A continuation to And So I Run Now to the Things They Said Could Restore Me, a segway, if you will, between Cordison and Cordiston (which will be subject to a third fic being slowly fleshed out and written).

Author's Note: Some of you have asked before and let me clarify that the Alaskan Coven Universe consists of the fic mentioned above, this one, and the one coming up that will be labelled. These three are not part of the Dark Coven Universe arc (Puppets on a String and The Three of Us). Alaskan is safe and healthy polyamory, Dark Coven is its evil twin!

Headcanoned with and beta-ed by Grace

"Come on, Maddie." Misty's voice floated in between bars of bird calls and waves crashing on sunburnt sand. "Breathe in, breathe out. Relax. I can feel your tension from here."

Madison Montgomery's hazel eyes snapped open and she scowled at the swamp witch. "I can't relax if you tell me to," she growled back. After a moment, she let out a heavy sigh. The wild blonde wasn't listening, and with her irritation came the familiar itch in her lungs, in the tips of her fingers, and her knee began to move up and down frantically of its own accord. She stared it down as she spoke, as if that would stop its thrashing. "I need a cigarette."

"After," Misty hummed. "Close your eyes."

The telekinetic turned her grimace from her leg to the wild blonde sitting on the ground in front of her, their knees almost touching, the girl's own blue-green eyes closed in entranced concentration. Madison moved back an inch, chest tightening at the closeness and on the verge of feeling claustrophobic even though they sat outside in the sun and grass and fresh air.

Misty was finding her happy place a lot easier than Madison herself was.

Defeated, the dirty blonde fell back onto her shoulder blades, gazing up and narrowing her eyes at the cloudless spring sky. She was, and she swallowed the word back harshly, thankful for the help the necromancer was providing, but she wasn't finding any ends to her problems, no light at the end of the tunnel, and she was tired of sitting by the bayou's edge, thinking on thoughts, or whatever Misty called it.

The blanket beneath them shifted and she glanced sideways, finding the older girl at her shoulder, laying by her.

"This ain't doin' nothin' for ya today. What's up?"

"I don't want to think anymore, Misty."

"Then?" the wild blonde prodded.

"I want to talk."

Misty chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched the telekinetic. "I never did talk, I was alone. I was stuck inside my own head, it's all I knew."

"Not even to your pets?" The last word was hashed out, and the wild blonde smiled at their shared memory of Madison's last encounter with an alligator.

"They wouldn't have understood, anyway." She shifted to lay on her back, arms coming up to cushion her head as she gazed up at the trees swaying in the light wind. "Alright then, talk."

Madison whined as she turned into her side. "Not just like that!"

"What's wrong now?"

"I have to feel like talking, Misty. I have to feel right."

"I got time," Misty said. "Delia ain't expectin' us home before sundown."

Madison bristled at the Supreme's name, suddenly chilled in the sunlight, and she looked away. "Forget it." Her hair was tugged on and she ignored it, but Misty twisted a strand between her fingers until she had to look into calculating blue-green eyes. She tried to shift her gaze, but found that she couldn't.

"I think I got your angle."

"Bullshit," Madison fired back. She sat up abruptly as Misty went to stand, brushing blades of grass from her skirt. The dirty blonde took the hand offered to her and she stayed close to Misty as she packed the blanket beneath her arm. She bit her lower lip. "Do you?" she asked softly. "Because I'm not sure I do. I feel like I do. But I don't know."

"I do," Misty assured her. She paused long enough to take Madison's fingers in hers as she began their walk back to the academy. "We'll tackle it another day, though."

"Why?"

"It wouldn't look great too great if I brought a bawlin' Maddie Montgomery back home."

"Like you could make me cry!"

"I can rouse almost any other emotion from ya by just standin' here-"

"Annoyance, anger," Madison began to count off on her free hand.

"-Why not sadness?" the necromancer finished. She tugged the dirty blonde closer to her. "We both know you've been a little more than fragile lately, even if ya won't admit it too loud. It's okay to be sad. Even in front of me."

"Yeah, well," Madison grouched back, but she didn't finish her thoughts.

