Disclaimer: I do not own American Horror Story. I only own my OC.

A/N: I suck. Sorry for the long wait. Life happens and uh...yeah. Anyways, I know it's super late but I'm gonna ask anyways, what did you guys think of AHS 1984? I thought it was an okay season compared to season 8 but I have to admit it wasn't my favorite. It was entertaining though but I am more excited to know what the next season will be about.

"Your worst battle is between what you know and what you feel!" ― Alex Haditaghi, Softly, As I Leave Her

Chapter 12: Inner conflict

Perhaps paying Kyle's mother a visit was not such a smart thing to do. Complicated feelings grew within the Bradshaw girl from the moment she laid eyes on the middle aged woman. Just something about Alicia Spencer didn't sit right with her. But what right did Layla have to judge her? The woman did just lose the only child she had. Besides, Layla knew people each grieved differently. Some cried while others didn't. Based on the red circles under her eyes it seemed that in the case of Alicia Spencer she was a crier, and a smoker.

"So what made you come see me?" Alicia asked the two girls. "No one else has bothered."

"We've been feeling so haunted." Zoe softly began telling her. "It all seemed so unfair, and random." She glanced at Layla who she noticed was sitting very still. Zoe rationalized that to Layla trying to remain composed now that they were inside Kyle's house with his mother. "You know, a truly decent person like him. We cant even imagine what it must be like for you. Losing your son." She said, apologetically. Both girls then looked at the older woman who had just taken another hit.

Layla had intentionally winkled the first time she saw the blunt before calming her face. She wasn't a huge fan of the smell but the Bradshaw girl kept any comments to herself.

"He had a stash in his room." Alicia croaked out. "I've been sleeping in there." She looked at them and then offered the bong.

"No, thank you." Layla politely declined. She was relieved when Kyle's mom didn't persist, and instead looked over to Zoe.

Zoe also declined the offer. She shook her head. "I'm driving."

Alicia took another hit as she took in both girls, her gaze lingering on Layla. She found her to be a tad bit more intriguing than the darker blonde girl, for whatever reason. "They didn't tell me he had a girl. Which one of you was seeing him?"

Zoe and Layla shared an awkward look with each other. They weren't necessarily expecting her to ask that question so bluntly, but Layla found herself answering. "Um, neither." She tried telling Kyle's mother in a steady voice. In Layla's opinion she thought she did a pretty good job, even with the twist she felt in her stomach. At least it was better than having her cheeks flare up.

"It wasn't romantic, Mrs. Spencer." Zoe clarified even further.

"We were just friends." Layla quietly added, just in case what Zoe and her said hadn't stuck with the older woman yet. The Bradshaw girl started to see the change in Alicia's features when she said the word friends. She was relaxing, and Layla found that to be weird. She had no idea why though.

"I see." Alicia sighed. "Well, you're good friends. That's all that matters. God bless him." There was pause in her talking and during that time Layla began to feel Alicia's sadness again. "When his father left, he became the man of the house. He worked part time as an SAT tutor. He did repairs. People said that's a lot of pressure to put on a boy. He was just a...he was a natural gentleman in his bones."

Layla immediately thought back to how Kyle, like Zoe had, helped her when she had been having a panic attack. He'd been there and offered his hand to her to get her through it. He'd also helped them look for Madison when they couldn't find her and even went after his own frat brothers once he saw what they'd been doing to the actress. He died trying to do the right thing.

Kyle Spencer had been a good person.

Or rather, he still happened to be a good person. At least that's what Layla hoped. In all honesty, Layla was still befuddled because technically Kyle wasn't dead...but he wasn't entirely himself just yet. Mentally speaking. The whole thing was a complicated mess and she hoped Misty had been able to help out in someway.

"Yeah, he was like that." Zoe solemnly said.

"Can I share something with you girls?" Alicia quietly asked them.

Layla nodded her head and Zoe answered. "Of course. That's why we came."

