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Fire.
In her lungs. Her throat. Her stomach.
Everything burned.
Burned and twisted and rotted till there was nothing left. Nothing but ash and sorrow and regret.
So many regrets.
Raelle struggled to breath. To take in one tiny speck of air.
To live.
She could feel her skin crackling. The inferno scorched her veins. Her blood. Her mind.
God, it hurt so much.
Her face pulsated. Each miniscule attempt to continue on, for her heart to beat, brought the flames deeper into her soul. She grit her teeth, helpless yet desperate to hold in the screams. The groans. To not show the woman holding her hand that she was dying.
She was dying.
Head slowly tilting to the side, the rough rock sharp against her blazing cheek, blue eyes met the most beautiful face Raelle had ever seen in her life.
The face she wanted to wake up to every morning.
That haunted her dreams and brightened her nightmares.
That made her feel like there was something worth living for. Trying for. Fighting for.
Not dying for.
Scylla.
Raelle tried to crack a smile. Wanted to. So desperately wanted to.
She couldn’t.
Her chest seized and her muscles tightened.
Fuck.
Her vision wavered.
Colors.
So many colors danced in front of her eyes.
Colors and darkness.
Black.
Endless.
Luring.
Tempting.
Except.
Except the ocean beckoned her.
Blue so deep and so pure she had to reach for it.
Blue she’d never forget. Was locked in her memories. Unforgettable.
She would know Scylla’s eyes anywhere.
The light in the dark. Her hope. Her home.
Her everything.
Tender fingers cradled Raelle’s hand. She could feel the cool brush of metal, and her eyes closed.
Metal.
A ring.
Her ring.
Their ring.
She was married now.
Her and Scylla were married.
A burst of agony roared in her heart, and the fixer nearly wrenched away from her wife in torture.
“Hey.” Scylla soothed softly. Lovingly.
The way she always spoke to Raelle when it was just them. Quiet and the middle of the night. Heads sharing a pillow and words, secrets, dreams and hopes, whispers that were only meant for the other’s ears.
When Raelle was angry. Rageful. The memories and world too much. Her control gone, snapped in an instant.
When Scylla’s glance and touch, when her voice, crept through the haze and calmed the demons that danced in Raelle’s soul. On her tongue. In the back of her mind.
The necro lightly squeezed Raelle’s hand and inched closer, holding in a wince as the Mycelium’s power clawed at her head, tore down her face, ripped at her flesh and bone.
Raelle swallowed thickly. Coughed and seized again, the fire only growing, the pain only intensifying.
“Hey, look at me.” Scylla coaxed, thumb brushing against the side of her wife’s hand.
Exhaling, Raelle slowly, so damn slowly, opened her eyes and twisted the last centimeter to be met by an adoring grin.
The same grin Raelle used to kiss.
Wished she could kiss one last time.
“There you are.” Scylla’s eyes shone.
Stars.
They were stars and diamonds and the lighthouse.
Leading Raelle to the only place she ever wanted to be.
At Scylla’s side.
With Scylla.
Scylla.
“Ain’t…getting rid of me yet.” Raelle rasped, each word grinding along her throat, grisled and grating. Her hand fell into Scylla’s grasp, the tip of her thumb grazing the ring, “Wife.”
Scylla’s smile wobbled.
Raelle saw it.
She saw Scylla.
Saw the way she hid her pain. The way she was beautiful, gorgeous, even when in the middle of battle, in the middle of the end of the world. How intelligence and trust and power flickered in her eyes. In those blue eyes.
Raelle loved the color blue.
“We shoulda stayed at the lighthouse.” the blonde muttered. Her eyelids began to droop, exhaustion eating away the last of her strength, the fire devouring, consuming, whatever was left of her will, her life, her being. She fought against it, tried to keep her gaze on those eyes.
She wanted to look at them forever.
Have them be the first thing she saw.
The last thing.
Look at heaven in the form of the only woman she ever loved.
The only person she ever wanted.
Needed.
Forcing her eyes to stay open, the scraggly skin of Scylla’s cheek hooked into her vision.