She'd wanted to take the car, like during every field trip with the necromancer, but Misty had won out and they'd walked the hour to the woman's old home. She let Misty wrap her arm around her shoulder as they headed back, tucking into her embrace even though she'd pull away when they'd enter the city and deny it later. She was just so cold. She'd use their walk back to get warm again.

They had walked about a mile before Misty spoke, eyes peering up at the foliage above them. "What was your hell like, Madison? When you died the second time?"

"I didn't go to hell. It was just black. Pitch black. The first time too."

Misty's heart hurt as she let the dirty blonde take the lead, their fingers caught onto each other's but so close to disengaging. She had slowed, but now she used her longer legs to catch up, almost flush to the girl's back.

When she'd come back from the dead Madison had stood her ground against her emotions for about a week, letting old friends and Cordelia visit her in her room as she fought the blackness within her, but she'd shut herself off one night. And she'd steadily begun to ignore her Supreme, Zoe, and even Misty, even though the necromancer had tried so hard to help her.

Misty knew Cordelia had apologized as much as she could to the girl, between her deaths, her seeing them kiss, her broken heart. But Madison, and the wild blonde was convinced of it, hadn't quite forgiven her, if at all. There was one thing the young actress couldn't stand, and that was being played.

And she was sure the Supreme had played her into a corner.

It'd taken a month for the necromancer, constantly pressured by a worried Cordelia, to rouse Madison out of her hell-made black hole, to drag her out into sunlight to begin her healing. But even then, little moments of darkness had the telekinetic instantly going back into her tunnel-less depression.

"She told me she loved me, you know?"

Misty looked up, finding Madison's hazel gaze on her as the girl glanced back over her shoulder, and she frowned. "Who."

"Delia. Miss Cordelia. Cordelia. She told me she loved me." Madison let out a harsh sigh and she looked up at the sky. "Did she tell you the same?"

The necromancer ducked beneath the girl's eyesight, hiding with her sudden shame. "I don't know."

"Shit, Misty." The dirty blonde broke away from her and stopped in her tracks, glancing around furtively, as if looking for somewhere to suddenly run. "Shit."

"I'm sorry, ya, ya were gone and she was sad and I-"

"Helped her like you're helping me?"

The older blonde bit her lower lip and she nodded slowly. "It just happened, ya gotta believe me. Just like it did with ya and her. It just happens."

"Why should you have her?"

Misty shrugged softly at the girl's harsh tone. "I don't own no one. Not her or ya, or me."

Madison sneered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That I'm livin' on borrowed time on this earth, in a body that'll wear away, I got no right to own no one. Not even this." She glanced down at herself. "Hell changes ya."

The girl looked away. "I know."

Misty shook her head, curls bouncing. "What I'm sayin' is, if we've only got a century at most on this planet, then shouldn't we make the best of it?"

"And fuck the Supreme?"

"I haven't-" The necromancer turned a shade darker. "I haven't done that, Maddie."

"Nice use of your time on earth then," Madison snorted back. She kicked a rock over and they watched it tumble into bushes. "She told you she loved you."

"She meant it as much with me as she did with ya."

"Maybe she didn't mean it at all. Did you say it back?"

"Ya know she did. She still does, Madison. She tells me all the time. She's just so scared of how you'd react, of how you're reactin'." Misty ignored the second question, and the girl knew she had.

Madison turned to face her, blinking back tears. "How I'm reacting? How else should I fucking react? I died, and she left me to Death." She stepped closer to Misty. "She left me in the ground, Misty!"

"She didn't know ya were in there. Don't ya think she'd have helped ya if she could? Ya know she would have. But Kyle was so scared of what he'd done, and he lied. Ya were supposed to be in Los Angeles."

"I wish I had been," Madison muttered. She threw her arm out angrily, turning on herself. "How can she tell you she loves you, if she told me the same thing? Is that even possible? To love two people the same? She's got to love one of us more. And I know it's you."

"I don't think it's me. I don't think it's ya."

"Stop with the fucking riddles, Misty."

