive headache as her past and present continued to blur together.

There was a loud ringing in her ears that had been left by the memory of her parents’ screams.

There was a soft presence that forced itself between her fingers and the shards of glass in front of her.

Wait.

That wasn’t right.

The sudden soft texture sent chills down her body.

This certainly was not part of her memory, the one fact Scylla was sure of.

No, back then she had been truly alone. Alone with that horrid, cold concrete garage floor.

But this feeling was warm. It was gentle, kind.

Her eyes still closed, Scylla allowed herself to try and focus as much as she could on the feeling.

She could hear her spiked heart beat make itself known over the ringing in her ears.

She could hear another muffled heart beat, not quite as fast but still up there. It sourced from the soft texture that was now grasping her arms in an attempt to keep them away from the shattered glass.

“Open your eyes.”

The sudden voice caught Scylla by surprise.

What kind of sick trick was this? Had the officers that killed her parents found her? Was this some kind of torture method?

She kept her eyes shut, even more tightly than before.

She wouldn’t let them win. She couldn’t. 

Then, she felt the moving air seep into the tiny cuts in her hand as it was pulled through the stale air by the unknown presence.

She whimpered in pain. Mental or physical, Scylla wasn’t sure.

Her hand was brought to a stop on another soft texture. The barely audible pattern of a heartbeat Scylla had heard before became much more clear. Her mind traced every beat, memorized the spaces between every pounding of the heart.

It seemed almost familiar.

Every beat brought her one step closer to reality.

Until finally, her curiosity got the better of her, prompting her to slowly pry open her eyes.

The sudden light caused more pain, but it was soon worth it.

Raelle.

“You’re okay.” She told her. Raelle’s voice was firm, but Scylla could tell the authoritative tone was used as a mask to hide the concern tugging at the blonde. “Watch me.”

Raelle took in long, deep breaths. Before Scylla knew it, her body was automatically trying to follow along. Her breaths, however, came out shaky, never reaching that length or depth that Raelle’s did.

The shaky breaths continued to ravage her lungs until they trailed off into painful sobs.

Until she was more so sobbing than she was breathing or doing anything else.

Raelle pulled Scylla into the tightest hug she could without physically hurting the brunette. She held on for dear life as if Scylla would disappear into thin air the second she let go. And if she did let go, Scylla might’ve, disappearing into her memories once again.

Scylla forcefully nudged her head into the crevice of Raelle’s neck, pressing herself hard against the blonde as she threw her arms around her just as tightly.

No, tighter.

Unlike Raelle, Scylla had no control over her strength.

She gripped onto Raelle’s back, her knuckles going white out of the brute strength of her hold.

But Raelle didn’t pull away.

Even if she was admittedly having slight trouble breathing against Scylla’s painful grasp, the thought of relinquishing the hug never once crossed her mind. It was simply unfathomable to Raelle.

The hug was a source of warmth and comfort, both of which Scylla desperately craved. It was as if their souls had woven together as their bodies did. As  if Raelle was a human shield, her strong arms telling Scylla she was wholly and fully there with her, unwilling to let anything through to hurt her. Raelle was her protector.

And for the first time in 4 years, Scylla felt truly safe as every ounce of her being pressed into the other witch.

Her breathing became easier as the air was accompanied by Raelle’s scent.

She continued to sob into her neck as the pain alleviated even just a small fraction of a percentage with each tear that streamed down her face.

And there were a lot of them.

Her hold slowly got weaker and weaker until she was completely leaning into Raelle’s chest and her arms had drifted to her own chest, gripping the collar of her own shirt.

Raelle rested her head on top of Scylla’s, and in that moment, they were untouchable.

Literally, untouchable.

Scylla looked around to see some kind of blue force field surrounding them, military officers knocked out and probably dead outside its perimeter.

The mycelium.

It was protecting her and Raelle, giving them a beautiful moment even as the world was going to shit around them.

Scylla could’ve stayed like that forever. She wanted to. All the pain she was feeling not long ago had somehow dissipated. Scylla briefly wondered if that was an effect of the mycelium.

Until Scylla finally got a good look at Raelle, seeing the gash spanning along the top right of her forehead.

Her hands found their way to her mouth as she let out a painful gasp.

She had done that, she realized.

When she was throwing the items recklessly around the garage. Raelle must’ve gotten caught in the crossfire.

A new, different kind of pain made itself known in Scylla.

“It’s just a scratch,” Raelle whispered quickly as she realized Scylla had noticed it.

“I’m so sor-“ Scylla’s voice came out broken and dry, a clear impact left on her now weak body from all the crying. Raelle stopped her before she could finish the apology.

“Don’t be. You didn’t mean to.”

“Raelle…” Another painful gasp as Scylla, for the second time in that garage that day, searched for words to say that were never found.

“I’m serious.” And she was. But Scylla couldn’t stop from feeling guilty at another one of her loved ones getting hurt because of her huddling in the corner of that stupid garage.

“Scyl, I know you would never purposely do anything to hurt me.”

The sentiment echoed the same words Scylla had told Raelle all that time ago in the dungeon.

“That’s all that matters, okay? And besides, cuts heal.”

Scylla bit the inside of her mouth until she tasted blood. Another hot tear found its way onto her cheek, and Raelle wondered how it was possible for one person to cry that much in one sitting. She lifted her hand to Scylla’s jaw, but instead of wiping the tear away, she pressed her lips onto it.

“I love you so much.” Raelle whispered.

“I love you too.”

It was the least alone Scylla had ever felt in that forsaken garage.

Or anywhere, for that matter.

Chapter Text

Just for a moment, amongst the cold, wrecked innards of the garage, Scylla allowed herself to forget their situation. She let herself pretend that her and Raelle could stay in that town forever as free witches who were anything but wanted fugitives.

She even let herself believe that her parents and Raelle’s mother were all still alive, waiting inside the house for them along with Edwin, joined by pancakes in all sorts of fun flavors and shapes.

She’d pour a little too much maple syrup on hers, and Raelle would make fun of her for it until Scylla would dab whipped cream on the blonde’s nose, receiving a shocked, slightly offended, and very betrayed gasp.

Then they’d laugh. Oh, how’d they laugh. The joyful sound would fill them all from head to toe and they would just be happy , without a care in the world. They would have no worries, as there would be nothing to worry about . Maybe they’d even go for a long walk on the beach after breakfast.

To anyone else, it sounded cliché, and in all honesty, it probably was.

However, for Scylla, normality and cliché romantic moments were all she ever craved during her time apart from Raelle.

And they’d have those kind of moments every day, never getting bored as long as they had each other.

Unfortunately, the fantasy was just that: A fantasy. One as far from reality as could possibly be.

Scylla was begrudgingly made aware of the fact as a new, familiar voice brought her out of her daydreaming.

Daydreaming. She found herself confused at the concept. The brunette was never one to daydream, especially at a time like this.

“Hey,” Abigail panted as she stopped inside the garage, hands on her knees as she caught her breath. Based on her messy hair and lack of energy, it was clear she had been using some kind of work not long before now.

Upon the witch’s sudden appearance, Raelle looked between her and Scylla, eyes landing on latter, too worried to leave her side.

“Go.” Scylla’s reply was short, terse, and for some reason, took a lot of energy out of her.

She shrugged off that last part for the time being, blaming it on her adrenaline crashing, which it was.

The quick yet reassuring reply was what Raelle needed to quickly get up, stepping over the shards of glass as she ran to wrap Abigail in a hug.

Scylla gave a small smile to Abigail when she looked her way, but was not met with a smile in return.

Abigail glanced back at Scylla, and if Scylla didn’t know any better, she would’ve sworn she saw worry in Abigail’s gaze.

Abigail looked around the garage, destruction everywhere. She glanced from the bodies, to the pool of broken glass, then to Scylla’s bloodied hands.

Then to her right leg.

Oh.

It was at that moment that Scylla became hyper aware of the shard of glass sticking out of the back of her lower leg. 

Her first mistake was thinking it was another figment of her imagination, despite being well aware that she was surrounded by broken glass and it wasn’t exactly unlikely that a piece had found itself into her leg.

Her next mistake was trying to stand up because she thought it was another figment of her imagination.

She lifted up the healthy leg with little trouble, a false sign that she thought meant she was fine.

The pain hit all at once as she abruptly shifted her weight to the injured leg, making one last mistake as she tried to continue to stand up and push through it. 

It’s not real. She told herself.

Yet, it was.

Before she knew it, she was plummeting toward the concrete floor that was covered in broken glass before Raelle caught up to her in an instant, catching the brunette in her arms and gently laying her by an empty spot near the wall.

Scylla leaned against it, her left leg stretched out and the right one bent, her eyes face to face with the shiny object in her calf.

“ Shit. ” Raelle’s flustered voice barely registered in Scylla’s now groggy mind.

Groggy.

That probably isn’t good,  she thought to herself.

“No, it isn’t,” Abigail had floated closer to Scylla, still some distance away as she warily and smartly kept an eye on the garage door.

Had she said that out loud?

“Scyl,” Raelle’s hand drifted toward Scylla’s leg, hovering over the shard as she looked toward the dazed brunette for permission.

“Will it hurt you?” The pain Scylla was feeling made itself known in her voice.

The healing, Raelle knew Scylla was referring to.

“No.”

“Then do it,” Scylla nodded quickly, closing her eyes as she braced herself, Raelle doing the same for an altogether different reason.

Raelle gripped the shard, resolutely ripping it away from Scylla’s leg in one swift motion.

Scylla gasped, shutting her eyes tightly to avoid a scream. She wasn’t sure her body could handle another one toppled onto the many from just moments before that left her throat dry.

Raelle winced at the gasp, letting out a shaky sigh as she brought her hands to the now gushing wound, the blood trickling into the puddle that had been establishing itself for the past few minutes, another detail adding itself to the list of things Scylla should’ve realized by now but hadn’t.

“ Seek and ye shall find .”

Raelle wasted no time. She tried but failed to keep her composure, her hands trembling above the wound.

“Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

Raelle continued reciting the words as Scylla felt a warm feeling establish its presence at the center of the wound. At first, the heat was overwhelming, but every second it transformed into something different, something cooler and much more comfortable. Before she knew it, the wound had disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but a little bit of dried blood as an outline of where it used to be.

Scylla swallowed thickly before exhaling deeply, locking eyes with a worried Raelle, who was reaching for the brunette’s hand to give it a light squeeze.

“You okay?”

Scylla nodded, adding, “Just tired.”

“You’ll probably be tired for a while, you just need to relax for a bit and let your body do the rest.”

“I will.” She paused for a moment for adding, “After we deal with that,” Scylla nodded to the corpses of the military officers. Raelle followed her gaze, standing up slowly and making her way over to them, Abigail doing the same.

They both put their fingers on the officers’ necks, continuing until all of their pulses, or the lacks thereof, were checked.

“Dead.” Abigail spoke.

“What do we do?” Raelle spoke quietly, her composure still not fully there.

“Let me,” Scylla went to stand up from her spot against the wall, faltering briefly before successfully getting on her feet. Seeing this, Raelle ran over to her for some extra support, Scylla happily accepting it as she threw her arm around Raelle’s shoulder. Raelle stuck her arm snuggly around Scylla’s hip, gripping her shirt.

“No offense, but you’re not exactly in good condition, necro,” Abigail commented, genuine concern lining her words.