Scylla.
Was hurt.
Because of her.
She’d hurt Scylla.
Her power…this gift…this curse…this thing she could never truly control…hurt her lover. Her wife.
Her wife.
The guilt poured into her. The regret. Remorse.
She was sorry.
So damn sorry.
“This isn’t too bad.” Scylla whispered.
Raelle’s jaw quivered, “I’m sorry.”
“No,” Scylla shook her head, her grip tightening, her voice tightening, “you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Hurt you. I hurt you.” Raelle weakly tried to touch her. Soothe the ache. Cup her face like she always did.
She couldn’t lift her hand.
She couldn’t move.
It hurt.
Hurt so much.
But not as much as knowing she hurt Scylla.
“I’m ok.” Scylla kissed her hand. Let her lips linger as she stared over at the other witch, “I’m ok, Raelle.”
“No,” Raelle shook her head, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
“Yes.” Scylla said resolutely. Firmly. “I swear. You would never hurt me, Raelle.”
She never wanted to hurt her.
Vowed to keep her safe. Loved. Cared for.
The vows.
Their wedding vows.
She promised.
“I love you.” barely broke past the blonde’s pale lips.
Scylla kissed her hand again, “I love you, too.”
“Can I ask you something?”
Scylla nodded, thumb caressing the heated skin that somehow still felt cold.
Cold like ice.
Like death.
The brunette didn’t let her fear show. Didn’t let the terror that dwelled in her belly, swelled and churned, reveal itself.
Used every tactic she ever learned in her life to hide what was happening in her mind.
Because.
Because Raelle was sick. Was hurt.
And goddess, Scylla would take care of Raelle no matter what. Would choose her over anyone, even herself, no matter what.
Would spend her last moments on earth making certain Raelle was ok.
No matter what.
“Anything.”
“Why me?” Raelle breathed.
“What do you mean?”
“Could…could have anyone.” Raelle’s eyes blinked lethargically. “You married me.” Her eyelashes fluttered, “Why me?”
Scylla stared at her for a moment.
Carefully rested her chin on top of Raelle’s hand.
Held her gaze.
This woman who she was supposed to seduce. Lure to the Spree. A mark. A job. An assignment. Nothing more.
The woman who saw her in a way no one else did. Was patient. Kind. Funny. Wonderful.
This witch who loved her. Openly. Honestly. Held her hand. Made love to her. Listened to her. Believed in her.
This person who captured her heart with a grin and a joke. With tenderness and affection.
Who showed Scylla the world, the universe, a future, with the touch of her lips.
“I love you.”
The edge of Raelle’s mouth twitched.
“I will always love you.” Scylla leaned heavily against the rock. “M-My parents…once told me that…that love was…was home. Was finding home. We…we were always moving. Hiding. Never stayed in one place too long. But, we had each other. My parents had each other. Our family. We had our home.” She wet her lips and dipped her chin, held the kiss on Raelle’s hand, “You’re my home.”
The edge of Raelle’s mouth lifted slightly, “Home.”
Scylla nodded.
Raelle’s eyes closed, “Scyl?”
“Yes?”
“C-Can we…move back…to the Cession? After…after this?”
“I’d like that.”
“Know…a place. By Pop. Got…got a big yard. Needs…needs some fixin’ but…could be nice.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe…maybe get a dog.”
Scylla’s throat bobbed.
She wanted a dog as a kid.
Never could have one, being a dodger.
She knew Raelle had one when she was younger. A stray she and her dad found one day.
Both Collars still talked about her sometimes.
Collars were strays after all. Didn’t quite fit in anywhere or with anyone else, so they clung to each other. The little pup they found wandering, lost and hungry, fit right in.
She bit her lip.
Images of Raelle walking alongside a playful gentle dog flashed in her mind. The pup darting up to greet Scylla when she caught sight of her other mother. Raelle chuckling, carefree and relaxed.
