Authors Note: Alright I got another update done! Yay! Sorry, my next update might take a little bit, my dog is really sick so we have to put her to sleep, and I'm not sure how much writing I'll feel like doing after. Hopefully you all like this one, there's a lot happening but it will all be a little clearer in the next update, I don't like to keep you guessing for long. Enjoy!
Over the next few days, Elliott had decided to keep her distance from Cordelia, at least as much as she could. During the day it was relatively easy, Cordelia stayed in her office working and Elliott kept to the library. Cordelia was keeping her word on pulling Elliott out of school, she wasn't allowed anywhere near the classes, which meant she had to avoid the greenhouse for the majority of the day, and it was driving Elliott nuts. So nuts she ran out of things to do around the house and succumbed to watching soap operas during the day, and worse, she was starting to like them. Since she really didn't have anything else to do, she mostly chose to sit outside with Max and talk to David on the phone. Normally, she would have asked Cordelia to go visit him, but considering the events that had transpired, Elliott wasn't in the mood to ask Cordelia about anything, so that meant no visits.
It wasn't like the two didn't talk at all, they did, but it was extremely limited. So limited, in fact, that it fell into two categories: Cordelia trying to apologize, and Cordelia telling Elliott to do something. The first took up a much larger chunk of conversation than the latter, as the latter was Cordelia asking Elliott to do something and her just doing it, it was easier than arguing. Cordelia trying to apologize was where it got dicey, and it never ended well. It was obvious the older witch was still upset, so her attempts to apologize didn't exactly sit well with Elliott, it seemed more for her own peace of mind as opposed to her actually meaning it. Frankly, Elliott wasn't ever really sure she would believe the woman even if she gave her the time to apologize, regardless of the circumstances. Usually, Cordelia would try to initiate the conversation, and Elliott would shut it down immediately, which would result in Cordelia continuing to push until one of them snapped and they fought, at which time one of the witches, usually Misty, would break it up and the two would avoid each other until bedtime. It was a routine everyone at the house had gotten used to, and it was trying on all of them.
Cordelia was at her wits end with the entire thing, finally cornering Elliott one night in the library. "Elliott, will you just let me talk?" She asked, staring at the young witch.
"No." Elliott responded, not even looking up from her book.
"I just want to apologize…" Cordelia began before Elliott quickly looked up and cut her off.
"I don't want your apology." She said firmly, giving the supreme a hard stare.
"Elle, we've done this a hundred times and every time it just ends in a fight." Cordelia tried again, her tone irritated.
"So then let's not do this. Problem solved." Elliott responded, turning her attention back to her book.
"It doesn't have to be this way." Cordelia said sharply, tired of the girl's attitude.
"Do you still think I'm lying?" Elliott asked pointedly, Cordelia sitting silent, "Then it does have to be this way."
"If you would just let me explain myself…" Cordelia began, only to be cut off again.
"You made yourself perfectly clear the first time." Elliott said shortly. Normally, she would have just gotten up and walked away, but she really was sick of having to change what she was doing just to avoid the older witch. It wasn't like there was much she could do to begin with.
"Elle, I was mad. I didn't…" Cordelia said.
"You what? Didn't mean it? You meant it. Every fucking word." Elliott said, her voice dropping to a mutter at the last bit.
"Language." Cordelia said sternly, Elliott throwing her a glare before rolling her eyes.
"Just quit. I don't want to hear it. You aren't sorry, you just want to make yourself feel better about it, and right now I really don't care. You said what you said, whether you meant it or not." Elliott said harshly, her eyes blazing as she looked at the woman in the doorway.
This was the part where it always escalated into a fight, every single night. But that night Cordelia didn't want to fight, she just felt drained. "Elle, if you will just tell me what happened, we can settle this." She said, trying to come to a compromise.
"I did tell you, you just don't want to believe me." Elliott said sternly.
"It doesn't make sense, Elle." Cordelia said, her voice rising with her irritation. She had been trying to find an answer, pouring over every possible resource for days, and she had nothing.
"Welcome to my life." Elliott said, shifting her body so she was facing away from the older woman, effectively letting her know she wasn't going to try to continue the conversation. Still, Cordelia persisted.
"Listen, I know we aren't exactly… pleased with each other, but we have to talk. I'm not taking you with me tomorrow to fight the whole time." Cordelia said, folding her arms as she pinched the bridge of her nose in-between her two fingers.
"As long as you think I'm a liar this fight isn't ending anytime soon." Elliott responded, flipping the page in her book.
Cordelia didn't respond, just stared at the girl for a few moments before sighing and walking to her office, closing the door behind her and walking over to her desk, leaning on it as she weighed her options. She needed to do something productive, find some sort of answers, but she knew if she sat down at that desk she would just end up banging her head against it once again. She wanted to fix things with Elliott, but she knew a simple apology wouldn't do, and that was all she could give until she knew what was going on. She desperately wanted to believe her child, to have something turn up and make it all make sense, but in all her books, all her research, she had nothing. The only thing she had left to do was to pour through the books at the boys school, that was her last glimmer of hope.