“But that’s the thing, I’m a necro, this is my specialty. I can manipulate them to go back out there and lead the military away, or at least keep them away from here while we wait them out. They’re freshly gone so it won’t be too difficult. And it won’t last forever. They’ll be gone again eventually but only once we’re long gone.”

“Scylla, she’s right, you need to rest.” Raelle stubbornly chimed in.

“Then what? It’s not like we have any other option.”

Raelle and Abigail exchanged a look as Abigail spoke.

“She’s got a point.”

With a long sigh, Raelle reluctantly turned back to Scylla, “You sure you’re up for it?”

“Positive. I could do this is my sleep.”

Scylla went to move forward, misstepping a bit as she did.

“By the looks of it you might have to,” Abigail muttered as Raelle helped Scylla over to the bodies. Scylla slid out of her grasp as she kneeled to the floor, closing her eyes.

The witch took a deep breath before emitting a soft, rumbling seed and Raelle couldn’t help but find herself captivated by it.

It was layered and resonated off the walls, directing back to its source and increasing in pitch each second until it was no longer audible.

She continued as the bodies slowly rejuvenated, blood flushing back to their no longer desaturated skin and their eyes turning slightly paler shades of their true colors.

They rose from the ground in unison, making their way out the large, barely raised garage door. They had to duck under it, their limited flexibilities proving to be an issue in the process.

Abigail quickly moved herself out of the way, stepping next to Raelle. She watched Scylla’s work in wonder.

Once they were completely out of the garage, the taller witch ran over to fully pull down the door.

Scylla began to sway from her position as a wave of exhaustion flowed over her.

She closed her eyes for what she expected to be a routine blink, but when she opened them, she was back against the wall with Raelle kneeled in front of her and Abigail not too far away.

She closed her eyes again as she groaned, following with a muffled “Tired.”

“It’s okay,” Raelle whispered, resting one hand on Scylla’s leg, the other one cupping her cheek. “The troops are still in town but no one’s come near here. They should be gone soon, all we have to do is wait.”

Scylla leaned into the blonde’s hand as she smiled softly.

“You did good, Scyl. Rest.”

At this, Scylla opened her eyes and stared pleadingly at the blonde before diverting her gaze to the clear spot on the floor next to her.

Raelle smirked, Scylla scooching over as Raelle crawled toward the corner.

Once the blonde was settled, Scylla collapsed her head into her girlfriend’s lap.

She was out instantly.

Chapter Text

Scylla has always been a light sleeper.

After all, it was part of being a dodger. She had to train herself to wake up at even the slightest noise because even the slightest noise could’ve been a military officer breathing a little too loudly outside the house she was staying at.

Hearing even the slightest noise meant life or death for Scylla. It meant the lives of her family.

So, Scylla has always been a light sleeper.

It was for that reason that she found herself jolted awake in the garage of her once house that never quite got to be her home, swearing she heard footsteps outside the door.

The minuscule noise was enough to have Scylla rapidly blinking, trying to adjust to the low light as quickly as possible.

As she became more and more aware of her surroundings, a startling realization dawned on her.

Where she was expecting to find herself resting on Raelle’s lap, she was instead met with cold, concrete flooring.

Scylla could feel the anxiety manifest and intensify as she scanned the room, no blonde fixer in sight.

They already took her. You let someone you loved die, again.

She shoved the grim thought as deep down as she could, the unhealthy coping mechanism becoming quite the habit for the brunette. She stood up purely to pace around the garage, as if the change of position would suddenly tell her what to do.

She was completely alone. No Raelle, Abigail, or anyone else to be found.

Or at least, she thought.

“Scyl?”

The sudden voicing of the familiar nickname sparked premature relief in the brunette, only to be followed by what she swore was her heart stopping when she realized it was not the voice of her girlfriend.

No, it was a different familiar voice.

One she hasn’t heard in a much, much longer time.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

Mom.

Scylla refused to look toward the source, her eyes dead set in the opposite direction. The dread filled her when she put together the pieces of what was going on.

Just a dream, she understood.

It happened anytime she overdid herself physically, which was only a few times before. Each of those few times, though, the situation was always the same.

She would go a bit too far during training, and that night she would dream about her parents.

She once contemplated an explanation, landing on the belief that it was some kind of sick revenge from her abilities for overworking them. They’d lead her to dream about her dead loved ones, her oh-so-endearing connection to death shining through.

The worst part of it all was that they weren’t nightmares.

No, they were something much more cruel.

They were always some kind of happy moment or memory that Scylla couldn’t help but enjoy. She’d revel in every detail, letting herself get lost in the dream and just enjoy her parents’ presence. No matter how hard she would try to get a grip on reality, she’d end up playing along. She’d be filled with hope, which, albeit false, felt pretty damn nice in the moment.

It was after the moment that struck the most.

Just when she would forget she was dreaming, she would be bitterly woken up only to remember everything.

Their deaths, their last words to her, their cries as they struggled to exhale their last breaths on the front lawn.

She’d get her parents back for one night only to lose them all the more tragically in the morning, the pain compounding and worsening each time, with each new moment that the dreams gave her becoming new sources of grief.

“Scylla,” A soft hand found itself on her shoulder, sending chills throughout Scylla. Her mother always did have such a comforting touch.

“This isn’t real,” she blurted out, trying to convince herself of the fact more so than anyone else. “None of this is real.”

She was met with a warm chuckle she had missed so deeply. Every part of her ached for it, allowing herself to drink it in for just a moment. It would fill every bone in her body, seeming to make them stronger somehow, and Scylla swore they did. Each individual laugh would make the feeling even more tangible and amazing.

And for a few seconds, just a few, short, faithful, seconds, Scylla thought that maybe getting tangled in that beautiful laugh and talking to her mother wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“Well, way to get all existential on me.” The chuckle trailed off peacefully and Scylla felt a familiar pang in her heart. “Come on, dad is waiting for us in the kitchen. We made your favorite.”

One look wouldn’t hurt, Scylla convinced herself.

And before Scylla knew it, she was turning around to face her mother- no, a dream version of her, she had to remind herself.

She was met with the kindest eyes she ever had the pleasure of looking at. They were the same shade of blue as her own, but they were also larger and more inviting.

The tears sprung to Scylla’s eyes.

The woman’s greying hair with remnants of dark brown told Scylla that her abilities had manifested the appearance of what her mother would look like if she were still alive.

Scylla shivered at the realism. Then, she shivered at something else.

For a fraction of a second, Scylla could’ve sworn that the eyes she stared at turned a murky, dark brown, borderline black. Just as quickly as the color appeared, it was replaced by a usual, captivating blue.

Scylla didn’t mention it.

Instead, she found herself drifting after her mother as she walked into the house,  wanting so desperately to believe everything was real that she had given up any attempt at telling herself otherwise.

As they stepped through the kitchen doorway, Scylla laid eyes on a taller, neatly kept figure that happened to be her father.

The large frames of his glasses covered eyes just as kind as her mother’s, if not kinder.

“Hey, hun,” He gave a small smile, eerily resembling one that would appear on Scylla’s own expression.

“Hey, dad.”

A childlike quality itched at her tone as an unusual voice came from her father.

“We’ve got pancakes.”

That wasn’t right.

The voice that came from what looked like her father was much deeper this time. The pitch was different, almost demonic. It sounded bitter, even mean.

She found herself taken aback by it.

Then, she swore her father glitched toward her, his mouth twitching into a creepy smile.

She had dreamt about her parents before, but never like this.

He grabbed her arms roughly, yielding a gasp out of the witch. On instinct, she turned to her mother for comfort.

The sight in front of her stole the air out of her lungs instantly.

Her mother was laying on the floor, no longer any sign of life. Her eyes were dull, the piercing blue being reduced to a clouded mess.

Scylla staggered back, expecting to bump into her father. Rather, she felt her foot hit what she assumed was the kitchen table.

It wasn’t.

She turned to see that the kitchen table was gone altogether, replaced by her father’s body laying lifeless on the floor.

She couldn’t even process it before her eyes caught another figure on the ground.

This one, a woman not much taller than herself, with familiar, curled golden blonde hair.

“Scyl, hey,” A voice echoed. “Hey, wake up, it’s just a dream.”

Back in reality, Raelle gently nudged the brunette, who had begun to twist and turn in her sleep, her breathing way too fast. Her eyebrows creased together, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as her head shook side to side.

“Scyl,”

Scylla’s breathing only quickened to what appeared to be a dangerous level, and the panicking Raelle did the only thing she knew would undoubtedly garner Scylla’s attention.

She brought her lip’s down to the brunette’s, joining them together gently.

And hey, Scylla has always been a light sleeper.

As Raelle pulled away, Scylla’s eyes slowly opened.

Her vision focused shortly to see none other than a very much alive Raelle staring back at her.

“Hey.” Raelle whispered. Scylla scanned her face, a clear look of concern plastered all over it.

“Hey.” Scylla echoed back, letting out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding since she woke up.

“Nightmare?”

“Yeah.”

Raelle let a moment pass as she rested her hand on the crown of Scylla’s head, her index finger reaching over to caress the top of her forehead.

“You wanna talk about it?”

And for the first time in her life, with a beautiful, caring blonde staring at her with so much intense love, Scylla did.

“It was about my parents.”

Scylla’s words were hushed, but Raelle could hear the crack in them nonetheless.

“It was like reliving their deaths all over again, but this time I was there to see it.” She paused, Raelle running her fingers through Scylla’s hair in an attempt to comfort her. “I watched as the light was there in their eyes one second, then completely gone the next.”

Raelle could feel the anger fill her heart at the people responsible for the death of Scylla’s parents. The people responsible for so much of the brunette’s pain. Pain that Raelle’s love for Scylla transferred to her.

“The worst part was that for a few moments before, everything was okay. We were a family again. Until we weren’t.”

“I’m so sorry, Scyl,” Raelle continued to run her fingers comfortingly through the brown locks, the soft texture brushing against her finger pads. Scylla leaned into her touch, the one thing she thought might just be able to take some of that pain away.

Silence filled the air as Scylla just enjoyed being in Raelle’s hold. No words were said, and none were needed. Raelle’s presence was more than enough, and the space she was giving Scylla meant more to the brunette than Raelle could ever know. Scylla broke the silence, but not after enjoying it for a while first.

“I’m scared that one day I’ll forget their voices.”

The sudden comment prompted a curious look from the blonde. Raelle had never heard Scylla’s voice sound so small. She paused from twirling a lock of brown hair in her fingers, moving to sweep a strand away from Scylla’s face and behind her ear.

Her silence was received as it was intended: a polite invitation for Scylla to continue to speak.

“I catch myself doing it sometimes. I’ll think about something they said and I’ll have to correct the way I imagine their voices. Their tones, the pitches, the way they would say certain words. Like the word syrup. My dad always said it with an ‘e’ sound, like ‘seer-up’. But my mom would say it ‘sir-up’. I mixed it up not too long ago.”

Scylla diverted her eyes to the ground as she gave an embarrassed smile.

“Sorry, it sounds silly.”

“It doesn’t.” Raelle’s reply was instant, Scylla immediately looking back up to her. “It isn’t. It’s human. And hey, maybe one day you will forget. It may seem like that’s the end of the world, but it’s not. I promise, Scyl. You don’t have to remember every little detail about them, you just have to remember how they made you feel. Just remember how they loved you. That’s more than enough to honor them.”

“You always know just what to say, huh?” A light smirk found itself on Scylla’s lips.

