Disclaimer: I do not own AHS.
A/N: Hi everyone, sorry for the late update! Please enjoy the new chapter and like always, thanks for r&r.
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BEAUTIFUL THINGS
CH 7- Home
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Cordelia sat out in the garden with Maxine. She needed time to clear her head after returning from Misty's hell. She had tried to reach her but whenever she tried everything would repeat and she would find herself back in the hallway.
Cordelia watched her daughter play under the shade, hidden from the rays of the warm New Orleans sun. The little girl trotted across the grass with a dandelion in her little dimpled hands; her brown eyes concentrated on the wispy plant. The little blond girl reminded Cordelia much of the previous Supreme, her mother, Fiona Goode. She just had this look about her that screamed Fiona. Cordelia had always found this to be quite peculiar and she couldn't help to wonder if she would grow to obtain the same reigning personality her mother had. Cordelia wouldn't mind Maxine to inherit Fiona's strength but she would not let the child to grow up to be selfish and cruel.
She continued to observe as Max held the dandelion with both hands before her and blew the tiny little white florets in to the air. She barely had any wisps of her biological father. The donor was completely anonymous in the looks department so Cordelia didn't know what he looked like but every one of Max's features that didn't resemble herself or Fiona must have come from her father. Especially the look she made when concentrating really hard on something for that did not come from either of the Goode women.
Cordelia smiled at her child, no less.
"Max, come here." She said sweetly.
Maxine dropped what remained of the dandelion and ran to her mother's side. Cordelia wrapped her arms around the little girl's waste and marveled over her. "Did I tell you that I love you?"
She wanted to make sure Max knew every single day.
Max bit her bottom lip and smiled; something she had definitely inherited from Cordelia. She shook her head and her blond locks flew back and forth.
"Well, I do." Cordelia brushed a loose strand behind her ear, "Very much." She caressed Max's cheek with her thumb. "And I just want you to know that I'll always be proud of you no matter what. Did you know that too?"
Max shook her head once more. Delia sighed softly and sat the girl down upon her lap. Seeing Misty had brought her back many memories of her time as a simple witch and with those memories came memories of her life with Fiona. Fiona had always blamed herself for not making a better witch of out Delia. She was always so outspoken about her regrets concerning her only daughter and at the end of those regrets, Delia felt so useless. It took her many years to finally accept herself and realize she was more than what her mother called her out to be. Delia never wanted Max to feel unworthy or unloved in any way like she did as a child. She wanted the girl to be happy with whoever she grew up to be.
"Listen to me well, Maxine." Delia warned, "I know you may be too little to understand now but I want you to know that you are very important to me…" Cordelia paused caressing her daughter's face, "To me it doesn't matter if you grow up to be a simple witch or the Supreme herself. As long as you are happy and healthy and pleased with who you are. I will love the woman you grow up to be…remember that, okay?"
Max looked at her mother's somber brown eyes and nodded. "Okay, Mommy." She said.
Cordelia kissed her forehead. "Good." She whispered and rested her cheek upon Max's head, holding her close. "Because it is very important that you love yourself."
Fiona stood mere feet away, her back rested against the tall tree the provided her dynasty shade. She crossed her arms and wiped the wandering tear before it rolled off her cheek. She should have told her daughter the same thing growing up.
…
Later that night Cordelia put Max to bed. Fiona meandered around the room giving her daughter space to tend to her motherly duties. Max's eyes remained on her grandmother as Delia read her a bedtime story. Cordelia paused in the middle of a sentence when she noticed Max's brown eyes following something back and forth across the room. Cordelia lowered the book and followed Max's eyes to see nothing but her room and the shadows caused by the candles on Max's walls. Cordelia looked back to Max who rested against her pillow. She was constantly distracted and always looking at something others couldn't see.
Cordelia was not the only one who had noticed. Kyle had also mentioned it once or twice and Queenie as well. Cordelia knew her daughter was capable of harboring her own powers just like all witches. She was three years old and bound to show her potential soon enough. Cordelia just wondered what those powers were.
Cordelia returned to the story but couldn't help but to be distracted by Max's eyes that moved around the room and then stopped focusing on the rocking chair.
"Max, babe, what are you looking at?" Cordelia asked with a soft smile.
Max's eyes tore from Fiona to land upon Cordelia. She then looked at Fiona to see her place her finger upon her lips. Max turned to look at her mother again and bit her bottom lip with a smile. She shook her head.
"You can tell me, its okay." Cordelia said.
Max looked at her mother but remained silent. Cordelia instantly picked up her daughter's nervous state. She couldn't begin to imagine what ghost was haunting her child. If someone as evil as the Axeman was roaming Robichaux's who knew what Max was seeing.
"Max." Cordelia caught her daughter's attention. "If anything is scaring you, you tell me." She said.
Cordelia knew her duties as the Supreme had kept her away from her daughter recently. Especially with the attacks on witches in neighboring states and not to mention Misty. Cordelia had been extremely preoccupied but she realized then that she needed to put more time in to her daughter's life, not just her own.
"What do you see?" Cordelia pressed softly. She wanted to say "who" but "what" seemed more appropriate. There was a possibility that what Max was looking at wasn't human.
Max looked to the rocking chair where Fiona softly shook her head. Fiona had her reasons for not wanting Cordelia to know she was watching. She didn't know how Cordelia would react if she found out Fiona was around her daughter, watching her grow and silently helping in her.
Max grew nervous and shook her head. Cordelia sighed softly knowing she wasn't going to get anything out of her but she was determined to find out. "Okay…" She cupped Max's face in her hands and smiled softly, "But if anything scares you, you tell me, okay?"
Max nodded. Cordelia kissed her forehead and tucked her in. "I love you."
"Love you, Mommy." Max said as she let Cordelia tuck her in and slowly closed her eyes.
Cordelia gave Max one last kiss and stood from the bed. She kept her eyes on the rocking chair as she passed it. Whatever was there, she wasn't going to let it harm her child. Cordelia flicked her hand and the nightlight turned on instantly. She waved her hand again and the candles hanging from the walls blew out letting the images of the nightlight travel along the walls. Cordelia muttered a safety spell for her child warding off all evil and exited the room.
…
Sometime past midnight Cordelia made her way in to the green house. All the girls had gone to bed including Kyle and Zoe. She was the only one who remained wide-awake.
The green house used to be a place of refuge for Cordelia. Whenever she wanted to get away and just forget it all, she would go there. The green house was where she went to create her potions and experiment with her powders. Things Fiona often teased her for. The green house was also the place where she bonded with Misty and where she was crowned the new Supreme.
Cordelia sighed as she thought of Misty. She walked along the table and ran her hands along the old wood. Delia then walked along the counter against the wall where she kept her beakers and flasks. Amongst the potted plants she discovered the old radio. It still had a cassette inside. Delia paused for a moment and with her finger she pressed the button. Slowly the small radio surged back to life and the sound of an acoustic guitar filled the green house. Cordelia froze instantly upon recognizing the song. It was one of her favorites. Landslide. After the guitar came the lovely voice of Stevie Nicks pulling Cordelia even further back in to the past. She remained frozen looking upon the small radio she had almost forgotten existed.
She pushed back, rested against the counter and let her eyes roam around the greenhouse as the song softly flew through the air.
"How can I get you out of that hell?" Cordelia asked out loud. "How can I bring you back home?"
