Chapter Text
Enid took a deep breath before knocking on the door.
She looked around. It was late, dark, it was raining and she was in the middle of nowhere. Of course there was no reception either.
Of all the things Wednesday Addams might have done after she left, holing herself up in an abandoned lighthouse somewhere on the east coast was very much in character for her.
So obviously it had to be there. However, there was always the chance Wednesday wouldn't open the door. They hadn't spoken in almost two years, after all.
But Enid was cold and tired, and that chance encounter was what had kept her going for weeks. If that didn't work, she didn't know what she was going to do. She wasn't going to give up easily.
She knocked even louder the second time.
There were some footsteps inside, the sounds of chains, bolts and padlocks, until finally the door opened slightly, still held in place by a chain. Against the light, a small figure, dressed all in black, looked at her from the vertical crack of the barely open door.
“Uhm, hi Wednesday!”, Enid waved awkwardly, hoping to be heard over the drizzle and the roar of the ocean waves. “I don't know if you remember me, I'm-”
“Enid Sinclair”, said the monotonous voice she hadn't heard in a long time. “Of course I remember. What on earth are you doing here?”
She expected Wednesday to get straight to the point.
“Erm, I'm on a trip, solo backpacking, y’know?”, Enid chuckled nervously. She always got nervous when she lied. “And I remembered you once told me about your creative retreat, and now I was on the east coast and I passed by this town and they kinda said there was a goth writer in the abandoned lighthouse, so I thought it'd be you and I’d come say hi and well, I thought I'd-”
“There's no time for this”, Wednesday muttered, slamming the door behind her.
Enid stood in the drizzle, unable to react, mouth opening and closing, and feeling extremely stupid. They hadn't spoken for almost two years, for goodness sake. Of course Wednesday didn't want to hear anything from her! Who was she kidding? How could she put all her hopes in someone she hadn't spoken to in almost two fricking years?
With her head spinning a million miles per hour, Enid couldn't hear the sound of locks and bolts rattling once more. When the door opened again and the light hit her face, she had to blink hard to hide her incipient tears. It didn’t really matter because they hid behind the dark circles under her eyes and the rain on her face.
“Hurry up and come in”, Wednesday said, stepping away from the threshold. “When you're no longer in danger of dying of hypothermia, we'll talk”.
Still unable to say anything, Enid climbed the steps and stepped into the light.
“Take off your shoes and hang up your jacket”, Wednesday said without looking at her, making room for it on a coat rack and a small bench against the wall. “Did you walk all the way here?”, she turned and raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah”, was all Enid could say as she did as she was told. “Do you, hm, do you mind if I crash here tonight?”, she asked gingerly. “I wasn’t planning on coming so late, but I didn’t think it was that far either, uhm-”
“Yes, Enid, you may stay”, the brunette sighed. “Now, I assume you have a change of clothes in your backpack?”, she asked, entering through a french door on her right.
Enid just nodded, picking up her backpack from the floor and following Wednesday.
The space was distributed in a huge open room, with a high, sloping ceiling. To the left was a kitchen with a small island, and to the right was a sitting area with a couch and coffee table facing a fireplace. At the back was an alcove with two doors on either side. The place mixed the old bricks of the building, the wood of the beams and the floor and the classic, gothic decor of the Addams, although not as dark as Enid would have expected from Wednesday.
“I'll plug in the heater”, Wednesday said as she fiddled with some controls in a kitchen cabinet.
Enid felt so weird being there. She felt like an intruder, watching Wednesday move around so naturally in her own space, in black sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, black slippers scuffing along the floorboards. In all the hurry, Enid hadn't even noticed that Wednesday wasn't wearing her trademark symmetrical braids, but a single long one that fell down her back.
She ignored the way that made her feel.
The brunette then went to the end of the room and entered the door on the left. There was the sound of cupboards opening and closing, before she poked her head over the threshold with a frown.