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure a lot of people would agree with you on that one.”

The two witches shared a small laugh before Raelle spoke again.

“It’s not fair,” she shook her head. “No one should ever have to lose a parent.”

Scylla mentally scolded herself for not treading more lightly on the subject.

“How are you?” She asked. Raelle chuckled dryly in response.

“Fine.”

The unintentionally bitter response fooled no one. Scylla prodded with a slight eyebrow raise.

“Okay maybe not fine, it’s just, I’ve already grieved my mom before. It just feels weird doing it again. I only got her back for a few seconds and now it feels like the grieving just restarted like it’s on some kind of annoying loop.” Raelle shook her head before adding, “How broken is that?”

“It’s not. It’s human.”

Scylla’s echoing of Raelle’s previous advice prompted the blonde to shut her eyes in defeat for a moment.

“Got me there.”

This time, Scylla was the one to move her hand toward Raelle’s locks. She twirled one mindlessly amongst her fingertips as Raelle leaned into her hand. Raelle shut her eyes again, letting out a tired sigh.

“Does it ever get easier?”

“No.” The instantaneous reply caught Raelle off guard. “I wish I could say it does. I wish I could say that each day the pain disappears a little until it’s completely gone, or you get stronger to the point where it doesn’t affect you as much. But it doesn’t, and you don’t. At least not that I know of. You just understand it more, if that makes sense. You start to make your peace with it just enough so that you can coexist. And somehow you learn to live with it. All you can really do is surround yourself with people you love to help you with that.”

More silence passed as Raelle stared at Scylla, wondering if she ever got to do that last part before they met. She drank in every one of Scylla’s perfect features before speaking.

“You are so beautiful.”

Scylla smirked once again, the smile shortly being interrupted as she let out what Raelle definitively assumed to be the most adorable yawn a person could ever make.

“Oh my god,” Raelle couldn’t help but burst out into laughter, Scylla joining her not far into the joyful fit.

Once the giggling died down, which wasn’t for a substantial chunk of time, Scylla spoke once more.

“I’m sorry, by the way.”

Raelle tilted her head in confusion.

“For all the lies from when we first got together. For betraying you. For all the hurt I caused. For everything. We haven’t really gotten the chance to talk about it.”

“You don’t have to-“

“I do. We can’t just pretend like all of that didn’t happen.”

Scylla avoided eye contact.

“Yeah, I know.”

A beat.

“Scyl, of course a big part of me felt betrayed,” Raelle spoke, nothing but love in her voice. “And I didn’t think I would ever get over it. And maybe I’m still not 100% there,”

Scylla’s heart dropped at the statement.

“But I will be. Someday. Probably very soon too because you are very, very beautiful.”

Raelle shifted her hand to Scylla’s cheek, rubbing the spot where hints of wrinkles from her smile appeared.

“Because I forgive you, and I love you. So much.”

And those three words meant everything.

The three words in question  weren’t even the “I love you”, though Scylla was of course happy to hear that. It was the “I forgive you” that said the former three words plus so much more.

Soon enough, Scylla fell asleep in Raelle’s lap for the second time that day.

This time, however, there was no nightmare in sight.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day went off without a hitch. By that night, the military vehicles were completely gone and the three witches were free to leave the claustrophobic garage, a fact Scylla couldn’t exactly complain about.

Surprisingly, they were able to recover most of the food from the grocery store. The “rocks” were right where they left them, an easy pick up on their way out of the town once and for all.

Perhaps the worst part of the night thus far was Scylla and Raelle’s hands being preoccupied with grocery bags, unable to lock together like they had become so accustomed to doing. Raelle had even begged Abigail with a pleading gaze to take some extra bags off their hands, only to be met with an amused scoff in response.

And now, as they made their way back to the run down cabin, they stood as close as humanly possible, talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

When they finally arrived at their temporary base, their immediate reactions were confusion and fear, as the cabin looked all but inhabited. The lights were off and not a single sound seemed to come from it.

The three witches stopped some distance away, Raelle putting a hushing finger to her mouth as she put her share of the grocery bags on the ground. Abigail and Scylla shot each other glances, both wanting to give Raelle back up, but Raelle put out a hand to stop them both.

After all, she was the immortal one.

And there was a “Wanted dead or alive” bounty out for the woman she loved.

So, Raelle slowly made her way over to the cabin, leaving her best friend and girlfriend to watch from under the trees that sporadically revealed bits of the night sky.

She carefully put her hand around the doorknob, a cold chill running through her bones.

It was at that moment that she realized just how cold it was. Her teeth had begun to chatter, the hair on her exposed skin rising to meet the chilled atmosphere.

She briefly closed her eyes before thrusting the door open in one swift motion and getting ready to defend herself.

What she did not have to defend herself from, however, was the dashing redhead flying at her with open arms.

Tally ran full speed into Raelle, knocking her back a bit as she enveloped her into one of her signature Tally hugs. Raelle felt herself melt into it as another pair of arms joined the embrace; Abigail, she quickly realized.

She let her nerves ease off along with a tight exhale that had been quite stubborn just a few moments prior.

As Raelle, Tally, and Abigail had their moment just inside the front doorway, Scylla found herself floating behind them, drifting a few steps here and there in the bitter cold. She stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do with herself as she bowed her head to avoid any extra, uncomfortable glances.

What really took her by surprise was Tally running full speed at her , wrapping her in a hug, admittedly a bit less natural than the one before. Nonetheless, the sentiment was there, and that was more than enough.

Once again, Scylla didn’t quite know what to do, staying stiff before ultimately relaxing into the hug and allowing herself to enjoy it.

Raelle gave a proud smile as she made her way back outside toward Scylla, Abigail in tow.

When Tally did finally pull away, Scylla caught a quick glance of the inside of the cabin, seeing the rest of their ragtag group of unlikely allies. She felt just a spark of unity as she begun to get accustomed to having a group of people to return to. A unit of her own.

She shoved the thought down, inwardly gagging.

The four witches, still outside, gathered up the bags of food, bringing them inside the house. Not more than a few seconds after the bags were set down, everyone began to dig in.

Raelle herself had been drawn to a granola bar with dark chocolate in it, which she contently munched on.

However, an unintentional survey around the room put her blissful joy to a halt as she realized Scylla was no longer inside.

The brunette had drifted back outside, where she was sitting criss-cross in the grass and looking up at the treetops into what appeared to be a larger than usual bit of the sky revealing itself. In between the leaves, some of the brightest stars that Raelle had ever seen had revealed themselves.

Raelle’s heart fluttered as she came up with what she thought was a pretty darn good idea, albeit simple.

An idea that involved Raelle grabbing a blanket from the couch and running outside as fast as she could to meet Scylla.

She plopped down suddenly next to her, Scylla seeming pleasantly surprised at the arrival.

The brunette gave an amused expression and smirk as Raelle settled into the grass right next to her, tossing the blanket over their laps.

Noticing teeth chattering and shivering from the other woman, Raelle moved the blanket from her lap to sling it around the cold brunette, pulling her against her own side as they both tried to get warm.

The blanket did absolutely nothing to abate the cold, the many holes and tears taking away the little impact it would’ve had even if it were in perfect condition.

It was the body heat that did wonders.

The two women snuggled into each other’s sides as if that was where they were created to be. They softened into each other as Scylla remained intently focused on the bright dots above. She had never felt more at home as she leaned the side of her head into Raelle’s neck, her gaze remaining trained on the stars as she appeared deep in thought.

“Whatcha got going on in that pretty mind of yours?” Raelle questioned softly, turning her eyes to look at the woman with such genuine curiosity and a slight hint of concern, considering recent events. Scylla answered quietly after a short silence, keeping her gaze upward.

“They’re just so beautiful.”

“They really are.” Though Raelle wasn’t really referring to the stars, she had to admit they were a sight for sore eyes. She finally got a good look at them, instantly getting lost in their beauty, in the way they modestly shone a spotlight on just half of the faces of the two women, disappearing into the shadows and leaves otherwise. It gave them the feeling of a rare commodity, one to rejoice in and appreciate because of its uncommonness. They were the second most beautiful things Raelle had ever laid her eyes on. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen stars so bright,” she marveled in wonder.

At this, it was Scylla’s turn to look at Raelle. To the blonde’s surprise, Scylla shook her head as she immediately responded, picking her head up off Raelle to keep better eye contact, “Not the stars. Well, yes, but more so what’s behind them.”

Raelle scrunched her brow inquisitively, inviting Scylla to continue, and that she did.

“Back at Fort Salem, we would learn about what happens to a witch’s abilities when she dies. The body is simple, but the abilities, that’s a whole different monster to deal with.”

Raelle found herself drinking in every word the brunette was saying. She swore she could listen to that passionate, intelligent, and engaging voice for all of eternity.

“Some say they release as this special kind of energy. Energy that goes into the atmosphere, and then into space, and then ultimately,” Scylla paused for dramatic effect, reverting her gaze upward. Her tone got more gentle and higher in pitch. “Into the stars.”

“That’s amazing,” Raelle chimed in, her gaze still fully focused on the brunette as she got lost in yet another beauty. This one, though, not even the beauty of the stars and their meanings stood a shot against.

“It is.” Scylla wholeheartedly agreed. There were a few long seconds without any speaking that Raelle eventually interrupted.

“Do you think they’re up there right now?”

Your parents. My mom. Scylla knew what Raelle was referring to.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Scylla seemed a bit flustered at the question, clearly having thought about it extensively before but debating which of those thoughts to reveal. She locked eyes with Raelle once again, and staring at the ethereal blonde as the starlight illuminated her already mesmerizing orbs, there was nothing Scylla thought she wouldn’t have told her. “I’d like to think so, though. Maybe even the energy of non-witches, like remnants of their souls or something.”

All of their lost loved ones. Nicolette, someday probably soon.

Raelle only nodded, hanging on to every rise in pitch and drop in tone of Scylla’s voice, too enamored by her intelligence and goddess-like demeanor to say anything else for the time being.

“You know, every atom in our bodies formed inside a star at one point far, far into the past.”

At this, Raelle finally understood the main point of what Scylla was trying to get across.

“It’s like a link to them,” Raelle offered. “A connection even after they’re gone. Especially after.”

“Exactly.”

Scylla found comfort in the fact that Raelle always seemed to know where her words were pointing to. It was like the blonde was always the final piece to her inner puzzle, a satisfying feeling emanating once it finally and effortlessly clicked in after so long of leading up to that moment.

More silence passed, not a hint of awkwardness anywhere present. It was a comfortable silence; one that could only be achieved with someone’s home.

And for some time, the two just stared up at that one large gap in the treetops, staring at the stars.

They had migrated to laying down at one point, their hands finding each other via muscle memory. Like two magnets that were only ever content when they were attached.

They lay with their temples closest to each other attached, their hair molding together against the soft grass. Their joined hands became numb eventually, but neither witch minded. They could’ve stayed there for hours, and in another life, Raelle swore they would’ve.

“Hey,” Scylla moved to sit up after some time, reaching the hand not holding Raelle’s into her pocket. “I, uh, I got my hands on a little something at the grocery store that I wanted to give to you.”

“Oh yeah?” Raelle teasingly smirked, joining Scylla as she sat up and prompted a similar smile out of the brunette.

Scylla’s sneaky grin quickly changed into one of triumph as her fingers landed on a specific item hidden in the depths of her pocket.

