Authors' Notes
Hystericlghosts: So, my co-creator and I started this story before Misty was brought back in the show. We knew Lily Rabe would make an appearance as Misty Day and thought the character's resurrection would be inevitable. We've placed our timeline at the end of 8x03, post-apocalypse, when Cordelia goes to retrieve her witches from Compound Three. We decided to keep Madison and Queenie returning as is at the end of 8x04 as well as Michael's process of retrieving them.
Correnteza: Michael is an adult when his bitch ass takes the test.
Future warnings will be applied individually for each chapter.
A smirk quirked Michael's thin lips, dark eyes smug and full of contempt as he looked down upon the witches, their so called Supreme. He had known he was better, stronger, reigning over the best they had to offer, and he could feel the glowing eyes of his mentors on him from hell where he had more than likely sent them. Lip curling in a sneer, Michael gave Misty a firm shove without so much as even lifting a hand. "Your trinket," he said mockingly. "At least someone could be bothered to collect it for you."
Misty stumbled to catch her balance, eyes burning with something uncharacteristic before she was all but falling against a particular familiar woman, gently gripping Cordelia's arms to steady herself. The contact with her eased Misty's mind a little, but there was much anguish there and her head was still spinning from being dragged back to the world of the living.
One thing rang true in her thoughts however.
This was her fault. She was the bait. She had been used just to make the powerful woman crumble.
Cordelia had been struggling to continue boring holes into Michael's head when Misty was really, truly in her presence again. In this realm, in this room. Her Misty. She had held her ground well until faltering as Misty was pushed into her, arms automatically encircling the younger woman as she resumed her glaring at Michael over Misty's shoulder. Cordelia's heart threatened to burst with relief she never thought she would experience of the witch being brought back into her arms. Rage threatened to reverberate through her body at the thought of anyone taking Misty away from her again. It began to waver moments later though as a feeling of guilt so strong engulfed her, her knees nearly buckling, but she willed herself to continue to stand in front of this deviant.
She passed Misty back to Myrtle in one swift movement and locked her into the circle of witches as she stepped forward to meet him directly in the eyes. "You may have passed the test of The Seven Wonders but this isn't over. You will destroy the sliver of balance this world is desperately trying to cling to by letting him work his ways through you." This was risky and she knew it; she could still sense her powers, they were still there, but she could sense Michael's, too. She couldn't help the nagging thought at the back of her brain if this was the wisest thing to be doing right now, aggravating the man who had given back her light when he could just as easily snuff it out once again.
Michael chuckled at that, clasping his hands behind his back, "You're old, weak, and your traditions will die and crumble just as easily as you've allowed your own to. You've lost, Supreme. It is time to accept that the world of Matriarchy in magic is ending, giving rise to the truly powerful."
Rolling her eyes, Madison made herself useful for the first time that evening and swept her hand, throwing a speaker into the wall behind him hard enough for an audible crack to be heard, the edge of the appliance skimming his arm. Cordelia released a sharp breath, visibly bristling as the speaker was destroyed, small flames immediately wisping from the pile of debris.
"For someone yammering on about how big your dick is, you're weaker than a dead teenager." Madison didn't so much as flinch when Michael faced her with smoldering eyes, raising her chin boldly with a smirk. "Sorry, sweetie, if you can't back up your talk, you shouldn't open your mouth."
"Madison!" she snapped in agitation, using her magic to push the girl back from Michael. They didn't need to anger him further when all Cordelia could think of was getting her witches back home.
That is, if their home was still standing.
She silently prayed to the Goddess that her spell was still holding and that their academy would still be in one piece when they returned.
Misty's presence behind her calmed her slightly and helped her refocus. She flit her eyes to Mallory across from her, who stood behind Michael. The younger witch gave the smallest nod in return, ready with Cordelia's plan. A few more awkward moments were exchanged between Michael and Madison before the torches were suddenly extinguished, plummeting them into darkness. Cordelia hurried, casting the joint spell and backing the group up and down the tunnel toward the exit, hand low on Misty's back to make sure the woman kept up with them, desperately hoping Mallory made it out in time as she helped their diversion. From the moment Mallory snuffed out the torches to Cordelia making it outside into the dense, sickened fog, it felt like she was being dragged down by quicksand all around her; slick against her legs and heavy on her chest.
Zoe lingered in the mouth of the passageway, anxiety not calmed any by the total darkness they had been plunged into. Only after the light brush of warm fingertips seeking her out did her own fingers curl around Mallory's wrist to get the fuck out of there. She took up the rear, making sure the younger, less experienced (but still impressive nonetheless) witch was staying close to the tight packed group. She whispered praise to the girl, not leaving her side and casting a wary look behind them as she helped hurry them along. It was very clear to everyone in the group that this was not a safe place by any means, especially now.
Misty just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, blindly following Cordelia's guidance and grateful that the other witches seemed to know what they were doing in this damned maze. Her stomach churned with the guilt she couldn't shake, and honest to the goddesses above and below, she wished she were still dead because this was somehow even worse than the hell she kept reliving there.
