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Chapter Text

“Enid, it’s me! Can’t you remember? I know you’re in there somewhere…” Wednesday shouted desperately just as the werewolf, much more ragged and wild looking than she could have believed of her best friend, started to lunge at her. The wolf showed no signs of recognition, and growled angrily.

Running away was the logical thing to do, but she didn’t want to run away, not after all that time she spent looking for Enid, not now she’s finally found her. Unbidden, her thoughts went back to that corridor in Willow Hill, watching the Hyde run towards her. She didn’t know for certain he won’t kill her. But she hadn’t been afraid to face him. And she would never show weakness in front of Tyler Galpin. Not again, anyway. She had promised herself that as he walked away from her in that night at the police station.

Now though, she was afraid, and every moment she wasted she was dooming both herself and Enid. But how was she to outrun a werewolf, and an alpha at that? Enid looked healthier than Wednesday had expected. There were no reports of animals or humans mauled around this area, which was why Wednesday had arrived here less prepared, simply ticking the boxes of list of woods she and Uncle Fester thought Enid would be found. She got annoyed at herself for not expecting the unexpected.

All this was going through Wednesday’s mind when suddenly, the wolf stopped and turned away. Wednesday watched with confusion as the wolf ran in the opposite direction, away from her. After the momentary relief, she gathered herself and followed Enid, keeping a safe distance to stay hidden from the wolf this time. Enid didn’t run from fear for anything, it was like she was answering a call, although Wednesday had heard nothing.

It took her a while to find the wolf again following the trail of broken twigs. Enid didn’t seem to notice her, she was bent down, feeding on something? But she didn’t have enough time to hunt a new prey after me, thought Wednesday, then she noticed movement a few feet from Enid. She kept herself hidden and craned to get a better look at the stranger whose intervention had saved her life.

It was a dimly lit night with only a crescent moon, but Wednesday would recognize that silhouette anywhere. Tyler Galpin, she thought, and her heart stood still for a moment.

Tyler watched as the werewolf ate the meat he had brought. She didn’t seem to mind that it was discards from the supermarket. He knew a wolf would prefer to hunt its own prey, but he also knew that she’d learned the hard way that it was risky to hunt around here. These woods were for the rich humans, not wolves, and those privileged bastards came with an entourage strong enough in numbers and firearms to capture a werewolf. They almost did, the first time he saw her here. He had saved her then by distracting them with his Hyde form and giving her time to run. After threatening to kill her for months, when he finally found her alone and vulnerable, he had saved her life risking his own. Why?

It wasn’t a full moon; did he think it was a fellow hyde he was saving? That was a good lie to tell if anyone asked, but not to himself. He knew her wolf scent, he knew her hair, and battered and famished though she was, he knew Enid. How could he not? He’d almost killed her once. She’d almost killed him another time. Except that wasn’t her. And *she* was never going to kill him. He knew that now. And because of that, he also knew why he’d saved Enid instead of killing her, why he’s kept helping her for the past few months, why he didn’t leave this town yet. But he didn’t like to know that, so he pushed that thought away.

It’s not like either of them had anywhere to go anyway. Well, she had a family, friends, people who loved her. He didn’t know why she ran away from them in the first place. Surely some outcasts could have helped her? Then again, he knew outcasts also had ‘normies’ and ‘outcasts’ within them. A werewolf was a “normie” outcast, but whatever Enid was now must be an outcast among outcasts. He saw no vestiges of the girl he’d once known in the wild wolf. That had made him feel a strange mix of pity and empathy for the wolf girl. He liked his Hyde self, he would die rather than lose it, but he wouldn’t want to stay like that all the time. And he knew all too well about being trapped. That’s another reason why he helped her. But he didn’t like to know that either, because that would mean admitting that there’s still a bit of that soft little barista boy inside him, and he hated that.

Tyler hated all of his past. He hated all of his present too, but he had resigned himself to live through that. The present is the inevitable necessity of life that he had to trudge on. The past however, could be left for the dead, never to be visited again.

Why then, why then, did every rustle of the leaves and every whisper of the wind on the door cause his thoughts to rush unrestrainedly towards *her*? asked a small voice inside his head, softly, smugly. He ignored that question and walked back to his cabin at the edge of the woods.

If he hadn’t been too preoccupied with burying his thoughts of Wednesday, Tyler would have noticed her following him.

Chapter Text

Wednesday’s mind was a whirlwind of questions as she discreetly followed Tyler. What’s his deal with Enid? Was he helping her? Why? Was he planning to hurt her somehow? Is he still following orders? Did he have a new master? Who? Most annoyingly, how come Enid was not hurting him? How did he build a rapport with her best friend, while she failed miserably? Of course, he might have been feeding her longer, that would explain a sort of Pavlovian reflex from her part, thought Wednesday, though she hated making the comparison. 

A well-fed werewolf was less likely to attack her, but Wednesday decided that she would fare better in questioning Tyler for more information rather than talking sense into Enid in her current state. So, she followed Tyler, trying to see where he went, hoping to find more about his new master if any. Just the idea of him with yet another master left a bitter taste in her mouth. She no longer wished to become his master, not after watching him plead to his mother for freedom and then to herself for death in Iago Tower. But it’s highly likely that he found a new master, for self-preservation if nothing else. A new master would mean that he won’t die soon, but it also means there is a Hyde out there who’s being controlled by someone of potentially questionable motives. The thought filled her with unease. To make it worse, she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she should be happy if he found a new master, because that would mean he wasn’t dying. No, why would that please her? But wouldn’t that comfort her? Yes? No? Like always the case with Tyler, her mind was left with a confusing mixture of thoughts and feelings. Someone who had always prided herself in being logical and devoid of emotional weaknesses, Wednesday hated the effect he had on her, even after everything he did.

No point dwelling on all of that now, she told herself. Right now, her focus should be Enid. Ask him about Enid. Getting information about Enid shouldn’t involve facing any of her own feelings about his current situation. She continued following him.

She watched him go into a dilapidated cabin. It didn’t look like anyone else lived there. She walked around and tried to do some detective work, like her heroine Viper often does before confronting a nemesis. She saw a truck with cartons bearing the name of a local store. Maybe he worked there now. She sent in Thing into the cabin for more recon. He returned and confirmed that Tyler was alone but discouraged her going in there by herself right now. She didn’t care. Uncle Fester took the wrong week to go on a side-quest about rescuing Louise from a nearby asylum (after she had been mistakenly taken in as patient instead of employee following the events at Willow-Hill), too bad for him. She will rescue Enid with no help from her uncle. It’s only Tyler, she wasn’t afraid to deal with him alone.

She went straight to the cabin and knocked on the door.


Tyler sensed the once-familiar scent of oakmoss and dried rose before he heard her knock. Initially, he thought he had imagined the scent. It wouldn’t be the first time. Stop thinking about Wednesday, he chastised himself, but then he found her standing at his door.

Seeing her in the flesh made him return to the reality of who they were now. She must have come looking for Enid. Finally. Now he doesn’t have to worry about not doing anything to help Enid other than bring her food.

Sure enough, the first thing Wednesday asked was, “What are you doing to Enid?”.

Of course. She thinks I mean to harm her. Reasonable assumption, all things considered, thought Tyler. “Nothing, she seemed hungry, and I had excess food to dispose of”, he replied evenly.

“Just that? Or does your new master want an alpha under their leash too?” She persisted.  This question confused Tyler. “I don’t have any master, and what is an alpha?” he asked.

Wednesday glared at him, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. She decided he was being honest, and answered him in kind. “Enid, she’s an alpha. That’s why she is in wolf form even when it’s not a full moon. She got trapped in this form after she transformed to dig me out the grave in which your uncle had buried me.”

Tyler winced at these words. He remembered watching her getting buried. It was a dream come true, until it was his worst nightmare. In life or death, she was his. He wanted her to be his. Isaac had no right to harm her. Just thinking about it made him seethe with rage. He had wanted to transform then, pull her out of the grave and carry her away from his insane family. Instead he was forced to stand by and watch, “like a good little Hyde,” as she would have added.

At least his orders didn’t include alerting Isaac of invisible witnesses, so he had let her redheaded little stalker stay shaking with fear watching everything. It must have been she who brought Enid to the grave. Enid, unlike him, did rescue her from the grave and is now paying the price for it. This realization upset him in more ways than one. Destroyed and depressed as he was, there was a small part of Tyler Galpin that felt magnanimous for helping Enid, and that part died now. Nothing he did would be sufficient payback for the debt he owed Enid.

“No, no, NO!” the Hyde growled. You owe her nothing, she disrupted your plans. Stop being sympathetic to the werewolf. You should rip her apart the next time you see her.

Chapter Text

Hyde hated the alpha wolf. Hated Tyler for helping her. Hated him even more for using *him*, the Hyde, to help her. He thinks he’s closed himself to feelings after all the betrayals, but he’s worse than ever before, the Hyde thought about Tyler’s recent state of mind.

But she saved Wednesday. And you owe her more than I do, don’t you? Tyler asked the Hyde. He let the monster process that, and continued his conversation with Wednesday. He told her how he found Enid. How he returned to the woods to see if she was still there, and how they developed a reluctant camaraderie. “Usually she comes near the edge of the woods once a week or so. I don't know where she goes in between. It's a vast forest and I haven't ventured too deep inside. I tried following her once, but she didn't seem to like it and stayed away for two weeks. I think she only comes here when she's hungry and can't find other food.”   

Wednesday didn’t think Tyler was lying, but she couldn’t fathom his motives. “Why are you helping Enid? You bragged about intending to kill her!” and me, she thought, but didn’t say it aloud.

“She needed help. And I am in a position to do so.” He answered simply, as if he hadn’t heard her second question, as if Willow Hill and Dia de los Muertos never happened. “I never really wanted to hurt Enid. I only talked about wanting to kill her to mess with your head,” he added, because she looked unsatisfied with his first answer.

It was true, too. Just not the whole truth. I mentioned Enid to keep you talking a little longer. I threatened to kill her because I knew the only way you’d try to find me was if you thought I would harm someone close to you. It was maddeningly lonely in that cell. So tiny and suffocating. They wouldn’t let me come out, wouldn’t let me hunt, and I missed playing games with you, Wednesday. Hyde liked Wednesday, too, and was angry when his mother interrupted him becoming hers.

As she continued to stare, Tyler told her drily, “If you have plans to help her transform back, I’ll help you.”

“Why?” she asked, with her eyes probing deep into his, as if to mine out the answer by herself.

You know why, he thought. But what he told her was, “because I’m getting bored to death with the peaceful life out here”, half sardonic like the cynical Hyde with whom she’d once traded barbs at Willow Hill, half sincere like the trapped boy who’d once offered her a ride out of Jericho, to freedom. She didn’t know which one disturbed her more. She didn’t know with which one she had fallen in love.

“All right, I accept your offer.” She said, still measuring him up, not fully convinced. “Your skills would be useful for tracking her. Maybe we can find her before my Uncle Fester joins me here.” It wasn’t a competition, but Wednesday loved the idea of beating her beloved Uncle in the search. “Don’t you have a spare room?” Thing had informed her as much.

“Yes, but it’s dusty and cramped, it’s more of a storage area”, he replied with hesitation. Tyler hadn’t expected her to stay with him in that cabin. Also, he didn’t fancy the idea of waking up to find himself chained to the bed yet again. Or worse, in a padded cell. But it was late night, and he sure wasn’t going to turn her away.

“Good, you can sleep in there. I’ll sleep in your room,” she declared, and walked in like she owned the place, before he had any time to respond.

Wednesday woke up to the delicious aroma of coffee.  She had bashed his barista skills before, but in truth she had missed it. When he saw her entering the kitchen, Tyler pushed a demitasse and some toast towards her. “It’s only a moka, you’ll need to go the town café if you need a decent espresso” he said. Wednesday sipped the coffee silently. It was no quad, but good enough for home-made coffee.

He was about to sit down with her and ask about her plans for the day when they heard voices outside. Wednesday sat up straight, her mind on high alert. There was someone outside, looking for Tyler. He went outside to look. Wednesday tried to listen in on his conversation with the newcomer. It was a woman, older by the sound of her. They were talking about some mundane subject like store supplies, then Wednesday heard him reply “yes, boss.” This address piqued her interest, and she decided to go and see to whom he’s talking.

“Hey who’s this? The woman peered inquisitively at Wednesday.

“Wednesday. Tyler’s girlfriend. I’m just visiting for vacation”. She replied briskly. She felt his breathing change beside her at the word ‘girlfriend’.

“Wow, he never told us about a girlfriend! And I didn’t ask because of how he keeps to himself for the most time. This is good! Maybe your arrival will cheer him up.” Said the woman cheerfully. Wednesday sighed internally. Clearly this wasn’t the evil mastermind she was hoping to find. But she didn’t suspect Thornhill to be evil either, maybe she should watch more keenly. “I’m Marilla, by the way. Nice to meet you, Wednesday. See you at the party! You must come; Tyler will give you the details. Ciao!” With that the woman drove away.

Tyler turned to Wednesday, paused for a moment, and said, “When I called her boss, it’s because she’s my supervisor at work. Her family owns some shops around town, and I work part time at some of them. She’s not my master or anything like that.”

Wednesday hated how he knew what she was thinking. “I didn’t think she was,” she replied, a little too quickly, and the lie wasn’t lost on Tyler. He didn’t say anything more on the matter, but asked, “Why did you tell her you were my girlfriend?”

“Easier explanation than telling her that I’m here looking for an alpha werewolf.” That was true, though it had nothing to do with why she said she was his girlfriend. Not to mention, she could have easily introduced herself as just a friend, but she needed to gauge other people's reaction to her putting a claim on him. There was no need to share that information with him just now, though he seemed to suspect it anyway. “What’s this party she mentioned?” Wednesday asked, changing the topic.

“It’s a birthday party for Tilly, one of the girls from work. It’s only a small party in the local library. Not many people visit there. You don’t need to come if you don’t want to. I’ll explain to Marilla,” he said.

Wednesday was going to deny the invitation until he told her she didn’t need to come. “I think I shall come with you,” she said. “Although mostly abandoned in time by normies and outcasts alike, this is an old town, dating back to some of the earliest witch settlements in Canada. I might find something interesting in the library.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday hadn’t been to a birthday party since her own sixteenth birthday. Watching Tyler’s coworkers laugh and sing Happy Birthday, she couldn’t help but think of Enid. She felt guilty for never really thanking her for the party. She had apologized for her knee-jerk reaction to surprises, but only to use that apology as way to press-gang Enid into her investigation of the Gates mansion. And now she didn’t know if Enid could ever go to a birthday party again. Disturbed, she turned her attention away from the people and took in the architecture and decor of the library. For the birthday party, they had hung fairy lights along the walls and parts of the ceiling. That reminded her of her crypt date with Tyler. She wondered if it was he who put up these lights here. Not that she cared for that sort of stuff.

Annoyed by the rush of birthday-related memories, Wednesday left her fellow guests to explore other parts of the library on her own. Tyler had informed her there was a whole section dedicated to outcasts in here. Maybe there could be something useful. She moved silently among the shelves, looking for authors and titles that had come up in her research about werewolves. Hydes, too. Somehow she trusted Tyler to not hurt her, but she needed to learn as much as possible about that less-explored area of outcast lore.

She was about to go deeper into the outcast section, when Wednesday realized she had company. Two young men, poring through the books as if looking for something specific. There was something about the way they moved that intrigued her. They didn’t look very bookish, but there was no questioning their focus. Why were they so interested in the outcast section? She hid behind the shelves and began stalking them. As she moved near a door where the steps were uneven, she lost her balance and almost cursed at herself for being such a sloppy spy.

Thankfully, she couldn’t. Almost out of nowhere, Tyler came in and caught her before she hit the ground. She was too focused on watching the two men, she didn’t notice him coming. And now he held her close to him, covering her mouth like he had once done in the forest, hiding them both from his father. Something about the memory caused a small pang in her heart. Wednesday enjoyed that, and unlike other blasts from the past she had faced today, she did not want this to go away. It was as if she missed having him so close to her. No. She was a Raven, destined for solitude. She does not miss anyone’s physical proximity. Wednesday steadied herself.

“Werewolves. Not local. Could mean trouble.” Tyler whispered as he freed her from his grasp after they left.

“If they’re not local, how do you know they are werewolves?” she turned around to face him.

“The stench. I could tell they were there even before I saw you in there.” He had noticed her leave the festivities and followed her into the outcast section.

