Some Freya/Wendy family feels with a little Joanna/Wendy at the end. S2, post Frederick, but pre-discovery of the Mandragora. Hope you enjoy!

Healing Touch

It was the middle of an ordinary day- or rather as ordinary of a day as could be for such a magical family. Everyone was out and about, each member of the Beauchamp clan with a job busy earning a living. Joanna was at a local market doing the week's grocery shopping. Even Frederick was in town, though where exactly he went off to was a mystery.

Wendy on the other hand didn't have any place special to be. With no career and her boy toy (though she held hopes of it turning to more than just some fun times) busy saving lives, she was left home alone. Or so she thought. Not a couple of months ago and on most days, Wendy wouldn't care to be up early. But since being back with her family and the portal to Asgard open, everyone was on high alert. She held her doubts about Frederick, thinking her father turned him to an evil being and thats what he'd always be. But Wendy seemed to be the only one with that train of thought. So she decided to do something about it. She cooked up a tracking spell to find out what Frederick had been up to when he knew no one was watching. Wendy was in the kitchen pouring the last of the ingredients into a small pot of brewing potion when she heard a loud, piercing scream come from outside. Her body jolted from the noise, causing the spoon in her hand to fall to the floor. She looked up through the small window but could only catch a glimpse of familiar, long brown hair. Wendy abandoned the boiling pot to rush through the kitchen and into the backyard.

"Dash, no!"

Wendy's attention darted to the voice. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw a dagger hovering in the air, over her niece's stomach. "Freya!"

Dash looked away from his ex fiancé. Before he could lift a hand, Wendy squinted her eyes, sending Dash flying across the garden. She hurried after him, her stance showing no mercy would be given. She put her heel to his side and kicked, sending his body further down the hill. "You cocky little warlock," she hissed. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Dash looked up, his hand clutching his side where she kicked him. "I set a car on fire with my mind," he spat angrily. " Do you really think Im afraid of you, witch!"

Wendy laughed at his arrogance. "You want fire?" she challenged. "Ignis!" And just like that his body was set ablaze, the flames bigger than what a simple snap of her fingers could create. Wendy couldn't help a feline grin as he rolled around frantically, trying to put out the flames that began burning through his clothes.

"Here. Let me help you," Wendy said before giving him another kick, this one hard enough to send him rolling into the lake.

"Wendy!" Freya's cry snapped Wendy from her daze. She looked over her shoulder to find the blade of the dagger had struck Freya's body.

"No!" Wendy shouted while running across the yard. She zoomed to her niece, falling to the ground as Freya fell into her arms. "Its okay, you're okay," Wendy said in a rush, though tears streamed down her face.

Blood leaked from Freya's stomach as she struggled to speak. "Dash... he... drowning."

Wendy looked up to find Dash fighting to reach the surface of the lake, despite his ability to swim. That was thanks to Wendy's magic, which in doing so caused Dash to lose control of the dagger.

"Forget the son of a bitch." Wendy said while holding tight to her niece. "He deserves to die."

Freya looked to her aunt, her green eyes pleading. Wendy's heart melted. It took all of her strength, all of her will power to look away from Freya and break the drowning spell Dash was under. Quickly the man surfaced as Wendy stood on her feet, dragging Freya into the house.

"Hold on, Freya. God damn it, you better hold on," she said through her tears. As quickly as she could, Wendy managed to drag Freya's fading body into the kitchen. She collapsed to the floor, pulling Freya close. She then wasted no time in closing her eyes and forcing herself to focus. "Sana praecordia, sana praecordia..." Wendy chanted, using every ounce of her energy to bring power to the latin command.

What seemed like the longest minute passed before Wendy felt Freya's body contract. Her eyes flew open, her vision clouded with water as she watched Freya take in a large breath of air. Freya groaned in annoyance, her eyes fluttering open and closed. She felt exhausted.

Wendy lifted Freya's shirt enough to find that the wound had vanished. She blew out a breath of relief. "Damn it, Freya," Wendy cried in frustration as she pulled her niece closer. She kissed Freya's temple, cradling their bodies back and forth as a fresh round of tears fell from her eyes.