She didn't blame Elliott for being angry with her, in truth she felt horrible for the things she said, but she still was so angry, the idea of Elliott lying banging around in the back of her brain, eating her alive. Elliott was right, her apology wouldn't mean anything, not even to her, until she had some answers. Cordelia thought about how she would feel if it came out that Elliott was telling the truth, her actions and words completely unwarranted, and just the idea killed her. The more she thought about it, the more she secretly hoped Elliott was lying, because she couldn't bear the idea that she had said those things, put her daughter through that, all for nothing.
Before she knew it, Cordelia had grabbed her keys and was in the car, driving to the only person who could give her some kind of answers, even if it wasn't the ones she was looking for. She knew he wasn't going to be happy with her, she didn't even know if he would talk to her, but she had to do something. She pulled into the parking lot and hopped out of the car, her stomach in knots. There was no way Elliott didn't tell David what was happening, but the supreme hoped he would at least be willing to talk with her about it.
She walked out of the elevator and into the dark hallway, visiting hours long over. It didn't matter, she knew he was still awake. She had spent far too many nights with him at this hour watching Elliott and him bicker over anything and everything to not know he was no stranger to long nights. As she walked in the door he glanced up from his textbook, a look of discomfort crossing his features as he closed the book and pulled himself up. "I was wondering how long it would be before you showed up." He said calmly.
Cordelia grimaced, she should have known he would be expecting her, she always went to him when there was a problem. "Elliott told you, I should have known." She said, the tension in the room palpable.
"She tells me everything, mostly everything. She probably wouldn't have told me if I didn't get a call from Madison trying to calm her down. She kind of had to explain it to me then so I didn't lose my shit." David said, watching a pained expression cross the supreme's features.
"I know you can't exactly be happy with me after that, and I don't blame you." Cordelia said, looking down at the floor.
"Well I'm not thrilled about it. I've never seen her that upset before, and I've seen a lot. It sucks." David said, pausing when Cordelia didn't respond, "I don't hate you, if that's what you're getting at."
"Well at least that makes one of you." Cordelia said, her tone more defeated than anything else.
"Do you blame her?" David asked, Cordelia shaking her head in response, "What are you doing here, Cordelia?"
"I don't know. I just figured you could help me figure this out." Cordelia said honestly, finally looking up at him, "You know her better than anyone else."
"I do." David said, his gaze softening a little bit, "Let me guess, she won't let you apologize?"
Cordelia nodded, "She said I won't mean it, and she's right. I can't apologize until I actually know what's going on, not in the way she needs me to."
"So then tell me what happened." David said simply. He had gotten part of it from Elliott, but even she didn't really understand it, and he wanted to know both sides.
"I had a meeting with Grace and Papa Legba, to try and get Elenor back. I made him an offer, but he didn't want it, he wanted something else, and he started talking about Elliott. He said she had been going to the underworld for months, that she was the reason we got Misty back, that she had been visiting my mother. He kept saying all these things, and it made it seem like it was on purpose. After, Grace told me it wasn't my fault, that Elliott had always been this way, and I just lost it. I told her when she read the books that it wasn't something to play around with, that it was dangerous, especially after what happened with Misty, and she promised me she wouldn't do it. I'm not proud of the way I reacted, I shouldn't have done it, said what I did, and I didn't mean it. I just..." Cordelia trailed off.
"You got scared." David said, Cordelia nodding in return.
"She said she didn't do it on purpose, that she thought it was a dream, she didn't say the words. But you can't do it without them, it just isn't possible. I've looked over everything I have, trying to find something that would make it make sense, because I want to believe her, but I can't." Cordelia said, tearing up at the end, "I need you to be honest with me, is it even possible she's lying?"
David was quiet for a moment, trying to think of how to answer, "It is possible, she's lied before to me, but it usually was to protect me. But I don't think she's lying. I know her, she's not the type to just pull something like that, especially with her knowing how much it messed you up the first time." Cordelia looked shocked, so David offered an explanation, "She told me because she wanted to figure out how to help you, it wasn't just something in passing conversation, she's not like that. She was worried. But, you losing it like that is partially my fault. I should've warned you about Grace."
"What do you mean?" Cordelia asked, confused.
David let out a sigh, "Elliott has always really liked Grace, but Grace doesn't really like Elliott. She acts like she does, but she really doesn't like her being around Sarah, for whatever reason. She's always thought Elliott was a troublemaker, and she likes to stir the pot when it comes to her. That's why I've never really trusted her, she likes to get people worked up and start fights. She's always been like that but Elliott never saw it or wanted to believe it." Cordelia nodded, so David continued, "As far as Elliott goes, it's not a lost cause. She's still there, which is saying something. If something like that would have happened anywhere else, she would have bolted by now. Just give it time, I guess, at least until you figure out what's going on."