This was interesting. “Can you also tell that I’m a Raven from my scent?” she asked him.

“But you’re not an Avian.” Her question confused Tyler. She smelled nothing like a bird.

Clearly this newfound sensory prowess did not include hearing, or outcast knowledge. “Raven, I said, not an Avian. I have dark psychic visions, that’s because I’m a Raven. It’s a type of outcast.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “Wait, can you tell Avians by smell, then?”

“I could tell that Judi was one,” he replied, not knowing the impact his words had on her.

All that time she spent scrambling around for clues, he had known the Avian’s identity. Damn it. If only she’d asked for his help at Willow Hill… No, they were being monitored. If she learned the truth from him there, Fairburn might have locked her inside Willow Hill too.

“If I don’t smell like a Raven, what do I smell like to you?” She was curious.

Happy memories, he thought. Hope. Freedom. He knew she’d scoff at him if dared voice any of that, and chose to give her the bare facts. “Oakmoss. Dead roses. Smoke. Wood. Like a dark forest after the rains,” he couldn’t help but add.

“Good job deciphering the notes in my perfume” she said condescendingly, even though she was pleased with the forest comparison. “You can’t tell what kind of outcast I am, then?”

“No, but I can tell that it’s you,” he said.

“Even without the perfume?” she wanted to know.

He looked at her for a moment, and without warning, leaned into her neck, *sniffing* below her ear. She couldn’t help but take a sharp breath and freeze, while her stupid heart went all a-fluttering like a hummingbird. Wednesday hoped his heightened senses really did not include hearing.

She needn’t have worried. He was too caught up in taking in her scent, he didn’t seem to notice the changes in her physiology. Then, just as abruptly as he began, he stopped, looked up at her and said, “yes, even without the perfume. I can smell *you*”.

He said it like he was informing her of a simple fact, like talking about the weather. Like he hadn’t done anything unusual just now. Was it the Hyde controlling him right now, or did he never feel anything towards her? She wondered. How dare he be cold and aloof (*her* trademark traits) while he drove her senses tingling without even touching her?

“They were looking for something specific in the library. We should check the records to see which book they took.” Wednesday said, partly to focus her thoughts away from Tyler.

“We can do it tomorrow during my shift here. Right now, we need to get moving. They can’t have got very far,” Tyler said. She agreed, and they started following the werewolves.

Chapter Text

It took a while before they caught up with the werewolves. The car they left in was parked to the side in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but dark woods nearby. A door was hanging open, and they couldn’t see anyone around. Wednesday and Tyler got out of their car to get a closer look. 

The car was empty, but there was a trail of blood drops leading into the woods. Could Enid have found and attacked them? Wednesday looked at Tyler, and without exchanging any words, they started following the blood trail.

When they reached a clearing, Wednesday saw a pair of shoes sticking out from behind the tree. Approaching it, they saw the mutilated corpse of one of the men she saw in the library. She looked at the claw marks on his face and hands. The nature of his death was obvious – blood loss caused by animal attack.

“There was one more. It doesn’t look like he ran back to the car.” She told Tyler. He understood. Find the other, and we find Enid.

Then she saw it. Paw prints, leading to her left. She followed it closely, and came to a stop beneath a tree. “Do wolves climb trees?” She asked, more to herself than to Tyler, and then looked around to realize that he wasn’t around.  “Tyler!” she called out.

And suddenly, she felt something heavy and alive fall onto her shoulder. She tried to kick it off, but it gripped her with sharp claws. Struggling against its grasp, she pulled out the taser from her pocket and tried to zap it. She and the creature were wrestling in the ground just as Tyler came from the other side and separated them. After Wednesday’s taser and kung fu moves, Tyler was able to restrain it without even transforming to his Hyde form. He used the leather straps of Wednesday’s backpack to tie up the creature and then turned to her.

“You alright? Did it hurt you?” Tyler’s voice was frantic with concern. He saw that one side of her neck was bleeding from the scratches. “Let’s go back to the car. There’s a first aid box inside. These wounds will get worse if not treated soon.”

He pulled up Wednesday and held her shoulders to steady her. They turned to the creature, only to see a small boy lying unconscious, tied to Wednesday’s backpack. A Hyde, they realized.

“Isn’t he too young to be unlocked? He can’t be more than ten.” Wednesday asked Tyler. He said nothing, but stared at the boy with an expression of shock and horror.

“How did you find him? I thought we were following the blood trail.” Tyler asked.

“I saw paw prints to one side and followed it. I thought you were behind me. I assume you followed the blood trail leading to the second werewolf?” she asked him.

“Yes, but I didn’t get very far till I heard you calling my name. We should turn back to home now. Your wounds need dressing.” He urged, as he wrapped the child in his jacket and lifted him over his shoulder. “We can’t leave him here. And he could tell us more about those wolves. I’ll keep him restrained.” He reassured her, though he knew she wouldn’t be worried about this pint-sized Hyde boy, given how brazenly she walked into his own cabin. The boy’s claws were sharp, and he must have been agile enough to have ambushed Wednesday, but he lacked strength, Tyler knew. Or else two humans wouldn’t have been able to take him down.

Once they reached the car, Tyler laid the boy on the backseat, and secured the seatbelt. Wednesday got the first aid box from the glove compartment, and tried to press some bandages over the wounds on her neck.

“Here, let me.” Tyler said, and he started bandaging her wounds. Her thoughts flew back to the time when their roles were reversed, and she was the one putting bandages on him after a Hyde “attack”. She wondered if he was thinking of the same, and squinted to see his face. If he harbored any regrets about making a fool of her and her concern towards him, he showed no signs of it. Instead, his face was caught in a duality of desire and hunger. One moment he looked like he wanted to kiss her neck, the next moment like he wanted to bite into it and devour her. She considered which option would be worse if he carried through, and found herself morbidly craving both.

Fortunately or unfortunately, he chose neither. Once the bleeding stopped and her wounds were all bandaged, he started the car and they were back at his cabin in no time.

Chapter Text

“We should keep him secured,” Wednesday told Tyler as soon as they got inside his cabin and laid the boy down on the sofa.

“He’s only a child.” Tyler replied, as if that made everything safe.

“We don’t know who his master is, and currently he is the only lead we have towards werewolf packs who might be hunting after alphas. We can’t let him escape.” She explained.

“We are NOT chaining him to the sofa.” Tyler replied with a hint of something like fury in his voice. Wednesday did not understand where he got that idea, nor why he sounded so stubborn.

“I didn’t suggest that we tie him up, the two of us were able to take him down in his Hyde form, he’d be weaker as a human. But we should lock the doors to prevent him escape. He did not come with us voluntarily, after all,” she told him.

Tyler did not look very satisfied, but went into his room to search for some clothes for the boy.

Wednesday didn’t think any of Tyler’s clothes would fit the child. Maybe she could lend him some of her own clothes, now that Thing had returned with her luggage from the motel where she and Uncle Fester had last set up camp.

She was considering which of her tops and shorts would suit the child, when Tyler returned with a set child’s clothing that looked like it would have been fashionable during the second world war. “Before I moved in, this cabin was often used for some summer camp for children. I guess they used to do historical reenactments.” Tyler explained in answer to her raised eyebrow.

“I guess that will do.” Wednesday told Tyler. The boy might transform and damage the clothing anyway, she thought.

“I’ll stay awake and stand guard in case he wakes up,” Tyler said after he finished dressing the boy.

“Thing can do that. You should get some sleep and save your energy for tomorrow - we have work to do in the library and perhaps outdoors too,” she said. She was trying to be considerate of her ally to maximize his efficiency, but Tyler seemed to take it the wrong way.  

“I know you think that the only thing a Hyde understands is pain, but you are not torturing him for information like you did with me in Xavier’s shed,” he huffed.

Wednesday stared at him for a long moment, then said, “The only child I like to torture is my brother.” She paused, then continued, “And I didn’t torture you because you were a Hyde. I tortured you because you betrayed me.”  And there it was. The ugly truth. She never admitted it to anyone, not even to herself, how much his betrayal had hurt her. And now she just shared that with him of all people. Wednesday wished she could find a grave and bury herself in it, not for pleasure, but for evasion.

It was Tyler’s turn to stare, unsure of how to respond. What am I to tell her? That I was following orders, that I had no choice? But she knew that, she knew that all the time, she had read Faulkner’s diary, she must have read Laurel’s too since she made that concoction to try master him. Tell her that I was sorry? What good was that? Did he think Wednesday Addams would accept his apology, after everything he has done? Not killing him was one thing, he still wasn’t sure if it was kindness, ideals, or convenience that caused her to free him -- but forgiving him? Not her way. She didn't bury hatchets, she sharpened them. He remembered. 

So he gave her the only response that he thought could even slightly satisfy her. “If it pleases you, I have been betrayed time and time again by everyone I trusted.”

“It does not please me. I don’t delegate my revenge plans to the universe,” she replied coldly.

“If it’s revenge you want, why didn’t you kill me at Iago tower?” he asked her. “You said you missed, but I know you better than that, Wednesday. You *never* miss. And even if you had, you could have killed me yesterday while I slept.”

“I might still kill you in your sleep,” she said. “But as you know, I need you for saving Enid.”

“Does that mean I still have my death at your hands to look forward to?” he asked, taking a step closer and looking straight into her eyes. This close, Wednesday noticed no hint of fear or anger in his eyes. Only a kind of… fascination? Like he was coaxing her to kill him. Not begging like he did in Iago tower. Instead, he had the same expression on his face as he did when he was about to kiss her in the crypt. Their crypt date was the last thing she wanted to think of just now, so she took a step back involuntarily, as if physical distance would help erase memories that she wanted gone.

That turned out to be a bad move, because instead of the level floor it was expecting, her foot found the luggage trunk that Thing had placed by her room door. For the second time that day, she lost her balance and almost fell, and once again Tyler caught her. Except this time, the falling and catching wasn’t as silent as it was in the library. The noise woke up the boy, who looked around in confusion. 

Chapter Text

“Who are you?” Wednesday asked the boy, wasting no time. He didn’t reply, but looked from Wednesday to Tyler and back to Wednesday with a scared face.

“We won’t hurt you.” Tyler said. “Are you well? Do you need us to call anyone?”

The boy didn’t respond. He looked down at his strange clothing, and around the room. Thankfully Wednesday had signed Thing to stay hidden, so that was one less shock for the boy. “What’s your name?” she asked him, crouching down and keeping her face level to his.

“I… Byron calls me monster. They all call me monster.” He said at last.

“Who are they?” asked Wednesday.

“His pack. Byron’s. Silas and Seb and the rest. I hurt Silas when he caught me in the forest, but Seb must be looking for me.” He looked around fearfully, almost expecting someone to barge in through the door and capture him.  

“Is Byron your master?” she asked him.

“Yes. He said I was special. That’s why he chose me. To train me better.” The boy replied, then looked horrorstruck. “But I failed, didn’t I? I ran away. Hurt Silas.” Then he saw the bandages on Wednesday’s neck. “Did I hurt you?” he asked, with a voice sounding like it was pleading her to say no.

“’Tis but a scratch.” Wednesday said.

“I’m sorry. Byron will punish me now. Will you tell him you weren’t hurt that badly? I shouldn’t have run away, but, but,” he couldn’t finish the sentence.

“What’s your name?” Tyler asked the boy.

“My name… they call me monster.” He repeated. His eyes looked like his mind was somewhere else.  

“How old are you?” asked Wednesday.

“I’ll be ten soon. I think. I have been counting the moons. I don’t know my birthday though. Byron showed me how to become the monster on my seventh birthday. That was... 33 moons ago.” Nearly three years, Wednesday thought with a shudder. She remembered her family’s frantic search for Pugsley, and wondered if this child’s family believed him dead.

“What’s your name?” Tyler asked again.

The boy looked uncomfortable as he struggled to remember his own name. And he was worried I will be the one to torture the child, thought Wednesday.  

“Is it Freddie?” asked Tyler, with a strange look in his eyes. Wednesday wondered where that question came from. Was the boy a distant relative of Tyler’s?

“You are Freddie, aren’t you?” Tyler asked again, tentatively. The boy turned towards Tyler, eyes widened, and asked, “do you know my mommy?”

“Why do you think we might know your mother?” asked Wednesday.

“Only mommy ever called me Freddie. Byron and the pack always called me monster. Will you take me to my mommy? If you do, you can come to my tenth birthday party.” Why do people keep inviting her to birthday parties? thought Wednesday, as Freddie continued. “Byron didn’t do anything for my last two birthdays. Mommy did a big party for my seventh. It was magical. But then I wolfed out that night, and Byron caught me and took me away.”

“You - what?” Wednesday wasn’t sure she heard him right. “You’re a Hyde and a werewolf?” As she spoke those words, she felt like she had a good idea who Freddie’s mother might be. Of course, she named the boy after his father. This must be Alfred Penn Jr. in front of her. Question was, how does Tyler know Capri? Has he been casually keeping in touch with everyone she’s seeking?

“Yes. Byron said that’s why I’m special. That’s why he took me. He has some big plan for special outcasts.” Freddie answered.

Special outcasts. Does that include alpha werewolves? She had suspected the wolves might have something to do with Enid. But if a werewolf who turned a seven-year-old boy into a Hyde and kept him chained for three years is on the hunt for Enid, it was bad news. They needed to act fast. She looked at Tyler, who also looked tense.

“We’ll call your mom, and ask her to come pick you up soon, okay?” Tyler told the boy, calming him.

“Do you know what Byron is planning?” Wednesday asked Freddie.

“No, he just taught me how to become the monster, and took me along with his pack on full moons.”

“Is Byron an alpha?” 

“He’s the leader of the pack. Is that an alpha?” Freddie didn’t know much about alphas.

“Can he turn to a wolf when it’s not full moon?”

“Don’t know. When are you calling mommy?” The boy seemed restless.

“Here, speak to her.” Tyler handed his phone to Freddie, with the video call open. Wednesday raised her right eyebrow seeing Capri on the other end, but said nothing. As if reading her mind, Tyler rolled his eyes. No, he mouthed, before she had even finished thinking ‘is that your new master’. Oh, how she hated him.

Chapter Text

Wednesday woke up early in the following morning. Going to the living room, she found Freddie asleep on the sofa, and nodded at Thing who was watching over him. “Go to my room and take some rest,” she told Thing. She then walked over to Tyler's room, which was unlocked. She hesitated a moment, then entered without knocking. She didn't want to risk waking Freddie. There were things she wanted to discuss with Tyler before Capri arrived to pick up her son. 

Entering the dusty and cramped room, she found Tyler sleeping peacefully. The morning rays peeping through the blinds gave an auburn hue to his brown curls, and highlighted the scars on his face and neck. She hoped at least some of those marks were hers, from when she had attacked him in her werewolf form. Asleep, he seemed so harmless, so like the non-judgmental normie barista who had charmed his way into her heart a lifetime ago, that she nearly felt guilty for hurting him. Almost involuntarily, she raised a hand and ran her fingers softly along a scar on his jaw.

He must be a light sleeper, because Tyler woke up with a start and sat up fully awake. He pulled off the blankets and looked down at his feet before looking around to see her. Bewildered, he asked her, “Is something wrong?”  

“No, I wanted a chat with you before Capri arrived.” she answered. “I didn’t ask anything yesterday because I wasn’t sure Freddie wouldn’t overhear, and I didn’t want him to listen in.”

“She helped me escape Jericho after that night my mom and uncle Isaac died. She said she’ll take me to a Hyde community, a place where I could survive without a master by being part of pack.” He had known Wednesday would be curious about his connection to Capri.

“And you believed her?” Capri had done nothing directly harming to anyone Wednesday knew, but she was instantly suspicious of anyone offering free help to Tyler.

“It’s not like I had much of a choice.” he replied cynically.

“Then why are you staying alone in this town? Don’t tell me Marilla and Tilly are all Hydes too and the library is a façade for your secret community.” Wednesday was curious.

Tyler smiled at that. One of his true smiles, the ones that she used to like though she never showed it. She recalled the last time he had smiled at her like that. It was the night she lured him to the trap the Nightshades had set for him. He looked so happy to see her then, and for the first time, there was some confidence in his steps as he walked towards her, because the night before that, she had gone and kissed him, proof that she liked him back. He didn’t know she was onto his deception. She on the other hand felt nothing but hatred towards him, saw him as laughing inside at her expense, at the satisfaction of having fooled her. She had vented all that wrath out when she got him chained. That didn't mean she didn’t miss his smiles, and seeing him smile now, it made her feel strangely sad, and strangely good.