Pulling it out, Scylla revealed the crunchy wrapper of a candy Raelle could not quite make out in the dark. Raelle found herself furrowing her brows in confusion.

It wasn’t until Scylla unwrapped it, her fingers shaking ever-so-slightly and the ring sometimes making an appearance into the rare source of light, that Raelle saw what she had gotten.

A large, hard candy in the shape of a cartoon diamond, complete with a plastic ring base.

A ring pop.

Both the witches fought back laughter, failing miserably. They chuckled before both taking dramatic breaths to compose themselves, again, not doing anything near the best jobs.

“May I?” Scylla spiked her eyebrows for a moment, asking as confidently as she could muster, though her heart had admittedly picked up quite a few beats.

“Oh, you better.”

And with that, Scylla gently picked up Raelle’s hand, enjoying its hold for a moment before continuing with her most recent and daunting mission. She slipped the ring onto the blonde’s finger as steadily as she could, the cold certainly not helping with the hand shaking. Once it was on, Scylla squinted to admire the piece of jewelry, the dim light not doing it justice. 

She lifted the hand into the starlight, and just for a minuscule second, Scylla pictured her in this exact position at the end of all the trouble they had gotten into. Her mind darted to a future together, one that wouldn’t be disrupted by anyone, nonetheless the army. A real, tauntingly possibly future that Scylla now decided to make it her lifetime goal to achieve.

And the ring fit perfectly.

As if it were made for the sole destiny of finding a home with Raelle, just like Scylla believed she were.

The large smile on the brunette’s face told Raelle she was quite proud of her ring choice, and it was quite the choice, after all. The blue of the ring pop nicely paired with the blue of Raelle’s eyes. They made quite the team.

Scylla’s smile grew even wider until Raelle could no longer help herself. She gripped Scylla’s face, trying her best not to get the ring pop in her hair, and pulled her into a kiss for the history books.

With their lips pressed against each other’s, there was no hand shaking or teeth chattering.

Neither one of them was the slightest bit cold.

Chapter Text

Somewhere deep into the night, the two witches had drifted asleep in the grass, hands joined and bodies pressed against each other in no surprise.

Not before devouring the ring pop from earlier in the night, however, a slight blue tinge still present on both of their tongues. The plastic base was nowhere to be found, but that wasn’t exactly a factor on their minds as they huddled against each other under the night sky.

Before either of them could even approach a dream, or a nightmare, for that matter, a startling sound interrupted them from their slumbers.

Scylla was the first to wake.

The minute twig snap was enough to have Scylla shooting upward in no more than a few seconds.

The sudden movement yielded a stir out of the still fast asleep blonde, but as Raelle tightened her grip on Scylla’s hand and arm, she remained eyes shut and mostly peaceful.

As Scylla focused her ears on her surroundings as much as possible, she could hear nothing more than crickets.

Probably just an animal , she told herself.

But a feeling deep in her gut pressed at her.

She knew better than to leave it alone.

And one glance at the witch next to her told her as much.

It was at that point she knew she would not be able to sleep if she didn’t take this further. No,  there was simply too much at stake, namely a literal sleeping beauty, to afford chances.

And Scylla’s everything was screaming at her that not investigating the sound was, in fact, a huge chance.

One she wouldn’t take, not if it meant Raelle’s safety would be put into question.

Scylla satisfied the feeling itching at her by slowly prying Raelle’s hand away from her own, slipping a wad of blanket into it in replace.

Raelle stirred once more, but once Scylla was sure she had settled enough to buy the brunette some time, the awake witch stood up as carefully as she could manage.

She would likely be safer with Raelle joining her on her mini recon mission, Scylla knew as much, but something about the thought of waking up the sleeping blonde, who just looked so peaceful, absolutely killed Scylla.

And hey, Scylla never was the best at her job when there was a particular blonde there to distract her.

So, she walked hesitantly toward where she swore was the origin of the sound, winding up at the base of the woods.

Looking into it, Scylla realized it was not the same dazzling array of trees that it seemed to be not long before now.

No, instead, her mind landed on none other than the word “creepy”. As trite as the adjective seemed, no other fit the woods as well.

Scylla could barely see a few feet into the forest before her view path disappeared into pure dark.  Even the starlight from before couldn’t provide any solace from the eerie, sudden absence of all light.

A just as sudden cold chill sent shivers that emanated through her entire body, one that never quite seemed to cease.

If Scylla listened really, really closely, she might’ve heard the faint breathy sounds before it was too late.

Or the methodical sharpening of a blade before it was sent into action.

But no, something overwhelmed Scylla’s senses far too much for anything else to stand a chance.

“Scyl?”

The tired voice trailed off into a yawn.

Scylla let out a small gasp as she turned around, a startled look grasping at her features.

“What’s wrong?” Raelle asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she took a step toward Scylla.

“Nothing,” Scylla shook her head as she temporarily closed her eyes in the attempt for feigned composure.

One minuscule head turn from Raelle and an ‘I don’t believe you’ raise of her eyebrows, and Scylla reevaluated how she had gone about this.

Whether it was the pause Scylla took before her previous answer, or her blinking that was just slightly more rapid than usual, or maybe the fact that she had suddenly gotten up to pace by the woods in the middle of the night (Scylla later decided on this one), Scylla wasn’t sure what sold her out.

Though, maybe it was simply the fact that Raelle knew Scylla better than anyone else alive. Knew the way her breath hitched slightly when she was nervous, or the way her eyebrows twitched when she was scared.

Whatever it was, Scylla knew she wouldn’t be able to get anything past the blonde.

So, she didn’t try to.

She took a quick surveillance gaze around them before lowering her voice and closing most of the distance between her and Raelle. She brought her mouth to Raelle’s ear as she whispered.

“I think someone is here.”

And someone was.

But it was too little too late.

For before Raelle could even process what Scylla was implying, a swift slashing sound making its way through the cold air brought them both out of their once tight focus on a fantasy level of peace.

The change on Raelle’s face was what hurt the most.

Not because of the reason, though that was indeed a level of pain in its own respect.

Rather, it was Scylla that hurt the most as she watched Raelle’s confused expression crinkle up into one of pain.

As the blonde’s eyes suddenly shut tightly, a shaky, whimpering gasp releasing from her lips.

As the blonde reopened her eyes to look at Scylla with such helplessness.

And finally, as Scylla’s eyes trailed down to Raelle’s leg, landing on a shining dagger that had found itself lodged in Raelle’s upper thigh.

One that, it didn’t take long for Scylla to realize, had a trajectory meant for the brunette.

Time seemed to move in slow motion and super speed all at the same time.

Before Scylla knew it, Raelle was tumbling toward the ground. One swift step forward, and Scylla’s arms were wrapping themselves around Raelle.

She had but one goal; To make sure Raelle was okay.

And she let that goal consume her actions.

A mistake she would soon come to regret.

Everything that followed seemed to happen on autopilot, the brunette not fully sure she was in control of what she was doing.

She lowered Raelle to the grass, both of their breathing uneven and sporadic.

Raelle’s eyes darted to behind Scylla, but Scylla was too focused on Raelle to look back.

If she did, she might’ve seen the man approaching her before it was too late.

Maybe, she even would have been able to use her work to stop him right then and there.

Scylla would chastise herself for a long time for not doing so, neglecting to stop what was to come before it even began.

A regret she would grow to hold on to and never quite let go off.

A regret that would lead to future guilt Scylla would let eat away at her.

Because Scylla did not turn to look back at whoever was approaching her and Raelle.

It was for that reason that the dart, emblazoned with a specific sleeping medication that had also glazed the dreaded dagger, found it’s way into the back of Scylla’s neck.

And before she knew it, she was slowly approaching ground level with Raelle, no one there to catch the falling witch this time around.

She caught a quick glance of an object momentarily illuminated by the starlight as a bitter resemblance of humor caught her off guard.

The plastic ring base from the candy she had slipped onto Raelle’s finger not long ago.

When her body did finally hit the ground, her hand drifted toward Raelle’s through muscle memory, albeit never fully interlocking.

Their pinkies brushed together as both their eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Time stilled as they lay under the stars, admittedly joined by much less jovial circumstances this time around.

Darkness pulled tauntingly at their gazes before fully enveloping them. 

And for the second time that night, Scylla and Raelle found themselves side by side, unconscious, and the stars as their witness.

Chapter Text

All of their time apart, Scylla had hoped to wake up next to Raelle again. To be able to groggily blink open her eyes to see the beautiful blonde staring back at her, bodies intertwined as one, if not both, of them asked if they could stay there just a bit longer.

She admittedly had begged the universe as much, who, apparently, was listening a little too intently.

Because this was not what she meant.

For a short moment after waking up, not fully opening her eyes just yet, Scylla found herself forgetting about the situation.

She even went to move her hands around her, searching for a specific blanket that a specific witch was probably hogging.

Because she was just so cold.

Except when she tried to find a blanketed blonde, she was instead met with an inability to move her arms.

So, she tried again, only to find the same issue.

Scylla didn’t even have to open her eyes to have everything rushing back to her.

No, the realization of the heavy, eerily familiar collar around her throat was enough for that.

The sudden awareness of the itchy metal on her neck let everything come back to her in a single, painful, burning memory.

The actual waking up next to Raelle, the startling noise, the slashing sound that had overwhelmed her senses.

Raelle.

Scylla shot her eyes open once and for all, reprimanding herself as the flooding light sent agony down her temples. The pounding headache that had consumed her made itself very, very known.

It only took a moment before the pain became bearable enough for Scylla to start scanning the room for the younger witch.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see her there or not. If she wasn’t there, goddess knew what their captor had done to her.  And if she was there, goddess knew what their captor would do to her.

Alas, the choice was not hers, a fact made very much evident as Scylla laid her eyes on her target.

And she wish she didn’t.

The blonde was crumpled in the corner of the room, Scylla making a mental note that it seemed to be some kind of basement, a painful grimace on Raelle’s face.

The grimace itself was enough to make Scylla sick to her stomach, but it was the sight of Raelle’s leg that filled Scylla with the strongest sense of desperation she had ever felt.

The dagger had been brutally ripped out, Scylla assumed it occurred when she was asleep, and a shoddy attempt at a bandage had been clumsily tossed onto the wound.

And Scylla really hoped the captor had somehow found a red bandage, however ridiculous the thought seemed.

Because there was not a single white spot visible on the wrapping.

“Scyl?”

A tired voice called out to her barely audibly. It sounded muffled, almost as if the voice came from underwater.

And the one syllable sent a sharp pain through her skull.

As she winced her head away from the sound in reflex, her eyes trailed down to her own hands. Through blurry, nearly incomprehensible vision, she did not see shackles of any sort.

Yet, she still couldn’t move them.

That probably wasn’t good.

“What isn’t?”

Raelle’s voice sounded again, the pain from the audio a little more bearable but painful nonetheless.

Had she said that out loud?

That really wasn’t good.

Before Scylla could even register it, Raelle had begun to crawl over to where the brunette was still trying to gain her bearings.

If Scylla was conscious enough to yell at Raelle to not move , the absolute worst thing to do when on the verge of bleeding out, she swore she would’ve.

“Don’t,” was all that came out, followed by a whimper that came from Scylla wasn’t quite sure which one of them.

Continuing to drag herself over, Raelle winced with every minuscule movement of her leg.

Until she was by Scylla’s side in what felt like an eternity to the wounded witch, but a second to the brunette who had probably lost any remnant of consciousness in the process.

