Author's Note: So sorry for the delay! Major writer's block with this story! However I'm back on track. Massive shout out to AnnaPaige79 for possibly being one of the best readers I've ever had out of any of the fictions I've wrote! Enjoy guys!
The full spectrum of emotion passed across Kenzi's face as she stood staring at the valkyrie who stood opposite me.
"I'm sorry." Kenzi whispered as tears threatened to spring from her eyes, "I'm so so sorry Tamsin." she whimpered, a year's worth of anger finally bursting free from her heart and paving the way for something new.
"Hey, hey it's okay." Tamsin reassured her, glancing back to me for confirmation that it was okay to approach my daughter. I nodded, giving her my permission as she tearfully mouthed a silent 'Thank you' to me. "It's okay Kenz." the blonde said, stifling a sob as she practically ran towards my daughter, pulling her into the tightest of hugs as Kenzi finally fell apart in her arms, squeezing her back equally tight.
"I thought you were a bad person, I didn't know what happened." Kenzi explained as a pale, perfectly manicured hand found it's way to the back of her head, stroking her long dark curls.
"I was a bad person Kenzi, I was a bad person until I found you." Tamsin admitted, unable to lie to my daughter. "You're the sunshine of my life Kenz. I would never do anything to hurt you, okay?" Tamsin promised.
"Okay." Kenzi accepted, loosening her iron tight grip on her valkyrie.
"Do you know what today is? I think it might be something important but I can't remember?" Tamsin playfully asked with faux-confusion.
"It's my birthday Tam! You're here for my birthday!" Kenzi shouted, jumping up and down excitedly.
"Really?! I just thought it was the Festival of Aventine Diana today!" Tamsin teased, beaming her brightest smile towards the girl. "Go upstairs and get ready Kenz, you've got a party to go to!"
Kenzi grinned and nodded her head furiously as she ran upstairs to pick an outfit that I was fairly certain would consist of a ballerina tutu and Hulk Hogan t-shirt.
"Actually - Kenzi didn't want a party this year so I didn't plan one ahead." I muttered as Tamsin turned to face me.
"I didn't think you would." she sighed. "I went ahead and planned one anyway, sent some invitations out to the kids in her class." she smiled at her own ingenuity. "Just a McDonalds party this year, I didn't want to put too much pressure on her." she further explained.
"How considerate of you." I rolled my eyes.
"There's something else I need to tell you Lisa." she remarked, suddenly stoic again.
"I don't think there's anything else you can say today that would surprise me, shoot." I forced a laugh, trying to convince myself of the truth of the statement more than Tamsin, something about how stiff her demeanor was now frightened me.
"This is the last birthday I'm going to spend with Kenzi until she's eighteen, she wanted something very particular this year, something extra special that was even a big stretch for me to get, and there was only one way I could get it for her." she frowned, shaking off what looked like a thinly veiled look of sorrow.
"What did you do Tamsin?"
"Something for you both." she pondered aloud, nodding her head slightly. "I'm giving you her back Lisa. I'm giving Kenzi the normal childhood she needs." she sighed. "I have today with her, and then I must go from her life until she's eighteen."
"Tamsin, I'm not going to ask you again - what did you do?!" I growled, taking note of the severity and bluntness of her words.
"I get Kenzi what she wants the most for her birthday every year, and this birthday she wanted something impossible, something she's wanted more than anything every day for the last year, so I made a trade with the Norne - you remember her right, Elisa?" she half smirked, knowing that memories from a previous life which I was so desperately pushing below the surface were still rushing through my mind.
"As in the wicked witch?" I frowned.
"Bingo."
"What did you trade Tamsin?"
"Her love." she quickly replied. "At the stroke of midnight tonight, Kenzi will forget who I am, she'll fall asleep and wake up tomorrow and not remember a thing about me or Bo. I cannot see her again until she's mine." she trailed off into a whisper, the next eight years painfully apparent in her gaze.
"She could never just forget you, you've been her world since before she could even talk." I furrowed my brows, trying to figure out how this was all possible.
"She won't be the only one forgetting things Lisa, you won't remember me either, not until we meet again." she sadly smiled. "I find it's a recurring theme with our friendship, you always seem to forget me just as things are getting interesting." she laughed.
"Why are you doing this for us?" I confusedly asked, Tamsin always had a habit of treating everyone other than Kenzi with contempt, I couldn't understand why she would do something for me.