“I figured I’m not much of a pack animal,” he said, shrugging.

“And they let you leave, just like that? To my knowledge, cults don’t let people leave at their will.” Wednesday didn’t fully believe him.

“It’s not a cult, it’s a pack.” He corrected, though he had to admit she was partially right - the pack was quite cult-like, and that was part of the reason he couldn’t stay there long. “And I didn’t really leave; I still visit often to provide supplies and transfer their produce and crafts to sellers. They found I was relatively stable when functioning alone and distant, and stationed me here, where I would be safe.”

“Sounds convenient. Was it at this commune that you found about Freddie?” she asked.

“Yes. Capri founded the Hyde commune after the death of her boyfriend, with the help of their friends and family. They wanted a safe space for Hydes to avoid tragedies like Alfie Penn’s happening in the future. And she was especially worried for her child, who had a high chance of being a Hyde, since his father and grandfather-Capri’s father that is- were also Hydes,” said Tyler. “Freddie grew up in the Hyde commune, but went missing on his seventh birthday. Everyone in the commune knew the story and were sympathetic to Capri – that’s how I heard about Freddie. Most of them thought him dead by now, but when he said about seventh birthday, I knew it had to be him.”

“Capri’s father was a Hyde?” Principal Dort and Capri had both failed to mention that to Wednesday. That information hadn’t popped up in any of her searches about Capri, either.

“Yes. That was one of the reasons I thought she might be telling the truth about this Hyde commune.” Tyler said.

“Interesting. This means I have more questions than I planned to ask her when she arrives.” Wednesday said.

“What were you planning to ask?” As far as he knew, Capri and Wednesday didn’t interact much at Nevermore.

“Enid, of course. It was Capri who was guiding Enid about managing her alpha transformations. I have been searching for Capri as well as Enid, hoping she might have some ideas about how to bring her back to human form. She is a werewolf, after all.” Wednesday replied impatiently. “Which brings me to the question I wanted to ask since I learned you were in contact with Capri all this time – have you informed her about finding Enid here? My guess is you haven’t. Why not?”  

“Well, I didn’t know why Enid had run off from her friends and family and was hiding here of all places, but I supposed she must have a reason,” he said, wondering how stupid he sounded. “I didn’t want to lead anyone to her in case she didn’t want to be found.”

Wednesday understood. He was too vary of gamekeepers of the outcast world, and with good reason.

“I did drive up to the edge of the forest with the store’s truck once. I asked her if she wanted me to take her anywhere. Not sure if she understood, but she ran away.” he continued.

“Did you talk to her in human form or Hyde form?” Wednesday asked.

“Human. The Hyde is… hostile towards her.” he said, absent-mindedly touching the scar on his face Enid had given him. 

“Does she understand you?” Enid didn’t seem to understand a word Wednesday spoke two nights before, she wanted to know if Tyler did any better.

“I don’t know. I think she recognizes me, though. She never tried to attack me. Well, that might mean she doesn’t recognize me. Sometimes she listens when I talk. Doesn’t talk back, as you can imagine from a wolf.” he said.  

“What do you talk about?”

Mostly you, he thought, but said, “just, what goes around in town, social media gossip, news and so on. She used to have a blog, didn’t she? I thought she might be missing that.”

This was good, maybe she isn’t completely gone, if she was having some sort of connection to the outside world. Wednesday knew that many high security prisoners went mad in isolation, and was worried Enid might go through something similar, trapped in the wolf form for too long. But they still needed find her before other wolf packs did, and find a way to return her to human form. Which brought her thoughts back to Capri.

“So you don’t trust Capri then?” she asked Tyler.

“I... she has been nothing but nice and friendly towards me. But people aren’t usually nice to me unless they have some ulterior motive. It’s like that movie quote - Life is pain, anyone who says differently is selling something.” Tyler told her.

“What movie quote?” Wednesday asked. It sounded true, unlike most movie lines she heard people quoting like wisdom.

“It's from The Princess Bride.” Tyler answered.

“Sounds horrific,” huffed Wednesday. It sounded like the kind of movie Enid liked to watch. 

He smiled again. “It was one of the movies I considered showing you for our date. But it is actually quite good, and I thought you might end up liking it.”

“Not a chance.” You can save it for our next date, she almost blurted out, and remembered that she was only his girlfriend in a lie she told Marilla. But wait, he picked the movie for their date? She had assumed it was Thornhill. Of all her teachers at Nevermore, Thornhill had understood her the best, Wednesday had conceded begrudgingly, even after learning of the betrayal.

“You picked the movie? I thought it was your master.” She had to know. 

“Of course I picked the movie.” Tyler couldn’t believe her reaction. All this time, did she really think their courting was all Laurel’s handiwork? Laurel, who hated the outcasts and the Addamses especially, the reason they got together? No, he couldn’t have that. “Laurel only ordered me to keep distracting you; I organized the date the way I had wanted.” He needed her to understand. “I betrayed you by not telling you the truth, because I couldn’t, I physically couldn’t, reveal my identity or my master’s. But I wasn't lying to you about my feelings, Wednesday. I never betrayed you the way you think I did.”

She stared into his eyes with an impenetrable expression. “You did way too good a job of distracting me. That was betraying me.” He couldn’t say if it was hurt or hate in her eyes.

“Not doing that good a job would have been betraying me,” he replied quietly.

With that, he stood up from the bed, grabbed her by her collar and pulled her to him, much like he had done in the forest after he found her alive. Now, as then, he wanted to kiss her; now as then, he was hungry for her. And now, as then, he felt the Hyde come bubbling up to the surface. He remembered what had happened next in the forest, and took his hands off her as if they got burnt from touching her.

“Go back to your room. I’ll make some coffee,” he said, and left the room before she did.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t long before Capri arrived. She was wearing another one of her animal print dresses, and smiled at seeing Wednesday waiting for her at the door.

Wednesday had no time for pleasantries. “You said you returned to Nevermore because you wanted to give back to your own community. You meant the Hydes, not outcasts.”

Capri’s smile didn’t falter at these words. “I heard of an underage boy being groomed and tortured because of something he was born with, and tried to see if I could help him.” 

“Those music lessons to the Willow Hill patients, was there any truth in your method, or was it merely a means to access the Hyde?” Wednesday wasn’t in a mood to let go.

“As I have told you before, Wednesday, there is power in music. It’s one way to lose yourself without really losing yourself. My professional interest in Willow Hill patients was sincere. It so happened that it had the added advantage of getting closer to those who had power over Tyler,” Capri answered. “I guess that is the traditional Addams welcome, then? How are you doing? How is Enid?”

Wednesday felt a wave of rage at that last question. How dare she ask after Enid so casually, having fled Nevermore once she got the Hyde she came to find, without even trying to find what happened with the young alpha in her care?

“Enid got trapped in her wolf form after she transformed to save me. She’s the reason I’m here.” After talking with Tyler in the morning, she had made the decision to tell Capri about Enid, and hide the fact that Tyler knew about Enid’s presence in the area before Wednesday’s arrival. “She didn’t seem to recognize me in our last brief encounter, but I hope to do better next time. Any ideas how to bring her back?”

Capri sighed. “I feared this would happen. Though why she fled across the border to here of all places, I don’t know. There aren’t many records of alphas returning to normal. The nearest instance I know of, was an unusual one. One of my cousins, who was too much into spells and outcast history for his own good, turned himself into an alpha using a special potion. He claimed he prepared the recipe by reverse-engineering something he read in an old account of someone trying to turn back an alpha. I don’t know how much of it was true. Byron was always a braggart. Never fully trusted by anyone, and the black sheep of the family. For good reason, as I realize now,” she finished.  

“The same Byron who kidnapped your son, unlocked his Hyde and hid him away from the outside world for the last three years?” Wednesday asked.

Capri nodded sadly. “Yes, and now I would like to see my son, if you’d allow,” and Wednesday finally let her step inside the cabin.

Once again, she found herself walking between the shelves lined with old books. It was dimly lit and secluded, but she liked that feeling. After Capri had left taking Freddie with her, Wednesday and Tyler were continuing their stalking of Byron’s pack and their activities, now with added motive and information provided by Capri.  

Looking at the log records on the staff computer, they found that the werewolves had picked up a very old book with the unexciting title of ‘Outcasts in North America: Social Register and Genealogy.’  There was only one copy, and Tyler couldn’t find an online version of the book. Wednesday took note of the book details. Written by Evelyn Faulkner, published in 1789. Two years before the founding of Nevermore, written by the sister of its founder. That might be relevant, Wednesday suspected. She made a mental note to look for the book in her Grandmama’s collection. The Frump library was massive, and a social register of outcasts was just the sort of thing that would be of interest to her dear Grandmama. “Did they take anything else?” she asked Tyler.

“No, but the records show they used the large photo-copier. I think they must have taken a map of some sort.” he answered. 

"Interesting that they used the photocopier instead of stealing it. It's not like this library is the hub of outcast research, no one is likely to miss a map,” said Wednesday. “They wanted to leave no trace, just in case anyone went looking.”

“Or maybe they just liked following good library etiquette?” Tyler suggested. From what Capri spoke to them about the leader of this wolf-pack, it seemed he was mad but meticulous in executing his plans. Capri never suspected that it was one of her own family who had kidnapped Freddie, after all.

“Maybe, but they must have left some clues. Where is the map room?” Wednesday was determined to stalk the werewolves.

“Over here,” Tyler said, and led her to a small room on the side of the stairways leading to the outcast section. Upon examining the maps, Wednesday had no trouble identifying which map the wolves were interested in. It was a hundred-year-old map of the area, town and forest combined.

“Why this map?” Wednesday voiced aloud. “It must be something to do with Enid. I don’t think the outcast registry is related to the map, unless there are families of outcasts living in the area. Do you know if there are any?” she asked Tyler.

He shook his head. “Not that I know of. All the witches in the area were burned at stake hundreds of years ago. Their only presence here are in the books.”

That was no help. She stared longer at the map, and then she saw it. There were claw marks on one area of the map, relatively new. The werewolves must have traced the area they were looking at. She took out her magnifying glass (she always carried a magnifying glass), and looked for more indentations on the map. “What is around this area?” she asked Tyler.

Looking up, she noticed that he was looking at her in an odd way. Her question woke him from whatever reverie he was in however, and he turned his eyes to the map.

“It’s an old tunnel waterway. Some parts of the forest used to be outcast settlements, and the tunnels were used as secret passageways and a defence system, like a moat. There are no remnants of it left now except some odd grates and cave-like openings dotted across the forest.” Tyler understood the direction of her queries, and added, “It would be hard for any creature to survive there though. The map was made by normies. Legends say there are outcast labyrinths hidden inside there. If Enid was there, she wouldn’t find it easy to get out so often to eat.”

“Maybe. But if the wolves are looking for her there, we should, too.” Wednesday had always wanted to explore a real labyrinth. She knew what to do next. “Make a copy of the map and bring it with you. I’ll go out and get the necessary supplies,” she told Tyler.

“Supplies for what?” he asked, though he had a vague idea what she was going to say, and wasn’t completely against it, not against it at all.

“Wolf-hunting, of course” she replied.

Of course. He’d always enjoyed camping outdoors, and what’s facing one werewolf or two, if it meant he would be spending time with Wednesday?

Chapter Text

“Here, I see a grate,” Wednesday called out to Tyler. With their combined skills in tracking and detecting, it didn’t take long to locate the tunnel marked in the map. But finding an entry-point was proving to be difficult. Wednesday was beginning to think Tyler’s theory that it would be too difficult for Enid to live in that maze of iron and stone might be correct. Still, she could hear the water dripping from inside in some places, suggesting the presence of hollows hidden underneath and around them, which gave her hope.

She went around a chokeberry bush to look at the grate from a different angle, and found herself face-to-face with one of the two men she saw in the library last day. Silas and Seb, she recalled from the talk with Freddie. This must be Seb, because Freddie said it was Silas he “hurt”, and the man had been dead when they found him.

“What are two kids doing here this time of the day?” Seb asked them. Tyler had come to stand behind her, hearing her call. Before they could reply, she saw two more men walking from near a large iron panel they had been examining before Wednesday chanced upon them. A door, Wednesday thought. Too bad the wolves found it before them. But it didn’t look like they had found a way in yet.

“Camping. It’s our second date.” Tyler replied casually. That earned him a menacing side-eye from Wednesday.

“Camp somewhere else. This place can get dangerous in the dark.” said one of the newcomers.

“Then why are you here?” Wednesday asked them.

“Did no one teach you to keep your pretty little nose out of adults’ business?” the third man asked her, trying to creep her out by moving into her personal space. Wednesday felt Tyler take an aggressive step closer to her in response. Close enough that she could feel his breath change and body tense. Not yet, she prayed. She can’t have him transform to Hyde just now.

“Easy, Len, let them be,” Seb said pulling back his friend, trying to diffuse the situation. Wednesday saw why he was the one in charge of Freddie while Byron was away. The other two looked too wild - she didn’t need a Hyde’s hyper-olfactory sense to guess that they were werewolves.

“Where’s Byron?” Wednesday asked Seb. “I need some vital information from him.”  

Tyler wasn’t sure it was a good idea to inform the wolves that they knew about their leader, but they did need information from Byron after all. Capri and her family had lost all contact with Byron since over a year, probably by Byron’s own design, lest she found out about Freddie. 

The werewolves froze at Wednesday’s question. “How do you know Byron?” Seb asked.

“Miss Capri told me that Byron knew of a potion that would change an alpha wolf back to human. A friend of mine is stuck in alpha wolf form. Tell me where I can find him.” Wednesday demanded coolly, while Tyler keenly observed the surroundings to assess their chances if things turned violent, as they usually did when Wednesday was involved. It didn’t seem like there were more than three of them. Seb was young with average build, in his late twenties maybe. Len and the other one looked older and stronger, but he could sense a wildness in them that would make them less disciplined when not in their werewolf form. They were used to being reliant on their wolf strength in a fight, he guessed, and the moon was nowhere near full. The Hyde would make an easy meal of the lot of them. Except… Wednesday was also there, and he didn’t know how the Hyde would react to her. None of the self-control sessions he practiced at the Hyde commune involved a stimulus as strong as her around. Sure, the Hyde had spared her, in fact saved her, during their last showdown at Iago Tower, but at the time he was hell-bent on taking revenge on Isaac. From the corner of his eye, he saw Thing peek out from Wednesday’s bag, sensing danger, and slowly creep up behind her collar, ready to strike the moment anyone raised a hand towards her. That was a small relief for Tyler, to know that Wednesday had with her at least one ally of definite loyalty.

Seb’s eyes narrowed in realization as Wednesday spoke. “You took the boy.” He didn’t look angry, but something about his voice was more threatening than Len’s crude aggression. “Give us back our monster, and I’ll tell Byron to tell you all about this potion you desperately need.”

“He is with his mother. You won’t see him again.” Wednesday said.

“In that case, why don’t we take you to Byron, and you can explain your poor choice of negotiation tactics directly to him,” Seb said with a dangerous grin, and subtly signaled the other two to capture Wednesday. But not subtly enough to escape the eyes of the Hyde.

Tyler didn’t remember turning to Hyde that fast ever before. The werewolves hadn’t taken two steps towards Wednesday before he was fully transformed, and his claws were wrapped tightly around their necks. Thing climbed down from Wednesday and grabbed Seb’s leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Wednesday looked at the Hyde, now wrangling two men a few feet away from her, and moved towards Seb, taking out her knife.  Seb had managed to free his leg by throwing off Thing with his claws. He looked at Wednesday approaching him, looked over to the Hyde to see the losing battle his friends were in, and ran away as fast as his legs would carry him.

Coward, Wednesday thought with disappointment. She turned back to see if the other two could be salvaged for interrogation before the Hyde killed them. No such luck. She found Len’s body strewn across the ground in four different pieces, and saw the Hyde tear apart the last remaining werewolf like a child unwrapping a present.

Once he watched the last sign of life drain out of the man’s eyes, the Hyde turned to face Wednesday. She didn’t feel afraid. They’ve danced this dance before, her and the Hyde. She remembered him holding her by the neck and pinning her to a tree in a dark night in a forest that wasn’t too dissimilar from this one. She remembered him pushing her out of a window when he could have easily clawed her out. She remembered him watching warily as she confessed her feelings in an attempt to master him. More than most, she remembered him looking back her after he had saved her life by killing Rowan, in their very first meeting. That kill was his choice, not Laurel’s, she knew. He was going to help her escape Jericho, and wanted to leave with her if he could. That was his choice too, she knew.