Cordelia thanked him for talking to her and went on her way home, finding Elliott still awake and reading in bed. This wasn't unusual, Elliott wanted Cordelia to be there before she fell asleep so that she would know she didn't do anything in case something did happen, but it was unusual that the supreme went out that late at night. Elliott met the older woman's gaze questioningly before realizing her mistake, shaking her head slightly as she closed her book and slid down, covering herself with the blankets before Cordelia could attempt a conversation once again.
Since everything had come to light, Cordelia wasn't getting much sleep, if any at all. Throughout the night the older witch would set alarms to wake her up, just to check on the young girl. She tried her best to fall back asleep, but most times she couldn't for hours, the stress of everything that happened causing bouts of insomnia, leaving the witch wide awake with nothing but her thoughts, and that night was no different. When her alarm went off early the next morning, she had guessed she had gotten maybe three hours of sleep, and that was being generous. Still, she pulled herself out of bed and walked downstairs, grabbing a cup of coffee before she sat down in her office, searching once again. The process was frustrating, as it always was. The supreme had been pouring over everything for days, reading and rereading everything she could, but she had nothing.
What made it all worse is Cordelia felt like there was something she was missing, like she knew the answer all along but she just couldn't recall it. Maybe it was because Elliott really was lying, but something in the back of the older woman's mind told her she wasn't, that Cordelia already knew what was causing it, and that opened up a whole host of fears for her. If Elliott was doing it on purpose, at least they could control it. If she wasn't, there was no way to, at least not any that where known to her. It was uncharted territory.
Around noon a car showed up to take the council and Elliott to the airport, a ride that was mostly silent. Elliott unsurprisingly chose to sit next to Madison on the plane, a not so subtle slight that everyone caught onto. Since the fight, Madison had become her new best friend, practically the only person she would talk to, and it wasn't a mystery to the supreme as to why. Madison was the only person Elliott didn't have to worry would report back to Cordelia on whatever she said. It was widely known the movie star barely tolerated the supreme, but she had taken quite well to Elliott, and for whatever reason, Elliott had also taken to her.
"You aren't going to throw up on me, right?" Madison said snarkily as Elliott sat down next to her, the younger girl throwing her a glare.
"Well now that you mention it I'm going to aim directly for you." Elliott said sarcastically, "I'll be fine. You aren't going to bite me, are you?" Madison rolled her eyes as the rest of the girls chuckled, Elliott definitely knew how to beat Madison in the sass department, a trick only Queenie had mastered previously.
Elliott moved to quickly buckle her seatbelt before turning her attention to her phone, trying to hide her anxiety. It didn't matter, Cordelia saw right through it, stealing glances across the aisle as the plane took off. Elliott didn't bother to look up from her phone the entire time, but it didn't matter, her fear was still plastered across her face, she never had a good poker face. Every time Cordelia would glance at her she saw her wide eyes, her blank expression, the way she would tense up each time the plane hit a bump. It pained the older woman, seeing her like that and not being able to help, but she knew if she tried Elliott would just reject her, and she wasn't about to cause a scene while they were mid-air.
"Congrats, you were able to hold your shit together for once." Madison said sarcastically as the plane landed, Elliott responding to the comment with a condescending smile.
"Maybe I should let Queenie sit next to you on the ride back, since you made it obvious you have the hots for her." Elliott responded, Madison rolling her eyes in return.
"In her dreams, maybe. I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea, underage isn't really my thing." Madison responded.
"Anything that moves is your thing." Elliott said sarcastically, getting a chuckle out of Queenie.
"Looks like I've trained you well. That was actually solid." Madison quipped, throwing a smirk at Cordelia, who just rolled her eyes.
Since the flight got in so late, the witches didn't head straight for Hawthorne, going to the hotel to crash instead after grabbing dinner. Elliott hung out in the girls room for a majority of the night, which wasn't surprising considering she was avoiding Cordelia like the plague. Still, the day had worn on her, and by 9pm she was beyond ready for bed, truth be told she really didn't feel well. She walked into the room to see Cordelia awake and reading in bed, quickly changing into her pajamas and climbing in on her side of the bed, rolling so she was facing away from the supreme. "You going to bed this early?" Cordelia asked, a little confused. Normally Elliott stayed up much later, or at least read a bit before bed.
"Yea. I don't really feel good." Elliott said, shifting around to try and get comfortable. She tossed and turned for a few moments before settling back in, still as far away from the supreme as possible, which made Cordelia internally chuckle at her broody antics.
After it had seemed like she fell asleep, Cordelia saw the girl shift in her sleep so she was on her back, her body going still after the action. The older woman didn't pay much attention to it, Elliott normally tossed and turned a lot in her sleep, usually waking the supreme up several times throughout the night when she did. She wasn't exactly a peaceful sleeper. Cordelia continued to read for another hour until she realized the girl hadn't moved an inch since then, her curiosity peaked. Normally Elliott moved every 15 minutes or so, whether it be a complete turn over or a twitch, so it was a little strange.