“Come here, I wouldn't want to have a frozen corpse in my living room anytime soon”, she said impatiently before going back inside.
Enid hurried after her, trying not to think about the way her wet socks squelched on the wooden floorboards.
The bathroom was small but functional, with black tiles and white fixtures, copper-colored faucets. Wednesday had left a couple of black towels on a stool beside the tub.
“It takes a little time to warm up, but it shouldn't take much longer”, Wednesday said, closing the door.
Enid stood there for a few seconds, still holding her backpack. She looked at herself in the mirror then, and saw that she was pale and had incredible dark circles under her eyes. She was completely soaked and her teeth were chattering, she hadn't even noticed until now. She understood then why Wednesday was in such a hurry for her to get warm. Evidently neither her clothes nor her body were prepared for the East Coast weather. She would have laughed if she weren't so tired.
She stripped off her clothes and grabbed a spare pair of sweatpants and a pajama tshirt, turning on the faucet and stepping in without testing the water first. It was warm and she felt like a new person. She sighed. It was the first hot shower she'd had in over three weeks.
When she came out, Wednesday was stirring a pot on the stove, and without turning around she pointed behind her.
“Leave the wet clothes over on the rack by the fireplace”, she said.
Enid obeyed and went back to the kitchen. It smelled of hot paprika and the aromatic herbs that had been planted next to the window.
“So you really don’t mind if I crash here tonight?”, she asked in a small voice.
“No. Now, sit down, this is almost done”, the shorter girl told her.
She had almost forgotten that Wednesday said everything nonchalantly, but there was always an undertone of impatience in her words. Back in school, Enid always felt like she was being told off. But in that moment she was grateful for the directness in the Addams girl’s words, because she was honestly too dazed to really think for herself.
The blonde shuffled over to the island and sat down on one of the stools. She knew she was tired, but now, finally clean and in warm, dry clothes, she felt her eyes almost closing. Wednesday served her a bowl of lumpy, spicy soup and a glass of water.
“It's leftover sopa de ajo , a Castilian dish”, she said nonchalantly as she blew on a hot black mug of tea. “I wasn't expecting guests, so I have nothing more to offer you”.
“No, don't worry, it's perfect”, Enid replied, taking the first sip. It tasted of garlic and paprika. “It's delicious, by the way”.
Wednesday hummed and took the stool next to her.
Enid observed her, realizing that it was the first time she had seen her so close in such a long time.
The Wendedsay she remembered from Nevermore was all hardness, disdain and indifference. She still had the same menacing, gothic aesthetic, but she looked softer, more relaxed. Her expression wasn't as harsh, her skin was darker, her bangs were longer and framing her face and the freckles on her cheeks were more prominent. Perhaps it was seeing her in her own home, which didn't look dark and gloomy, but rather downright welcoming, that made her notice that something had changed after all these years. She looked as beautiful as she remembered, but maybe more soft, less intimidating, more mature.
She wondered if Wednesday was thinking about how she had changed. She had grown a couple of inches, her hair was longer, almost to her shoulders, and had a faded bubblegum color at the ends. She also wondered if Wednesday had noticed how pale she looked, or the dark circles under her eyes.
Completely lost in her thoughts, Enid finished the plate. It was then that she realized she hadn't said anything at all in that while.
“Ohmigosh, sorry, you're being so nice and I'm not even saying anything to you”, Enid apologized with a sheepish smile.
“I was just pondering your change in demeanor from when we were in Nevermore. It seemed like you wanted to set a daily word record back then”, Wednesday inquired with a raised eyebrow.
That got a soft laugh out of Enid. “I'm still like that, don't worry”, she joked. “I'm just, uhm, I'm just tired”.
Wednesday nodded once, got up and left through the french door they had entered to get to the other side of the lighthouse, and just Enid stood there, not knowing what to do. She decided to wash her plate, glass and mug, since that was the only thing she felt she could contribute at the moment.