The Hyde came closer, and hovered above her with blood dripping from his mouth and claws. Watching him like that, she felt aroused, not afraid. She dropped the knife. This was her monster. This was Tyler. She didn’t flinch as he bent down and started what could only be described as nuzzling at her neck, smearing her with the blood of his prey in the process. She wondered if he was going to sniff at her like he did in the library, and whether the Hyde recognized the same scent as Tyler did. But the Hyde had other plans. He stuck out his tongue and started licking at her wounds, where Tyler had bandaged the night before. She remembered the hungry look that was in his eyes then, however the Hyde’s licks were slow and deliberate, almost tender. She wondered how it would feel if that was Tyler licking her.

As though answering her thoughts, he began transforming back. His claws retracted to fingernails, head shrunk to normal, and the fur vanished to reveal his naked body, bloody from the fight with their attackers. He grabbed her roughly and kissed her full on the mouth. It was nothing like the tender first kiss they had shared at the Weathervane. He kissed her like he needed her more than he needed the air to breathe. Wednesday reciprocated by eagerly engaging in a duel with their tongues, fighting for dominance. When they eventually separated for a quick breath, she let him bite into her jaw and neck and tried to return the favor, but he leaned in for another kiss on her lips. She kissed back with all the passion that was left unfulfilled in her from all that time ago in the Weathervane. This time, there would be no visions to interrupt, no lies to disrupt. This time, they were both free of restraints. This time… he was the one who collapsed.

Chapter Text

Tyler awoke as he felt the warmth of sunlight stealing in through the grate above. He could still taste the blood from last night’s fight. He looked around anxiously to see Wednesday sleeping next to him, and was relieved to find her alive and unharmed. They were inside the tunnel, sheltered by an old door which Wednesday must have found yesterday. She had her hands crossed over her body like a corpse, her preferred sleeping pose as he knew well from his nightly visits to the hospital where she lay comatose. It was a nice change for once, to know that she will wake up soon, and wouldn’t find some hellhole to chain him in when she found him watching over her.

He continued to gaze at her, and noticed fresh bruises blooming on her jaw and neck. Bite marks. Was it him or the Hyde who gave them to her? He tried to recall. He remembered the captivated look on her face as the Hyde approached her, remembered him caressing her neck with his tongue to prove that she was safe around him, the Hyde. He didn’t remember anything else. Tyler felt forlorn upon realizing that the only bruises he did remember leaving her were the ones to her heart.

In another life, before she found out the truth of who he was, he would have been proud to leave these marks on her. Perhaps due to the animal instinct caused by his Hyde nature, he had often dreamed of tasting her, all of her, sucking on her skin so hard it would leave marks for the whole world to see that she was his. Now though, seeing those bruises that he didn’t even remember giving her, he felt guilty. The fact that he woke up next to her with all limbs intact suggested she didn’t mind, but he felt none of the pride or joy that he would have expected from branding her like this.

Tyler stood up and tried to take in his surroundings. He noticed Thing watching by the door, and greeted him. “All-black is a good look on you,” the hand seemed to be saying. Tyler didn’t understand at first, then looked down at himself to see that he was wearing a black t-shirt and matching black sweatpants. Of course, Wednesday anticipated him transforming into Hyde at some point, and brought spare clothes in her preferred color palette. The shadow of a smile crept into his face. He looked back at her, and saw that she had woken up.

“Are you well?” she asked him, uncharacteristically caring. “You collapsed after transforming back. Thing unlocked this door I found, and I thought this was as good place to camp as any. Based on the map, the old outcast settlements would be on other side of the tunnel, protected away from the outside world.” she said.

“Thanks. Sorry you had to find a shelter all by yourself and drag me inside.” he said.

“Thing helped. And I do know my way around the great outdoors.” she replied.

He hesitated, then pointed a weak finger at her bruises. “Was that my doing?” If it was the Hyde, she would be actually injured, he knew, but if it was him, why doesn’t he remember?

She mirrored his hand to feel the marks on her. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, “You don’t remember?” with a faint mix of surprise and curiosity in her voice.

“I remember the Hyde… licking your neck. Nothing more. Sorry. I can bandage them if you want.” He didn’t know what else to say.

She dismissed the suggestion. “Don’t bother. Enid in her alpha form is unlikely to care how pristine I look, and I don’t expect to make any other social calls.”  And if she had to, she didn’t care. Her only regret was not getting a chance to mark him like he did her. (In fact, she had ample chance the night before, when she had wiped the blood off his body, clothed him and set him to sleep, but she wasn’t a vampire, to attack him while he was lying unconscious like that.)

Tyler wasn’t so certain. He thought that Enid in any form might take offense at seeing Wednesday apparently marred by him. He hoped, not with much confidence, that the werewolf would have the sense to understand that if Wednesday Addams was going around in public with love-bites on display, it’s probably because she chose to.  

He was too embarrassed to ask her again for the confirmation he wanted, and they carried on with their search.

The other side of the tunnel felt like a whole different forest to his Hyde senses – wilder, richer in its smells and sounds. The outcasts who had lived here must have practiced some powerful magic, Tyler thought, and began to wonder if they were all truly gone as the local history said. He and Wednesday walked around tracing the edges of the tunnel looking for any signs of a werewolf. They felt hopeful upon finding a shallow stream flowing nearby a large opening, different from the one they entered. A source of fresh water was bound to be used by animals living nearby. They walked around, called for Enid, used whistles and animal calls that Tyler knew, to no avail.

They were beginning to lose hope when Tyler saw the claw marks on a fallen tree trunk. Wolf’s print, he was certain. He showed it to Wednesday, and they started examining around that area with added enthusiasm. Not far away from the tree, there stood a tall vine-covered rock with a small incline and Wednesday found a claw underneath it. It had to be Enid’s, she thought, and called Tyler to see what he thought of it.

Tyler noticed Wednesday raise her hand holding something she found under the rock, and the next moment, he saw her going rigid and falling headfirst into the forest floor. As always, he caught her before she hit the ground.

“Wednesday!” he called aloud. She must be having a vision, probably triggered by claw he found in her hand, he knew from the symptoms and previous experience. He wasn’t sure if he should remove the claw in case the vision had some useful information about Enid, and he didn’t want to interfere. But when she didn’t wake after two or three minutes like she usually did, he got worried.

“What should I do? Does she ever go this long while having a vision?” he asked Thing, who had stepped out of Wednesday’s backpack to see what was wrong. The hand signed that he never saw her like this before. “Shall I remove the claw?” Tyler asked, and Thing shook his fingers vigorously, and signed that it might cause more trouble.

Tyler waited kneeling beside her for a few more minutes and started thinking about whom to call for help if she didn’t wake up soon. He couldn’t call Capri, she must be travelling now, and won’t bring back Freddie anywhere near his erstwhile captors. Wednesday had mentioned her Uncle Fester planning to join her here, but Tyler had no idea how to contact him, and from what little he knew of her Uncle Fester, he didn’t seem like someone who could be easily found. Not that he knew the contact details of any of her other family members. For the first time, Tyler realized the folly of their impromptu camping trip.

He turned to Thing again. “I don’t think it’s safe for her to remain like this for so long. Do you know how to contact Uncle Fester?”

In reply, Thing started signing something that looked like a phone number.

“Stop, give me time to note it down” Tyler said, taking out his phone.

He tried to dial the number and saw to his frustration that there was no network signal. That was strange, there was full signal just near the tunnel, he had noticed earlier when he used the phone to check for weather and news. Surely the outcasts who lived here centuries ago couldn’t have defended it against future technology, and if they did, for what reason? Tyler was at a loss.

He had to contact someone soon, and he couldn’t leave her lying there in the open. Tyler took off her backpack, slung it over his shoulder, then lifted Wednesday in his arms and carried her to the tunnel, with Thing perched on his right shoulder.

In all of his recent interactions with Thing, Tyler had tried to forget the knowledge that this was Isaac’s right hand, to avoid any awkwardness. Feeling his touch on his shoulder, however, was altogether different - the ghost memories of Thing's leftie twin lingered on the same shoulder, and Tyler had always hated Isaac's patronizing ways. But looking at Wednesday in his arms, he was reminded of all the times when Thing was just Thing, her friend and his, and wondered if Isaac had grown up with a human heart instead of a clockwork one, he would have been more like Thing. As it stood, Thing was more of an uncle to him than Isaac ever was.  

He entered the tunnel through the big door, and laid Wednesday down on a relatively comfortable part of the tunnel floor. He took out his phone again and saw the signal was back as he had hoped. Upon dialing the number Thing gave, he found that it was a motel reception. “Hi, do you have a guest named Fester… Fiesta (Thing signed him that name just in time) staying there?” Tyler asked. To his immense relief, they replied in affirmative, but told him Mr. Fiesta was out at the moment, and offered to take down any messages for him.

“Wednesday unconscious for too long. Come here ASAP.” And he gave the name of the forest and their exact coordinates using his phone GPS as an extra measure.

“May I take down your name, please?” asked the receptionist.

He felt lost for a moment, looked at Thing, and answered, “Isaac Night.”

Tyler didn’t know how long he waited, watching Wednesday, praying for her to regain consciousness. He had received no replies from the motel or Uncle Fester, and he didn’t know what hospital would treat an outcast who went into a vision coma. If that was even a known condition. He wished he had spent more of his time in library learning about outcasts instead of practicing Bescherelle’s French conjugations. Tyler hated feeling useless, unable to help her. He ran his fingers softly along her face, pleading her to wake up. They lingered longer at the bruises he didn’t remember giving her. As he did so, he realized that it wasn’t the not remembering causing them that upset him, but the not remembering her reaction to it. He wanted to know that she accepted him, boy and monster both. He wanted to see her smile at him like she did the first time they kissed.

After what felt like hours to Tyler, she woke up, and finally let go of that claw.

“Wednesday!” he gasped. He pressed closer, held her shoulder with one hand and cradled her face with the other, looking into her eyes to convince himself that she was really there, alive and awake. “Are you okay? You were gone for so long, Thing and I sent a distress signal to Uncle Fester.”

She was looking at him like someone who had an epiphany. Perhaps she did, in her vision. “We can't find Enid because she doesn’t want to be found,” she told him. “But I know how to make her find us instead. First, we must make a short errand to the town center. I need to pick up some equipment.”

Chapter Text

The alpha was stalking the stalkers when she first heard the music. By now she knew all the sounds of the forest, every leaf fall and every birdsong, but this one was new. She turned her attention away from where her would-be hunters were gathered, and started following the new sound. Or was it really new? Somewhere inside the wolf’s mind lay memories of the same sound, the same songs, flowing through the night, keeping her awake, lulling her to sleep. Where did she hear it before? Not the forest, somewhere else. Someplace without hunters. Somewhere safe. From someone safe. She ran faster to find the source.

Given his time spent lackeying for Laurel and Isaac, Tyler was expecting Wednesday to get spellcasting supplies or electric gizmos from the town market to help lure Enid. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that the ‘equipment’ in question was a simple wooden cello. He knew she played, but watched her perform just once, at the unveiling of Crackstone’s statue. She didn’t see him then, but watching her play Vivaldi as flames burnt down that statue of vanity and with it the big plans of Jericho’s small people, had made him fall for her all the more.

They returned to the large opening near the stream, and set up the cello at a good vantage point. She began with the pieces she used to play frequently at Nevermore; the ones Enid was familiar with. She played the songs she practiced while she and Enid were body-swapped, hoping to trigger the memory within her somewhere. Tyler was supposed to look out for Enid, but he couldn’t focus on anything but Wednesday. She appeared to have complete control over the music, but somehow it made her look unarmored, because the outside world from which she so determinedly defended herself didn’t exist anymore. He liked seeing her like that. The only other times she looked blind to her surroundings was when she was looking at him, when she was attracted to him.

Tyler lost track of time as they sat there, with her playing and him watching, but soon enough he sensed the werewolf approaching them. He stood up and signaled Wednesday.

Wednesday looked around to see the alpha wolf watching them from across the stream, eyes shining yellow in the night. The wolf stayed and listened, but didn’t move closer. Wednesday moved on from Tchaikovsky's Sugar Plum Fairy to Paganini’s Caprices, because she would deal with the devil if that was it took to save Enid. As she reached caprice No. 5, the wolf crossed the stream and began approaching them slowly, taking long pauses to listen to the music as if trying to recognize something. By the time she was playing No. 9, aptly named The Hunt, the alpha was face to face with Wednesday, watching her play.

Tyler watched tensely, ready to interfere as Hyde or human if the werewolf tried to attack Wednesday. He still didn’t trust Hyde near the alpha wolf, but he did trust him with Wednesday now, also he trusted the wolf to not hurt his human self, not after all the time they spent together in the recent past.

At No. 13, the wolf stopped prowling and sat peacefully watching Wednesday, like a pet puppy would. Wednesday didn’t stop till she finished all twenty-four caprices, and once she was done, she stood up and approached Enid with her hand outstretched. The wolf sniffed her hand, huddled closer to her, with what might have been a hug.

Thing scuttled hesitantly to Enid’s paw, and give a small tap. She stared but didn’t move. Tyler considered that a good sign. “Let’s go home,” Wednesday told the wolf.

They made up a strange procession, Wednesday leading Enid with Tyler by her side carrying the cello and folded chair, plus Thing on her shoulder, all walking towards the truck parked at the edge of the woods. Wednesday’s immediate plan was to take Enid to the cabin, contact Uncle Fester, and take her to the Addams mansion, because she could think of no better sanctuary to keep Enid while she figured out a way to turn her back to human.

Their only lead was Byron, and he was unlikely to be helpful after losing two of his pack members and his special monster thanks to their interference. She will have to make other plans to get information from Byron, and one or two ideas were already forming in Wednesday’s mind. Also, now she knew there was a solution, and if he found the recipe in a book, she could, too.

She would also need to tell Agnes to discreetly alert Enid's father that his daughter has been found. Thanks to Bianca's help, Enid's over-interfering mother was under the delusion that she had run away to join a cult of rogue outcasts after getting heart-broken by that Lothario who didn't bear thinking about, which was not something she liked to brag about to her society friends, and thankfully kept her snout out of Wednesday's quest to save Enid. 

“Stay here, I’ll make sure it’s safe to approach the truck.” Tyler told them as they reached the edge. There was unlikely to be any traffic here this late at night, but better safe than sorry, he thought.

As expected, the road was empty, the only unusual thing was some odd smell of burning wires, which Tyler attributed to the old utility poles lining the road. He secured the cello setup in the truck, and turned back towards Wednesday, and was about to give the go signal when he suddenly found himself under an intense chokehold. He tried to use his Hyde strength, but felt a strong zap of electricity around his neck. This is Willow Hill all over again, he thought, just before passing out.

Fester Addams felt pleased with himself. It had been years since he last used that move on anyone, but the Hyde boy now lying unconscious by his feet was proof that he hadn’t lost his touch. The boy’s face was familiar to Fester from the latest addition to his collection of wanted posters decorating his room. Fester was especially fond of that poster – with Thing’s body in a delicious zombie look flanked by Fester in his most photogenic self and his niece’s old flame in the coveted orange jumpsuit, it looked like an unusually accomplished family photo. Too bad the boy had to put Wednesday into a coma again – it must be the Hyde's doing, can’t be a coincidence Fester ran into him in the same location Thing had asked to come in aid of an unconscious Wednesday. Young love, they don’t know what’s bad for them, thought Fester.

He was calculating how long it would take the boy to regain consciousness by taking his vitals, when he heard the wolf’s angry growl. “Enid, stop!” he heard the familiar voice of Wednesday, and the next moment, she was standing between him and the alpha wolf they had set out to locate.

Aha, she woke up after all. Fester was happy. He greeted Wednesday with a wide grin. “I came as soon as I got Thing’s message. This must be Enid, right? Hi child! How do you do?”

The wolf answered with another angry growl and glaring yellow eyes that burned bright in the dark.

“Calm down Enid, it’s my Uncle Fester.” Wednesday told the wolf, then knelt down to examine Tyler. “You put him in a Romanian sleeper hold,” she told Fester in an accusatory tone. It would take a day or two before the victim woke up, she knew, typical of a martial arts move developed by Transylvanian vampires. She saw why her uncle would think of Tyler as a threat to her safety, but was still annoyed. “He was helping me. He sent the message in Thing’s name,” she told Fester.