Opening her eyes again, this time just a smidge less painfully, Scylla had to admit that Raelle seemed to be in pretty good shape for someone who was losing that much blood.

Raelle carefully positioned herself against the wall, looking over Scylla with such concern.

Scylla went to tell Raelle that she wasn’t the one they should be worried about, but Raelle beat her to speaking.

Scylla wasn’t sure she trusted her voice very much at the moment, anyway.

“Scyl, hey, Scylla look at me,” a frantic edge had snuck its way into Raelle’s voice as Scylla just seemed confused.

She thought she was looking at Raelle.

Or at least, she was looking at one of the two Raelles in front of her.

A few head bobs and repositionings later, ending in a slouching position at the corner with the tip of her foot just barely making contact with Raelle, Scylla triumphantly focused on a singular, slightly blurry but visible blonde witch.

Her eyes traced the collar around her neck. Then Raelle’s hands, which seemed to be fully functional. She furrowed her brow inquisitively.

Scylla went to move her hands toward her own collar, this time her fingers twitching and her mobility having just the slightest leighway.

It took her a second to realize she could probably move them quite a bit by now, but it was Raelle that stopped Scylla’s hands with her own.

The sudden, soft, warm touch almost sent Scylla into tears on the spot.

“I already tried,” Raelle’s voice was much clearer by now. It was low and soft, a clear facade to mask her own nerves. “It’s some kind of shocking mechanism, I do not recommend.”

“Oh, me either.”

A different, much less warm voice boomed from a creaky stairwell on the other side of the room, the loud slamming of a door soon following it.

Scylla bit back a scream at the sudden noise, cramming herself into the wall, with her gaze still tight on Raelle. She had begun to edge closer to Scylla in a protective manner, positioning herself carefully between the two other room occupants. If the movement hurt her, which it probably did, Raelle didn’t let it show.

Scylla had just enough energy back in her to put her arm, a pins and needles sensation annoyingly running along it, on Raelle’s shoulder to call her off.

Raelle didn’t move.

Scylla could just barely see that she was clenching her jaw.

“Raelle,” Scylla began, tightening her grip on the blonde’s shoulder.

Still, she remained resolutely with a dirty look trained on the man approaching them.

Scylla got her first good look at him, seeing that he was not at all what she would have expected him to be.

He was tall, fairly muscular, but there were no scars or bald head like so many kidnappers in movies seemed to have. His face was clean-shaven, not a speck of unwanted hair to be found. Even his hair seemed meticulously combed.

The anger in the eyes she had expected, but not the clear pain behind them. Or how tired and dull his green eyes seemed.

He looked vengeful, but also like he did not want to be there.

As if he had read Scylla’s mind, his expression changed in an instant to one of much more harshness and less humanity. As if he had had practice doing so.

“I think you should listen to the murderer.”

The voice was scratchy and had a witty tone to it.

The use of ‘murderer’ caught Raelle off guard for a second, but she quickly shrugged it off, something Scylla wasn’t as successful at doing.

“Who are you?” Raelle asked authoritatively.

“Someone who has been waiting for this for a long, long time.”

“Very specific. I hope you don’t go around introducing yourself like that, a bit creepy, no?” Scylla cracked from behind Raelle, who wasn’t sure whether to give an amused smirk to her girlfriend or scold her for egging the man on.

The man gave a lighthearted chuckle that caught both the witches off guard. He let the laugh continue for way too long, pointing a blaming finger at Scylla as he took a few large steps toward her, Raelle getting closer to the brunette in response. “Oh, this will be fun.”

The man turned around and took the same length of steps away, his back turned to the women as he announced, “You know, you two are quite the pair.”

“We’re aware, thanks.” Raelle remarked cautiously, not quite sure where this was going.

He turned around to look at them as he continued, scrunching his eyebrows in a feigned confusion. “You know, I used to have that.”

“Is that what this is? Bitterness at two people in love because you don’t have that?” Raelle rose her tilted eyebrows as she spoke, Scylla desperately glaring at her to beg her to stop, even though she had done the same thing not so long ago. Raelle continued, “That’s not our fault-”

At this, the man’s calm, lighthearted demeanor tore down in an instant. His voice went from 0 to 100, sporadically releasing in an angry yell.

“It is!” The two words came out forcefully and violently, returning that oh so familiar pain to Scylla’s temples.

He paced for a few moments, grasping at his hair as he gulped. The two witches just sat in silence, one clutching her own head, unsure of what to do.

When the pacing came to a stop, he made his way over to them, stopping a fairly significant distance away.

“It’s her fault.” The voice came out in a loud whisper, sounding as if he was about to cry right then and there. He pointed at Scylla once again, who was still trying to get the pain in her head under control. The man took note of this as he added, “The headache will go away soon enough, just a drawback of what I laced the dart with. It was on the dagger too, I’m a bit surprised she got over it so quickly.”

He gestured his head toward Raelle.

He went to kneel down in front of the blonde, putting himself at eye level as Scylla tugged at Raelle’s shoulder in a failed attempt to get in front of her.

“That leg of yours isn’t looking too hot either, but you don’t seem too affected by it.”

“Who are you?” Raelle ignored his comments, asking again, this time more as a rhetorical statement than a genuine question.

“I told you that I used to have someone.” He turned his gaze to Scylla, his tone turning more bitter. “Someone that went to the mall on Conscription day some time ago.”

Scylla swore her heart stopped, and the man’s continuation didn’t help in the slightest.

“He went there to buy me an anniversary present. Then a balloon flew by and he jumped.”

A beat.

“Took me this long to find out who was responsible, then I had to actually find you. Wasn’t sure it would ever happen, but then I had a friend reach out to me swearing he saw a familiar face from one of those wanted posted wandering around the town he lived in.”

The man got back up to pace as he kept going. Both Raelle and Scylla internally blamed themselves for the slip up.

“Didn’t take long to figure out you were in the woods, so the next step was figuring out how to get past those pesky wards. Then I stepped on a twig, I kid you not, real cliché moment, and thought I was over. Imagine my surprise when you willingly walked out of the wards only to not even find me.”

He let out a dry laugh.

“Then, well, as they say, the rest is history.”

He put his hands out wide to gesture to them.

A tense, awkward moment of silence followed before Scylla spoke.

“Now what?”

She didn’t even dare to look at him. How could she?

“You took away someone I loved. You and someone that you love are helpless in front of me. Do the math.”

“She has nothing to do with this,” Scylla frantically shook her head, panic starting to overcome her even though she knew of Raelle’s immortality. After all, there were things worse than death.

“This is between you and me.”

“Scyl,” Raelle went to interrupt, only to be interrupted in return. The blonde seemed shaken by what the man had revealed, a painful fact Scylla left until later to deal with.

“Let her go and do whatever you want with me.”

At this, the man shook his head.

“We both know that’s not gonna happen. You deserve this. I don’t even know how you live with yourself, knowing what you’ve done, the countless families you’ve torn apart. Or how you sleep at night or wake up in the morning.”

Truth be told, neither did Scylla. She could feel the internalized self-hatred rise to the surface as she took in every word that was being said about her. Every harsh adjective, every hateful glance.

The almost worst part of it all, second only to Raelle being caught in the crossfire, was that Scylla saw it all as the truth.

She didn’t disagree with a single word.

Chapter Text

After a few seconds of silence to let his words sink in, more than succeeding at doing so, the main clapped his hands in an exaggerated gesture. The clap reverberated through both the room and Scylla's skull, the brunette wincing at the noise.

The pure ferocity in the kidnapper's aura dissipated, immediately being replaced by a sick form of excitement. 

"So!" He put a childlike pitch to his words. "Who's ready to get this party started?"

Scylla's heart raced as the man made his way toward her and Raelle, the blonde letting her unphaseable bravado falter ever so slightly. The fear she did let slip through, however, did not go unnoticed by the brunette. And Scylla could immediately feel the panic rising.

And just like that, the anxiety running through Scylla's veins was overwhelming enough to make her forget about the shocking mechanism clasped around her neck.

By some intrinsic, foolish urge, Scylla began to manipulate her voice into a low trill. It had barely garnered any traction before Scylla felt the sharp pulse of electricity reverberate through her bones. Except, the pain wasn't nearly as bad as Scylla had expected it to be. She could take it, she figured, if it meant getting herself and Raelle to safety.

Her fantastical plan was violently interrupted as she realized one key hiccup.

She was not the recipient of the true extent of the shock.

That much was made clear as Raelle doubled over in pain, landing just in front of their kidnapper's feet. Scylla swore she could see the physical electricity emanating off her collar.

As much as she despised their captor for linking her collar to Raelle's, and presumably not the other way around, Scylla had to admit the man was smart. Raelle would face the brunt of both their actions, in more ways than one.

As Raelle painfully gasped for air, Scylla tried to make a move to help her. Not so much help, she knew she would not be able to do much no matter how hard she tried, but more so to hold. It would have been decidedly better than nothing, the mantra that guided Scylla's thoughts in the moment.

Except, she was interrupted as a large hand grasped the blonde, jerking her up as she was forced to stand on her tiptoes. The persistent headache didn't make Scylla's attempt any easier, either.

So, Scylla only collapsed onto the cold ground, forcing herself to stifle the grunt that threatened to escape her lips. She also had to force back the urge to vomit as her hand made contact with a bit of Raelle's blood that had made its way to the ground not long before.

At this, the man laughed one of those creepy, signature chuckles of his.

Scylla looked up just as Raelle landed a hard kick to his crotch in the brief moment of lack of focus on his part.

Whether the attack was to stop him from laughing at Scylla, or to try to buy time to find a way out, Scylla wasn't sure. What she was sure of, however, was that Scylla really wished Raelle had not done that.

The man's hands lost their grip on Raelle, sending her tumbling to the ground. What confused Scylla was that instead of further capacitating the man or even running (more so limping, Scylla corrected) toward the door, however fruitless it may have been, Raelle crawled over to Scylla.

Raelle clasped Scylla's face in her hands as she pressed their foreheads together, keeping her eyes closed. Scylla's remained open, however, desperate to find any sign of the fact that Raelle was okay.

And the sign came.

"I'm okay."

Scylla swore Raelle always knew what she was thinking.

Even though the broken whisper convinced neither of them, it at least meant something.

"They'll find us."

The 'they' being Raelle's friends, Scylla correctly assumed.

Her eyes drifted to behind Raelle, where the even-angrier-than-before man was slowly getting up. The meticulous way in which he dusted off his pants and the emotionless expression on his face sent chills down her spine. Her eyes frantically darted between the two individuals vying for her focus in the moment.

"Hey, look at me."

Scylla envied the blonde's calm voice.

"Whatever he does, I can take it."

And it's not your fault, Raelle wanted to say, but truth be told, Raelle wasn't exactly sure that it wasn't. The omission of the statement sent a pang into Scylla's chest. Scylla very clearly knew that it was her own doing that had created the situation at hand, but Raelle telling her that it wasn't would have given her just the slightest sense of security that she needed. At the same time, though, Scylla didn't blame her for not explicitly expressing the lie.

"I'm sorry," Scylla muttered.

Raelle responded immediately, "I know."

And the two simple words, an acknowledgement that Raelle knew Scylla was ashamed of what she had done and so desperately wanted to do better, were somehow so much more meaningful than Raelle telling Scylla that none of this was her fault.