Amongst the butchery of the wild and barren world once again, Cordelia followed through the rack and ruin. Once it was in sight, the Supreme closed ranks as she ushered everyone to the SUV, taking Misty's hand in hers to pull her along more quickly. When taking a brief look back to grab her hand, she caught actual sight of Zoe and Mallory, unable to hold back a sigh of relief.
Without hesitation, Madison jumped in the driver's seat, starting the vehicle and slamming the door. "Get in losers!" she yelled out the window with a growl before her head disappeared back into the vehicle.
"Be quick girls, the illusion spell I cast won't work long on him," Cordelia called as Queenie hurried for the passenger seat, the rest of her witches piling in. She stopped quickly to squeeze Misty's hand gingerly before she ushered her into the car, following suit after a brief glance back at the compound.
Myrtle eyed the blonde behind the wheel, "We're going to perish," she mumbled under her breath. She had no doubt that the young woman was about to reenact every evasive maneuver from every car chase scene that she had ever seen. She made room for Zoe and Mallory, curiously regarding the newest young one from behind her glasses. "Very promising," she mused, mostly to herself.
Queenie tried not to be so damn amused by the screech of tires. She had barely managed to clasp her seatbelt before they were thrown into motion. "One crazy bitch," she commented, checking the mirrors to verify nothing was after them just yet.
Misty winced a little at the sound, or perhaps it was the way she slid along the very back of the vehicle without being secured. She tucked herself into a corner, brow furrowed as she chanced a glance out the rear windshield at the place they were leaving behind. The evil they were escaping.
"What... what was that?" She asked quietly, speaking for the first time.
Cordelia eyed Misty at the question, unsure of how to answer. That the son of Satan himself was going to try and kill them all? Or that the entire world had been consumed by death, plague, and radiation? Before Misty could prod further, the ground shook violently, jostling the witches drastically, Madison cursing as she took a moment to gain control of the wheel.
"You think he realized we're gone?" Madison asked brazenly after getting the vehicle on a mostly straight course again.
"The illusion wore off," Cordelia replied solemnly, reaching across Misty to buckle her seat belt before her own.
"I'm surprised that worked. It held him for longer than I thought it would," Zoe spoke. "That was just an illusion spell you cast?"
"I couldn't have done it alone," Cordelia hummed.
Mallory fidgeted in her seat, unable to contain the small smile that graced her lips. "I might have helped a bit, besides just killing the lights," she confessed softly.
Zoe smirked slightly at Mallory. "That's my girl."
Mallory tried not to smile too much at the words, ignoring the gentle heat brought to her cheeks. Before she could even fumble over a reply, she was swearing, gripping the seat in front of her to steady herself again.
"No offense," Madison interrupted, "but he should have been able to see through that spell easily." She swerved hard, smashing the witches against the right side of the vehicle, Queenie commenting about her license needing to be revoked. "It is," she sneered, before continuing. "I think he let us get away." The statement still held that typical Madison bite to it, but she had been unusually quiet this time around.
Misty felt her stomach churn at the long moments of the car under no control whatsoever, uneasy with cars to begin with due to a touch of motion sickness. She hadn't failed to notice that Cordelia had ignored her question, and she looked to the window only to be rather intimately acquainted with it when she was thrown up against it moments later. At least that offered a small distraction from the gnawing paranoia that the lack of answer was because the other witch was mad at her.
A swat landed on the skinny bitch's arm for the driving before sighing, "As much as I hate to agree with," Queenie gestured at the driver, "this. I think she's right for once."
"Why though?" Mallory cut in, brow furrowed as she glanced around, but it was the elder who spoke up.
"Males are silly little trivial creatures who always make the mistake of underestimating their opponents. He thinks this is something to gloat over, to let us wallow in defeat."
"He's just toying with us," Misty didn't look from the window, voice a mere murmur. "Just like a big cat with a bird."
Cordelia looked to Misty and offered a gentle smile as she rested a hand on her knee. Her own guilt burned at the back of her throat; by bargaining for Misty she had let Michael win. She had so selfishly and easily given up her title as Supreme to bring back the final piece of her life that had been missing. Cordelia couldn't help but feel she had sabotaged them, caused them to be vulnerable at the most inopportune time.
A small smile was returned by quivering lips, Misty dropping her gaze again and listening to the others speak. A warm, wrinkled hand patted her own, and she offered Myrtle the same thin smile without looking up before the woman had turned again.
Mallory peered over the backseat. "What are we going to do now?" A few exchanged glances, no one saying anything for a prolonged moment.
Cordelia spoke up, "As long as I'm in charge of this coven, he will not reign. Our ancestors and all witches that have come before us have persevered through many efforts to be persecuted by a patriarchy with ill intent, and each time we have arisen only stronger. We go home, we gather our resources, and we decide our best course of action from there."
Myrtle turned in her seat once more, cautiously turning her whole body to lesson the strain on her neck as she appraised the woman she had always viewed as a daughter. "Precisely, my dear. We are but a small representation of our full numbers, and I quite frankly will enjoy watching the little boy shit himself when he realizes exactly what he has put himself up against."