She stared at the girl for a few moments, waiting for her impending movement, but it never came, she didn't even look like she was breathing. Finally, the older woman reached to shake her a bit, just to make sure she was still alive, after all she could have just been in a deep sleep, but Elliott didn't even stir. "Elle?" Cordelia said softly, trying to get even a bit of a response from her, but there was nothing. She shook the girl harder, calling her name louder, but still nothing. "Elle?" She finally yelled, shaking the young witch pretty forcefully, alerting the girls in the joining room, but still she got nothing.
"What's going on?" Zoe asked, walking into the room.
"I can't get her to wake up." Cordelia said, her voice panicked. She tried to calm herself down, focusing to see if she could feel her soul, but she couldn't which only made her panic grow. "No no no no. I can't feel her. I can't…" Cordelia said, hunched over the girl as she looked at the witches that had since congregated in the room, the panic written on her face.
"Did she say it?" Queenie asked, Cordelia shaking her head in return.
"She didn't say anything. She just went to sleep. I was here the whole time. How did she do it?" Cordelia said, talking more to herself than anyone else. She wasn't lying, Elle wasn't lying.
"Little brat was telling the truth. Are you sure you just weren't paying attention?" Madison asked, her voice sarcastic but her expression panicked.
Cordelia didn't respond, just sat there, frazzled. She quickly tried to gather herself, grabbing Elliott in her arms as she repeated the return spell over and over, but the girl didn't move.
Meanwhile, Elliott had found herself standing in the yard of the coven, a hundred feet from the door to the greenhouse. She looked around for a moment before hearing voices coming from inside, so she walked over and stood in front of the doorway, spotting Misty immediately. She gazed at the witch for a moment then stared at the woman next to her, one brown eye and one blue, and it took her a moment to realize it was Cordelia, she just looked so different. She looked small, almost fragile, like a porcelain doll, her expression pained as she argued with a man in front of her, and it didn't take long for Elliott to realize it was Hank.
"Baby, just listen to me. We can work this out, just give me a chance." She heard him say. Shit, this has to be hell. But whose is it?
"I told you it's over. I'm filing for divorce, now get your shit and get out." Cordelia responded, her words dripping with venom.
It was a constant cycle of this over and over for what seemed like an hour, none of them noticing Elliott's hovering presence. Finally, Cordelia was the one who spotted her, looking over Hank's shoulder curiously. Hank quickly whipped around, "Who the fuck are you? We're kind of busy."
It was strange to see Cordelia look at her like a stranger, but then again she really was. Still, she felt obligated to find an out for her mother, seeing the pain and frustration written on her face. "The girls need you in the house." Elliott said softly to the woman, watching the confusion and relief spread across her features as she softly nodded then walked out of the greenhouse, Misty trailing behind her.
Hank just glared at her, "You couldn't have waited?"
"Believe me, you are going to have this fight for eternity. You can spare a few minutes." Elliott said, her stare hard as stone as he looked at her curiously.
"Do I know you?" Hank asked, his once hard disposition fading into one of defeat and irritation.
"Sort of. You know, for as douchey as you were and all the shit you pulled, you would think your hell wouldn't be quite so… pathetic?" Elliott said snarkily.
"What the fuck are you talking about? Who are you?" Hank asked angrily, making Elliott smirk.
"Well that's no way to talk to your daughter, now is it daddy?" Elliott said sarcastically, her voice dripping with sweet condescension. Hank's face fell, which only made Elliott smirk once again. He really was a dumbass. Just then, she heard a voice call out to her, more like an echo that radiated throughout the room, Cordelia saying the callback spell. So that's what it sounds like, huh. Well, at least she knows I'm not lying. She turned her attention back to Hank, who was still staring at her, "Alright, it's obvious you have no fucking idea what's going on, and truthfully I don't have the time to play games, so I'll explain it to you. Cordelia found out you were a witch hunter, after you were a dumb fuck and got yourself killed, which is how you ended up here, in hell, where you are forced to relive her rejecting you over and over again. Kind of sad if you think about it."
"She knows?" Hank asked, his voice deathly quiet.
"Not right now she doesn't, but she finds out, and she hates you for it." Elliott said offhandedly, messing with her fingernails as she leaned on the doorframe.
"You don't understand; I was trying to protect her." Hank said, trying to justify himself. Elliott was surprised out of all the things she had revealed, that was what he fixated on, but then again she really didn't expect him to care about her, he was too self-centered.
"You were hired to kill her, you used her research to kill other witches, and you got caught. You weren't protecting her, you just wanted to please your daddy." Elliott said, her words laced with irritation.
"She needs to know; I have to tell her. I love her." Hank said, trying to move past the young girl.