Scylla pressed her temple further into Raelle's, well aware of the realization that her head no longer hurt with the blonde's touch. Her eyes finally closed, only to open even more abruptly as Raelle was ripped away from her and Scylla was, once again, sent toppling to the concrete. She could feel the scrape forming on the same spot on her forehead that she had pressed to Raelle's.

The head throbbing immediately returned, and Scylla had to force herself to put pressure on her hands so that she could make the slightest resemblance to sitting up.

As she laid eyes on the man holding Raelle, she wished she hadn't.

He immediately threw her next to him, eliciting an 'oomph' as Raelle's head thumped against the concrete wall, all sense of consciousness leaving her at once.

Scylla once again tried to reach her, only for their captor to turn his attention toward her. In seconds that seemed to pass by in a blur, Scylla felt her lethargic body being lifted into the air and effortlessly being held up to face her captor, his fuming features far too close for comfort. His grasp began to close around Scylla's throat a little too tightly.

"This is all on you," he told her as she struggled to breathe.

The comment was nothing she wasn't already thinking, but it hurt nonetheless. He continued, spit flying into her face every few sentences or so.

"Here's what's going to happen. I am going to make you feel just a fraction of the pain I felt when you killed him. I am going to make her feel the worst pain she has ever felt in her life. Then I am going to kill her as I make you watch. Then, I am going to kill you. And if at any point you try to intervene, I'll just make the pain worse. I'll make her wish she was already at that second to last step."

The vehemently delivered words were met with Scylla's breaking expression, tears welling in her eyes as she begged with every ounce of her being, trying to appeal to any sliver of humanity left in him that she had not yet taken, "Please."

A few tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to blink them away.

"She has nothing to do with this," She tried again through stifled breaths, only to make the man even angrier as he replied.

"Neither did he."

And with that, the man dropped Scylla harshly against the flooring that seemed to get even more painful each and every fall. She took the slightest moment to cough and catch her breath before refocusing on her purpose to keep Raelle safe. As the captor walked toward Raelle's unconscious body, Scylla tried one last resort.

"He wouldn't want this."

The man stopped in his tracks. If he was facing Scylla, she would have seen the pain in his eyes as he questioned himself, acknowledging the truth in her words.

But by the time he did turn around to face her, none of that was discernible.

Without saying so much as a word, he walked over to where Scylla was heavily leaning on the wall to deliver a few strong kicks to her ribs, leaving a nagging burning sensation that Scylla really would have rather not felt. Even so, she couldn't help but feel it as a personal victory that she was the brunt of his anger instead of the blonde who lay unconscious not far away. She looked almost peaceful, Scylla noticed, and she was determined to keep it that way.

Even if it meant dealing with the incessant, sickening cracking sound vibrating through the air every few seconds, her ribs quite literally cracking under the pressure. She couldn't help but feel relief when he moved on to her face, lifting her by the collar ever-so-slightly to land a few good punches to her tear-streaked features. The tears from the thought of Raelle getting hurt quickly meshed with Scylla's own blood.

When he was finished with her, and when her breaths became a little too shaky, he thrust her into the wall with finality. He crouched down by her ear, muttering much too loudly in an exaggerated attempt to agitate her clear concussion, "You do not get to talk about him."

As he wound up his arm for one final strike, Scylla braced for the impact. She readied herself for the sound that her bones would make when his fist found their target. It was a different sound, however, that rushed into her ears. One that would be welcomed in any other circumstance, but severely dreaded in this one.

"Leave her," Raelle's weak voice sounded from not far away, the blood loss, exhaustion, and the probable concussion that matched Scylla's clearly taking their toll on the blonde. "Alone." The final word of the three trailed off into a pained gasp as Raelle tried to stand up, slipping in her own blood.

Scylla let any remnant of bravery completely leave her expressions. Her eyes widened in both fear and pain as she violently shook her head. She could feel the nausea, fury, and panic rise in her chest, three feelings that had become quite familiar these past few minutes. The fury directed at herself for doing what she did. The fury at Raelle for making herself known after Scylla was sure the man had forgotten about the blonde. The fury at the man for so deeply needing to spread his pain. Fury at herself, once again, for putting that pain there. Her thoughts always did seem to trail back to that last part.

"Please," she tried once again, but the man was already grinning from ear to ear as he stood up, taking a few backwards steps toward Raelle as he kept his wild gaze trained on Scylla.

"Let the real fun begin." 

Chapter Text

Scylla could feel the bile rise in her throat as the man continued his journey over to Raelle, the brunette's mind darting through the different options of what she could possibly do.

She could try to stall, but that would only delay the inevitable if not severely anger the nameless captor even more.

Scylla could try to take him down, just her, no magic, but that would have been an unlikely feat even if she had not been beaten to within an inch of her life. The man towered over her on a good day, and as tough as Scylla knew she was, she knew that his physique combined with her injuries left her little to no shot at coming out of such a battle alive. And, once again, a failed endeavor would only aggravate Raelle's situation even more.

Despite all of her body telling her mind not to, it landed on the option itching at the back of Scylla's thoughts that she had been trying so very hard to suppress.

She could use one large feat of magic that might just be enough to incapacitate the kidnapper. But, once again, the heavy drawback of a significant blonde feeling the wrath of this option nagged at the brunette. It would surely buy them enough time to escape, the one benefit of the plan, but at the cost of who knew how much pain to both of them. Scylla could deal with inflicting such a horror on herself, she knew it would not be that unbearable, but the idea of putting Raelle through that when there must be a better option absolutely ravaged her.

Raelle wouldn't die, Scylla knew as much, but as she kept telling herself, there were things worse than death.

Even if it was what Raelle would want her to do, Scylla simply couldn't wrap her mind around the idea. She was strong, but not that strong. Even if it may have been better than whatever Raelle was about to go through physically, Scylla knew the difficulties that would come with the psychological impact. Someone that Raelle loved being the direct cause of her pain. The woman she loved putting her through that, even if in her best interest, without consent, nonetheless.

Still, Scylla couldn't help but consider the option as she was faced with the last viable choice: to sit by and watch. And it was the choice she hated that she was leaning toward as the man stood in front of Raelle's struggling body sprawled across the floor. From what Scylla could make out through blurry vision that tuned out completely here and there, there seemed to be stitches on what once was the large gash in Raelle's thigh. Scylla didn't know whether to be relieved that the wound was treated (in what appeared to be a very sufficient manner from what Scylla could tell), confused as to why it was treated, or concerned with the fact that Scylla had blacked out long enough for Raelle to go through an entire medical procedure without the brunette even noticing.

The answer to her second thought came sooner than expected.

"That cut is healing quite nicely, isn't it?" The man asked, proud of what was clearly his work. Both Raelle and Scylla shivered at the idea of Raelle's vulnerable wounds so up close and personal with their captor. 

No one responded, so the man just continued on a tangent more to himself than anyone else.

"Couldn't have you dying on my watch. Not before it's ready, at least."

A loud silence took hold of the atmosphere as the question of "it" confused the two women, the kidnapper's purpose having been achieved. Raelle shot Scylla a tired, confused glance, but Scylla's gaze was steadfast on the man and every one of his slightest movements.

As Raelle got a good look of the brunette for the first time since waking up, she was admittedly less hazy. Her leg was no longer bleeding out, and her miniscule chance to recover during her time spent unconscious certainly helped.

It was this awareness that let Raelle truly take in the impact of Scylla's injuries. The way she was clutching her ribs, her chest barely rising during the sporadic times that it did. The black eye forming over her now dull, near-lifeless blue eyes that had once been so captivating and full of mystery, energy, and desire. Now, though, they were vaguely pained, if not void of all emotion.

Raelle took in every head bob of the brunette that struggled to stay awake.

She watched as Scylla's brain must have been turning, the brunette desperate to devoting an energy that she simply did not have to find a way out.

Raelle had tuned out whatever the man was going on about until a specific phrase jumped out at her and left her no choice but to refocus.

"You see, I've been making my own Witch Plague."

Raelle swore her heart skipped a beat, or maybe dozens.

"A synthetic version, of course, but a Witch Plague, nonetheless. It's brewing not far away from here right now. Think of it as the grand finale to what I'm about to put you through."

Even in Scylla's dazed state, she latched onto the fact that this man was much more advanced than previously thought. What Scylla had thought was ignorance on the man's part, assuming he had no idea about Raelle's immortality, quickly solidified into something so much more terrifying.

He had a way to kill Raelle. 

As for Raelle's mindset, the implications of a new plague were overwhelming, paired with the potential for another disastrous situation that had already ruined the lives of so many.

This was no longer an isolated attack on Scylla, or Raelle by extension, for that matter. If the synthetic plague got into the wrong hands-

Raelle stopped her thoughts in their tracks. 

As the gravity of the situation soaked in, and as Raelle analyzed every inch of the broken body of the woman she loved, Scylla's most reluctant option from before planted its seed in the blonde.

Raelle's hands rose slowly to her collar, hands grasping around it as she took a deep breath. She took in every one of her surroundings in what must have been slow motion. She looked from her collar, to the man, and then to Scylla, lingering on that last location longer than the rest. With the vision of every bruise, cut, and injury of the brunette pressed into her mind, Raelle closed her eyes as she made her decision.

When she opened them, Scylla's gaze finally turned to Raelle to see a terrifying finality in the blonde's expression. All at once, Scylla knew what she was about to do.

The women made eye contact briefly as Scylla violently shook her head, her body screaming in protest to the sudden movement.

But Raelle had already made her decision. A fact made clear by the loud trill emitting from the depths of her throat, the building immediately shaking in response. Scylla recognized the sound as a windstrike, but the immense display of power, able to shake an entire building, was unheard of by a single witch. Scylla couldn't help but be struck in awe.

For the first time since meeting him, the kidnapper looked genuinely terrified. His eyes widened as he stumbled through the room, failing to catch his footing or his bearings. 

Little by little, the room began to break down. Clouds of dust ravaged the air as all three people in the room fought back coughs. Pristine, concrete walls became riddled with small cracks that slowly grew into large ones, the most destructive ones overtaking the ceiling first.

In a matter of seconds, large chunks of roof were falling down around the two witches. Thunderous thumps of concrete were the only discernible sounds for a concerning amount of time. Scylla tried to cover her head, though she would later realize that none of the rubble was falling dangerously close to her. Around her, sure, but nothing that would have threatened her life.

The man, however, was not so lucky.

As the sound of falling rubble was soon replaced by an eerie ringing in her ears, Scylla took in her surroundings.

The walls were destroyed to reveal a small, beautiful field surrounded by a just as mesmerizing patch of woods. The lack of a ceiling revealed a sky clear as day. It was almost creepy how there was not a single cloud in the sky, nature remaining perfect as it encapsulated such destruction.

A quick glance into the distance revealed the naked frame of what must have been some kind of facility. No room was left standing, and that meant the synthetic plague was gone with it. Scylla mentally checked off that issue for now.

When she laid eyes on Raelle, who was once again unconscious, Scylla had to fight every instinct in her body that told her to run to her.

She's alive, she told herself, but the seemingly lifeless body covered in dust told her otherwise.

No matter how much Scylla wanted to corroborate Raelle's status, to feel her heartbeat for just a second to confirm she was alive, Scylla couldn't help it when her eyes drifted away from Raelle and to the coughing man not far from her.

His legs were pinned under a particularly large chunk of rubble, a large puddle of blood quickly forming under them.