"Once upon a time, thousands of years ago, I knew you better than I've ever known anyone in my life and when you died, it suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe, for three thousand years Elisa I couldn't breathe." she exasperatedly sighed. "When I found you again, you didn't know me any more. I stared into your eyes and the person looking back wasn't my friend, she was just a stupid, clueless eighteen year old girl who wanted to go backpacking to see ancient ruins in faraway countries, ancient ruins she saw the birth of thousands of years before. I despised you Lisa, I waited three thousand years for you to come back to me but you never did, until I realised you were never mine in the first place, it was always Kenzi. It was Kenzi I was drawn too. This is my way of making peace with the past, you gave me Kenzi - so now I'm giving you the life you always wanted. It's not the fairest of trades, but it's the least I can do." she frowned. "I once knew a Wolf who saved a Doe, she was brave, she was kind and she was older than time itself. I'm doing this for her, I'm doing this for Elisa." she lowered her voice, making it clear that who I was before and who I am now are two very separate people.
"I'm ready! Can we go?!" I heard a higher pitched voice shout from the bottom of the stairs, fighting to get her Converse's on as my predictions of a tutu and Hulk Hogan t-shirt combination were accurate.
"Sure kid, everyone will be there soon!" Tamsin eagerly replied, opening her arms for a hug as Kenzi happily obliged. "I just hope today doesn't end." Tamsin quietly added, too quiet for Kenzi to hear.
. . . . . .
Kenzi had rushed to open her presents one by one excitedly, but I knew she was secretly searching for a white envelope. The envelope she'd came to recognise Tamsin by, but it was strangely missing - although she hid her disappointment well.
"Tamsin, do you think Billy Henderson likes me?" Kenzi asked quietly, staring up at her whilst the other kids ran off to play.
"Of course he likes you! Do you like him?" Tamsin pressed, sinking further into her seat so she was at eye level with Kenzi.
"I love him, he's going to be my boyfriend one day" she grinned, playing with the hair bow he gave her for her birthday. "but don't worry Tamsin, I'll always love you the most." she nodded reassuringly.
"God I hope so, please try not to forget." Tamsin muttered quietly as Kenzi ran off to play with the other kids.
"Where's this impossible birthday present then?" I asked, unsure of what was going on.
"It's coming a day late, she'll wake up to it tomorrow. You both will." Tamsin forced a smile, sipping the McDonalds cup in front of her it as it occurred to me that for anyone else in the restaurant, it looked as if I was having a conversation with myself. "Billy Henderson better take good care of her." Tamsin frowned, staring at the taller boy as Kenzi melted trying to impress him.
"I'll make sure he does, I am her mother after all." I hastened to add, annoyed at how blaise she always seemed to be about my parenting skills.
. . . . . . . .
"Mom I don't want to go to bed, it's my birthday!" Kenzi whined as the credits rolled on the Edward Scissorhands VHS she insisted on watching with Tamsin on the sofa.
"If you don't go to bed, you won't be able to wake up to your birthday present tomorrow dude." Tamsin interjected, surprisingly siding with me.
"Dude, you're not supposed to agree with Mom. You're supposed to be the Edward to my Kevin." Kenzi sat slack jawed, equally surprised that Tamsin had agreed with me. "Which reminds me, can I take you to show and tell too? You can show the other kids your wings! I'll be the coolest kid at school!" she grinned, leaning over to hug her older best friend.
"I think I'm more the Edward to your Kim." Tamsin forced a laugh, the joke going over Kenzi's head as the blonde's face settled on a look of ponder as if she was drawing comparisons from the plot.
"Will you at least sleepover? We can watch Edward Scissorhands again?" Kenzi tried to win her over.
"I have to go buddy, valkyrie stuff to do." Tamsin winked.
"Kenzi, say goodnight to Tamsin and go to bed. You have a big surprise to wake up to, remember." I laughed as I walked over, kissing Kenzi on the crown of her dark curly hair before she frowned and finally gave in.
"Promise we can hang out soon? I missed you Tam." Kenzi whispered as her arms clung around Tamsin's neck in a tight embrace.
"I'm never, ever going to be far away dude, you just let me know when you want to hang out and I'll be here in a heartbeat, okay?" the blonde began to cry, holding Kenzi tighter. "We'll always be best friends right?" Tamsin asked, loosening her hug as she wiped away stray tears.
"I'll always love you the most Tamsin." Kenzi laughed, kissing her cheek as she walked towards the staircase. "Night dude, I'll miss you when you go." Kenzi sadly smiled, before making her way to bed.
"I'm going to put Kenzi to bed, can you stick around for a while? I think we should talk." I quietly commented, not really making eye contact with the woman on my sofa as she dried her tears quietly.
"It's 11pm, you can have me for the next hour and then I have to go." she smiled sadly.
"Okay well, make yourself at home - not that you normally don't or whatever." I nodded towards her before climbing the stairs.
. . . . . .