"I'm tellin' ya, she loves us the same." The necromancer shrugged lightly as she went to take Madison's arms in hers again. The girl didn't pull away as she nuzzled into her hair, humming. "There's your angle, darlin'."

"Misty."

"It's Delia, and we both know it, and ya gotta talk to her. I can't fix ya if ya don't help me. And I can't talk with her for ya." Misty brushed her hand down the girl's spine. "If we can make the best of it, shouldn't we? Couldn't we love each other? The three of us? Wouldn't that be enough?"

"The three of us?" Madison gave her a certain look, but Misty couldn't read past it, and the necromancer let her go as she untangled herself carefully from her grip. She reached for Misty's hand, but took her fingers back abruptly before turning to start walking again. Back the way they'd come.

The academy stood tall in the darkening afternoon, and Misty fought the urge to grab for Madison, knowing Cordelia was waiting for them like she always did.

"I'm going to bed."

"Ya want me to come?"

Madison glanced back at Misty, grimacing, but didn't stop her from following her. She ignored the Supreme's black eyes as they passed her study, Cordelia sitting stiffly behind her desk and far from breathing, but the necromancer had shrugged lightly, reassuringly, at the woman.

"I'm telling you now," Madison muttered as she closed her bedroom door. "I don't feel like talking."

"Okay."

"Not now."

Misty nodded, but suddenly shook her head. "I'm just thinkin'," she started, but she paused, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

The dirty blonde let out an exasperated sigh and she fell back onto her mattress, staring up at the ceiling, defeated. "Thinking about what," Madison asked gruffly.

"I don't know how to put this, but ya know, sure I don't know much about internet, or what it really does, or how it works, but I know how to work it, ya know?" Misty began, tugging Madison up to sit by her on the bed. "The whole Google thin', YouTube. And ya get to researchin' and lookin' stuff up and it's real interestin' what ya find, if not always true. Ya gotta weed through some stuff and-"

"Misty," Madison snapped, pulling her arm away. "What's your point?"

"I landed on this page about like, sexuality? I don't know, I was on this blog or whatever it's called, and there was like this sidebar? I think Zoe called it?"

"Misty!"

"Sorry, but I don't know, I learned a lot and," Misty took a deep breath, looking away. "Don't ya think that, don't ya think that maybe- There's this thin' called polyamory?"

There it was.

There was Madison's heart, scampering out of its cage and out of her throat and onto the white wooden floors. She ripped away from the necromancer and went to stand, but Misty pulled her back.

"Maddie, just listen, please-"

"No, I don't need this from you, or her, or anyone-"

"Why are ya afraid?"

The dirty blonde turned abruptly to watch her, hazel eyes blazing. "I'm not."

"Then let her love ya, ya know she does! And I do too!"

There was a long pause, and Misty was suddenly turning bright red as she stood herself, fingers trembling. She paced quickly around the room, and reached for the door. "I'm sorry I gotta go."

"What was that?"

"Nothin', listen I-"

She was pushed back by Madison's palm on her shoulder, and she looked up into the girl's face, finding her crying.

"Don't lie to me! Not again!"

"I'm not I'm just-"

"What, omitting the truth? Fucking Christ, Misty!" the girl yelled. "What is wrong with you two? She goes out and says she loves me and then she can barely look at me and are you going to do the same thing too? Am I just supposed to accept that people love me and then leave me? Am I cursed to that?"

"Maddie, it ain't like that, darlin'," Misty tried.

"No, it's exactly like that! You're just like everyone else, and she is too, and I don't want you to talk to me if all you're going to do is use me and-"

She was cut off by Misty's lips on her own, the necromancer holding her by her jaw and tugging her up onto her tiptoes, kissing her harsher than she'd ever been kissed before. Her fingers grasped at the wild blonde's shawl, tugging her closer as she whimpered, and she couldn't help but feel that her first, and one of her only, kisses with Cordelia had been the same. Quick bursts of white behind her eyelids that left her knees wanting to buckle beneath her.

Misty pulled away and rested her forehead on the younger girl's, breathing hard. "I'm sorry, Maddie, I'm so sorry but I love ya like the moon loves the sun-"

"How is that any good?" Madison breathed out. She pulled Misty to her, brushing her lips against the older blonde's. "They never meet."