Both girls then had to listen in horror as Alicia revealed to them that she had been close to committing suicide. That she was going to hang herself this morning. Layla was more unnerved at the fact that the woman wasn't as emotional as she had been expecting her to be when explaining what she'd been close to doing. Why was she holding back her distress? Or was she not feeling any? No...the Bradshaw girl felt something coming from the older woman but it just wasn't as intense as it had been when talking mainly about her son.

Layla assumed it had to do with her caring more about Kyle than herself. That seemed like a normal reason. A lot of parents cared more for their kids than their own well being. If only her own mother was like that.

"I almost didn't answer." Alicia continued telling them. "But something told me I should." She smiled and briefly touched Zoe and Layla's hands. "You two were such saints to make that call. You sweet girls."

Zoe didn't take that compliment well. Layla had felt her guilt but it was not welcomed for some reason this time. "I wish I was as sweet as you think."

There was silence before Alicia started to cry again. Layla could tell it was genuine this time and it had her narrowing her eyes a bit. "I wish I could hold him. And kiss him. If only to say goodbye."

Layla felt Alicia's motherly affections and did her best from stopping the grimace she wanted to let out. She really had no idea why she had a dire need to do that...it was all so odd. How could she be insensitive towards a mother who was mourning her son? She had to remind herself to not be so judgmental.

"You'll see him again." Zoe cryptically told her. Layla saw how the dark blonde's eyes were beginning to water. Layla herself wasn't close to crying but she sure felt the heaviness from the whole situation.

Alicia sighed. "I envy you believers."

Layla lowered her eyes. She felt a bit conflicted about being called a believer. She'd lost count of the amount of times she'd prayed in the past when she wanted her father to stop hitting her mother and her. Her prayers weren't answered right away.

It's true that the abuse ended...eventually but it had been after sometime when she'd given up on praying.

Therefore, she wouldn't say she was super religious but she also wouldn't say she was an Atheist either. How could she be an Atheist when she was an actual witch? She now thought that there must be a God out there...somewhere...but maybe he wasn't exactly as described in the bible. Maybe...he was just different.

"We don't know how it works either." Zoe said and Layla locked eyes with her as she said the next sentence with resolute. "But I'm telling you, Mrs. Spencer. Kyle had not left us."

The next stop was Misty's cabin.

Layla was anxious to know how Kyle was now doing. She knew that Zoe was feeling the same way. The Bradshaw girl didn't need to dig into the dark blonde's feelings since she was able to easily read her light brown eyes by now.

They walked the rest of the way once they parked on the familiar road that led to Misty's small swamp cabin. Thankfully it wasn't a long walk. Layla let Zoe take the lead as she stood behind her when they reached the cabin's front open door.

Zoe knocked out of courtesy. "Misty?"

Both girls were able to pick up on Stevie Nicks' voice. Layla recognized the song Sara as it filled the small cabin. Given the size of the cabin their eyes didn't wander that long and they soon found Misty and Kyle. They were a bit startled to see Misty cuddling up to Kyle on her bed but neither girl were seriously bothered by it. Nor worried. Layla could tell by Misty's kind demeanor that it had been all innocent.

Also, Layla felt no panic coming from Kyle. He not only looked calm from where she was standing, but his emotions were stable at the moment. That definitely was a change from the last time she had seen him.

"Zoe? Layla?" Misty called out happily. She jumped off the bed with excitement as she ran over towards them. "Come see." She proceeded to grab both their hands and led them to where Kyle was lying on the bed. The blond male looked at them with a serene expression as they were now next to him. He didn't even seem annoyed when Misty straddled Kyle's waist.

This confused the teen witches until they realized why Misty had done that in the first place. The Swamp Witch quickly undid the buttons from the blue checkered flannel Kyle was wearing. With wide eyes, Layla and Zoe, now saw Kyle's scars...or what was left of them.

"How'd you do that?" Zoe asked in wonder.

"They're so faint now." Layla whispered just as amazed.

The scars on Kyle were no longer red and angry. There was no stitches either. The scars looked to be almost completely gone. There was just faint pink lines that showed where they had sewed certain parts, like his arms and neck. That one on his neck still stood out the most but Layla had to say it way better now. Misty was a miracle worker because whatever she did worked.