"Pussy power, bitches," Madison smirked, and it was far too likely on purpose when she didn't slow down for the next sharp turn. Queenie could fucking swear the vehicle had gone onto only two wheels for a second there, eyes smoldering as she watched her companion.
"If we weren't running to get our asses away from this demonic Twilight freak I would remove you from this vehicle so fast, so fucking help me," Queenie snapped at Madison who had finally gotten them to a stretch of open road that didn't appear to be beset with bodies.
"Just run them over rather than giving us all slight to major contusions!" Myrtle huffed indignantly, straightening her glasses for the fifth time already on this ride.
"Ew, that's gross! I might be a hateful bitch but I'm not nasty." Queenie and Zoe both shot her a look. "Okay, not that nasty," she defended herself a little quieter.
Cordelia had spaced out partly, the bantering becoming white noise as she tried to fully come to terms with what she had done. She had risked so much for herself and her coven, and for possibly anyone else still alive in this wasteland. How had her coven allowed this of her? Not that they had much of a say against the decision of The Supreme, but why had not one of her girls spoken up to how foolish of an idea this was? Had they wanted Misty back just as much as she? Even Madison had complied, begrudgingly. They supported her in this fight without a moment's doubt, blind faith in their Supreme. This time Cordelia wasn't sure if this was something they should have encouraged.
Queenie hated the mental power play that came with trying to take control of Madison's hands so carelessly controlling the wheel, the effort in itself starting a whole new argument that had more than one party in the car massaging their temples. The bickering continued, growing in volume until a loud noise sliced through the air, cutting them all off. A low, long siren, somewhere between the usual wail and a foghorn.
Mallory could faintly remember hearing it from before she had been dragged into that shelter or whatever it had been passed off as. It had made more sense back then though, when the threat was new. Not now, when it was older. "Why do they still have the alarms? Everyone is dead..."
Misty took less comfort in that knowledge than the unease that had pierced straight to the pit of her stomach with the sound. "What's going on?" She finally tore her eyes from the window, looking around the vehicle for explanation, for anyone to tell her why she had been dragged back only to step out into a world full of nothing but death and decay.
Zoe spoke first, someone to finally answer Misty's burning curiosity. "We were bombed a year and a half ago."
"Welcome to the United Wastes of America," Madison piped in.
Cordelia automatically slammed Madison's head back into the headrest to silence her, speaking up before the insolent girl could cause any more damage. "They were nuclear bombs," she started softly but surely, looking directly at Misty. "Most of the population perished, and of those who are left," she took in a sharp breath, releasing it heavily, "aren't doing too well."
Mallory tensed, thinking of how the past year and a half had been. Life had been miserable, but sustainable. Working for Venable and her cohorts could have been worse, she was aware of that, but reminiscing on it made her grow uneasy, looking out the window with a hard swallow at the everlasting badlands.
Misty wasn't even sure what to say as she took it all in. Had she really been gone so long that humanity had finally turned on itself enough to eradicate everyone? She wanted to ask more, wanted to ask how they had survived, how bad the other survivors were, if it was only their country or the whole world. The woman wasn't sure she really wanted any of those answers though.
"She's right," she eventually spoke in her quiet drawl, "what's the point of the sirens then?"
Zoe was hesitant to answer, keeping her gaze carefully on Mallory and giving her arm a soft, sympathetic squeeze as if that could take the sting out of her words to answer the question that had been asked twice now. "I think it's become...symbolic, you could say. The beginning of the free-for-all for the scavengers out here. The cannibals, the hunters, the condemned..."
Tears pricked Misty's eyes, her elbows resting on her knees and forehead in her palms. She could feel the suffering crying out from the earth below, from the air surrounding them, from the unholy dead littering their path. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly, grounding herself against the news and willing someone, anyone, to speak.
"You sure know how to lighten the mood, don't you, killer cunt?" Madison rolled her eyes, carelessly taking her hands from the wheel to connect her phone to the sound system. She wasn't particularly concerned when they began veering off the road, finding a song and hitting play before turning it up a good few notches too loud to distract them all from the grim reality they faced as she continued to drive. Only then did she so generously return them to the road.
Cordelia released another heavy sigh as the chords rose, turning to the distressed woman beside her. She did everything she could to rescue Misty from her personal hell, but she had also known there would be a period of time before the woman could start to acclimate to the new world around them. Cordelia rested one arm across Misty's huddled form, the other reaching under her and across her stomach to securely pull her in. She drew soothing circles methodically against her back before resting her chin against the witch's shoulder blade, only able to think of how all she wanted was to get Misty and the rest of her coven home.
Thank you to everyone who's given this a read! Much appreciated and hope you'll stick around for what's to come. Misty and Cordelia will get their proper, sweet, gooey reunion in the next chapter, promise. Correnteza and I will be trying to post chapters weekly. Also, how are people feeling about ZoexMallory? Let us know what you think.
Hope everyone is enjoying the current season.
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