Freya soon regained some of her strength, but that didn't stop Wendy from following her every step. Freya wanted to insist she was okay, but while walking across the room, she felt her head fall light.

"Honey, you almost died," Wendy explained, her words gentle.

"Yeah, that, uh... it tends to...happens a lot to us." Freya said through closed eyes, her forehead crinkled in concentration. "Dash?"

"Gone," Wendy said while stroking Freya's hair. "I mean not dead-gone, but, gone."

Freya gave a faint nod.

"Im sorry, Freya. I should have-" Wendy stopped the next word from leaving her lips, instead choosing a different approach. "...done something about him when we realized he had powers."

After easing into a chair, Freya said, "You mean kill."

"If he tries to hurt you again, yes," Wendy said without hesitation.

"Aunt Wendy-"

With a firm shake of her head, Wendy said, "Don't 'Aunt Wendy' me, Freya. Innocents, we don't mess with. We don't kill unless we have to. Your mother's been drilling that into my head for... I don't even know how long anymore," she explained, finishing with a tired sigh. "But Dash isn't innocent anymore. Him coming over here and trying to kill you makes him the exact opposite. Now he's a threat, whether you like it or not," she said firmly. "He's got balls though. Ill give him that."

"I, um... Im gonna.." Freya's words fell short but Wendy managed to catch a glimpse of her nodding her head towards to the staircase.

"Bed, yes. Lets go."

Freya let her aunt put her arm around her and guide her up to the second floor. When they reached Freya's bedroom, Wendy helped ease her niece onto the mattress.

"Its been over a century since Ive done this."

"Done what?" Freya asked through closed eyes as she put her head to the pillow.

Wendy smiled tenderly as Freya curled to her side. "Tucked you into bed. Well, little you."

Freya smiled at the thought as she moved over enough to make room for her aunt. Wendy matched the curve of Freya's lips as she settled above the covers. She put her elbow to the mattress, using the leverage to rest her chin in her palm. With her free hand she smoothed some fallen hair behind Freya's ear.

"Don't hurt him."

Wendy couldn't help a frown. "I make no promises."

"He needs help. He's trying. Ingrid said she'd go to him."

"Really?" Wendy challenged. "He's trying so that gives him a pass on nearly stabbing you to death?"

"No, but..." Freya sighed.

"Sweetie, you're stubborn... but where do you think you get it from," Wendy with a wink of an eye. "This a fight you wont win."

"He just wants his ring back."

"He can go to hell."

"If I give it to him, he'll leave me alone."

"Nope. No way. You're not going anywhere near him. Ill give the bastard his stupid ring back, and then some."

"No!" Wendy was taken back by Freya's sudden change of tone.

"Freya-"

"He can hurt you! Kill you! But this time you wont come back!" Freya cried, tears welling in her eyes. "Why couldn't you be immortal like mom?Why can't...Damn it, I can't even remember what happened! I don't know why we left Asgard or why we're all cursed or..." Freya's words faltered as the tears took over.

"Freya, honey, no," Wendy started, her voice soft, her lips turned to a frown. "Don't you waste a second worrying about me. I can take of myself. You're not getting rid of me, not for a long time."

Freya shook her head in argument. She opened her mouth to speak, but Wendy interrupted her. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, but-"

"Then don't worry. Your mother and I will handle Dash. We'll deal with the portal... everything will be okay."

"My sister and I die over and over again. You're on your last life. The portal is open. Dash has powers and wants revenge. I lost Killian... nothing is okay."

Wendy didn't want to cry. She wanted to show her niece that she could be strong, that she believed everything would in fact be okay... but she couldn't help tears from welling in her eyes.

"My time is almost up. It always happens, right? But if you try and save me you could die and... This damn curse..." Freya said in aggravation. "Being reborn over and over... but one day you wont be there. You wont be alive and I wont even be able to remember you." Wendy didn't know what to say. She couldn't stop her own tears; how could she calm Freya when she held the same worries and fears.