"She knows; she just doesn't care. You can run after her all you want and spit out whatever lies you can come up with, but it's just going to end the same." Elliott said as she finally let him pass, leaving her alone in the greenhouse. She thought for a moment on just going back, but she was already down there, and she didn't want to waste an opportunity to get Elenor back. This was her one shot. "Papa?" She called out, turning around in circles, "I know you're hanging around somewhere."
Back in the hotel room, Cordelia was full on panicking, "I have to go get her."
"You don't even know where she is, and you're short on time." Madison said, the supreme snapping her gaze up.
"She's with Fiona, she has to be." She said, staring back down with wide eyes. "I have to go. I can't just leave her there, she could die."
"And you could if you can't find her and stay down for too long. We can't lose both of you." Queenie said, trying to reason with the older witch.
"I'm not leaving her there." Cordelia said firmly, letting everyone know it wasn't up for discussion as she quickly moved around the room, getting everything set up.
"Alright, if you are going to go then we need a plan." Zoe said, "If you aren't back an hour before sunrise, or if she gets back before you, we'll do the callout. But you have to answer it and come back, ok?"
"Fine." Cordelia said, lying down next to the girl and repeating the incantation, her soul dropping to the underworld.
When she first arrived, she thought she went to the wrong place. The cabin seemed stuffy and far too casual for any place her mother would be residing, but then again, it was hell, and this certainly would be hell for Fiona. She heard a man's voice ring out, a familiar voice, then the door in front of her opened and her mother came stomping out, snapping her gaze up to meet her daughter's. They stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything, before Fiona broke the contest. "Delia, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She said sarcastically, her voice dripping with condescension.
"Where's Elliott?" Cordelia asked, Fiona smirking in response.
"She got away from you, did she? If you can't tell, I'm trapped here, so I can't exactly be keeping tabs on her, not anymore." Fiona said.
"Like you ever were." Cordelia said with venom.
"Delia, Delia, you still are so angry with me. Come have a chat, it's not like you visit me." Fiona said, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the wooden table.
"I don't have time to deal with you, mother. I have to find her." Cordelia said, crossing her arms and staring at the floor.
Fiona waved her hand dismissively, "She'll be fine. She still thinks this is her personal playground. She's running around somewhere."
"Let me get this straight. You know you're in hell, you know she's been visiting you, you know how dangerous it is, and you didn't bother to tell her to stop?" Cordelia spat, throwing a deathly glare in Fiona's direction, "And here she is thinking you cared about her."
"Delia, even if I told her to stop she wouldn't. She didn't even know she was in hell, despite me telling her, she thought it was a dream. You can't fix stubborn; god knows I tried with you." Fiona lamented, her voice dragging like velvet on a hardwood floor.
Cordelia rolled her eyes, "She had to know. You can't do it without a spell and you know it."
Fiona threw a look at her daughter, "She didn't, and you know as well as I do that not every powerful being needs a spell to get down here. You had me read you that god awful thing a thousand times like it was your favorite bedtime story."
"What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked, exasperated.
Fiona just stared at her, "You know exactly what I am talking about, what she is. You just don't want to face it. Not that I'm surprised. How could perfect Delia give birth to the end of our glorious reign?"
Cordelia closed her eyes as she shook her head, stunned, "I'm sorry, you think she's it? No one believes that prophecy is true, and even if it was, it wouldn't be her. She's not dark, not even a little bit."
Fiona rolled her eyes, "She has dark magic in her veins, it's how she even got down here. She might not be dark, at least not yet, but her powers are. She's already rising. And we did believe it, at least half of us did. We just didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to make it possible, but you always like to prove me wrong, don't you Delia?"
Back in Hank's hell, Elliott was still calling for Papa Legba, although she was starting to think he was just avoiding her. "Papa Legba…. Here kitty kitty kitty." She tried, her once enthusiasm replaced with sarcasm.
"You think that is any way to call me, child?" Elliott heard from behind her, making her jump. "I thought me revealing your little secret would keep you out of here, but I guess you just can't stay away from me."
"Yea well we need to talk." Elliott said, crossing her arms, "I want to make a deal for Elenor."
Papa laughed, "Your mother already tried. I named my price, she wouldn't agree."
"Yea well I'm not her. What do you want?" Elliott said, rolling her eyes to emphasize her annoyance.
"Child, you have spunk, I'll give you that. You're lucky I am fond of you, but why would I give her back? You already broke your deal." Papa said, intrigued by the girl's determination.
"I don't know, because you like me? I don't have an answer for that, but we need her back. What do you want?" Elliott said exasperatingly.
"I told your mother what I want, she told me no. How would she feel about you coming to visit with me, against her wishes?" Papa said, baiting the young girl.
"She's going to be pretty pissed, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, I guess. What did you tell her you wanted?" Elliott asked.
"You." Papa said simply, Elliott cocking her head to the side as the meaning dawned on her.
"You want….me?" Elliott said condescendingly, "Why? I just cause you trouble, you literally want to get rid of me."