Misty enjoyed their reactions. She was all smiles as she proudly explained. "It's the humic acid in the mud. Burns, scrapes, bug bites." She named with such ease. "I put Louisiana mud on anything." Her voice suddenly lowered as she gently touched Kyle's neck scar. "This one's deep. I tried. That's the best I could do."

By now Layla and Zoe were kneeling next to the bed. Zoe gently traced one of the pink lines that was on Kyle's shoulder. He seemed to follow her movements until she stopped. His gaze then went over to Layla who remained still as she knelt. When her eyes connected with his she felt her lips go upwards in the slightest. He felt like reaching out for her but stopped when he heard her voice.

"You did great in helping him, Misty." Layla slowly moved her gaze towards Misty. The Swamp Witch felt all giddy from receiving praise from one of her fellow witches.

Zoe tilted her head a bit. "Kyle, it's Zoe and Layla." She softly said. "Do you remember us?"

There was no actual verbal response from Kyle. Instead the blond slowly reached out to Zoe. Layla watched with curious eyes as Kyle gently ran his left hand through the dark blonde girl's hair. Layla and Zoe took that answer as a yes.

Layla felt relief that he was able to understand and that with out talking just yet he was able to reply in his own way. She smiled wider now. Her smile fell when Kyle suddenly switched his attention over to her. Using his left hand again, Kyle finally reached for her. He caressed one of her cheeks with gentleness.

His soft ouch staggered Layla but not in a bad way. She could feel Zoe and Misty's eyes on her as Kyle continued to touch her cheek. She also felt their emotions. Misty suddenly began to feel inferior with herself...and Layla knew that feeling all to well. But she had no idea why Misty now felt that way. She'd been all smiles a few seconds ago.

As for Zoe...well, Layla felt elation from the light brown eyed girl. Not the kind of elation that resembled fireworks like excitement, but more so like a simple candle that brought warmth and light into a room. That's the kind of elation Zoe was currently feeling.

Layla found herself blushing from Zoe's elation and also because of Kyle's soft caresses. As much as this was soothing, Layla had to pull back because Zoe and her still needed to tell Misty about their decision to take Kyle home. The Bradshaw girl then locked eyes with Zoe, and from the look in her green eyes the Benson girl understood what needed to be said next.

"Misty, we have to take him home." Zoe informed the Swamp Witch. "His mother's a wreck. Maybe seeing her will help heal him in some way."

Misty moved off of Kyle with a frown. Layla now felt sadness coming from her. Not only that but there was panic thrown in there as well. "I healed him." She vehemently told them. There was a crack in her voice from her emotions. "Me. I...I bathed him and...and fed him and nursed him back to health."

Layla was beginning to feel very bad. During their short time together, Misty had grown attached to Kyle and now they were taking him away from her. Others would have thought that to be weird but not Layla. Mainly because she could tell that there was no ill intentions coming from Misty. She had a kind heart that was easy to read. Misty wasn't the type of person to hide or bury their emotions. And from what Layla was able to tell, Misty had come to care for Kyle in a motherly way. Ironically she found more comfort with Misty taking care of Kyle than him being reunited with his actual mother.

But as much as a mess Alicia Spencer was, Layla had no right to keep a mother and son apart. And anyways, Layla had already agreed with Zoe about taking him to his home to see his mother. Maybe then he'd be able to finally find his true self again. So Layla had to be soft with Misty. Not that doing would be difficult. She'd come to really like the Swamp Witch. "We know you did Misty and we're truly grateful that you did." She calmly told her with sincerity. "You did something that Zoe and I were unable to do and we owe you."

Misty was able to smile after Layla said that. "Well, then stay for dinner." She looked at all three of them, hoping they'd stay and not leave.

Zoe was careful with her response. "Another time." She told her with a small smile of her own. "We promise."