"Isn't there something we can do? There has to be. Maybe Ingrid can write a spell that will give you more-"

"No," Wendy said softly. "Sweetie, I told you, theres some things that magic can't solve."

"But-"

"Freya, listen to me," Wendy said while taking her niece's hand. "I love you girls with all my heart. Nothing will ever change that."

"You were gone for so long," Freya argued, though her words were barely above a whisper.

"Yes," Wendy agreed. "And I did a lot of reckless things while I was... i died for stupid reasons too many times... the truth is, without you and Ingrid and your mother, there was a time where I just didn't give a damn anymore."

Freya's eyes widened in shock. " You wanted to-"

"No," Wendy denied. "But I wasn't being careful either."

"Mom sent you away. Shes the reason you were gone all that time."

"I killed your sister, Freya... it broke both our hearts. She had every right in the world to hate me...Ive never forgiven myself."

"But mom has. So has Ingrid. You were only trying to protect her."

"Freya," Wendy started while running her thumb across Freya's knuckles. "Ive watched you grow up so many times. In every life you've had, we've always been close. Even the curse couldn't mess with that... We're a lot alike, you and me... we know how to have fun, even when the rules say we shouldn't."

Freya couldn't help a small smile at her aunt's grin. "There are so many stories that I could tell you. But Ill do better than that. How 'bout this time around, I write about all of our adventures. That way, you'll never forget your cool Aunt Wendy."

Freya showed a teary smile while reaching her arm out. Wendy embraced her niece, resting her chin on Freya's shoulder. She took a deep but quiet breath.

"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too."

When Joanna arrived home she knew she immediately that something was wrong. The kitchen door was wide open. Splotches of blood were spattered across the floor.

The grocery bags fell from Joanna's hands as she hurried to the second floor. She was about to shout for her sister when she found Freya's bedroom door left ajar. Joanna walked carefully down the hall. She was ready to face whatever unknown enemy that had been lingering in the shadows. When she reached her daughter's bedroom, she carefully pushed open the door just enough to peak inside. When she found Wendy and Freya sound asleep, a bundle of air she hadn't realized shed been holding finally left her lungs.

Thanks to her heightened senses, Wendy was able to feel the presence of another, even while asleep. Alerted to the company, she lifted her head to look over her shoulder. A lazy smile took her face at the sight of her sister.

Joanna walked further into the room. her eyes on Freya. "What happened?" she asked, her tone hushed.

"Long story. Everything is okay though. For now at least," Wendy said, her eyes floating over to Freya who was always a deep sleeper.

"She was hurt," Joanna said without question.

Wendy nodded a bit.

Joanna's eyes widened in fear.

"She's okay, Jo. She has a battle scar, but she's okay."

"You healed her."

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"No, no, Im not, but... Wendy, you're on your last life."

"So I keep hearing," Wendy grumbled.

Joanna took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Something attacked my daughter-"

"Dash, but later. Please. Been a hell of a day."

After a moment of silence, Joanna said, "you risked your life to save her."

Wendy's brows furrowed in confusion at her sister's awed statement. "Nine lives or one, I'd die for these girls. For you... you really don't know that by now?"

"Oh, Wendy," Joanna said, tears threatening her vision as she shook her head. "What I said to you, I couldn't have been more wrong."

Wendy showed her sister a look of question.

"Freya and Ingrid... you've always been there, looking out for them. For me... even when i told you to stay away, you were still keeping watch."

Wendy smiled a bit.

"The curse says you'll never have children but thats not really true. And I was wrong to tell you that you don't know what it means to be a parent because they're your girls too, Wendy. They always have been...There's no one in this world that I would trust to look after them. No one but you."

Wendy waved her sister off. "Oh, damn it with the heavy today, " she blubbered as happy tears fell.

Joanna smiled. "I am sorry that I kept them from you."

"Don't. Its in the past. We're together now, right?"

Joanna nodded while leaning over to hug her sister.

FINIS

(Excuse my Latin. Hopefully google translate has not failed me, lol. And hopefully you enjoyed this little one-shot. Thanks for reading! :D )