Scylla slid one foot behind herself, steadying her stance as the barking ball of fur crashed into her, nuzzling into her denim clad hip and panting heartily, brown eyes and sleek brown fur soft as the dew that glistened that spring morning. Scylla stroked the dog’s head, earning a nose bump to her palm and a lick at her wrist. Morrigan perched regally on the nearby porch railing, watching the scene unfold, her presence alerting the necro to the approaching duo well ahead of the excited yips and racing paws. The brunette peered up to see Raelle strolling towards her, twinkle in her eye and hair as fluffy as the dog’s, the afternoon breeze ruffling it around her chin. Before Scylla could call out to her, the pup slumped against her, rolling to the ground and offering its belly, lolled tongue begging for scratches.
Their house would always need something fixed, but they’d make do.
The couple meandered into the hardware store, the tiny bell on top of the door ringing as the wooden barrier swung open and closed.
Without looking up, the young man at the cash register, focus glued to the newspaper in front of him and long jet black hair lazily pouring out of beneath his ratty faded ballcap, spoke up, “Hey Scylla. Rae.”
“Hi Max.”
“Paint?”
“Plumbing.”
“You know where it is.”
Watch the sunset together over the trees.
The blanket wrapped snugly around Scylla’s shoulders, a quilt knitted by Raelle’s grandmother when she was just a baby. A keepsake the fixer brought with her everywhere, hung up on her bunk her first day at Fort Salem and folded at the end of her bed during War College. Family keepsake Raelle planned to always keep. A keepsake she shared with her wife. Her family. Laid on top of their bed and protected them throughout the night.
The blonde nestled back into Scylla’s arms, head on her chest and fingertips absently caressing the hands twined around her stomach.
The sky glistened with color. Various shades of blue and pink that melded together in a work of art only nature could create.
The couple huddled closer together, a kiss exchanged as the orange warmth dipped below the horizon.
See Edwin on the weekend.
The truck door slammed closed, the older man’s wrinkling visage popping into view a moment later. His face lit up as he spotted the two women, “Stella!”
“Edgar!” Scylla called back.
Raelle rolled her eyes, but the twist of her lips gave away how happy she was that her wife and father loved each other, as the man scooped the brunette up into his arms.
“How ya doing, kiddo?” Edwin rubbed her back.
“Good. We’re good.” Scylla replied, giving him a little squeeze.
“That’s good.” Edwin nodded, letting her go, “I hope you’ve been keeping that one out of trouble, though. Don’t need the Marshal paying me another visit.”
Raelle’s eyes rolled hard.
Take walks and drives together.
The stars glimmered like ships in a vast ocean overhead.
Raelle and Scylla walked casually along the path, hands swaying between them, fingers laced, the peacefulness of the Cession enveloping them in its welcomed embrace.
This is what freedom felt like.
No need to look over her shoulder all the time. No need to hide. To run. To protect herself.
No collars to block her Work. No chains. No cage-like uniform.
No blood on her lover’s lips. Dripping from her mouth.
Only the hug of the wind. The support of the earth. The feel of her wife’s hand. Calloused. Strong. Cherishing.
They could go anywhere.
They could go home.
Be a family.
A home.
Free.
Happy.
No battles.
No Camarilla.
No Mycelium causing her lover pain.
Scylla knew it was a fantasy. A dream. Nothing more.
Something she should ignore. Brush aside. Internally berate herself for even thinking about.
Waste of time.
Childish.
But they made it to the lighthouse.
They married.
“Scyl?”
“Hmm?” Raelle’s voice dragged her out of her thoughts.
“I love you.” Raelle seemed to sink into the rock, her energy evaporating like the hope the unit once had, “Gonna make my dad’s pancakes for you.” She wheezed, “Promise.”
Scylla held her hand tight, not feeling the sharp jut of the rock against her belly.
“I’ll make the coffee.”
Raelle weakly smiled.
Scylla rubbed her wife’s hand, trying to warm it.
In the background, they could hear Tally. Abigail. Others.
Scylla ignored them all.
Simply focused on the woman next to her.
Her wife.
Her home.
Her future.
Her everything.