A short while later Wednesday returned with a pillow and a book in one hand and a tote bag hanging from her other shoulder, and walked wordlessly into the room across from the bathroom.
“Do you need anything else?”, she asked as she came out after putting her things away.
“Umm, no”, Enid replied. “Besides, I don't think I'll last much longer awake, to be honest”.
Wednesday nodded. “Follow me then”.
Wednesday went the same way she had gone before, crossing the hall where they had entered the lighthouse tower. Opposite the french doors there were two doors, she entered the one on the right, which led to a circular staircase that went up inside the tower. A tall window let the outside look out, and made the rain and waves resonate in space. The stairs ended in the side of an almost circular room, which must have been the centre of the lighthouse.
It was a simple bedroom with a large four-poster bed and black sheets, and an armchair facing a window from which they could almost see the waves breaking against the cliff. Opposite the bed was a door surrounded by a huge built-in black-wooden wardrobe that took up the entire opposite wall. Stairs continued up the side wall to a closed trapdoor.
Enid dropped her backpack on the edge of the bed and looked around the room.
“Is this your bedroom?”, she asked.
“How do you know it's mine?”, Wednesday asked unimpressed, raising an eyebrow.
“Lucky guess”, the blonde shrugged.
“Yes, it is”, the shorter girl hummed. “I changed the sheets. You can sleep here during your stay”.
“You really didn’t have to, I can sleep on the couch or whatever, I don't want to be a both-”
“The other bed is in my study and I need that room for work. I'll sleep there while you sleep here”, Wednesday insisted. “There's a toilet right through that door that you can use. I was planning to stay inside tomorrow morning, so you can get as much sleep as you need”, she added before turning towards the stairs.
Enid took a step forward but stopped herself before she could do something stupid, like start sobbing and throw herself for a hug.
“Why are you being so kind?”, she asked instead.
Wednesday stood at the edge of the stairs, gripping the banister.
“You have clearly come to me at a bad time”, she deadpanned.
“It was just a little rain”, Enid tried to stay nonchalant as she shook her head.
That was a lie.
True, when she'd knocked on the door it had only been a steady drizzle, but it hadn't stopped raining hard since the night before. Enid had arrived by bus to the nearest city at midday and her mobile phone battery had just run out.
Enid was so tired and desperate that she didn't even feel like crying anymore.
She thought about hitchhiking to the small town where the road supposedly led to the lighthouse began, but she got scared and ended up taking a taxi which left a considerable hole in her wallet. Then, she'd had to walk for almost an hour on a dirt road from what she remembered on the map.
Tired and desperate was an understatement, then.
“Nonsense, you were clearly shivering. It's the least I can do”, she replied with a frown. “And Addamses are no less than excellent hosts”.
“Still…”
It didn't make sense. Enid knew what Wednesday meant to her. She'd been the first person to really see her, to fit in so well with her, to make her feel truly safe. But it was ridiculous, they'd been rooming together for less than four months. She didn't even think Wednesday would remember her. So why all this? Why be so kind, so gentle, with someone who shouldn't have to mean anything in your life?
“Enough”, the brunette her off, her tone more aggressive than she expected. She cleared her throat as she looked away. “Consider it as a way of returning the kindness that was once given to me and which I did not appreciate at the time”.
“Okay”, Enid nodded softly, nervously biting her lower lip. “Goodnight, Wednesday”.
That had to be enough. An exchange, an outstanding debt, and nothing more.
“Goodnight, Enid”, Wednesday nodded back before going down the stairs.
The taller girl heard the downstairs door close and stood where she was. Only her breathing, the roar of the waves and the slight hum of the heater broke the silence.
Unwilling or unable to process everything that had just happened, Enid closed the curtains and climbed into bed and fell asleep from sheer exhaustion the second her head hit the pillow.
She would think about the consequences of running away from home later.
Enid woke up surrounded by a smell that reminded her of home. Not the home that should have been her home (which it never had been, and now it certainly wasn't), but a feeling of home from a more distant memory.