Layla didn't miss the way Misty's smile fell as she moved out of the way for them to grab Kyle. She once again started to fell bad for what they were doing. Misty just didn't want to be alone. Who actually did? Layla had to tell herself that Zoe and her would make good on their promise. They'd return and this time for her. As Zoe and her started to help Kyle off of the bed, Layla thought about how it would be like to have Misty at Miss Robichaux's Academy. She began to imagine giving the Swamp Witch a tour of the school and how she'd most likely show Misty her collection of Marvel Funko Pops, and of course her music.

Music sharing was simply a must. She'd be sure to share her love for PJ Harvey just like Misty had with her love for Stevie Nicks.

Layla could already tell that Misty would love the greenhouse as much as her.

A smile almost escaped Layla.

There'd be a time for all of that...just not now.

Right now, as much as she had mix feelings about it, Zoe and her needed to take Kyle home.

Zoe and Layla were both holding onto Kyle as they helped him towards the open door. Layla was so focused on trying to be careful with Kyle that she almost let go completely when she suddenly felt a rush of intense emotions coming from Misty.

Misty started to shake her head. She jumped out of the bed and ran to grab a hold of Kyle. His response to that was a loud grunt. Layla this time could feel a spark of actual annoyance coming from Kyle. The Bradshaw girl was about to tell Misty to back off because of how uncomfortable Kyle now was. However, Misty spoke so frantic that it had her green eyes widening from worry.

"No, he's not ready yet." Kyle grunted again as Misty made him look into her eyes. "He needs me. We're connected." Her voice wavered. "Kyle, when they abandoned you, I was there. You can't just replace me."

Layla let out a sigh. She didn't want to but if Misty continued this she might have to use her powers to manipulate Misty's emotions. She disliked thinking about manipulating Misty in anyway, especially after how kind she'd been to them. It just didn't seem right to Layla. Much to Layla's luck she didn't have to...but it wasn't like she was thrilled with what stopped Misty from giving up on Kyle.

The Bradshaw and Benson girl let out gasps when Kyle lashed out at Misty. He smacked the Swamp Witch's hands away from his face causing Misty to step back with a hurt expression. Kyle payed little attention to her as he practically fell back into Layla's arms, his head seeking comfort between her shoulder and neck. Her familiar scent from before was calming him down.

Zoe quickly went to help Layla knowing she wouldn't be able to keep Kyle fully on his feet for long with how he was holding onto her. Kyle didn't fight with Zoe. He willingly let the darker blonde take hold of one of his arms as Layla did with the other. When Misty finally was able to push away her hurt she tried reaching for him again. Layla was able to see this and she shook her head. That had Misty freezing in place.

Zoe was the one to speak now. "Let him go." She gently ordered. "Let him go. He wants to go home." She continued to help Layla carry Kyle to the door. At the last second, Zoe glanced over her shoulder to stare at her. "We'll come back for you. We promise."

Misty felt her eyes start to water. "No you won't." She muttered to herself as she watched them go.

Alone.

The word kept popping up in Misty head as she continued to spin with a broken smile on her face. It didn't take long for the tears to start going down her face as she continued to smile through her desolation.

Alone.

The only comfort she had now was Stevie, whose beautiful voice continued to play throughout her cabin.

Three times.

Three times were Layla almost told Zoe to turn around to go back to Misty's.

Layla had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from doing so.

At one point during the drive Zoe asked her if she was okay to which Layla replied with a firm yes. The Benson girl didn't ask her anymore questions after that. She reasoned that Layla answered that way was because she was doing her best to keep Kyle calm. Layla and him were sitting in the backseat while Zoe remained upfront to drive.

Originally they tried putting Kyle in the passenger seat but the blond curly haired male wouldn't let go of Layla the way he'd done with Zoe. So Layla came up with the idea to sit with him in the back as they drove to his mother's house.

Kyle was leaning against Layla, with his head on her shoulder. He was clutching onto her blouse tightly. Layla wasn't unnerved in the slightest because she noticed how he wasn't holding onto her with his full strength. She could tell he was holding back. The hold he had on her right now reminded Layla of those kids who were afraid to let go of their mother's during the first day of school.

That wasn't unusual as much as it should have been. Physically Kyle was somewhat fixed but mentally there's a long way to go. That's why they were hoping him seeing his mother would help him.

