Chapter Thirteen
First and foremost, I had three lovely betas to help me with this chapter. Hovercraft79 edited some of this months ago, and then I hit the busy part of my semester for school. So after sitting on it for a long time and randomly adding more, I had two other betas look at it: Ariel Manto & slightlykylie. Thank you all three so much! Any and all mistakes are my own.
I sincerely apologize for the time it has taken me to update. The college has been kicking my butt. I promise you, no matter what, this story will be completed! I wanted to thank each and every person who has taken the time to leave me a comment. You all are the people who give me the energy to carry on, so thank you. And for all you lovely people who have left me kudos.
When I first posted this I would have never dreamed I would have gotten 100 kudos, and I now have 200. *cries in a corner* So thank you all so much. I can't say when I will update next, but hopefully, the Christmas holiday will leave me with time to write.
THE CARDS AGAINST CACKLE'S GAME IS A REAL GAME. I DO NOT OWN THE GAME. THE MAKER/ BRAINS BEHIND THE GAME IS HEATHCLIFF, THEIR TUMBLR IS: HERE IS A LINK TO THE GAME: post/614557965678182400/today-we-managed-to-play-cards-against-cackles WE ALSO GET TOGETHER ON DISCORD AND PLAY, IT IS A LOT OF FUN, INFO IN THE LAST LINK.
Hope everyone is doing well, sorry it is not longer, enjoy... xxx
-Moving Forward-
Making her way down the stairs, Pippa smiled as she spotted her two favorite people. As she watched the two of them doze, she acknowledged the fact that she would never tire of the sight of their daughter curled up and fast asleep in her lover's lap.
Tiptoeing so as to not wake either woman or girl, Pippa made her way over to Hecate, whose head was resting against the back of the sofa. Leaning down, she placed a gentle kiss on the other woman's lips, causing her to begin to stir, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"I wondered where you had disappeared to," Pippa whispered as she cupped Hecate's cheek. "Did you two reconcile?"
Hecate rolled her eyes in a light-hearted manner. "I think it is fair to say we are back on good terms."
After having eaten a hearty breakfast, including fluffy pancakes slathered in fruit and syrup. the remainder of the day was much happier for the small family. Once the clock struck 11, the trio, who had spent the last few hours lounging in the sitting room—Mildred working on her art while the two older women read their books—broke off. As Pippa started to prepare a light lunch, Mildred followed Hecate out to help tend to the garden.
Mildred was deep in thought as she worked on pruning faded stalks of foxglove. She was brooding over how strange her relationship was now with her once-feared form teacher, finding it ironic that when not around the stoic witch, she missed her. And yet, somehow, she still felt a hint of anxiety creep up while in the women's company. The difference now was that instead of coming from a place of fear, Mildred's nervousness nowadays came from a place of wanting to make Hecate happy and proud of her.
After their lunch had been eaten and the kitchen cleaned, Mildred led the two adults along a path leading to a nearby pond.
"Slow down, Mildred," Hecate demanded. "You may walk ahead, but I do not want you getting out of either mine or Pippa's sight." Mildred fell into the slower pace of the other two.
By the time they arrived at the pond, Mildred had both fists full of the wildflowers she had collected along the way. With a twist of her wrist, Hecate conjured a maroon blanket that they all sat down on. For the first few minutes, they each sat in silence while they enjoyed the sun as it kissed their skin—sending the comfort of warmth over them while allowing them to forget about the chilly breeze blowing from the September sky. After having become a bit too cozy, Mildred was fighting to keep her eyelids from falling any further as she listened to the birds serenading each other from the treetops around them. Then -
"What was that?" Mildred screeched, suddenly very awake and very alert.
Hecate smirked as she twisted her hand once again, repeating the magic that had previously caused the girl to stir.
"Wow!" The girl's eyes had grown to the size of saucers as she watched Hecate manipulate the still waters. Under the witches' spell, the water's shape began to contort until it was the shape of a giant wave. Standing about 10 feet in the air. With the drop of her hand, the water plummeted back to the surface, causing a large splash.
"Can I do that?" Mildred eagerly blurted as she jumped up, moving closer to Hecate.
Pippa's heart swelled as she watched the two interact. The blonde tried but failed to stop herself from giggling under her breath as she watched Hecate struggle to keep calm with the girl's constant mistakes. After several failed attempts, Mildred began to huff and puff.
Pippa decided to intervene. "Just take a deep breath, you can do it."
With a single nod to her head, Mildred took a deep, steadying breath before flicking her wrist. To the surprise and delight of them all, the water began to move upwards, climbing higher and higher until it dropped like Hecate's, sending water splashing on all sides.
"I did it! I did it!" Mildred exclaimed, throwing herself at the raven-haired woman, who reciprocated her joy as she held onto the girl in a tight embrace.