“Ah, I had no idea you two had made up!” Fester said happily. “I should have known. I remember your parents at this age…”

“It’s not like that” Wednesday said quickly. She had no interest in hearing what her parents were like at this age, and she definitely didn’t want Fester relaying the news of her rekindled relationship to the rest of the family.

“Oh, shall we leave him to the wolves then? Since we got the alpha we were seeking? You can drive her in the truck. Here, I found the keys in his pockets, can’t even call it a robbery.” Fester replied.

Wednesday swallowed a breath. Fester didn’t know it, but in this case, leaving him to the wolves would be true in every sense of the words. She had been postponing thinking about what to do with Tyler, but now she saw there was only one choice.  

“We’ll take him with us. It’s not safe to leave him here,” she told Fester.

“Alrighty, if you say so. I’ll take care of the transport.” said Fester delightedly. He knew just the way to smuggle a wanted serial killing monster and feral werewolf across the border, and was eager to test it.

Chapter Text

Most people who woke up from a chokehold-induced coma to find themselves inside a dungeon containing an iron maiden and a bed of nails among other torture devices would be scared for their lives, but Tyler Galpin felt relieved. For one, he wasn’t chained, that itself was a huge improvement from most places he’d woken up before after getting captured. For the other, he had heard enough tidbits about the Addams Family mansion from Wednesday during their time together, and recognized their guest room décor almost immediately.

If he was at the Addams mansion, that meant Wednesday and Enid got out safe. Thinking back on the details of his attack, Tyler concluded that it must be her Uncle Fester who attacked him- Tyler himself sent the message asking Fester to come aid Wednesday. He remembered how fascinatingly odd he had found her uncle the first time he met him at the Weathervane. “Your family is so colorful,” he had told her then. Little did he know…

Tyler stood up, stretched his legs and went over to examine the bed of nails. Contrary to the metaphorical meaning of its name, a literal bed of nails was not that bad, he knew. It helped to focus control of one’s body, which was a big part of the sessions he attended in the Hyde commune.

Tyler was toying with the idea of trying the Addams bed of nails to see how it compared with those at the commune, when he heard knocks on the door. He went and opened it to find Wednesday at the door, with Pugsley and Uncle Fester immediately behind her. Wednesday had her usual questioning look on her face, Fester looked disgruntled, and Pugsley gleeful. Tyler moved aside to let them into the room. He wondered if they were going to take revenge for what Tyler and his uncle did to Pugsley.

“He woke up after just thirty-six hours. I win!” Pugsley exclaimed delightedly.

“You made a bet as to how long it would take me to wake up?” Tyler asked the Addamses.

“Of course,” Uncle Fester answered. “It’s very useful data for future encounters. I predicted 49 hours and Wednesday predicted 42, based on our measuring of your vital signs after you passed out.”

“And I didn’t get to take your vitals immediately after you fainted, but still got closest to the correct wake up time.” Pugsley interrupted eagerly. “I told you, I studied his reactions very keenly when I was kidnapped. I know more about your Hyde’s physiology than you do, old flame,” he grinned proudly at his sister.  

Wednesday hated losing to her brother, and she disliked the ‘old flame’ moniker that got thrown at her now anytime anyone in the family discussed Hydes or the Night-Galpin affair, but she was pleased that Tyler woke up earlier than expected, and didn’t bite back at Pugsley for once.

Tyler felt awkward at this reminder of the literal bonding time he and Pugsley shared thanks to Isaac. “Hey, um, listen, Pugsley, kidnapping you was all Isaac’s idea. I am sorry for the part I played in that,” he stuttered an apology to the younger boy.

“No worries! It was the best thing that happened to me in Nevermore.” Pugsley said with a sincere enthusiasm that left Tyler feeling half amused and half exasperated.

“That was the best thing that happened to him in his whole life” Wednesday said. Pugsley made no attempts to deny it, but stretched out his hands to Wednesday and Uncle Fester. “Maybe so, but now you must pay up for losing your bets.”

Fester pretended to look thoughtful. “I’m not sure, we didn’t take the stoning into account, it might have messed up my calculations.” He was fond of his nephew, but not trying to cheat in a wager was against his principles.

“I didn’t either, if we offset the time lost or gained due to stoning for everyone, it’s still the same, I win.” Pugsley was becoming wiser to his uncle’s schemes. Fester was miffed, but felt proud of the boy.

“Hold on – stoning? Did you really have to drug me on top of electrocuting too?” Tyler wanted to know.

“Not that kind of stoning. To escape authorities at the border, Fester had one of his Gorgon friends stone you and Enid for a few hours and pretended you were part of some sculpture exhibition.” Wednesday explained.

“Smuggling things by hiding them in plain sight. My favorite.” Fester added happily.

“Where’s Enid, by the way?” Tyler asked.

“In the conservatory. She seems to be enjoying the company of the carnivorous plants. We can’t risk her out on the grounds though. Byron’s pack might be after us, by now they’d have figured out that their target is gone. Enid said other packs hunt alphas, but Freddie said Byron has a specific plan for outcasts like Enid, so we should be most wary of his pack. Inconveniently, he’s also the one who knows about the potion to turn her back, so we have to tread carefully regarding how to deal with them.” Wednesday answered.

“I guess it would have been easier to deal with him if I didn’t unleash the Hyde on his pack,” Tyler said ruefully. But they were going to harm Wednesday. And I’d been itching to tear apart that creep Len even before that.

“You did that to protect me. And you heard the deal they wanted to make. There’s no way we’d return Freddie to his captors,” Wednesday reassured him.

“So, what’s our plan to save Enid?” Pugsley asked Wednesday.

She was annoyed with how excited he looked. “There is no ‘our plan’. You have caused more trouble than you ever solved, and we can’t risk more of your idiotic meddling,” she told Pugsley dismissively. His face fell.

“He can still help. You said we’re looking for a potion, and most outcast texts aren’t searchable online. The more people we have looking, the better,” Tyler suggested. Pugsley’s face regained its joyful look.

Wednesday couldn’t deny the logic in Tyler’s words. “Maybe. I’ve been looking at the Addams Family library, and made no progress so far. It will be faster if we follow a divide and conquer strategy. I’ve also asked Agnes to find more about Byron, there may be a clue somewhere.”

Suddenly, there was a loud clanging noise ringing across the walls. Tyler jolted. “It’s only Grandma Addams’s dinner gong”, Wednesday told him. Of course they have a gong, Tyler thought. Why did that gong scare him more than the array of torture devices? Because you’re an old hand at torture, and know nothing about family dinners, said the Hyde, with a level of perception that was beginning to annoy Tyler.

“It’s lunchtime! Let’s go, Tyler,” invited Pugsley, with the easy familiarity of someone who might have known him from a summer camp, rather than an escaped kidnapping victim.  Uncle Fester had already disappeared upstairs.

“I… I just woke up few minutes ago. Don’t feel like eating right now,” he lied.

“You’ve been unconscious for one and half days. You need to eat,” Wednesday insisted. “Thing packed a bag of your belongings from the cabin, it’s over there, we’ll wait if you want to change,” she pointed at the canvas duffel beside his bed. “He also unlocked your phone and sent a message to Marilla saying you’re gone to visit me. She didn’t seem to mind.” I hope you don’t, either. “You did promise to help me turn Enid back to human,” she reminded him.

Tyler had seen Wednesday’s parents from a distance several times before, but he was never officially introduced to Morticia and Gomez Addams, and felt tense and awkward walking into their banquet hall. He trusted Wednesday enough to assume that they were not going to turn him into the police, but there was no erasing his criminal record, a lot of which involved attacks to the Addams children. The children in question, Pugsley especially, appears to have forgiven him, but their parents were unlikely to be that lenient, Tyler knew.

However, any apprehensions he had about how he would be received by the rival family of his mother’s evaporated at Gomez’s cheery welcome. “Tyler, my boy, welcome to our home. Good to see you finally awake,” Gomez told Tyler.

“Er, thank you for sheltering me, Mr. Addams. I know I don’t deserve it after everything, but I was under the control of my masters,” he tried to explain.

Gomez took offense at his reply. “Don’t deserve it? As I told your dear late father over a year ago, I don’t hold grudges, only blood debts. And after you defended my wife and son at Iago’s tower, I think I owe you two,” he told Tyler, who looked astonished.

“It was Wednesday who freed me, and it was the Hyde who defended them,” he said again. Being forgiven was an unfamiliar sensation to Tyler, and one that usually only happened when he was around the Addamses.  

“And it was the Hyde who committed these crimes you seek forgiveness for,” said Morticia, in attempt to reassure Tyler that he was safe here. Knowing that the boy would need more time to process their acceptance, she changed the subject of conversation to his accommodation. “Wednesday and Fester settled you in the dungeon because they were not sure how Gomez and I would feel about hosting you here. As you see, we are delighted to have you,” she told Tyler.

“Yes, the entire family has been hoping to meet with Wednesday’s old flame for a while now, especially after Pugsley told us all about his time with you,” added Gomez. Tyler hoped that it wasn’t a veiled threat. He looked at Pugsley, who continued to sport his welcoming smile.

“If you want different sleeping quarters, please let Lurch know.”  Morticia pointed at the tall gaunt butler whom Tyler had observed chauffeuring the Addamses around in Jericho. Most guests of the Addams family took a frightened step back upon meeting Lurch, but most guests didn’t have a zombie uncle. Tyler nodded politely at the butler, who nodded back.

“The current quarters are alright. I do like a bed of nails,” Tyler said, with something of his old charming self resurfacing. Gomez and Morticia looked incredibly pleased.

“Stop blabbering and gather around the table, the food will lose its freshness,” they heard an old woman say. This must be Grandma, Tyler thought. He had read about Wednesday’s other grandmother, Hester Frump, but Grandma Addams was the polar opposite. She looked like a witch from a storybook, he thought, then took another look at the room he was in, and considered the possibility that she was a witch.

“Ah, nice to meet Wednesday’s old flame at last. Pugsley couldn’t stop talking of you all winter,” Grandma told Tyler as they all took their places around the table. “Got to say, I like the look of this one a lot better than that snot Robespierre”, she told Wednesday, who looked like she was planning Grandma’s murder.

“Who’s Robespierre?” Tyler asked. The only Robespierre he’d heard about lived in France, during the Reign of Terror.

“A boy Wednesday had a crush on when she was little. We trained her well how to seduce him, but it didn’t work. That was a long time ago, she was only six or seven. Now she’s older, Wednesday has got better at choosing boys and charming them, I see,” answered Morticia. Tyler could not resist feeling a combination of jealousy and joy at that answer. He then steered his thoughts toward a more interesting direction.

“Trained her how?” Tyler was curious about the Addams Family’s idea of training to seduce.

Wednesday wished she could vanish into thin air, but the rest of the Addamses were only too pleased to indulge Tyler.

“I showed her how to make a nice long face which boys can’t resist,” Fester said, demonstrating it with a scowling expression on his face. “And also gave her a blunderbuss for using on the boy, just in case the face didn’t work.” Fester said, pointing at the weapon which was now decorating the mantelpiece.

“Morticia had dressed her in a beautiful black gown, but I knew a dress wasn’t enough to charm the boys these days, and taught her all the latest steps,” added Gomez. “And just in case the dance didn’t work, I gave her a nice bundle of rope.” Tyler had to suppress a smile at these words, all agony of her torture in the shed forgotten.

“You must be a great dancer and teacher. I had the pleasure to dance with Wednesday during the Rave’n, and she was amazing,” Tyler told Gomez, who beamed with satisfaction.

“And I showed her how to do her hair in an attractive way,” chipped in Grandma, who didn’t want her contribution to be forgotten. “And just in case the hair didn’t work, I gave her enough love dust to enchant a beast. The boy stood no chance.”

“Your love dust doesn’t work, Grandma,” Wednesday interjected. “You should stop using it as the go-to solution anytime anyone in the family has a romantic crisis” which, to Wednesday’s chagrin, was quite often. Women in the family flocked to her mother for relationship advice, and Grandma always gave them love dust.

“Says the girl who answered ‘money’ when asked what attracts a man most,” mocked Grandma, at which Tyler nearly spat out a gulp of water and turned to look at Wednesday with a raised eyebrow.

“My research into the human condition suggested that most men are attracted to money,” Wednesday said, indignantly defending her seven-year-old self. Only too late did she recognize the trap she walked herself into, knowing exactly which memory would be replaying in Tyler’s mind right now.

“Does that mean you were trying to woo me from our very first meeting in the Weathervane, old flame?” Tyler whispered to her with a mischievous smile in his eyes, barely moving his lips so the others wouldn’t notice. She stepped on his foot under the table, intending to cause as much pain as possible. He looked delighted at her response, but didn’t tease her further.

Maybe dinner gongs weren’t that scary after all, Tyler thought as he finished eating.

Chapter Text

“This ‘old flame’ business needs to stop,” Wednesday told Tyler when she finally found him alone in the library.

He smiled at that. It’s been only three days since he’s been staying with the Addams Family, and following their lead, he’d taken to calling her ‘old flame’ every time he wanted to tease Wednesday. He knew it infuriated her, and to be fair he had been infuriated too the first time he heard Isaac use that term to describe Wednesday, but Tyler did find it preferable to ‘ex-girlfriend.’

“Why?” he asked, all innocence. “I thought you’d like that nickname. It just fits your vibe. I mean, I read some of your novel draft and noticed that Viper refers to her nemesis as ‘old flame’ quite often,” Tyler said.

Wednesday was furious. She had noticed him reading more intensely at the library lately; but all this time she assumed he was poring through old potion recipes, he had been checking out her novel draft? With horror, she thought back at every instance she wrote about this nemesis of Viper’s. Of course she based that character on Tyler, and because she had started writing it before she found out he was the Hyde, some of the earlier sections were too revealing about her Viper’s feelings about the said nemesis. She had taken care to backtrack on later chapters in a way that ensured that everything made sense logically, that the monster within him was the only reason the formidable Viper de la Muerte was attracted to a boy with a painfully beige existence, but she feared Tyler could see through her dissembling. He always did.

She looked at him, mentally bracing for any callbacks to how she described Viper’s love of her life nemesis, and was relieved to find that he was simply waiting for her to answer him.

“For one, you can’t truly call me ‘old flame’ after kissing me like you did in the forest,” she began, and noticed his face change instantly. The playful smirk was replaced with something else. Oh. He didn’t remember that, he’d told her. She had forgotten that.

“How… did I … kiss you in the forest?” he asked. She heard the invitation in his voice, saw it in his eyes, but there was a plea too, she realized. She opened her mouth, thinking how to explain, but for once, words failed her, and she chose the quick and easy route of showing him instead. Instead of words, her mouth found his, and she kissed him as vigorously as he had kissed her that night after transforming.

Tyler was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening, and returned her kiss. He had been wanting to kiss her like that for so long. He remembered that night she called him for a surprise tryst, and how he had walked up to her, believing that this was his girl now, wanting to hold her close to him and kiss her. That was the last time he felt truly happy as Tyler Galpin, and mere moments later she had shattered his world and his heart all in one fell swoop.

But it didn’t matter now, she was in his arms now, he thought, and pulled her closer to him and kissed her deeper. He felt agitated when she broke the kiss, only to feel better as she continued to kiss – nae, bite into the side of his face, earlobe, and below his ear on his neck. Her nips were getting increasingly painful, but it was a pain he enjoyed; he would let her devour him if she wanted, he wanted it too.

“Like that,” Wednesday said, after she finished demonstrating. “And you were naked and covered in blood,” for some reason she wanted him to be aware of that detail too.

“I can imagine,” Tyler said, imagining her naked and covered in blood. His mind flew back to the Rave’n night. The world around them a blur of panic, nothing real except for Wednesday standing in front of him, enjoying getting drenched in red, and looking aroused. How disappointed she had been to find out that it was only paint, not blood, and how desperately he wanted to tell her he could make her fantasy come true, if she’d only let him. No, don’t go down that memory, the Hyde warned him.

“What’s the other?” he asked. When she didn’t seem to understand his question, he reminded, “you started your answer with ‘for one,’ so what’s the other reason I can’t call you old flame?”

“Isn’t that reason enough?” she asked, but answered, “well, it annoys me, as I know you know.”

“Does it, really?” Tyler asked, peering into her eyes. He knew that on some level she enjoyed him calling her old flame. “Would you rather I called you ‘mon amour’ or some other more common nickname used by lovers?”  