"Because I have use for you and your…talents. You've proven yourself to be quite the good helper." Papa said.
Elliott thought for a moment, but truthfully she didn't even need to think, "Fine, you can have me."
"You'd give yourself up so easily?" Papa sneered, shocked.
"Yea, whatever, probably would cause a lot less issues down here." Elliott said offhandedly.
Papa Legba stared at her for a moment, before laughing. "I don't need you, not yet. I'll give you your girl back, no soul required."
Elliott paused, thinking it was some sort of trick, "Why would you do that?"
"You are not ready, not yet. I can wait. You forget child, I know how this ends." Papa said, snapping his fingers and disappearing.
Elliott shot straight up in bed, gasping for breath. "Holy shit you actually did it." Madison said, the shock written on her face.
Elliott looked over, confused, before turning and seeing Cordelia lying on the bed next to her, "What did she do?"
"She went looking for you." Queenie said, "We've got to call her back. There isn't much time."
Cordelia had been bickering with Fiona for what seemed like hours. Every time she would go to leave, Fiona would bait her with another snide remark. "I'm not here for you, Fiona. I'm here for my kid, I've got to go."
"I told you, she's fine. She can handle herself, she doesn't need you to coddle her. You ruined her you know." Fiona sneered, leaning back in her chair as Cordelia rolled her eyes, "You know as well as I do that there's no saving her. You might as well kill her now."
"I'm not killing my child, you're wrong." Cordelia said forcefully. Just then, she heard Queenie call out to her. "Shit," she said, "I have to find her. There isn't much time. God, why do you always insist on screwing up my life? I should have been looking." Fiona didn't respond, just laughed, and Cordelia heard the callout again. "They were only supposed to do it once."
"Do you really expect anyone to actually listen to you?" Fiona sneered, smirking at her dig as Cordelia rolled her eyes.
"She's not coming back, fuck." Queenie said, setting the supreme down, "We should have known she wouldn't fucking listen to us, she never does."
Elliott paced for a moment, trying to think of what to do. "Move over, let me do it." She finally said, motioning for Queenie to get out of her way.
"You don't know the words." Queenie responded, looking doubtful.
"Then tell them to me. You can hear who's calling to you. She might not respond to you but she hopefully will to me." Elliott said, shoving the older witch out of the way as she cradled the supreme. "Tell me the words."
Cordelia heard the callout once again, only this time it wasn't from Queenie, it was Elliott's voice. "She's back." Cordelia said, the relief flooding her face as Fiona threw her an "I told you so" glare.
"She's a smart girl, she doesn't need your help." Fiona snarked as Cordelia's figure dissipated. "God help her."
In the mortal world, Elliott had repeated the Latin to the best of her ability, but the supreme didn't move. "Shit." She said, setting the woman back on the bed and standing up as tears sprang to her eyes, "What the fuck are we going to do? She's not hearing it, she can't be."
"She's still got an hour til sunrise. Guess we just have to hope our dear supreme gets her ass in gear." Madison said, crossing her arms.
Right when Elliott was positive she was going to start crying, Cordelia shot up in bed, gasping for breath. "Look who finally decided to join the living. Took you long enough." Madison sneered.
"Oh shut up." Queenie responded, "Are you ok Miss Cordelia?"
The supreme struggled to catch her breath but nodded, looking up at Elliott, who was standing with her arms crossed, the distress still clear on her features. The two just looked at each other for a moment, waiting for one of them to say something. Elliott could see the pain in Cordelia's eyes, realizing she was in the wrong, so she was the first to break the tension. "That was a real dumb move." She said seriously, Cordelia breaking her gaze and biting her lip before looking back at the girl, her apology written on her face, "Don't do it again."
The three council members spent the next half hour scolding the supreme for not adhering to the plan they laid out, during which Elliott sat completely silent, brooding in the corner. She was pissed, furious that Cordelia would not only risk her life going down there, jeopardizing the coven and herself, but also that she refused to follow instructions. Elliott knew if she didn't do the callout that Cordelia wouldn't have returned, and knowing the conversation that took place with Papa Legba, the supreme would have been stuck down there had he not told Elliott he didn't need her. She also was mad at herself, for being as scared as she was, for caring as much as she did. Cordelia was horrible to her, yet her stomach was rocky just thinking about what would have happened if things didn't work out the way they did. She managed to walk away from the conversation just as it was coming to a close, heading to the bathroom in the opposite room to try and gather herself, splashing cold water on her face and sitting on the cool tile floor.
When she had finally pulled herself together she walked back into the room, passing the other witches who were heading to bed. She offered them a quiet goodnight, knowing it was well into the morning. She stood in the doorway, the supreme still seated on the bed and staring at her hands. "You shouldn't have done that." Elliott said quietly, the older woman looking up at her. If you didn't know the girl very well, you would think she was angry, her face hard as stone, but her too wide eyes gave away her underlying panic.
"Elliott, I wasn't going to risk…" Cordelia began, only to be cut off.