He was dying.

And Scylla couldn't help but feel guilty.

At the same time, however, she remembered something deep from her necro training. She remembered the brief lesson on the connection a body forms with death right before it actually reaches it.

And Scylla realized this was her chance.

She much-too-quickly tried to stand up, only to immediately be sent back down by her body in protest. So, she crawled over to where the dying man lay crushed under rubble, every movement requiring every bit of her energy.

He didn't even seem to notice her until she spoke.

"I can help you." She told him, eliciting a frantic head shake out of him.

"No, no, don't touch me." His voice was like that of a child: Stubborn, hot-headed, yet scared all at the same time.

"I can let you talk to him."

A beat.

Instead of responding verbally, the man just looked at Scylla inquisitively. He was clearly too exhausted to maintain any of the animosity normally directed toward the brunette, as much as he wanted to deep down inside. So, he listened.

It was enough of a response for Scylla to elaborate.

"I'm a necro. I can do magic having to do with the dead. There's a special kind of work that can only be done when-"

Scylla paused before continuing. She swallowed a thick lump in her throat as she made every effort to make her voice gentler, a hard task considering she was already devoting enough effort to staying conscious in the first place.

"When someone is close to death."

The man didn't even have to look down to know he was one of those people.

"I can give you a moment with him, even if just a short one. But it will kill you at the end of it." And possibly me, the addendum Scylla chose to leave out.

"Do it." He wasted no time before answering, the desperation seething through his cracking voice.

Scylla nodded before opening her mouth to carry out the work, but the man stopped her for just a moment before she could begin.

"Jared."

Scylla tilted her head in question.

"My name is Jared. His was Anthony."

Scylla ignored the tear that rolled down her cheek.

It was one thing to deal with her past when it was nameless, but being able to put names, identities to those she had so deeply hurt made it all the more poignant. All the more real. Scylla wasn't sure why the man - Jared, she corrected herself - told her this. Whether it was for that very reason of hurting Scylla, or some other reason entirely, Scylla would never find out.

So, she continued with her task without another word, carrying out a striking symphony of melancholy tones and sounds.

The strenuous work was occasionally interrupted by necessary, short breaks for Scylla's sake, but before long, a gauzy figure appeared in front of Jared.

As Scylla fell backward, her breathing sporadic and insufficient, she could see two blurry figures holding each other's faces in their hands.

She was too far gone to make out any words, but she didn't have to.

In a brief moment of clarity, Scylla could see the expression on Jared's face.

She could see his eyes that had once been filled with so much hate, anger, and thirst for revenge. Now, though, they were filled with a particularly strange gaze that seemed to overpower all of that. One she had never expected to see on the man.

Peace.

As his past love held him, Jared was not the vengeful man that had carried out such malicious acts. He was a man, in love, and approaching some remnant of peace after such a long time of fighting the very world set out against him. After losing someone he loved, never truly able to recover.

After all, how do you continue to love when that which was your very heart has been taken from you?

Scylla couldn't help but see herself in Jared.

And maybe, just maybe, that miniscule hint of peace could find itself within Scylla. Maybe, even one day far down the line, it would be joined by forgiveness.

The question of whether Scylla would be able to reach that day remained unanswered as Scylla's eyes dangerously drifted closed, her heart slowing in tandem with her breathing.

Her lips taking on a slight tinge of blue as oxygen found it harder and harder to make its way to her lungs.

And as Scylla drifted into unconsciousness in one of the two patches of clearing with not a single residue of the destruction around them, the other patch containing Raelle, Scylla wasn't sure she would ever wake up.

But she didn't regret a single thing.

Chapter Text

The first thing Raelle noticed when she felt the consciousness begin to wrap itself around her aching head was how heavy everything seemed.

How she swore she physically felt the tons of concrete tied to her arms to hold them down, albeit no such presence. Her body was utterly and completely free, the collar that was once wrapped around her neck now nothing more than ash that blended with the surrounding rubble.

The next thing she noticed was her complete disregard of a sense of timing.

She picked at her brain for any hint at how long she had been unconscious, but it could have been anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 years for all she knew.

Truth be told, she didn’t exactly spend much time thinking about the timing. If she did, maybe she would have somehow deduced that it had only been maybe 45 minutes of unconsciousness, tops.

Some of the mycelium’s best healing work, a fact Raelle would have given props to if her mind were capable of acknowledging such.

But as soon as she had enough awareness to acknowledge her thoughts, Scylla was their only center of attention. Time was simply no longer on the agenda, nor was the blonde’s own state of well-being.

Raelle fought the images ingrained in her head of the brunette’s bruised, broken body from just moments prior. It took every ounce of her willpower to not just lay near the rubble and let such detailed pictures consume her every fiber of being.

Before long, though, Raelle had managed to open her eyes enough to let in a level of light withstandable to her raging headache.

Soon enough, her eyes had landed on that same center of attention that had occupied her thoughts.

And as soon as she did take in the view, Raelle so deeply wished she hadn’t.

The wounds and blood were all at least familiar, and as much as Raelle detested the sight, that wasn’t what ultimately filled her with the purest level of terror.

Nor was it the complete and utter lack of movement from the brunette. No, she was just unconscious, Raelle could at least tell herself.

What shook Raelle so deeply to her core was how inhumane Scylla looked in that patch of clearing not far from the blonde.

She physically looked just like she did before, yet at the same time, she was unrecognizable.

The very air around the body - Scylla , Raelle shuddered at having to correct herself - was empty. Scylla was empty.

No sign of emotion on her face, a face that had quickly become Raelle’s favorite to just look at and absorb the features of. There was no tinge of red in her cheeks that always became a little more prominent when Scylla was flustered. She was just so pale , the only color on her visage in the form of dried blood that Raelle wasn’t even quite sure belonged to the other witch.

Raelle couldn’t sense nor discern any remnant of humanity from the woman she loved, a fact 

more earth shattering than any physical injury could ever amount to.

Scylla looked dead .

But Raelle was never one to give up or listen to what her head, or anyone else’s, told her.

So, she fought down the scream she felt building in her chest as she crawled over to her love, ignoring the achy pain that ravaged her own body.

She didn’t break eye contact for any fraction of a second.

Scylla was all that consumed her thoughts, and Raelle wouldn’t risk blinking to sacrifice the fact that her eyesight was also consumed by the brunette.

There was a certain fragility to Scylla’s very existence, and Raelle felt as if even a moment of gaze diverted would take the love of her life away from her.

Though, another nagging feeling deep within her core, one that she wouldn’t dare to let surface, told her that was happening anyway.

By the time Raelle had reached Scylla, the palms of her own hands had shed blood from their repeated presence on the rubble.

Raelle settled on her knees in front of the brunette, pausing for a moment as she debated over her next course of action.

Check her pulse, she told herself.

But she had always been told to never pose questions she didn’t want the answers to.

Before long, though, the curiosity and desperation in just needing to know somehow overwhelmed the dread of knowing.

And so, with trembling fingers, Raelle carefully moved her hands to Scylla’s neck.

The premature tears journeying down Raelle’s cheeks seemed to know what Raelle would find before she did.

Because deep down, she had expected it.

There was no pulse.

The panic began as Raelle frantically moved her fingers to different parts of Scylla’s neck, desperately searching for any sign of life, not that she would’ve been able to accurately find one with the degree to which she was shaking. But she craved any sign that the voice inside of Raelle was mistaken. She needed something to prove it wrong.

And in that moment, when she still couldn’t find any sign of life, what Raelle craved more than anything was one more image of Scylla looking at her. One more glance at those beautiful eyes that seemed to hold galaxies in them.

She craved the different variations of color, the highlights, the shadows. The emotional, un-wordable stories that the two orbs always seemed to be able to tell with just a glance.

She just wanted one more story. She needed one.

But she knew all she would find if she lifted up the lifeless eyelids would be emptiness. Remnants of what once was.

And Raelle knew she wouldn’t be able to handle that.

It was that fact that made Raelle unable to continue to contain that scream hitched at the top of her throat, restricted and held back for far too long.

And so, she screamed.

The noise reverberated every one of her bones. Raelle felt it in her soul, in her very existence.

It sent chills down her spine, and probably everyone else’s in the room, if the destruction could even be called a “room” at all.

Wait.

It was at that moment that Raelle vaguely realized she was not the only conscious person in the room.

She suddenly became aware of the strong hands grabbing onto her waist.

She felt two pairs of them, wrapping around her and trying to pull her away from Scylla’s body.

And the latter only made her angrier.

So, she ignored the cries of what she didn’t have to confirm were Tally and Abigail’s trying to calm her in any way, no matter how miniscule.

And she did what she had done her entire life.

Raelle fought.

She wriggled and she clawed against the two holds on her waist with an amount of strength she should not have been capable of.

And she did so until she won.

Until she sent herself back toward Scylla, pressing her lips against the brunette’s, an immediate coldness enveloping the blonde both physically and soulfully. 

She grasped Scylla’s face as if somehow, just somehow, doing so passionately enough would bring her back.

Tally and Abigail had given up on trying to restrain their friend, their sister , in the spirit of letting Raelle grieve in whatever way she needed to. They had even looked away in the spirit of privacy.

If they had not looked away, maybe they would have seen the white light emanating from Raelle’s lips and spreading to Scylla’s.

Maybe Raelle, if she had not shut her own eyes, would have seen the same angelic, heavenly light seem to grow inside the brunette, slowly bringing the color back to her cheeks and then the rest of her body, until ultimately letting off one final flash as Raelle pulled away from the kiss, loosening her hold on Scylla’s face.

Raelle repositioned herself in defeat, unaware of the occurring miracle as she rested her head on the brunette's chest, sobbing into it.

Mutters of "Please don't leave me" were inaudible to Tally and Abigail, but very real to Raelle as she whispered them into Scylla's still chest.

The sobbing only got worse when Raelle realized how eerily unmoving Scylla's chest was, the blonde unable to hear or feel a heartbeat nor any rising of the witch's chest.

Until it wasn't eerie anymore.

Tally and Abigail, recently returning their gazes to the other two witches, had managed to catch the small breath elicit from Scylla’s lips as they suddenly parted. Raelle managed to feel it, the slow rise of Scylla's chest quite literally the best thing Raelle had ever felt.

The relief that immediately encapsulated Raelle’s very existence was simply extraordinary, a warmth replacing the coldness of grief that had begun to establish itself there just moments prior.

Raelle quickly brought her head up from Scylla's chest, looking at the brunette's face like a deer in headlights.

As she saw Scylla's features begin to twitch, her head turning ever-so-slightly accompanied by a tired groan, Raelle rushed to reaffirm her hold on Scylla's jaw. She pressed her forehead to Scylla's, closing her eyes much more peacefully this time.

A grin not-so-slowly infected Raelle’s features, the hint of a smile beginning to form on Scylla’s own face. Raelle could feel Scylla's face twist into the grin, no matter how subtly, not needing to open her eyes to see it to know it was there.

Raelle’s tears continued to fall, this time for a different reason, landing on Scylla’s cheeks.

The brunette did not mind one bit. She used the little energy she had regained to utter out a single word, the small voice only discernible to the blonde given their proximity.

The voice came with a beautiful simplicity.

“Hey.”

Chapter Text

No one was really sure when Scylla had re-lost consciousness. Her eyes themselves had only remained open for a fleeting moment, after all.

