When Cordelia's alarm went off early the next morning, she moved to quickly silence it, not wanting to wake her sleeping daughter. She could feel the toll the previous night had taken on her, operating on only a few hours of sleep, and once Elliott was awake there was little to no hope of her settling back down.

Cordelia rolled out of bed and began to move cautiously around the room, grabbing articles of clothing from the floor and closet rather than the drawers, forgoing the heels in favor of a quieter shoe, and forgetting jewelry altogether.

The drive was silent, apart from the hum of the engine and the Supreme's racing thoughts. She gripped the steering wheel so tight her knuckles began to pop under the strain, going over and over in her head what she was going to say. The woman had never been good at expressing her emotions, a trait she inherited from her mother. Every time she would try to verbalize how she felt, it always came out cluttered and unfocused, like she was rushing to get it all out before she imploded. Nothing seemed good enough, and as the miles to her destination dwindled, the more she felt like it would be better for everyone if she just turned around.

It was strange to think the very problem she was steering her daughter away from was the one she currently had to fight. Here she was, pushing Elliott to face her demons, and she couldn't even face hers. She told the girl not to run, but it was taking everything in her to push forward. A part of her knew it was always supposed to work this way, that history had a habit of repeating itself, and that the problems you faced were the same ones you advised against, but something about it just seemed like a never-ending spiral of misery. How was she supposed to give advice she herself could never take?

Still, she pushed forward, wandering aimlessly through the swamp Misty called home until she felt it, that magnetic pull that could only be described as home. She took a step towards it, then paused, glancing back to where she came and almost giving in to the fear of rejection, that was until she felt something crawl over her foot, glancing down to see a Pinesnake making its way through the tall grass.

She shot off like a bullet, the purpose of her trip long forgotten as she wove through the brush and darted around trees. Running towards something, anything, that was as far away from that as possible.

It wasn't long until she broke through into a clearing, stopping in her tracks as she spotted the mop of curly hair she knew so well. Misty glanced up from her garden to see her girlfriend's chest heaving, eyes frantic as she glanced around, "You come out here all by ya'self?"

The Cajun witch's piercing stare was enough to render her mute, her nerves prickling as she nodded and stared at the ground, searching for any sign of movement.

"Why?" Misty asked sharply.

Cordelia could hear the hurt that laced her tone, and any speech she had prepared disappeared from her memory, her hands turning clammy and beginning to shake. "Because… well… uh…" Cordelia began, stumbling over words as she raked through her mind. She saw the swamp witch stand up, but she didn't lift her eyes from the ground, forcing her girlfriend to close the distance and lift her chin, looking straight into those ocean blue eyes that once haunted her dreams. "Because I'm crazy about you." Cordelia finally spit out, her lip worrying between her teeth for a moment until she continued, "And that makes me, uh… just crazy."

Misty's eyes softened, only a bit, before Cordelia felt the grass below brush her ankles, a field mouse running between the blades just close enough to make Cordelia shriek, to which Misty grinned and let out a chuckle. "Ok," Cordelia huffed, throwing her a look, "I guess I deserve that."

"Ya think?" Misty asked, watching the supreme roll her eyes, "Ya better finish off that apology before the gators come out."

"I'm sorry," Cordelia began, "I'm so sorry. I'm just a mess and I'm trying to be a good mom and I feel like nothing I do is ever enough and- "

With that, the supreme felt the swamp witch's lips on hers, finally relaxing for the first time since she opened her eyes that morning. She leaned into it, tangling her hands in Misty's curls and breathing her in like it was the last time. When Misty finally pulled back, Cordelia couldn't help the smile that was plastered across her face, "Can we go home now?"

Misty smirked, "Not yet."

"Misty, I swear to god, I'm going to die out here." Cordelia lamented, only for her girlfriend's lips to meet hers once again, and soon she was lifted off the ground, her hand tightening in Misty's hair as the woman carried her towards the shack.

A few hours later, Cordelia laid on Misty's chest, her fingers tapping mindless patterns on the swamp witch's collarbone. "What is it?" Misty mumbled, hands moving slowly up and down the supreme's back, "Ya only tap like that when you're thinkin' too hard."

"My mother used to do it to me." Cordelia said quietly, glancing up to see Misty's raised eyebrows and quickly moving to explain, "Whenever she got into a relationship, she would just disappear."

Misty cocked her head, "Well it sounds like she wasn't ever really there ta begin with."

Cordelia shook her head, "I don't want to do that to her. I don't want to be like my mother, not like that."

Misty pulled herself to her elbows, "That's crazy. Ya are nothing like Fiona."

"I am though," Cordelia said, sitting up to face her partner, "Fiona used to throw everything away for whatever guy was with her at the time. She would do whatever he wanted and nothing else mattered." She saw Misty giving her that look, so she bit her lip before continuing, "It was the only time I ever saw my mother actually be submissive in anything, and I took after her in that way, especially with Hank. There were so many red flags that I ignored, things I let him get away with..."

"Ya ain't the same person ya were back then." Misty said, reaching for her hand before quickly retreating, "And if ya say I'm anything like that asshole, I might have ta feed ya ta the gators."

Cordelia sighed, "You know what I mean."

"Darlin, Elle is never gonna be pushed out." Misty reassured, "Ta be honest I think I love her even more than I love you."

Cordelia's jaw dropped only seconds before her fist met Misty's arm, the Cajun letting out a laugh before pulling the supreme back down to the bed.

When they returned to the house, the girls were congregated in the kitchen, the two witches walking hand in hand. "Wow," Madison sneered, "You two are as nauseating as ever."