"You should have. It's not your job to be running after me, you have the rest of the coven to look out for and you know that." Elliott said sternly, her gaze hardening.
"We had a plan." Cordelia objected.
"A plan you knew damn well you weren't going to stick to. We both know if I hadn't called out to you, you wouldn't have come back and you would have died trying to save me. You had absolutely no idea what you were going into." Elliott said, her voice rising the angrier she got, making Cordelia flinch.
"But you did call me back." Cordelia said.
"And thank god for that. Everyone thought I was crazy; Queenie almost didn't let me because I didn't know the words. If I hadn't you would have been screwed. You didn't think!" Elliott said, practically shouting.
"Well that seems to be the theme lately." Cordelia said sarcastically, throwing Elliott a glare as the girl shook her head.
Elliott's expression softened a little bit, just enough for Cordelia to see her vulnerability. "Yea, well I need you to." She said quietly, her voice wavering, which only made Cordelia feel even worse, "You can't die trying to save me, that's not how this works. You can't do that again."
"I won't." Cordelia said softly, looking down at her hands.
"I don't believe that." Elliott whispered, "You can't lie to me."
The two sat silent for a moment before Elliott moved to sit next to the supreme on the bed. "I'm sorry. I should have believed you. I knew you weren't lying, I just…" Cordelia trailed off, her voice thick with impending tears.
"You doubted yourself. I know." Elliott said quietly, "That's your biggest issue, you don't trust yourself or your instincts. You always think everyone else knows more or better than you, and you let them get inside your head. You need to trust yourself."
"God, I really wish you were lying." Cordelia said, her tears spilling over as Elliott looked at her, confused. "I don't. I just… if you were lying, I would know how to fix it. But with this… I don't know how to help you, how to control it, and I'm scared. That's why I got so angry, why I lost it. It wasn't about you, or what you did. It was me being absolutely terrified. If you can't control it and you're gone for too long, I can't bring you back." Cordelia said, looking up to meet Elliott's gaze.
"You can't bring me back anyways." Elliott said seriously, which didn't help the situation, so she tried to crack a joke, "Besides, even if that did happen it still probably wouldn't be that bad. Apparently Papa is rather fond of me."
Cordelia stared at her wide eyed for a moment before giving a teary laugh, "Only you would make friends with a demon."
"Well it's worked out in my favor so far." Elliott quipped, her face falling once she remembered her conversation with him. She would have to tell Cordelia, she was going to find out pretty quickly anyways, but she knew it wouldn't go over well.
"Where did you go?" Cordelia asked quietly, studying her daughter's face as Elliott met her gaze, "You weren't with Fiona, unless she was just trying to distract me so I wouldn't find you."
"You saw Fiona?" Elliott asked, shocked, "Bet that went over real well."
Cordelia let out a chuckle. "Talking with my mother is always a pleasure." She said sarcastically, making Elliott grin a bit, "Fiona is… Fiona. It's not going to change, and I knew what I was getting into when I went down there. Taking shots at me is her favorite pastime, unfortunately."
"Don't let her get to you." Elliott said softly, "She doesn't know you, she never did."
"I know." Cordelia said as her phone went off, Elliott glancing out the hotel window as the sun peeked up, "It's probably John Henry… again. He can wait."
"You might want to get it." Elliott said, Cordelia looking at her curiously.
"Why?" She asked, Elliott shaking her head.
"Just answer it." The young witch replied, Cordelia getting up to grab her phone, seeing Misty's name on the screen.
"Hello?" She answered, staring at Elliott as she did.
"Dee, Elenor is back." Misty said loudly from the other side.
"What?" Cordelia asked, the confusion sweeping over her features.
"I don't know how it happened, but she's back. She woke Emma up and of course she started screamin', but she can't tell anyone what happened or how she got here." Misty responded, the excitement clear in her voice.
The two talked for a few more moments, the supreme never looking away from her daughter as she did, and Elliott could see the panic in her eyes. She felt guilty, knowing exactly what was running through Cordelia's mind, but she also knew she didn't do anything wrong. Finally, the supreme hung up, setting her phone on the nightstand and turning back to her daughter. "You did this?" she asked, her voice deathly quiet.
Elliott slowly nodded, "I went and talked with Papa Legba, and he gave her back."
"Elliott, what did you do?" Cordelia asked, her words stern but her voice panicked.
"I didn't do anything, I promise." Elliott said, trying to calm the woman down.
"He doesn't just give people back, Elliott. What did you give him?" Cordelia asked as her voice shook. The girl noticed she wouldn't come sit back on the bed, but she also wasn't pacing, which was unusual for her.
"I didn't give him anything. I tried to, but he didn't want it. He just gave her back; I don't know why." Elliott explained, putting her hands out to emphasize her honesty.
"You had to give him something." Cordelia said firmly, throwing her daughter a panicked look. Cordelia wasn't dumb, she knew what he wanted, and she knew Elliott had absolutely no regard for her own safety.