She opened her eyes. A ray of light was coming through the curtains she hadn't closed all the way the night before. With a groan she stretched and got up, standing for a minute looking out the window at the sea on the horizon.
Right. She was in a lighthouse. In Wednesday's room.
The events of the previous night came back to her suddenly and she grimaced in second-hand embarrassment.
She had planned this to look chill and cool, but she was sure she had come out looking like a desperate mess. When they were in Nevermore, Wednesday could read her like an open book. She hoped it wouldn't be like that anymore, because besides being desperate, she didn't want to look like a liar.
Quickly combing her hair and changing into jeans and a pink T-shirt, she tried to turn on her phone, but it was totally dead. She had forgotten to charge it last night, but it didn't matter anyway as there was no signal where they were. She left it charging on the bedside table and went down the circular stairs.
Crossing the hall she entered the large living room, where Wednesday sat in the armchair by the fireplace with a book in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. She was wearing black jeans with her oversized hoodie and her symmetrical braids styled to perfection.
The orange tones of the fireplace suited her well.
“Good morning, Enid”, she said without looking up.
“Erm, good morning”, she replied, her voice still raspy with sleep. She cleared her throat as she tried to find a clock somewhere. “Have you had breakfast yet?”, she asked.
“No, it’s rather early and I'm just on my first coffee”, Wednesday replied, putting the book down on the table and walking to the kitchen.
“How many coffees do you drink a day?”, Enid chuckled.
“Wouldn't you like to know”, the brunette deadpanned, taking another mug from the cupboard.
Enid smiled. She had forgotten how sarcastic Wednesday was. She had missed it.
“Toast?”, Wednesday asked, turning on the gas stove and putting a frying pan on.
“Yes please”, Enid replied with a sheepish smile.
“Slice as much bread as you like, and two more for me”, the other indicated as she prepared to cut some tomatoes into slices.
Soon they were sitting at the island like last night, side by side, with toast and tomato and olive oil on their plates and fresh coffee in their mugs.
“I almost forgot”, Wednesdaysay hummed, getting up to get milk from the fridge and a jar of honey. “I don't have those syrups and creams you used to order at the Weathervane. I don't think I can make you a doble syrup vanilla caramel oat macchiato. No matter how efficient I am in the kitchen, I’m still not able to make things appear out of nowhere".
Enid snorted. “Don’t worry, it's cool”.
She tried to ignore the pang she felt at the thought that Wednesday had somehow remembered her favorite coffee order. It was probably because Wednesday remembered everything, and that was why she had retained that information, of course.
“Eugene's?”, she asked with a smile, pouring herself a generous spoonful of honey.
“Of course”, Wednesday replied.
She ate her toast in silence, and Enid decided to respect her and not break the calm that now surrounded them. She felt lighter, it was the first time in weeks (even months) that she didn't have the feeling of being on the run.
“I know you're not telling me everything”, Wednesday suddenly said from behind her coffee mug. She looked intently at Enid for a second, who was staring at her with wide eyes. “That being said”, she continued, “you don't need to explain yourself to me or force yourself to tell me anything if you don't feel comfortable. You may stay here as long as you need and want”.
Enid gulped audibly. She didn't know what to say. She knew Wednesday noticed everything, knew everything, and knew she could read her like an open book. She felt stupid then for lying, for not having the will or the strength to talk, and for having shown up there unannounced in the first place.
“I… “, she starts quietly, and there’s hesitation in her voice. “Thank you”, she said finally.
Wednesday just nodded, before finishing her coffee in one gulp and leaving her things in the sink. “I should also say that I can offer you a place to stay, but not a very interesting company. However, you can accompany me in my daily activities if you wish”.
“It’s okay, Wednesday”, Enid laughed, gathering her things as well. “I always enjoyed the times I spent with you”, she added in a lower voice.
Wednesday raised an eyebrow and held her gaze for a moment.
“In that case, let's get started on the day, shall we?”