As the weather began to turn chilly, the three women decided to meander their way back to the cottage. After their dinner was eaten, they sat around silently - Hecate reading her book, and Mildred trying to coax a reluctant Morgana into being held and snuggled.
"Oh come on, you two," Pippa prodded in a light-hearted manner. "This is the first weekend we've gotten to spend as a family, and you two are off in your own little worlds."
"What would you suggest we do?" Hecate inquired, not looking up from her book.
"Oh, I don't know… something. Hey! How about we play a game?"
"A game?" Mildred repeated as she stood up from the floor and moved over to sit next to Hecate on the sofa. "What kind of game?"
"How about a board game?" Pippa suggested.
Mildred's lips stretched into a broad grin. "I actually made my own game. We could play that?" she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Do you have it with you?" Hecate began to ask, but the girl was already making haste up the stairs. "Walk!" the older woman yelled after the girl. She shook her head at Pippa. "Some things will never change."
After grabbing the game from her bag, Mildred excitedly walked back down the stairs, placing the box, which was an old shoebox, on the table.
"Cards Against Cackle's?" Hecate read aloud as she examined the paper taped down on the lid; the corners were beginning to curl up.
"It's like the game, 'Cards Against Humanity,' but I'm not allowed to play that version, so I made my own," Mildred explained, smiling proudly.
Mildred laid out the cards on the table, "The game is simple. Each round, someone is in charge of reading the black card out loud," Mildred reached into the pile pulling one out, "For example, 'Being a witch is really about _.' The other two players chose a white card that best fills in the blank."
Once Hecate and Pippa had their questions answered, they started to play.
"I will go first, Mildred stated as she picked up a black card to read from, '_ can never go wrong.'"
Pippa shifted through her cards, a frown on her face. "I don't have any good cards," she said with a pout.
Hecate didn't respond; instead, she just looked up and smirked.
After both women handed Mildred their cards, she read them off. "Custard creams can never go wrong," Mildred read with a smile, "and - Hecate Hardbroom's bun can never go wrong." She gasped out the words as her face turned beet-red from laughter.
"What on earth is so funny?" Hecate asked in a loud, fear-inspiring tone. The little quirk of her lip gave away her attempts to stomp down on her laughter. To the surprise of neither Pippa nor Mildred, Hecate won the game. Mildred knew the woman had a sense of humor buried behind her composed and collected façade, but she was genuinely surprised by how funny some of the woman's answers were. Eventually, she had laughed so much her abs were hurting.
Lying in bed after a busy day, Mildred couldn't help the yawn that wracked her body as she stroked a purring Tabby. She rolled over on her side, trying to get more comfortable. In her new position, she looked at the objects on her desk, the vase of wildflowers that she had collected on her walk earlier beside the framed photo of Julie. A tightness spread through Mildred's chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. While she was busy spending time with her biological mums, she had neglected to think about the mother who not only raised her but who had always shown Mildred the kind of undying love a mother can have for their child. And she had just forgotten her. It didn't take long before the guilt wrapped through her psyche like a tidal wave. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes, and her chin began to tremble.
By the time Hecate and Pippa came to check on her, she was full-on crying. Immediately they went into action to comfort the distraught girl, perching on either side of the bed, where she was unsuccessfully trying to hide her face in her pillow.
"Millie-bear, what is wrong?" the pink witch asked gently.
With Pippa's gentle probe, Mildred began to cry harder. Unsure what to do, she looked up at the raven-haired witch while biting her lip, hoping the older woman would have the answer of what to do.
And although in most social situations, Pippa was better at understanding and knowing what to say, Hecate had a feeling she knew what the problem was. "Are you feeling guilty that you are having a good time with your biological mothers?" Hecate asked Mildred in a gentle, almost pleasant tone.
With the jerky nod of Mildred's head, Hecate's suspicions were confirmed.
"Oh darling, that is perfectly understandable," Pippa assured sweetly, cupping the girl's tear-streaked cheek lovingly in her hand.
"You-you're not u-upset?"
Hecate's eyebrow rose at the question. "Why on earth would you assume Pippa and I would be upset that you miss your mother?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"But you and Pippa are also my mums, and mum said she wanted me to have a relationship with you, she said she wasn't jealous or upset, so I should be happy," Mildred concluded, fiddling with a loose string coming from her sheet where Tabby's nail had caught.
"Your emotions are valid, Mildred," Hecate cut in, reverting to her teacher's tone. "Yes, Pippa and I may be your mothers too, but that does not invalidate the fact that Julie Hubble raised you. And although that is not the fault of anyone but of Mistress Broomhead, it still is a fact." Her voice was absent of any emotion. "Anytime that you are spending time with us and you wish to speak to your mother, all you have to do is ask." She held out her taloned hand; a small silver pocket mirror appeared.