After her single-word greeting to Raelle, Scylla’s eyes had found themselves opening and then closing just a few seconds (if even) later.

Despite being momentary, the temporary eye flutter elicited a feeling of relapse from Raelle as she was once again able to drink in those beautiful blues. Whether the marine intricacies or the gaze itself intoxicated her more, all Raelle knew was that she wanted to bask in that high for all of eternity.

Those eyes were her home.

So, it was much to Raelle’s dismay when the two eyelids - which Raelle noted seemed swollen, an obvious remnant of Scylla’s injuries from not long ago - drifted closed as suddenly as they had opened.

Scylla, though, had not yet fallen asleep, despite initially seeming otherwise.

The signs of her consciousness were scattered, and sometimes difficult to read, but there nonetheless.

Like her tight grip around Raelle’s neck as the blonde carried her to the truck the other fugitives must have stolen.

Or how despite being verbally unresponsive on the ride back to the same cabin the two were kidnapped at, Scylla would lean into Raelle’s touch whenever possible. She would nestle her head into the blonde’s lap, or interlock weak fingers with Raelle’s, whose fingers shook with residual fear and anxiety from losing her soulmate not long prior.

If there was a way to be physically closer to Raelle, Scylla would take the opportunity.

Raelle didn’t mind the clinginess one bit.

What she did mind, however, were the rare occasions where Scylla would lean away from Raelle’s touch.

Raelle would sit in the back of the truck with Scylla’s head on her lap, running her fingers through the brown locks of hair, her fingers occasionally catching on strands matted with dried blood. Scylla would then wince ever-so-slightly, and Raelle, hyperaware of her every movement, would notice without fail.

The blonde tried to heal Scylla multiple times throughout the journey, but it never seemed to work flawlessly. The cuts and bruises disappeared easily enough, without even imprinting on Raelle themselves, but Scylla was still in obvious pain. Her eyebrows remained perpetually, slightly scrunched. The sweat beads on the brunette’s forehead seemed to take permanent residence.

And Raelle couldn’t do anything about it.

It was the helplessness that Raelle hated the most: the whole having-healing-abilities thing but not being able to take away Scylla’s pain.

Questions of why exactly that wasn’t working were too terrifying for Raelle to accept thinking about.

Acknowledging how wounds that Raelle swore she had already healed made themselves known not long after the healing was even more overly worrying to think about.

Because if those wounds had reappeared, that meant her work was undoing itself. And considering she had somehow brought Scylla back to life from death…

But Raelle wouldn’t let her thoughts go there. She simply wouldn’t be able to handle it. It was as if her mind protected itself, for now, at least.

Instead, she focused on how, between the clingy tendencies and sporadic wincing, Scylla seemed conscious in at least some sense for the entire journey back to the cabin.

Even when her hands had fallen from Raelle’s neck on the way out of the truck and back to the hideout, the brunette’s body seeming to fall limp in Raelle’s hold, her hand had found its way to Raelle’s waist in another suspicious grasp for someone appearing unconscious.

So, unaware if the feat was due to awareness or habit like metal drawn to a magnet, Raelle was never quite sure when Scylla had fallen unconscious.

She was sure, however, that she wished the brunette didn’t succumb to the invasive feeling telling her to do so.

Because although the brunette needed her rest, Raelle had been told by her comrades multiple times, that was 4 days ago.

And Scylla had yet to wake up.

4 days had passed of Raelle succumbing to the terrible pit in her stomach telling her she never would.

4 days of Raelle by Scylla’s bedside in the cabin that didn’t seem any less haunted than last time.

4 days of the fugitives trying to get Raelle to leave Scylla’s bedside, to drink, eat, or to do anything other than wallow in her sadness.

4 days of Raelle thinking she would never be home again.

Chapter Text

“Absolutely not.”

Raelle’s voice came out just as drained and exhausted as she felt as she sat in the chair she had grown quite close to recently.

She had her elbows on the foot of the bed Scylla lay in, her face in her hands: the same position she had been deadlocked in for the past few days.

“Then why ask for my advice just to ignore it?”

Nicte stood leaned against the doorway, her annoyance seething in her tone.

Abigail and Tally stood next to Raelle, the former with a hand on Raelle’s shoulder and the latter with one on the blonde’s hunched back.

“Believe me, I didn’t want to ask,” Abigail snarked with a little less snark than usual. As much as she had once disliked the brunette in the bed next to her, the necro had grown on her quite a bit. Plus, just as depressing if not more so, Abigail hated to see Raelle so upset and utterly lacking in both emotional and physical energy.

The situation had indeed taken its toll on everyone, so much so that Abigail had begrudgingly agreed when Tally suggested the unit seek Nicte’s advice:

‘Why would we go to her for help?’ Abigail had immediately rejected the idea, at first anyway.

‘Rae’s healing isn’t working,’ Tally started.

Raelle just sat in her usual position at the chair, her eyes closed but still listening. Each healing seemed to be more and more physically taxing than the last, and Scylla’s injuries seemed to take less and less time to reappear. Raelle had even begun to take on some of the bruises and cuts herself, though they never lasted too long before finding themselves back on their original host.

‘She can’t keep doing this,’ Tally noted, gesturing to the subject of conversation, yielding an immediate response from the blonde who had not yet spoken during the discussion at hand.

‘I’m fine.’

She didn’t even bother to lift her head from her hands, and the exhausted twinge in her voice told a story different from her words.

‘No, you’re not.’

Abigail and Tally responded simultaneously.

Tally continued, “There’s obviously something that we don’t understand about what is happening to Scylla, and considering her body is rejecting Rae’s work, it’s probably magical. Nicte has been around far longer than we have, maybe she knows something that could help.’

After a moment of silence, it was Abigail who spoke up.

‘She has a point.’

Another beat passed before Raelle added, ‘I’ll try anything.’

And so, the unit had asked Nicte for her opinion. It wasn’t really to anyone’s surprise how Nicte’s advice had landed.

“If you want to help her, you’ll do what I suggested. You can’t help her without knowing how she was injured in the first place.”

Raelle removed her hands from her face to look at Nicte as she spoke resolutely, “I am not linking with her to find out. Not without her permission.”

“Well she can’t exactly give you that right now, Blondie.”

“Then I’m not doing it. I might not be able to control what I see, and I’m not gonna risk seeing something she doesn’t want me to. I’m not gonna break her trust, not that you would know much about that though.”

Nicte let out a small, dry chuckle.

“This is why you would never make it in the Spree.”

“And why is that?” Abigail pushed.

“You straight-edge witches care too much about a ‘right’ way to do things. So much so that you end up not doing anything . It’s pathetic.”

At this, Raelle seemed visibly bothered, even more so than before.

“Does it look like I’m not doing anything?” She stood up, taking a slight step toward Nicte and away from Scylla. One of her hands lingered on the bed frame, in the name of both proximity to Scylla and physical support.

The loose short-sleeved shirt she was wearing revealed numerous bruises on her arms, a result of her recent healing session.

“You’re clearly not doing enough.”

Nicte nodded her head toward the unconscious Scylla. In response to the petty dig, Raelle took another step toward the ancient witch, as much as her aching body told her not to. Raelle was far past the point of listening to her body’s pleas.

“Excuse me?” Her anger was anything but subtle.

“You have a chance to do more, and you aren’t taking it. You have the ability to see her memories of how this happened, and you aren’t using that ability. You have the opportunity to get information you can use to wake her up, but she’s still asleep. We’ve also been at this one cabin for far longer than anyone on the run should stay in one place. You’re putting everyone else’s life in danger in the name of waiting for someone to wake up without actually trying to help them wake up. Does that sound like enough to you?”

“Watch it, Nicte,” Tally chided.

“No, by all means, tell me how to be a good girlfriend,” Raelle had gotten even closer to Nicte. She crossed her arms and rose her eyebrows, waiting.

“You asked for my advice, and I gave it. Not my fault you’re too naive and weak to act on it.”

“I’m not weak.”

“You’re endangering every other life in this cabin, lives that have actual potential and life, for a breathing corpse.”

A beat.

Raelle clenched her jaw.

“Get out,” was all Raelle said in reply, doing so through her teeth.

And Nicte did. Without so much as another word, with the exception of an amused scoff, the ancient witch left the room.

Abigail and Tally both drifted to Raelle’s side, but the blonde shrugged off their touches when they went to put a hand on her shoulder.

“I need a second,” Raelle responded coldly, but neither woman took the distant statement personally. They exchanged a glance with each other before exiting the room, closing the door behind them.

Raelle stood for a moment, back turned toward Scylla. She shut her eyes as she clenched her fists, her nails digging into already battered skin. Just when the first tear began to fall, which Raelle wasn’t sure was due to anger or sadness (though she suspected a combination of both), she lifted her clenched fist and brought it to the wall next to the shut door.

The pain surged through her hand, and then to the rest of her arm, as her fist stopped halfway through the thick wall. She recoiled in agony, bending over as she clutched her now-injured hand.

When she straightened her posture, she paced with her hands clutching her head until she ultimately found herself next to Scylla’s bed.

She stood there, just staring at the brunette before sitting on a free space on the mattress.

At first, she sat turned toward the wall.

“What am I gonna do without you, Scyl?”

The voice was broken and forced through the brink of tears.

She spoke barely above a whisper, more to herself than anyone else. It wasn’t until she turned her body toward Scylla, repositioning herself to sit on one crossed leg, that she began talking to her .

“I need you to come back to me.”

She spoke resolutely, as if not giving Scylla a choice. As if telling her she had to come back to her, whether she liked it or not. Like an army officer ordering a soldier.

Raelle reached for Scylla’s hand with one of her own, grasping it with an intensity only her love for the brunette could produce, ignoring the pain in doing so.

The hand that did not hold Scylla’s lay in the blonde’s lap.

“I never want to not have you to come home to. I never want to not have you as my home.”

Her voice broke on that last word as a salty tear found its way down her red cheek. She sniffled, wiping it away.

“Goddess, when I thought you were-“

She paused. She physically could not finish her sentence.

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Like all the oxygen on the planet vanished with you. Like you gave the planet a reason to have oxygen in the first place, if that makes sense.”

She clenched her jaw for a second to hold the rest of the tears off just a bit longer.

“I didn’t want to breathe if I wasn’t breathing in the same air you did. Scylla, I can’t exist without knowing you do too. I don’t even know how to exist without you in my life, without having you there to love. So please don’t let me.”

She gulped down the lump forming in her throat as she lifted the hand that wasn’t in Scylla’s, bringing it to the brunette’s forehead.

She gently swept a strand of hair away from the sleeping witch’s face as she spoke, “Just hold off on going to that light house, okay? It’s not time yet.”

She sniffled again.

”I always thought we’d have more time.”

And with that, Raelle rested her head on Scylla’s chest. She listened to her heart beat as if it were her favorite song coming to an end. Because for all she knew, it was.

The tears fell accordingly.

The very fragility of the pounding heart made it even more beautiful.

Her ear, pressed to Scylla’s chest, drank in every heart beat as if it were the last.

Her ear rose and fell with each movement of Scylla’s chest as she breathed.

As much as Raelle could have just sat there listening to the heart beat, it wasn’t the most miraculous sound of the evening.

No, that came from a voice other than her own as the very hand she was holding clenched back on Raelle’s recently injured extremity.

The pain was very welcomed.

Then the blonde heard the most beautiful words to ever be spoken, in her view at least.

“Your hand is sweaty.”