I tucked Kenzi in bed and sat with her for a few minutes, guessing with her what her big surprise might be before her sleepy yawns signalled that it was time for me to go back downstairs.
I climbed down the steps one by one, suddenly feeling the presence of someone else in my home.
Nerves gripped my throat and threatened to take my legs from underneath me as I secretly wondered for a moment what kind of creature might be downstairs, waiting to take Kenzi away. I guess that's one of the downsides of an infinity of memories, knowing every terrible creature out there who could harm what's left of my family.
"Shh, shh she's coming." I heard Tamsin whisper.
I flew down the last few stairs as the fight and defend instincts crept in, grabbing an umbrella from the bottom of the stairs, prepared to fight anyone who tried to step towards my daughter.
"You better tell me what's going on right now." I growled towards Tamsin and I held the umbrella like a bat.
She rolled her eyes at me, sitting back down on the sofa and crossing her legs as gave me her signature bored look. "Firstly, eavesdropping isn't cute and secondly, turn around and find out." she sighed.
I slowly lowered my umbrella as I stared at her perplexed, uncertain about what was waiting behind me in the kitchen as I slowly turned around, my heart beating faster.
"A-Anthony?" I croaked, seeing the familiar figure of my husband standing in the kitchen - his face softening into that familiar smile, his hands pushing his glasses to his forehead as he stepped closer to support me as my legs threatened to give way underneath me. "Anthony is it you? Please say it is." I began to violently sob, pressing myself against his embrace as I leaned into his stubbly neck, breathing in the scent that was so recognisably him.
"It's me, it's me baby." he laughed, stroking my now dark brown bob as he gently rocked me in his arms. "This is new?" he laughed, playing with my hair.
"I thought it made me look younger, you know what they say about cutting a man right out of your hair." I laughed too, tracing each feature of his face so delicately, so afraid that this was a dream and he might disappear in front of me. "What is this? How are you here?" I sniffled, my arms wrapped clingily around his neck.
"I traded Kenzi's love for his life with the Norne." Tamsin quietly interjected. "He's here for good, I took a lesson from a very annoying succubus, some prophecies are supposed to be broken." she added.
"Th-thank you, I don't know how I can repay you." I sobbed, pulling Tamsin into a hug as her frame stiffened awkwardly underneath my touch.
"Just take care of Kenzi, and make sure that Billy Henderson doesn't get too close to her." she laughed, stiffly patting my back as I let go of her.
"How exactly do we explain all of this to our friends and family, I've been gone for a year?" Anthony asked, scratching the stubble on his cheek as the longingness to be at his side was too much to avoid, pressing myself against his body.
"At the stroke of midnight, everything changes. No one will remember what happened, you'll live your happy, ordinary, normal, human life but none of you will remember me until we meet again, it'll be like time has been rewritten." she sadly frowned.
"Will we meet again?" I asked her, almost hopefully.
"Oh I'm sure you'll see me around Lis, maybe sooner than you plan on." she forced a smile, hiding the sorrow in her heart at the prospect of eight years without Kenzi. "We'll meet again, on Kenzi's eighteenth birthday - that's when you'll remember me again." she explained, leaning against the table as she slowly edged towards the door.
"Will Kenzi remember when she see's you too?" I asked.
"Unless what they say about love causing miracles, I don't think so. I'll have to win her love all over again, sucks for me." she forced a laugh. "It's 11.30pm guys, I should really get going - in half an hour I'll just be a strange woman in your house." she sighed.
"You've always been the strange woman in our house Tamsin." Anthony laughed, pulling me against him tighter.
"I wouldn't want to be anything else." she laughed, playing with Kenzi's lion teddy which sat on the counter. "Would it be okay if I kept this? As a memento?" Tamsin asked, her lips trembling as she tried to hold something deep and profound back, pressing the fluffy lion to her heart, the same one she gave Kenzi ten years ago.
"Keep it, you can give it her back one day." I offered, stepping forward to hug the blonde once again as she immediately stiffened. "I'm not the person I once was, we don't know each other anymore Tamsin, but I know that there isn't anyone else who will ever love my daughter the way you do." I confessed, feeling her slowly relax into the embrace and almost reciprocate.
"I will always be bound to her, I always have been." she sniffed back tears. "I need to go anyway, valkyrie stuff to do." she winked, pulling away from my embrace to open the front door.
"You'll always be a part of the family, you know that don't you?" I concluded.
"Sure I do, but in half an hour - you won't." she laughed, walking off into the night as I felt Anthony's hand squeeze mine, reassuring me of his presence.
"Let's go to bed honey, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us tomorrow." he grinned, his figure holding me from behind as I closed my eyes, savouring the moment, wondering how I won't possibly remember this tomorrow morning.