After Pippa and Hecate kissed Mildred goodnight and shut the door, the girl opened the mirror and stared at her reflection. "Call Julie Hubble."
Within an instant, Julie's face appeared in the mirror. Mildred couldn't help but laugh; her mother looked like an outright mess, with specks of different color paint in her hair as well as on her clothing. "Millie-love!" Julie called out, ecstatic at the sight of her daughter. "Oi, Pippa and Hecate must be keeping you busy, you look right knackered."
Mildred spent the next hour chatting away to her mum about the fun and exciting things she did. Once the call ended, she was smiling ear-to-ear as she realized how lucky she was to have not only one mother who loved her with all her heart but three. After getting ready for the night, Pippa exited the master bathroom and spotted her wife sitting up in their four-poster bed, reading a book. Seeing Hecate like this reminded her of the day her and Hecate's lives had drastically changed. The day their little family of two became a threesome.
They spent the remainder of their weekend enjoying their time together, but like all holidays, eventually, it had to end.. By the time Sunday came, they were all dreading the return to reality, as well as having to readjust to not having Pippa at the same school. Pippa waved her final goodbyes from Pentangle's courtyard as Hecate and Mildred mounted their brooms and flew towards Cackle's. Once they arrived in the courtyard, Mildred turned towards Hecate, knowing what she had to do.
Taking a steeling breath, Mildred turned to address Hecate. "I think now is as good a time as any to go tell Miss Cackle."
Hecate responded with a simple, "Yes, I think that is wise."
Hecate watched as Mildred trudged on towards the doors to the castle. She was proud that Mildred kept to her word that she'd assume responsibility, even while knowing the punishment for impersonating a teacher was inevitable.
Although she was a little apprehensive, Mildred managed to relay the entirety of the story to Miss Cackle, who at the end of Mildred's spiel spoke for the first time. "Oh, Mildred," the older woman said, shaking her head, "you know I do not have any choice but to reprimand you. I know how much you love Tabby, but unfortunately, the penalty for impersonating a teacher stands." With the twist of her hand, Mildred watched in resigned sorrow as Tabby appeared in his basket next to the older woman's feet. "You will get him back at the end of the term," Miss Cackle said with a sympathetic smile.
Collapsing on her bed, Mildred pressed her face into her pillow as she let out a sob. She was conflicted with her feelings. A part of her was upset, but also mad at herself for doing something so stupid that she not only affected herself but poor innocent Tabby.
She was still laying, face down in her pillow when she heard her door creak open. She assumed it was Hecate to tell her that it was time to eat, considering they arrived at the castle an hour before dinner, which is why Mildred was surprised when the bed shifted under the weight of someone sitting. Curious, she turned over in her bed, locking eyes with the aforementioned witch. Turning back into her pillow, she let out a moan.
"I did it," Mildred whispered into her pillow, not really caring whether or not Hecate could hear her.
Mildred waited for a verbal response that never came. Instead, a gentle hand stroked the back of her head, sending warmth through her.
Peering down at her daughter, Hecate knew, as good as anyone, that sometimes [silence was better than words?]
As Mildred began to snore, Hecate flicked her wrist, which transferred Mildred under her bed's blankets instead of on top of them. After making sure the sheets were tucked underneath her chin, she leaned down once more, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, "I am so proud of you." She whispered. Later she knew she would need to wake Mildred to eat dinner, and so she would be able to sleep later when it was actually bedtime. But for now, she allowed her time to rest.
Two weeks passed, and for the most part, apart from two separate occasions, Mildred had refrained from getting herself into trouble. Her teachers, as well as her three parental figures, were all surprised as well as quite pleased with the girl's progress. But even with the support of her superiors, not everyone was happy with the change, and for Mildred, having her friends upset and distancing themselves was hard to look past.
"Come on, Enid, please tell me - why don't you want to hang around with me anymore?" Mildred pleaded as she knocked on the girl's door, hoping for some kind of answer.
The three friends had been walking through the corridor talking. Enid had brought up the idea of having a midnight feast after lights out, "like old times." Once Mildred explained she didn't want to because she had been staying out of trouble, Enid strode angrily away.
Mildred and Maud followed their friend into her room, inviting themselves in. They knew asking for permission would be a pointless task.
Enid stood in front of Mildred, arms crossed tightly to her chest. "Ever since you found out you are Miss Hardbroom and Miss Pentangle's biological daughter, you have been acting like a snobbish, goody-two-shoes!"
"I have not!" Mildred spat back.
"All you care about is whether or not Miss Hardbroom would approve. Well, I'm sick of it! Whatever happened to my best friend? You used to be fun and daring, and now you're nothing more than a stick-in-the-mud!"
"I am not, and I will prove it!" Mildred proclaimed, clenching her fists at her side.