"Just… come sit down. I'll tell you everything, explain it all. You don't have to worry, I promise." Elliott said, patting the bed beside her. Cordelia didn't move, just threw the witch a look, so Elliott raised her eyebrows, motioning once again for the supreme to come sit next to her. Cordelia finally complied with a sigh, but as she sat on the bed and faced the girl she was still incredibly tense. "Ok, I went down there, unintentionally, by the way, and I figured while I was down there I might as well try to get her, so I called for him. I told him what I wanted and I tried to negotiate."
"You shouldn't have done that and you know it. You have absolutely no idea what you are dealing with." Cordelia said firmly, her eyes and expression hard.
"Can I at least finish before you start lecturing me?" Elliott said exasperatingly, Cordelia throwing her a look before taking a deep breath and pursing her lips. "Ok. Well, I asked him what he wanted, and he told me he wanted me. He said that was the offer he made you, but you turned it down. I told him he could have me if that's what he wanted, but then he just said he would give her back, that he didn't need me yet and I wasn't ready. I tried to get him to explain to me why, but he just told me that he knows how it ends, and then he went away and I woke up. I didn't give him anything, he just did it."
Cordelia's eyes got teary at the confession, but she couldn't actually believe it. No way would he ever just give up a soul, he had to get something out of it. "Elle…" She began.
"Careful before you call me a liar. We saw how that worked out last time." Elliott said firmly, the supreme looking at her doubtfully, her eyes still wide with panic. Elliott thought for a moment on how to prove it. "Maybe I can show you…" she muttered, mostly to herself. She didn't know if it was possible, but if she could remember it chances were she could pull it from her memory. She shifted on the bed and concentrated, displaying her own memories to the supreme.
After she pulled back, she saw the confusion on the supreme's face. "Show me again." Cordelia insisted, thinking there was something she missed, some small detail that would reveal the man tricked her. Elliott played it again, and again once the supreme asked for a repeat. "It doesn't make sense." Cordelia finally said, shaking her head, "Why would he just give you her back?"
"I don't know." Elliott said honestly, shaking her head. "What did he mean, when he said he knows how it ends?"
Cordelia was quiet for a moment; she didn't know how to answer the question. She had an idea of what he meant, thinking about what he had said to her earlier, the conversation she had with Fiona, but she didn't want to say anything until she knew for certain. "I'm not sure yet. It could mean a lot of things."
"Do you think he was just messing with me?" Elliott asked, the worry evident on her face. She was trying not to think about it, but it had been bugging her ever since she woke back up.
"He could be. He's a demon, they aren't exactly known for being the most honest people." Cordelia said, her voice rushed as she spoke, showing how unsettled she still was about the whole thing. "You're an unusual case. A lot of your magic no one has seen before, and it makes people ask a lot of questions, make a lot of assumptions. No one knows what you are, exactly."
"What do you mean? Aren't I just a witch?" Elliott asked, the fear peeking into her voice.
Cordelia saw the confusion and worry on her daughter's face, and her heart broke. She tried to console the girl, pulling her into a hug and kissing her head before pulling back and looking her in the eye,"Yes, baby, you are. We just don't know what kind of witch. There's a lot of ambiguity in some of the history. Vague prophecies and things about special kinds of witches and warlocks. We disregard most of them, but a few have come true, so it leads a lot of people to ask questions when it comes to those with unusual talents. But it's nothing for you to worry about, I promise."
Elliott slowly nodded, but Cordelia could still see the distress written on her face. She should have known better than to say anything, Elliott was always an over thinker, always worrying, as much as the supreme wished she wouldn't. "Are you mad at me?" Elliott finally asked softly, staring at her hands.
"No, sweetheart. I'm not mad. I know you just wanted to help, and I can't fault you for that. But you can't do it again. I told him no for a reason, because I need you here with me. I know your heart was in the right place, but I can't lose you, baby. Not like that. You can't do that to me." Cordelia said, her voice turning from soft to serious, "You need to take care of yourself."
"I promised you we would get her back. I couldn't break it." Elliott said seriously, looking Cordelia in the eye, which only made the supreme tear up again.
"Not like that. Never like that." Cordelia said, "I need you here with me. You can't leave me. You could break a hundred promises and I would be ok with it as long as you were still here."
Elliott nodded slightly and the supreme could see how drained she was from the night's events. She couldn't fault the girl, truthfully she was beyond exhausted as well. The supreme reached for her phone and texted John Henry and the council, letting everyone know they would be getting a late start to the day before turning back to her daughter and pulling her down on the bed, wrapping her arms around the girl as she kissed her head. "Get some sleep, baby. We both need it." She said with a chuckle, Elliott nodding a bit then burrowing further into her arms, which only made Cordelia kiss her head once again. "I love you." She whispered softly.
"I love you too, mama." Elliott said sleepily, drifting off to sleep.