"Then like the stars, god- I feel like my heart's gonna bust outta my chest-"

"Since when?" The dirty blonde begged. "Since when have you loved me? Why? There's nothing to love but-nothing. There's nothing to love. For either of you."

The wild blonde wanted to reply, but the bedroom's door was being opened and she stared up into frantic black eyes, Cordelia stammering.

"I heard yelling, I'm sorry-"

Misty crossed to Cordelia and took her hands in hers, pulling her into the room.

"Misty, she's crying, why is she crying?"

"Delia, it's okay," the necromancer assured her, tugging her close. "Delia we can work this out." She glanced back at Madison, staring them both down. "There's a way, it's not far off." She turned back to the Supreme and kissed her quickly, repeatedly, to soothe her as they walked backwards to the mattress.

Cordelia broke away, confused and lost, and she glanced behind the wild blonde at the telekinetic, sitting on the bed pitifully, almost sickened at watching them embrace. Madison thought she'd throw up the first time she caught them and now she was sure she would, watching them kiss so easily feet from her.

The oldest blonde walked to and kneeled in front of her, looking up tearfully.

"What's happening?" Cordelia begged. "Please talk to me."

"I don't know," Madison snapped back, though her voice broke. "Why should I? I don't know shit, I was dead for three months and you two were together and now I don't even know?"

"Madison-"

"What the hell is this about a 'three of us'? Why should 'us three' exist? Was there ever an us? Was there ever an 'us two'?"

"Madison, sweetheart, yes," Cordelia assured her. "There still is. I love you, you know that."

"And Misty?" the girl asked, jutting her chin out.

"I," Cordelia breathed in. "I love her too. I can't explain it. Please don't ask me to."

"I want you to try."

The Supreme's throat tightened and she shook her head. "I need you both, Madison. I can't have one of you, I need both and it's selfish of me, I know it is, but you fulfill me and I can't be complete without you and Misty," the woman stammered. "And I'm sorry if I brought you back, if I brought you back for me, and I'm sorry if you didn't want to come back and-"

The dirty blonde looked away, biting on her lower lip as she fought off tears. "You are selfish."

The Supreme's head fell onto her chest with shame, Misty watching from the wall, shifting her weight endlessly.

"But I don't want you regretting-" Madison breathed in tightly. "I meant it before, during the Seven Wonders? I do love you. And I love Misty too and I don't understand how or when it happened because," she turned momentarily to the necromancer. "I can't stand you. But I can't change this now, can I? Is it even possible to love two people the same?" she echoed from hours before.

"If your heart's big enough," Misty murmured.

"Well that's easy for you to say, you love everyone," Madison snapped. "Even me, and that's saying something,"

"I love ya for ya," Misty fired back. "Not for anythin' else."

The dirty blonde watched her for a moment, then turned away. "This is stupid. I can't do this."

Cordelia stood as the youngest blonde did. "Madison-!"

"Leave me alone, please. This is ridiculous." The girl turned angrily to face them. "Polyamory? Are you fucking kidding me? What, am I supposed to go and kneel in front of you with Misty at my side and beg? This is turning into a shit-show cult."

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it!" Madison yelled. "Fucking explain it to me because I don't get this!"

Cordelia turned to Misty helplessly, raising her shoulders in defeat, and the necromancer spoke instead, reaching for the Supreme's hand.

"Love. Things out of our control."

The dirty blonde let out a light, bitter laugh. "Again with your moons and stars?"

"Why can't ya just go with it?" Misty whined lightly. "You've always complained that ya never got enough love, appreciation, and we're here beggin' ya and ya won't take it?"

"Listen, swampy, it's already hard enough to be a witch now outed to the world, it's harder to be gay, and now you want me to stroll around with two girls on my arm? I'm a celebrity!" Madison hashed out. "Do you know what the tabloids would do to me if they found out?"

Cordelia's face fell. "The tabloids? Is that what this is about? Your image?"