“If you call me mon amour in public, I’ll cut off your tongue.” she replied, after trying and failing to avoid his gaze. He chose not to press the fact that she didn’t object to his use of the word ‘lovers,’ but was extremely pleased.

“Alright, I’ll only use it when we are alone, ma petite puce,” he said smiling. One thing about being a Hyde was, he was good at finding loopholes.

“No nicknames! And definitely no French nicknames!” she insisted.

“What’s your problem with French?” he asked, hurt. The only progress he made to rehabilitate back into a possible normal life was doing a French course.

“It’s just, nothing. My father has an irrational attraction to French. He goes crazy for my mother anytime she speaks French,” she admitted.

“Is this… condition... genetic?” Tyler asked with a smirk. He hoped it was, already planning ways and words to test that hypothesis.

“Just don’t speak French to me in public. And don’t open my novel draft until we’ve found the recipe to help Enid.” With that she stormed away.

And Tyler decided to explore the library and find if there was a French section.

Chapter Text

“Surely you could wear a different dress? Any of those newer ones your mother bought you?” Thing asked Wednesday as she put on the same dress she wore for the Venetian masquerade ball in preparation for the charity ball her mother was throwing that night.

“If I’m being forced to the suffer the company of my mother’s friends for an entire evening, the least amount of control I can have is wearing something that I picked,” Wednesday said.

“But it’s not a good look for someone of your social status, to re-wear a dress,” Thing said. The hand was materialistic if nothing else.

Wednesday did not care one bit about what’s expected of ‘someone of her status’, but justified her choice anyway, just to stop Thing complaining. “I stayed behind the scenes orchestrating Dort’s downfall for most of that gala. I doubt anyone noticed me or my dress.”

“I can think of exactly one person who didn’t see you in that dress. Is he the reason you’re re-wearing it?” Thing signed to her and then made a hand gesture version of an ‘ooh’ sound.

“Tyler won’t be at the ball, he’s on the run from the law. My parents are rich and powerful, not foolish.” she said.

“Aha! I didn’t mention Tyler, you did. That means you are re-wearing that dress just for him!” The hand looked smug, then scuttled away before she could throw something at him.

Tyler was in his dungeon room getting ready to play Lurch’s understudy as a part of his disguise for the ball. By a lucky coincidence, the only legible part of Lurch’s vocabulary was a line which Tyler had no need to practice, thanks to his time at the Weathervane: “You rang?”

He felt less confident about the attire - he wasn’t sure he could move well wearing that black mask bandana. Morticia had presented him with a full Zorro outfit including a real fencing sword, a gift from her as an apology for hosting a ball he can’t attend in the house.

Tyler didn’t think there was any need to apologize when the event had been organized months before; if anything, he should be the one apologizing for causing them to be at the risk of being accused of harboring a criminal. Nevertheless, he appreciated her kindness. Tyler had been interested in learning to fence ever since he saw his mother’s photo in the Nevermore fencing team, and had even started taking some lessons from Fiore Capri. Fencing classes was one of the few things he truly missed about the Hyde commune after leaving it. Practicing with sticks in the library during late hours was never a good substitute for proper swordplay, so he was grateful for Morticia’s gift.

Tyler put on the costume, pocketing the mask to use only when required, then looked at himself in the mirror. “All-black is a good look on you,” he recalled Thing saying to him in the forest tunnel. Thing had only signed those words to him, but when Tyler played them back in his mind, it was Isaac’s voice he heard. Which caused him to be unusually startled when he heard the door knock.

Answering the door, Tyler wasn’t really expecting it to be his twice-dead uncle returned to life once again, but nor was he expecting to see Wednesday. And definitely not in a dress like the one she was wearing right now. The dress covered all of her body, yet its transparent layers tantalized him more than bare skin would have done. Here he was surrounded by torture devices, but none as torturous as her standing just out of reach, thought Tyler. He caught his breath, stood transfixed as she entered the room, taking in his costume with her measured gaze.

“Wednesday, you look beautiful,” he said, before she could go on any self-deprecating tirades like she did before the Rave’n dance.

“You look acceptable yourself,” she conceded. She liked seeing him in black, it made him look more… hers. She knew it was her mother’s idea to dress him in this particular costume, and wondered if the scheming Dove was planning anything.

“What’s the update from Agnes?” Wednesday asked Tyler. His task this evening was to receive the DeMilles when they arrive, and accompany Agnes away from her father to where Fester and Pugsley were guarding Enid. The plan was for Agnes and Tyler to stay with Enid for the duration of the ball, hidden from other guests. Tyler couldn’t risk being seen in public, also someone the alpha trusted had to stay with Enid while Agnes was reunited with her, for safety.

“They should be reaching soon,” Tyler answered, checking his phone once more. Then they heard another knock on the door, this time revealing Pugsley in his bard costume.

“Hi Tyler, Uncle Fester sent me to get more snacks to eat while he waited with Enid, do you want me to take some for you too, for later?” Pugsley was always considerate toward others when it came to food.  

“Sure, bro, good thinking. Get something for Agnes too, her father would be expecting her to eat at the banquet,” Tyler said to Pugsley, and noticed that the boy’s mouth was opened in a smile so wide it looked scary. “Something wrong?” Tyler asked Pugsley.

“You called me bro. And you meant bro, not brains.” Pugsley answered, continuing to smile like an idiot.

By now Tyler had got accustomed to Pugsley’s unusual priorities in life, but he couldn’t make head nor tail of this reaction. “Why would you think I said brains? Why would I say brains?” Tyler asked, looking from one Addams sibling to the other.

Wednesday explained for him. “He was so happy when Isaac was asking for brains, because Pugsley thought his zombie BFF was calling him ‘bro.’ In case it escaped your notice, my brother is a pathetic people-seeker.” Her voice was dripping with contempt, but Tyler felt bad for the boy. He knew what it felt like, to desperately want to belong somewhere, anywhere.

Pugsley wasn’t listening to his sister. “Can I call you bro?” he asked Tyler.

“Sure, bro, why not.” Tyler said, amused.

“Great! We’ll be best friends, I know it, bro. Nevermore didn’t even accept Hydes, no wonder I couldn’t make any real friends there. Can I be best man at your wedding?” he asked them suddenly. Seeing them stand next to each other dressed for the ball, he could just picture the perfect wedding for them and knew he had to call dibs on an all-important role.

Wednesday glared at Pugsley with a look that could incinerate him if she were a Pyro, while Tyler’s eyebrows disappeared under his curls. Pugsley misinterpreted that reaction. “I mean, you have no family left except for Thing, and Thing is only a hand, and you’re a fugitive so I’m the closest male friend you have now…” his voice trailed away. Pugsley had finally caught on to the fury in his sister’s expression.

“Pugsley, keep your empty head out of my relationships,” Wednesday said curtly.

But Pugsley had had good experience sparring with his sister with swords and words from a young age. “Relationships plural? Come on sis, everyone knows that Ravens mate for life,” he shot back. Hearing these words, Tyler froze for a moment and looked at Wednesday.

“There’s been no mating!” she hissed at Pugsley.

“That can be arranged.” Tyler said under his breath, so that only Wednesday would hear. She gave him an angry side-eye, then took the sword which was lying on the table to point it at Pugsley. “Get. Out. Now,” she commanded, and Pugsley, satisfied with the knowledge that his retort hit right on target, turned away toward the kitchens, ostensibly admitting defeat.

Wednesday put the sword back on the table to find Tyler eyeing her oddly. “So, Ravens mate for life, do they?” he asked her.

Pugsley and his ever-wagging tongue. Someday she should cut it off and feed it to Cleopatra, thought Wednesday, as she tried to stop this line of questioning from Tyler. “As I said moments ago, there’s been no mating,” she told him.

“As I said moments ago, that can be arranged,” Tyler threw back. He moved forward, closing in on Wednesday, looking down at her face with a playfully promising look in his eyes. She turned her eyes away from him, took a step backward and found one of the few parts of the wall not occupied by a torture device.

“I’m sorry my mom crashed our day-of-the-dead church wedding you took so much effort to plan,” he said with mock remorse in his tone and a smile dancing in his eyes. “You said it was the only way we could be together, meaning you wanted us to be together. I wasn’t certain you meant it, then.”  

“Don’t come closer, or you’ll ruin my dress. I like this dress,” Wednesday told him. She didn’t want to have this conversation with him just now. She wasn’t ready. She did not know if she would ever be.

He stopped, took another look at her dress. It would get ruined if he moved too much closer. “Then why are you wearing it to a ball? You can’t really dance in that.”

“That was the intention.” she said.

“I see. Is it because Ravens mate for life, and you know I won’t be at the dance floor?” he asked with that cocky smile he used to sport whenever he learned something about her that she didn’t want others to know.

“Dancing isn’t mating. I could dance with anyone if I wished to, even in this dress. It’s just a deterrent, to avoid as much social contact as possible.” She said, correcting him.

“Ravens do mate for life, then?” was what he took in from her response.

The path of a Raven is a solitary one. You end up alone, unable to trust others, only seeing the darkness within them. Goody’s words echoed in her mind.

“Historically, yes. That’s why they are so rare.” Wednesday told him.

The smile vanished from Tyler’s face. “I’m sorry,” he said. She had forgiven his betrayal, but he didn’t know the full weight of his actions till now.

Wednesday noticed the abrupt change in his demeanor, and felt an irrational need to comfort him. She moved away from the wall and closer to Tyler, taking his hand in hers. She softly rubbed the side of his palm with her thumb, raising her other hand to caress the scars on his jaw, marks from the love-bites she had given him in the library. “Don’t be,” she said, looking into his eyes. “You’re mine now.”

Chapter Text

Wednesday had been surveying the dance-floor, avoiding getting caught alone with her mother or Grandmama, when she saw an opening for a quick reprieve.

She knew that the one thing the two women would agree tonight would be Wednesday’s choice of dress. Mother would be upset at her for not wearing the dress she had chosen, and Grandmama would be mortified at her for re-wearing this dress.  But now she spotted Grandmama engaged in conversation with one of the guests, she decided to go and say a quick greeting and be done with it. Grandmama wouldn’t dare criticize her in front of a guest, Wednesday knew.

“Ah, Wednesday, I’ve been looking for you all evening,” said Hester Frump with her face curled into a tight-lipped smile. “And this is the perfect timing. We were just talking about you. This gentleman is an editor for Persephone Publishers, and says he is looking for a young new author. Naturally, I mentioned you and your novel,” said Grandmama.

“I’ve never heard of a Persephone Publishers,” Wednesday said suspiciously. With a name like that, they would have been top of her list for sending in her novel.

The editor bowed lightly at her with a charming smile, but no student of Barry Dort would have been fooled by that smile. He must be trying to curry favor with Grandmama for something or the other, Wednesday thought. Probably money. It usually was. “We’re just starting up,” he said. “From what I hear, you are just the person I’m looking for. Could I have a look at your draft?”

“It's in the library. I can show it you now if you want,” Wednesday told him. That was one way to get out of this dreary hall with its people and noise. She wasn’t particularly impressed with the look of this editor, but she would rather deal with one insufferable human than a room full of them, Wednesday decided.

“Thank you very much. I would also love to take a look at the famous Addams Family library,” the man said delightedly, with his eyes shining brightly. This time his smile seemed genuine, Wednesday noted. Maybe he was equally bored with the crowd as she was, she supposed.

Her novel draft was inside the drawer where she left it after she’d caught Tyler reading it again, despite her giving him explicit orders not to. He had said he couldn’t put it down and wanted to see what Viper got up to next, however Wednesday wasn’t sure she believed him. It was not due to Wednesday having any self-doubt regarding the quality of her creative output like new writers often do, but because anytime she caught Tyler reading it, he was on a paragraph describing Viper’s interactions with her lover nemesis.

“Here,” she said, handing the bundle of papers to the editor.

Instead of reaching out for the draft, he was smiling at her with the same bright-eyed smile he wore earlier. “Miss Addams, I never got a chance to introduce myself properly. Byron Branca, at your service,” he said, locking the door behind him.

So, this was Byron. From appearance alone, Wednesday wouldn’t have guessed him to be an outcast, let alone a werewolf. But she might have thought the same about Enid, to be fair. Wednesday tried to recall everything Freddie and Capri had told her about Byron, and whatever information Agnes found in their investigation, which wasn’t much. He had been good at covering his tracks. But nothing they found mentioned him having the ability to read minds, and without that skill, he wouldn’t be able to find Enid through her, Wednesday determined.

“Pleasure to meet. I’ve been looking for you, as you’re probably aware,” Wednesday told him coolly. She left the novel draft back in drawer and went to face him. He thinks he is shielding her only escape from the library, the fool, Wednesday thought. Then again, not many outsiders knew about the Addams Family secret tunnels. Ones who found out, usually didn’t live to tell the tale.

“Yes, Seb told me you’re looking for a potion to save your friend. I’m surprised you haven’t found it yet,” Byron said, seemingly ignoring the circumstances in which Wednesday had left this Seb.

“So, which potion is it? Where did you find it?” Wednesday asked him directly. There was no harm in trying.

“A 19^th century text called Alchemy of Outcasts, by Eloise Carter. There’s a whole chapter dedicated to delycanization,” Byron answered easily. “Not that the information would do you any good,” he added.

“If you think you can find Enid before me, you’re mistaken,” Wednesday told him.

“I don’t. I know you have her.” He replied, annoyed. Did she think him so unaware of what happens in his forest?

“And don’t think cornering me in my family library would help you get any closer to her, either,” Wednesday warned him.

Byron raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think I want to get closer to this alpha friend of yours?” he asked her.

“Freddie told me you are collecting special outcasts,” Wednesday replied. “And Capri told me about the grand magical plans for outcasts that you have had from childhood. I don’t care what experiments you plan to do, but you won’t use Enid for that.”

“If you spoke with Izzy, and you know about this potion, you must also know the circumstances in which I brewed that potion, don’t you?” Byron asked her.

“She said you turned yourself into an alpha,” Wednesday replied. She couldn’t see why he was stalling by talking to her, and suspected he might have his pack members surrounding the house, trying to find Enid. She hoped Pugsley and Uncle Fester would be safe in the banquet hall and Tyler would be with Agnes and Enid. They were the only ones who knew where they were hiding Enid tonight, and as long as they were safe, Byron's pack won’t lay a finger on Enid, she was certain. Which left only herself facing Byron… who just reminded her that he was an alpha.

Wednesday looked around for weapons, and found none. The hidden dagger she carried around would do little good against a werewolf’s claws, if he decided to transform. She had to make an escape, or keep him talking while she found an opportunity to draw the knife and stab him. She weighed her chances.

Byron continued to speak. “Yes, I changed myself into an alpha using a potion I brewed myself, so I could access my wolf powers anytime I wanted. Unlike your careless little friend, I was able to keep it under control, and grow my pack bigger. The hard part was what I had achieved myself: the recipe. The ingredients themselves are hard to find, but not rare.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Wednesday wasn’t interested in potions for turning people into alpha wolves.

Byron looked impatient. “Can’t you see? If I want an alpha, I can make one myself. It’s definitely less effort than chasing a rogue alpha across the Tunnels of Oblivion. That’s not even counting the fact that there are always enough alphas in the outcast world, so there have been books written about them. Most of it is common knowledge among werewolf clans. If you know nothing about me, Miss Addams, know this: That I’m only interested in uncommon knowledge.”

He must be mad, Wednesday thought. Or lying. Probably both. “Is this supposed to convince me that you are not interested in Enid? Then why are you here?” she asked him.

“For the same reason I told you and your grandmother. I am looking for a young author. You.” Byron smiled again. For the first time, he was looking wolfish.

“Don’t tell me you are really a publishing upstart interested in my novel,” Wednesday replied, slowly stepping closer to one of the secret exit doors.

He snorted. “Never said anything about a novel, just the author. A Raven who’s walked over the realms of the dead.”

“And you thought you could just enter my house when it’s full of people and steal me away?” Wednesday knew that was exactly his modus operandi, but she needed time to unlock the secret hatch.

Unsurprisingly, he reiterated her thoughts. “Freddie must have told you how I stole him on the night of his birthday.”

“That was the Hyde commune, how do you plan to abduct me out of here without anyone noticing?” she asked, expecting the question to momentarily turn his attention away from her to outside where the guests were. Then, sensing him pause, she jumped into the exit. The next thing she heard was Byron jumping in, right on her heels.