"It's alright, Kyle." Zoe spoke breaking the silence. She glanced at the review mirror and saw the way Kyle was holding onto Layla. She could tell he was confused and she wanted to reassure him nothing bad was going to happen. "We're taking you home now."

Kyle just grunted softly as he continued to bask in Layla's warmth. The Bradshaw girl let out a low sigh before briefly locking eyes with Zoe in the review mirror. The darker blonde could only take that as a somewhat good sign. It wasn't like they could back out at the last second with this plan of theirs...they were already at the Spencer residence.

Zoe parked the car and then unbuckled herself. She turned around in her seat and gently placed a hand on Kyle's knee. That had Kyle looking at her with a curious expression. The Benson girl was glad he hadn't reacted badly to her touch. Kyle hadn't reacted badly to her when at Misty's cabin, but she just wanted to be sure that she wasn't a bother. Really she was still learning what bothered Kyle. Anything really could potentially set Kyle off.

Except for Layla.

Ever since coming back to life, Kyle hadn't reacted negatively to Layla in anyway.

Maybe it had to do with the Bradshaw girl's powers...or maybe it was because Kyle just liked her more. Not that Zoe was jealous...she could understand why someone would like the Bradshaw girl. What was not to like about her?

Zoe suddenly found herself thinking about Layla the same way she thought about Kyle during their first time meeting...and that had Zoe blushing. She immediately tried to stop her blushing from spreading because she knew Layla would soon feel her own emotions.

And she was right.

Layla managed to look her way with a bewildered expression.

Zoe was quick to replace the attraction she felt with intense determination. Hopefully the darker haired witch wouldn't read into her emotions...but if she did there was always the excuse of saying she was thinking about Kyle. Which wasn't a lie because Zoe had been thinking about Kyle...with Layla thrown in there.

"I know this is the right thing, Kyle." Zoe evenly said and that luckily had Layla focusing on Kyle again. "She's the one person in the world that you'll remember. Everything will make sense when you see her."

Kyle's response to that was a low grunt. He then looked from Zoe to Layla. The Bradshaw girl tried giving him a soothing smile as she nodded her head. Kyle's grip on her loosened even more and the girls were quick to act on that.

They began to help Kyle walk to his house. Layla was relieved that none of the neighbors were out. She could just imagine how'd they react. Along the way to the front door, Kyle had stumbled a few times. The Bradshaw girl had seen the way Kyle was looking around the neighborhood. His eyes narrowed every now and then and Layla could only hope the reason for that was because he was remembering something from his past.

There a bit of a struggle when going up the steps and Layla let out a huff once they were on the front porch. She was very surprised that she hadn't fallen on her face because of her clumsiness.

Once composing herself, Layla lent Zoe a hand with steadying Kyle on his feet. Zoe then rang the door bell and scurried off before she could change her mind. Whatever steadiness the curly blond male had went away, and his forehead hit the front door.

Layla immediately let out a curse word in Portuguese. Seeing Kyle's forehead hit the front door stopped her from running. She couldn't just leave him like that. The Bradshaw girl was about to help him but she heard a frantic Zoe calling out for her. She let out a sigh knowing she couldn't stay there any longer...no matter how much she wanted to remain by Kyle's side.

The darker haired teen went to where Zoe was hiding behind a tree across the street from the Spencer residence. With anxiousness they waited for Alicia to open the front door and see that her son was there. They only needed to wait a few more seconds before the door opened and soon cries of joy rang in the air.

Zoe watched the reunion between mother and son with some bit of happiness, thinking she did something good. Layla though, felt a twist in her stomach when she watched Alicia wrap her arms around Kyle. He wasn't very responsive to her right away but Alicia sure was. Shock and delight were the two emotions Layla was feeling from her.

But there were still no emotions coming from Kyle.

That was until Alicia began dragging him in. That's when Kyle managed to turn his head to where they were across the street. The last thing Layla felt before Kyle went inside the house with his mother was fear.

Pure heart racing fear.