"It always is," the girl snapped. "Just like you stood in front of that camera and ruined us all." She pointed at Misty and motioned to the space between them. "This talk, wasn't supposed to happen. We weren't going to talk about it."

"The opportunity showed up."

"Fuck that," Madison growled. "I didn't want to talk about it and for good reasons, this is a fucking mess."

"Goddammit, Maddie, what are ya fuckin' afraid of!" Misty snapped. "Ya say you're not but you're cowerin' in your damned boots and ya won't answer us properly, hidin' behind shit excuses when ya know this works out-"

"I'm afraid you'll leave me!"

The youngest blonde stared the two other down, hands balled into fists as her chest heaved and as warm, angry, tears ran down her cheeks. "Are you happy? I'm afraid you'll leave like everyone else has! I fell for you-" she pointed at the Supreme. "And I bit dust for it, what if I fall for the two of you? What then? Does my body get blasted into another dimension? Do I even come back? What if this works out for three, four, months and then suddenly you realize you don't need a baby in the midst of your relationship? That I'm the third wheel? Holding the candle? Your fucking pet?"

"Madison!" Cordelia begged.

"I love you both, there, have your fucking words, get out!"

OOOoooOOO

Cordelia didn't care much about anything else than the telekinetic straddling her and kissing her with all she had, whimpering into her mouth, as if it was hurting her to be that close, to pull away.

She hitched Madison up her thighs, pulling the girl flush against her chest, and begged entrance into her mouth, nipping at her lower lip with sharp teeth. Madison pulled away though, leaving the Supreme breathless and floundering for the girl.

"This isn't happening."

"Not at all," Cordelia breathed back, kissing her quickly. She followed the girl when she leaned back to rest the middle of her back against the woman's desk, the Supreme moving forward in her chair to hold her better.

"I love you," Madison whispered against her jaw, fingers tangling in strands of blonde. "I miss you."

"I do too, so much. Please don't do that again, I couldn't take it."

Madison pulled away momentarily to stare her down. "You're so selfish. Is it the Supremacy?"

Cordelia smiled sheepishly into their embrace.

"I'm just," the girl sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm scared."

The Supreme tucked a strand of Madison's hair behind her ear. "You don't think we are? Misty brought it up to me weeks ago, how do you think I reacted?"

"Better than me, I'm sure."

"Not really. I locked her out of my bedroom for three days," Cordelia admitted. "I needed time too. She's just so-"

"Insistent?"

The two laughed and Madison let out a groan as she leaned forward to rest her forehead on the woman's.

Cordelia pressed a kiss to her temple. "It's okay to be scared. I am too. So is she. It's new for all of us. I have a failed marriage and she's never been in a relationship and you've been in too many toxic ones."

"Yours wasn't toxic?"

"I didn't realize it was until after I became a widow." The Supreme smiled.

"If we're going to share-" Madison shifted to be more comfortable, and Cordelia reaffirmed her grip on her waist. "We're going to have to share fairly, alright? I've never been good at sharing, but I want to try. I want this to work. I need it to work."

"Have you ever tried sharing something with Misty? It's a disaster. I told you, it's new for all of us, and we'll take it slow and steady. And I'll have you moved in if you want to," the Supreme added in a murmur.

Madison cocked her head, confused. "Moved in? I live here."

"I meant into my room." Cordelia blushed profusely and the girl on her lap followed the line of red with the tip of her fingertips down her v-neck. "I'm going to be selfish again, but I want the two of you as close to me as possible. I'm contradicting myself now but these feelings are explosive for me, I feel like I need you by my side at all times-"

"You said slow and steady."

"This is the slowest I can do," the older blonde whispered.

Madison sighed, smiling. "That's fine with me."

Cordelia suddenly frowned and she bit at her lower lip. "This isn't just about me, right Madison? You care for Misty too, right? I don't want to be the one link between you two-"

"I love her just as much, she knows that. I was in her room before I came down here and believe me, she knows. I'm sure she's waiting up there for us now like an excited dog." Madison shrugged easily. "She's just not down here at the moment to revel in lady kisses."

"I could text her down."

The telekinetic grinned.