Exiting the tunnel, they found themselves in the Addams family graveyard. Wednesday stood up and tried to run, but Byron caught her and held her hand pressed against a nearby mausoleum. She tried to use her martial arts skills to escape, but they were no match to his werewolf strength.

Much to Wednesday’s annoyance, Byron was practically gloating now. “Well done Ms. Addams, for doing my job for me. You asked how I expected to abduct you out of a house full of people. Well, I had heard of the Addams secret tunnels, and was relying on you to use one to escape me. It would have made things much worse for both of us if you had tried to attack me instead,” he told her.

“What’s your interest in Ravens?” Wednesday asked him, partly out of curiosity, partly in the hope of distracting him.

“Do you know that how rare your kind of outcasts are? I guess you don’t, not when your aunt Ophelia was a Raven too,” he said. “But you are different. The gift of Raven in the Frump family runs matrilineally, but you have the gift through both your bloodlines. I have been looking at genealogy records.” Wednesday remembered the book his men took from the library.  

“I lost my powers due to over-exertion, and only occasionally get visions now,” Wednesday revealed, not really hopeful that it would dispel his ambitions.

“A temporary hitch. They will return. And then we will be prepared.” He assured her. Wednesday did not like the way he said ‘we.’

“You said something about walking the realms of dead, what do you mean by that?” she inquired. Not many people knew about her brush with death, or Goody’s sacrifice.

“I told you, uncommon knowledge is a specialty of mine,” he tried to look enigmatic, but there was something bothering him, she noticed. She grasped at his moment of weakness, freed herself and ran into the woods.

The moon was still not full, but that made no difference. Behind her, she heard his angry roar as he transformed into a werewolf. Wednesday ran faster, only to find herself trapped due to her dress getting caught on a fallen tree-branch. Maybe she should have listened to her mother and wore the dress she chose, it would have been easier to run in - Wednesday thought as she fell face first… only to be met with the familiar sensation of Tyler catching her before she hit the ground. In one swift movement, he slashed across her skirt and freed her, then transformed to face the wolf ahead.

Chapter Text

“Nice to see that you and Wednesday have made up,” Agnes told Tyler as soon as they were out of her father’s earshot. He was leading her into a secret chamber in the woods where they were keeping Enid for the evening.

“Erm... Wednesday told you that?” Tyler didn’t see how Wednesday could have updated Agnes about their relationship status, since she was using his phone for most of her correspondence with Agnes. If at all that was the sort of thing Wednesday chose to share with her little fan.

“Of course not. But I doubt she’d let anyone else do that to you,” Agnes said, pointing to the love-bites on his jaw, proud to demonstrate her skills of observation. Tyler’s cheeks went as red as Agnes’s hair, and he wished he hadn’t asked her anything.

“I saw you visiting her at the hospital,” they both said at the same time, then looked in surprise at each other.

“You couldn’t know I wouldn’t hurt her,” Tyler said.

“If you truly wanted to hurt her, you would have mauled her like you did your master, instead of throwing her out of the window. And no one brings dried flowers daily to someone they want to kill. I thought it all so very romantic, just perfect for Wednesday,” Agnes countered. “How did you see me without me noticing you?” she wanted to know, because Agnes wasn’t used to being seen.

“You were only trying to hide yourself from people who had perfect rights to be there. As you know, I had none, and had to be sneaky myself,” he did not elaborate on all the different times he hid in different parts of Wednesday’s hospital room when he heard sudden movements.  

“By the way, I learned how to braid pigtails by watching you do her hair,” Tyler revealed to Agnes. He never got a chance to test it out yet, but if he did, he was confident he knew the technique.

“Does Wednesday let you braid her hair?” Agnes squeaked with a lot of enthusiasm and a little envy, and her big eyes turned even bigger.

“God, no. I didn’t even tell Wednesday that I was at the hospital every day, let alone that I spied on you. Does she know you were braiding her hair?” Tyler asked Agnes. He didn’t think that his little cockroach would be too pleased to find that out.

“Yes, I confessed to everything I did for her during her time at the hospital in attempt to make her like me. It backfired badly, and it’s only thanks to Enid that I was back in Wednesday’s friend circle.” Agnes admitted. Tyler could relate to some of that.

“Anyway, thanks for not alerting the hospital security about my presence there,” Tyler said.

“Even if I’d wanted to, I’d be risking getting caught myself,” replied Agnes. Such a child, Tyler thought about her, for equating the risk they were at for being caught, when he was a wanted criminal and she was only a rule-breaking student.

“You were not a criminal, Agnes.” He told her.

“But I would still have faced consequences which I’d rather avoid,” she defended her choice.

He wondered what her family was like, for her to grow up with such distorted ideas of what is acceptable and not. His own relationship with his father was never great, and he had recognized bits of that pattern in the short duration of time he watched Agnes with her father.

“Here we are,” Tyler said when they reached the door to the underground chamber.

“Hey Tyler!” Exclaimed Pugsley happily upon seeing them. “Hey Agnes, nice to see you, I didn’t know what food you liked, so I brought all kinds,” he said, pointing at the eclectic collection of dishes on a small side table. Some of it looked edible, but most didn’t. Tyler regretted not specifying what kind of food to get when he sent Pugsley to the kitchens.

“Well, kids, have fun. We’ll leave for the ball now,” Uncle Fester said, keen not to miss any of the fun food items at the banquet, and he and Pugsley bid them farewell for the evening.

Tyler spent most of that evening listening passively in the background while Agnes shared all the latest gossip with Enid. He didn’t know how much of it the alpha wolf understood, but Agnes didn’t seem to care. She was so happy to be in the same room as Enid at long last, she completely ignored that Enid was a wolf who could not talk back, and perhaps didn’t even understand what she said.

They were at the point when Agnes was demonstrating a new dance routine she choreographed for Enid’s welcome back party – for she was sure it was only a matter of time before Enid was back to human now that Wednesday had found her – when he felt the first ripples of danger. Wednesday, he thought, or was it the Hyde?

Tyler stood up abruptly. Wednesday was in danger, he knew. He didn’t know how, but he was certain of it. The wolf, something about the wolf. He looked at Enid, peacefully watching Agnes doing a complicated pirouette. Not her, the other one. Hyde was angry at him. Tyler knew it wasn’t full moon tonight, and they knew of only one other alpha... He was uncertain what to do. Enid was safe here, he knew, but also, he knew it in his bones that Wednesday was in danger. He had to find her. Now.

Tyler took another look at the Agnes. If he told her Wednesday was in danger, she’ll insist that she come with him. Not to mention what alpha Enid would do, and he couldn’t risk losing them to his possible paranoia. Leave now! The Hyde was pulling at his legs.  

“I’ll go to the kitchen and get some more food,” Tyler said, rising. It took all his energy to stop the Hyde making him sprint out of the chamber.

“Alright, if you’re hungry. We’re good now, I know she won’t hurt me, and no one can enter here,” Agnes said confidently.

He tried to look as calm as possibly could as he walked towards the door, and ran once he got out of there.

Wednesday watched as the Hyde and the werewolf wrestled over the Addams family headstones. She didn’t know how or why Tyler was there, he was meant to be standing guard over Enid, but she was relieved to run into him. But her relief was short-lived as she realized that unlike his fight with freshly turned Enid on the blood moon, Tyler was very much at a disadvantage in this fight. He was barely eighteen, while Byron was twice his age and twice his size in his wolf form.

Wednesday looked around to see a glint of silver - Tyler’s sword which had fallen out as he transformed. She grabbed it and turned to Byron and Tyler, caught each other in a deadly embrace, rolling over an ancient mausoleum. She wanted to help Tyler and attack Byron, but they were too close and too fast for her to interfere.

Seeing that the sword wasn’t going to help until there was some distance between them, she pulled out the dagger from the hidden pocket in her dress and thew it at Byron in a narrow opportunity she got. It hit him on the shoulder, and for a moment he turned his attention to Wednesday, and remembering his true objective, leapt towards her. She pointed her sword in position, ready to stab him but he never reached her. Looking over, she saw the Hyde pulling at the wolf, tearing through his legs.

The wolf let out another angry howl, and left Wednesday for good and turned his full attention to the Hyde. He slapped at his neck with his heavy claws, causing jets of blood gush out from the young Hyde’s neck and shoulder, and Wednesday felt her own throat congesting, unable to scream or breathe. Her hold on the sword weakened, and it fell down to the ground. Using all the energy she could muster, she knelt to pick it up, and felt a sharp movement of fur and heat vaulting over her, in the direction of the battling beasts.

Enid Sinclair had joined the fight.

Chapter Text

The werewolf was waiting on a stone bench in his dark cell in the Addams dungeon. His sleek long hair was matted and tangled, the fancy clothes he wore to the ball were replaced with dungeon rags, but his eyes were glinting brightly as ever. When he saw Wednesday standing across the bars, he smiled the same smile he had when they met.

“Miss Addams, very kind of you to grant me this visit. Did you find the potion to turn back your friend?” His question betrayed no hint that said friend was the reason he was now rotting in this cell. Unlike Wednesday, Byron was well-versed in negotiation tactics.

She knew he expected her to be livid at him so he can laugh at her, and decided to be polite instead. “Yes, Enid is back to her human form. Thank you for your help.” She also wanted him to know that the advice he thought would be of no use to her had ended up being valuable. Small victories.

Grandma Addams had brewed the potion using the information Wednesday got from Byron. Wednesday would have done it herself, but she didn’t trust herself to be precise with the recipe in her tormented state. Enid was not yet completely got used to a human normal, but she was improving rapidly with the help of Agnes and frequent visits from Mr. Sinclair. Once she was fully recovered, they planned to ‘stage an intervention’ and return her to her family and old life.

“Are you going to kill me?” Byron asked her. He didn’t look scared.

“Probably” she replied. The only reason Byron was left alive was because they were unsure about the implications for Freddie if his master was killed.

“I’d advise against it,” he said, as if they were discussing someone else.

“Of course, you would,” Wednesday agreed.

“No, seriously, you’d be making a mistake. I can be useful to you. I know things.” There was only a slight hint of desperation in demeanor.

“You’re deplorable,” she said. “Why would I make any kind of deal with you, after what you did to Freddie?” And Tyler. But she didn’t want to speak of him to Byron.

“Do you know why other werewolf packs hunt down alphas?” Byron asked her. When Wednesday stayed silent, he continued. “During full moon, where a pack is transformed, we share one mind. Everyone controlling everyone. It’s evolution’s way of keeping our intellect close to our human selves, for one wolf alone would be driven by its more animalistic instincts, having only a fraction of its human intellect. Now, do you see the danger with alphas? The ability to transform anytime means the ability to control the pack anytime. And wolves love their freedom. They feel threatened by an alpha’s potential to bind them to their will, and resort to attacking the alphas. It’s actually self-defense.”

Wednesday couldn’t see why he was telling all this to her. If he wanted them to spare his life, admitting to having unwanted control over wolfpacks was not the way to go.

Byron continued speaking.  “Now add a Hyde-werewolf hybrid like Freddie into the mix, the possibilities are endless. You must see why I couldn’t resist stealing him, though it was hardly stealing. Izzy built that entire commune on using the ideas she got from me. You could say I was merely taking my dues.”

This revelation felt more relevant to Wednesday. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Werewolves love their freedom, but Hydes can’t survive without someone controlling them. Why not teach the wolf-packs’ codependency to a group of Hydes? They will have a normal lifespan, without needing a single master. That was my idea. And that’s what they do in the commune. Everyone controlling everyone. A harmony of chaos, with no individual free will. A living hell, if you want my frank opinion. But many Hydes prefer it to early death.”

“You want to be spared in return for saving the lives of many Hydes?” she asked him.

“No, I want to be rewarded in return for saving the life of one Hyde. Your lover,” he answered, happy for the chance to propose his deal sooner than he’d expected.

“What makes you think he needs saving?” she didn’t want him to know about Tyler. She didn’t want to grant him the satisfaction of having hurt her.

“Izzy took Freddie back to the commune, didn’t she? And now he’s part of the pack. The pack your Hyde was part of, even for a short while. And as you know, I’ve been Freddie’s master and his wolfpack’s alpha since he was seven. I own every corner of his mind. His memories, dreams, nightmares – all mine. I’m still figuring out how the mind control connection works across Hydes, werewolves, and hybrids, but I do know that your Hyde boyfriend is dying. Of course, I can see it from your sleep-deprived eyes and ill-nourished body as well, but I could feel it in my nerves before I even set eyes on you. Do you still want to kill me?” He knew he had her.

She did, but instead asked him, “How can you succeed where others failed? Why should I trust you anywhere near him?”

“I know I can cure him because it was mine own cursed claw that ripped the boy’s nerves and blood vessels. You should trust me because you have no other options, and I never meant to harm him anyway. He just got in the way,” Byron said truthfully. “And don’t worry, I have no interest in mastering your Hyde who’s already buried two masters, one of which was his own mother, from what I hear,” he added.

“What do you really want?” she asked him at last.

“My freedom. Your cooperation. And a map,” Byron answered.

Wednesday sat beside Tyler’s bed, contemplating her next move. He was in a coma from blood loss compounded by injuries to nervous system and a possible curse, Dr. Mbogo had told her, but no one knew when he would wake up, or if he would at all.

She thought back on what Byron had told her - that Tyler was dying. The wolf offered to help to save him, but why should she trust him, after everything? Unfortunately, she was running out of channels to seek help. Her family, his Hyde commune, spirit guides, ancient texts, all came up with blank.

Wednesday hated feeling weak as she did now. She wished she had killed him at Iago’s tower, at least then it would have been her choice, and his. Whyever did she choose to free him instead? She’d only needed to free Pugsley. Her mother was confident about dealing with Francoise, and Wednesday was ready to sever Thing out of Isaac. She should have just eliminated the added threat of Hyde Tyler and killed him. She was going to, too.

But then he asked her for exactly that. In that moment, he wasn’t the Hyde, wasn’t her foe, but just a boy who she knew wanted to escape from the hellhole he’d been trapped in. A boy she’d fallen in love with, once.

During their time together, he’d asked her for many favors, sometimes by trickery, sometimes by honest plea, and sometimes without asking for anything at all. Even if she couldn’t always tell him ‘yes’, she could never tell him ‘no’ either. In the end she’d always relent, because she felt a sense of belonging with him. Unlike with other people, granting him anything – her time, her companionship, her touch - never felt like it’d cost some part of herself. Until that night, when he asked her to kill him.

Wednesday didn’t know how long she’d been asleep on the chair, when she heard a tapping on the window. She opened it to find a raven sitting on the ledge.

“Wednesday Addams,” the raven spoke, addressing her. “I thought ravens only said ‘Nevermore’,” she told the bird.

“I do more than say ‘Nevermore’; I found it,” he told her. “Faulkner?” she asked. This must be a dream… he’d been dead for ages, she knew. 

“I was an Avian, you know” he told her. “How are you here? Avian or not, you died long ago. Do avians stay alive in their bird body?” she asked. If so, she had to investigate the possibility of Judi returning.

“Sometimes. But I’m dead. I’m your new spirit guide. I avoided this for as long possible, but seeing as you need urgent guidance…” he said.

“You’re my ancestor?” Wednesday couldn’t believe it. No one from her family mentioned direct connections to Nathaniel Faulkner, the founder of Nevermore.

“My father was born a Frump. He was a vain man, and deemed his name not majestic enough. He renamed our branch of family as Faulkner, since his avian form was a falcon.”

“What advice do you have for me? Can I save Tyler?” she asked him quickly. “You can, but at great risk. This labyrinth he seeks that you map, it’s treacherous beyond even Byron’s wildest dreams, and can swallow you whole,” the raven warned her.

“But it could be done?” was all Wednesday heard.

“How strong is your bond with your Hyde?” the raven asked her.

“I’m not his master,” she said. Should she have tried to become his master after all? Was it her fault he was now facing death? If so, it was more reason to accept Byron’s deal.

“No, but you are his lover. That makes for a stronger bond. How do you think I died?” he asked her.  

“I heard you were killed by a Hyde,” she said.

“I tried to see how the Hyde I’d mastered would react to a command to harm her mate.” Faulkner said.

Wednesday frowned, she had heard that Faulkner went mad with close interaction with Hydes, but this went beyond her expectations. “That wasn’t in any books,”

“I died before I could write it,” the raven replied sardonically.

“Just because it happened with you, it needn’t be true for every Hyde. Tyler attacked me and threatened to kill me numerous times,” she said, slightly disturbed.

“You were in love with the boy. The boy is only half of who he is. When you were together, you never knew he was a Hyde. And when you knew, you were no longer together,” the raven explained.

“He told me that I sensed the monster in him and fell in love with it,” she said, remembering Willow Hill.

“And did you? If so, that’s probably why he never killed you despite trying.” Faulkner hazarded a guess. He had no interest to dissect teenage flirting.

“Capri’s boyfriend tried to kill her upon his master’s orders,” Wednesday said. “And failed, and killed his master instead,” the raven added.

“She said she never knew his true nature…” Wednesday began, but felt something amiss. Capri never actually told her that she didn’t know Alfie was a Hyde – just that she didn’t know his true nature. And how could she not, when her own father was one? And she’d already misled Wednesday with her words once, and freely admitted to it, using ‘my own community’ when she meant the Hyde commune, in their very first conversation at Nevermore.

“Let’s say Tyler and I are bonded somehow, how does it matter to my accepting Byron’s deal?” Wednesday asked, wearied by this detour in conversation from things that truly mattered. “I’m going to take this deal and save him, bond or no bond,” she could never choose differently, she knew.

“I’m not here to chastise you about your life-choices,” said the raven. That makes him a massive upgrade from Weems, thought Wednesday. The raven continued. “I’m here to guide you to safety as best I can, in whichever choices you make.” Definitely better than Weems.

“Can you guide me in this labyrinth, then?” she asked him. A raven spirit guide would be extremely useful in the intricate vision-walking which Byron wanted her to do.

“No, I can’t enter the Tunnels of Oblivion with you. But I can tell you how to find your way back,” said the raven.

Chapter Text

Byron kept his end of the deal - after a day full of potions blood candles, Tyler finally began stirring. Wednesday was relieved, and Byron looked pleased with himself. “There you go Miss. Addams, I’ll see you tomorrow. Here the list of ingredients required for keeping your end of the deal,” he told handing her a small note, and excused himself out of the room for a good night’s sleep.

Waking up, Tyler’s eyes found Wednesday. “How long have I been out?” he asked her.

“Two weeks,” she said. His injuries had been severe, but they would not have been fatal enough to warrant a magical intervention, if not for his Hyde nature. She didn’t see the need to tell him that.

“Is Enid safe? I think I left the door unlocked when I ran to find you, I shouldn’t have compromised her safety,” he said apologetically.

“It’s lucky you did. Enid heard the howls from the fight and ran to save you. Agnes followed and brought Uncle Fester and Pugsley too, and we were able to capture Byron,” she consoled him. It all felt so long ago. “I’ve been waiting to tell you, we found the potion to convert Enid back to human.” Wednesday added happily.

“Wow, that’s amazing. Is she here? I’d like to see her and say thank you.” Suddenly he looked anxious. “Does she want to kill me now, now that she’s back to her old self?” he asked Wednesday.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wednesday dismissed his worries. “She’s staying here for now, recovering well. She was in wolf form for so long. But her mind isn’t gone, she said she was thankful for your conversations that kept her tethered to human world,” she added.

That brought a smile to his face. “What was Byron doing here?” he asked. Wednesday said they captured him, but the man looked free as ever when he just left his room.

When Wednesday explained the deal she made with Byron, Tyler looked worried and guilty. “Wednesday, if he does something that puts you in danger,” he began, but she cut him off. “It’s fine, I have it under control. My spirit guide assured me that it will work. You’ve just woke up from a long coma. It’s not worth worrying yourself over,” she lied.

When he looked unconvinced, Wednesday decided to try other methods of persuasion.

She sat down beside him on the bed, gently pressing her palm onto the scars on his chest, where she'd bandaged him once, long ago. They looked much fainter than they did in Willow Hill, she noted, almost disappeared into his skin like blurred lines. She ran her other hand along his neck and shoulder, delicately caressing the scars he very recently recovered from. She felt his body relax under her touch. Defeated, he bent down and touched his forehead to hers, and they stayed like that, drinking in each other’s company in silence.  

After a while, Tyler took her hand from his neck and gently fidgeted with the cuff of her sleeves. The overshirt she wore today had similar sleeves to those of the dress she wore for the ball, she noted. Tyler must have been thinking the same, for he said, “I’m sorry I ruined your dress. You liked that dress.”

“I liked you slashing it off me more,” she told him.

“Is that an invitation for me to ruin this one too?” he asked, pulling her closer to him with a roguish grin, his hand leaving her wrist to hold onto her shoulder.

It was, but only a subconscious one. Wednesday gazed intently at his face for a moment, and wondered how much of Tyler’s mind Byron might have access to. Maybe the connection weakened now that he was fully conscious, or maybe not. This was not a risk she wanted to take.

“You should sleep,” she told him. “We both need rest. A lot of work to do tomorrow,” she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, and settled him down onto the bed and curled next to him, trading her usual crossed arms posture in exchange for increased proximity to him. To her surprise, he noticed.

“I thought you always slept with your arms crossed,” Tyler said, caging her with his arm anyway, so she would remain in her current position.

“You’ve only seen me sleep once,” she said. The tunnel was the only place they slept next to each other before.

His breath changed suddenly, and she could feel him looking abashed. “About that…” he began, wondering how best to explain his actions when she was in her coma.

The next morning, after she sent Lurch and Thing to get all the items required for the night’s vision-walking, Wednesday went to find Enid. “Wednesday! I heard that Tyler woke up at last. I’m happy for both of you, but what’s this ritual Thing has been talking about?” she was eager to know.

When Wednesday explained the plan, Enid’s face got increasingly concerned, as she had expected. “Are you sure it’s safe? This guy has been dabbling in really dangerous magic from what you say, and he tried to harm all of us just days ago, and now you are going on a vision-walking tour to that forest to oblige him?” Two years as roomies, and yet Enid could never get used to Wednesday’s recklessness.

“What do you mean, that forest? Do you know anything special about it?” to ask about the forest she hoped to map by vision-walking was exactly why Wednesday was here. By all accounts Enid spent a lot of time going in and out of there, she should be able to give some pointers, Wednesday hoped.

Enid looked thoughtful and worried. “I don’t know, there was something strange about it. I felt a strange pull towards the center of the forest, that’s why I went there in the first place. I didn’t really know where I was going, but it was like the moon was guiding me there,” she told Wednesday.

“What was at the center of the forest?” Wednesday asked.

“A rock of some sort. I don’t know if it was the center, but I would run and roam all around the forest but whenever I reached the rock I could never go further. I would always end up going back.” Enid answered.

“That is good to know,” Wednesday told her.

“Wednesday, if you must go through this ritual, let me be there with you. I don’t trust Byron. If he tries to hurt you…” she might end up having to transform and go through the rogue alpha phase all over again, but Enid didn’t care.

“Yes, you should be there. But not to interfere with what I do. Remember the last time you interfered my vision?” Wednesday dreaded to think of the body-swapping episode and Rotwood’s curse.

“If I can’t interfere, how can I help?” Enid asked, exasperated.

“I’ll tell you how,” Wednesday said, and detailed her back-up plan for if Byron tried anything funny.

When the night came, they were back at the Addams graveyard. Byron had insisted that the ritual needed moonlight to work, but Wednesday suspected that he just needed a quick escape in case things went wrong, which would be easier outdoors.

They set up the vellum on top of a mausoleum, using it as a writing desk. Byron placed some charcoal next Wednesday’s right hand, and took out a triangular crystal from inside a pendant he’d been wearing. He placed the crystal atop the parchment, and they waited in the moonlight.

Enid was standing to Byron’s left slightly behind him, ready to interfere in case he tried anything funny, they told him, to which he shrugged nonchalantly. Tyler was standing next to Wednesday, almost diagonally opposite to Enid. Thing was sat atop the headstone. They didn’t deem it necessary to inform any of the adults about this midnight rendezvous.

When the crystal began to glow, Byron took pushed it towards Wednesday. She took the charcoal in her right hand, and touched the crystal with her left.

She went into a deep sleep and woke up in the forest. It looked younger than she remembered. Less overgrown. There were stone paths in the ground, she could see. The path she was meant to map. In the non-dream world, her hands started sketching the path.

She walked along the path, careful not to get lost. Wednesday was good at mazes, and she always wanted to explore a real labyrinth. This one was made of trees and stone. She recognized some of it from her and Tyler’s search for Enid. But it looked much different from what she remembered. She walked the forest for a long time, sketching the path with her conscious hand, then finally reached a monolith. She’s seen this one before, but the runes on the rock had been covered by vines then. She remembered Enid’s words, and started her way back outside.

Wednesday had a good memory and was confident she could remember her way back, and it wasn’t like she could use breadcrumbs or Ariadne’s thread in a vision. Her first hitch of the night happened when, instead of the tunnel at the edge of the forest, she ran into the rock, again. Looking up, she saw that it must be a different rock – the runes were different. She walked back again, and found another rock. And another one.

She changed tactics, and tried to circle around the rock like a spiral. Instead of going out, she found herself going in, into the center of the forest. This time, she found four rocks. At least they were the same rocks as before, she saw from noting the runes. Now for the way back…

She looked round and round and round, for the way out of the rock circle. Her head was spinning, and finally she fell to ground, which vanished under her feet.

She kept falling for longer than it made any sense, and when it stopped, she found herself in his arms, like always. “Wednesday!” Tyler was shouting. She opened her eyes to see him looking at her with panic written over his face. Don’t worry, I’m back, she wanted to tell him, but words wouldn’t come. “Shall I remove the claw?” She heard him ask someone. After a while, he lifted her in his arms, and she felt weightless as he carried her to the edge of the forest.

He settled her inside a dark tunnel, and continued to watch her. He looked upset. She wanted to comfort him, tell him it was alright, but still couldn’t speak. But she could listen. He wanted to know that she accepted him, boy and monster both. He wanted to see her smile at him like she did the first time they kissed.

“Wednesday! Wake up!” she heard Tyler shout from somewhere else. She stood up and started walking towards the voice in the distance. She heard echoes of music coming from the tunnel walls. Someone was playing the Caprices on the cello. That was me, she remembered. This was her past, and the forest’s future. Or was it her future too? She was unsure. But it was her present which she needed to find a way back to, and this wasn’t it.

“Wednesday, please,” he was begging now. She ran towards the voice, and found another door in the tunnel, slightly ajar. A soft gush of wind entered through the door and caressed her cheek and hair. “Wednesday, open your eyes,” the wind whispered to her in Tyler’s voice. She took a step closer to the door, and felt his heartbeats in the tremors of the ground.

She was nearer to the door now. She took a deep breath, and smelt wolf blood in the air. Underneath the blood, she could sense Tyler, smelling like earth and iron and coffee and… him. She took another breath, she wanted to taste more of him, like she did in the Weathervane, like she did when he had kissed her in this same forest. “WEDNESDAY! Come back to me, please,” she heard him beg again, and she did as he asked.

She opened her eyes in the present, and saw the wolf smiling at her. “Thank you!” exclaimed Byron. He rolled up the map and pocketed the crystal. “Let’s forget any ill-feelings and part as friends,” he said, offering a hand to her. When she did nothing but glare, he amended, “Acquaintances, then. So long, Ms. Addams,” and vanished into the dark woods.

“So that was that,” Wednesday said to herself. “Wednesday! We were so worried!” squealed Enid, running over to hug her. Tyler was still stood beside her, numb and unmoving.

“It was all going well until you got stuck at a point. I tried to access his mind like you told me to. But there was nothing! He was as clueless and worried as we were,” Enid was expecting to uncover grand magical conspiracies by poking into Byron's mind using her alpha skills, and was dismayed at how little Byron seemed to know about what he was doing. “And we couldn’t say anything because the ritual commanded silence. I’ve never been silent for so long in my life!” Enid said, and Wednesday wondered how she survived so long in that wolf form. All the same, she was satisfied to see her friend back to her normal self.

“Thanks for being with me, and for not interfering,” Wednesday told Enid, and instructed Thing to accompany Enid back to her room.

After they left, Wednesday turned to Tyler. In the moonlight, she saw a tear glinting in his right eye, staying on the edge as if it could not choose whether to fall or not. “Thank you,” she began, but he grabbed her forearm and pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t… pull something like that… ever again,” he told her, punctuating each word with fervent kisses on her face and neck. 

“I knew I could always find my way back to you,” she said, smiling.

“Well, I didn’t, and it was agony waiting there unable to speak, unable to help,” he was not fully recovered from the horror of watching her stay frozen with only her hand moving to scratch madly around the same point on the parchment.

“But you did help,” she said. “I heard you call, and your voice pulled me back to the present.” She saw the raven sitting atop one of the headstones. He slanted his head at her in what might have been an appreciative nod, and flew away.

Tyler shook his head. “I can’t claim to fathom your Raven magic. Just don’t leave me like that, okay?” He pleaded her.

“I won’t,” she promised. “We are bound together mind, body, and soul,” she said, running her fingers through his curls, and kissed him softly on the lips.

Tyler knew about the mind part, and he didn’t care about the soul, but… “there hasn’t been any body-binding, has there?” he asked, half concerned that she might have used him in some ritual without his knowledge, and half teasing, accurately predicting her next words.

“That can be arranged,” she said, pulling him down with her onto the grave.

Chapter Text

Scene-to-chapter Index

1. Wednesday finding Tyler interacting with wolf Enid in a forest – Chapter 1
2. Tyler feeling empathetic towards alpha Enid – Chapter 1
3. Tyler remembering Wednesday’s scent – Chapter 2
4. Tyler would have transformed and saved Wednesday from getting buried if he could – Chapter 2
5. Tyler didn’t really want to hurt Enid, he just wanted Wednesday’s attention – Chapter 3
6. Tyler making her coffee in the morning – Chapter 3
7. Wednesday claiming to be Tyler’s girlfriend to an outsider – Chapter 3
8. Tyler putting his hand over Wednesday’s mouth while holding her like in the forest – Chapter 4
9. Tyler/Hyde sniffing Wednesday’s neck – Chapter 4
10. Tyler tending to Wednesday’s wounds – Chapter 5
11. Tyler being overprotective about a young Hyde – Chapter 6
12. Wednesday acknowledging her true reasons to torture Tyler in S1 – Chapter 6
13. Wednesday protecting a young Hyde who murdered people and attacked her – Chapters 5, 6, 7, 10, 13 (the whole Freddie story)
14. Wednesday finding out that Tyler never betrayed her in love - Chapter 8
15. Hyde protecting Wednesday – Chapters 10, 17
16. Hyde smearing Wednesday with blood – Chapter 10
17. Wednesday recognizing her feelings toward both Hyde and Tyler – Chapter 10
18. Freshly transformed Tyler kissing Wednesday – Chapter 10
19. Hyde/Tyler leaving bite marks on Wednesday – Chapter 11
20. Tyler catching Wednesday falling into a vision – Chapter 11
21. Tyler bridal-carrying Wednesday – Chapter 11
22. Tyler watching Wednesday play cello – Chapter 12
23. Uncle Fester likes his wanted poster with Tyler – Chapter 12
24. Pugsley being a Hyde fanboy – Chapters 13, 15
25. Everyone in the family using ‘old flame’ to refer to Wednesday and Tyler – Chapter 13
26. Tyler feeling right at home in the Addams Family – Chapter 13
27. Connect the Addams family dating advice scene from the 1964 TV show to canon Weyler scenes – Chapter 13
28. Tyler reading Wednesday’s novel – Chapters 14, 16
29. Wednesday’s novel having a lover-turned-nemesis character based on Tyler – Chapter 14
30. Wednesday and Tyler kissing when he is fully conscious (for the post-transformation kiss, he was in a fugue state) – Chapter 14
31. Wednesday leaving bitemarks on Tyler – Chapters 14, 17
32. Tyler using French nicknames for Wednesday – Chapter 14
33. Wednesday re-wearing her masquerade ball dress so Tyler can see her in it – Chapter 15
34. Tyler showing interest in fencing – Chapter 15
35. Tyler calling Pugsley ‘bro’ – Chapter 15
36. Acknowledge their foiled wedding held at the dilapidated chapel – Chapter 15
37. This is true love. You think this happens every day? – Chapter 15
38. Tyler slashing Wednesday’s dress – Chapters 16, 19
39. Tyler and Agnes bonding over their shared obsession with Wednesday – Chapter 17
40. Alpha Enid being protective of Tyler – Chapters 12, 17
41. Wednesday realizing why she freed Tyler instead of killing him – Chapter 18
42. Tyler and Wednesday are bound to each other – Chapters 17, 18, 19