The two rolled their eyes before Cordelia moved over to Elliott, who was sitting at the counter with toast on her plate, leaning over and kissing her head. "Careful Elle," Madison began, "You don't know where that mouth has been."

Elliott immediately rolled her eyes, before actually processing what the girl was saying, her face quickly morphing into a grimace as the other girls laughed. Madison leaned over, whispering, "Now we're even."

Eventually, the conversations waned and the rest of the girls cleared out, leaving just the three women. "Have you seen David yet?" Cordelia asked, Elliott shaking her head.

"He hasn't been back yet." Elliott said, looking up to see Cordelia's curious eyes, "I don't know when he'll be back."

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Cordelia asked, Elliott shaking her head once again.

"No," Elliott said, "I'll handle it, don't worry."

"I'm always worried." Cordelia joked, "If you need me, you know I'll be here, alright?"

Elliott snickered, "Don't you have that holiday party?"

Cordelia paused, "Shit, is that tonight?"

"Yes." Elliott laughed as Cordelia groaned, "You could always skip it."

Cordelia sighed, "I can't skip it, it's how we secure funding for the school, all of our benefactors will be there."

"You mean the school isn't funded purely off of hopes and dreams?" Elliott quipped, "Shocking."

"Ha ha." Cordelia scoffed.

"I can go with ya." Misty offered, Cordelia shaking her head.

"Some of the girls are coming back tonight, I can't leave them without supervision." She said sadly, Misty nodding.

"So, you're saying I need a babysitter." Elliott stated, Cordelia throwing her a look, "I was just joking, jeez."

"Were you?" Cordelia asked, Elliott scoffing.

"No, but you could have a least made me feel better about it." Elliott said, feigning offense.

"Ya do have a habit of leaving the house." Misty laughed.

"Alright, I'm going to read." Elliott shot back, leaving Cordelia to jokingly call after her.

"Elle, we were kidding!" She called, before joking to Misty, "Kind of."

"Should we be worried?" Misty asked, "About David? He's been…"

Cordelia nodded, "I know. I don't know when's the right time for me to step in."

"With Elle?" Misty asked, "Never."

Cordelia chuckled before turning serious, "I know Elle isn't a normal kid, I do, I get that. But he's an adult, technically speaking."

"And he's acting like a 15-year-old who just had his first crush." Misty agreed.

"Worse." Cordelia sighed, "I know he's going through his own issues, with the accident and all the changes, and I know he cares about her, I do, but when is enough, enough?"

"She's never going ta cut him off," Misty said, "And if you push it, she's just gonna come back at ya."

"I didn't mean permanently." Cordelia argued, "I think they just need space. She's been doing so well and with them fighting…"

"She's been backsliding." Misty finished, Cordelia nodding in return.

"Am I being crazy?" Cordelia asked, Misty shaking her head.

"No, you're being a mama." Misty said, "He isn't making a whole lota sense. Madison I would expect something like that out of…"

"But why would he tell Elliott unless he wanted her to be upset?" Cordelia asked, "He had to know that would happen."

"And he kissed her the night before." Misty responded, "Maybe that's what started this whole mess."

Cordelia gave a breathy laugh, "And I thought Elliott had issues."

Later, Cordelia knocked on Elliott's door, the young witch glancing up from her laptop, "You leaving?"

Cordelia hesitantly nodded, "Yea, in a minute. I wanted to talk with you first."

"About what?" Elliott asked, Cordelia moving to sit on the bed.

"Well," Cordelia began, "We didn't really finish talking about yesterday."

The effect on Elliott was immediate, her movements becoming stiff as she set her laptop to the side and resituated herself on the bed, "Ok."

Still, it wasn't the reaction Cordelia was expecting. Before, Elliott would have done anything to prevent the conversation or blown it off, and Cordelia came into the room expecting to have to force the issue, but for the first time, she didn't have to.

"Ok?" She still asked.

Elliott nodded, "Yea, lets talk about it." Cordelia stared at her, "What? Did you not want to talk about it, because you asked, not me."

"No, I do." Cordelia said, shaking her head, "I just wasn't expecting you to be so willing."

Elliott shrugged, "I screwed up, nothing new."

"Don't say that," Cordelia began, "You just have to communicate with me, Elle. No matter what's going on. It doesn't matter what's going on with me, alright? You come first, always."

"I just didn't know how to tell you." Elliott said, "I never had to tell anyone before."

Cordelia took a breath, "Did you think I would be upset?" Elliott shook her head, "Then what was it, babe?"

"It's just," Elliott began, "It's hard to explain something to someone that you don't even really understand yourself."

Cordelia cocked her head, "But you were able to recognize it?"

Elliott shook her head again, "Not really. David was the one who figured it out, not me."

Cordelia nodded, "And David wasn't here…"

Elliott dropped her head and nodded, "Yea, I think that was part of it, why it was so bad."

Cordelia nodded and sighed, "Are there any other times you get like this?" Elliott shook her head, "Ok, well it's good that I know now, but it is really important that you talk with me, alright? I'm on your team, we all are, and we can't help manage it if we don't know it's happening, ok?" Elliott nodded, and Cordelia braced for the next topic, "We also need to talk about David."

"We don't need to talk about it." Elliott said, although Cordelia was surprised there wasn't an attitude, "I told you, I'll handle it."

"I know you will, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to discuss." Cordelia said gently, "I know you feel a lot of responsibility towards him, but… he's hurting you, baby, and I hate to see you like this."

Elliott nodded, "I know."

"I know he's going through a lot right now, I do, but what he's doing, it isn't just affecting you and him anymore. It's hurting your relationships with everyone." Cordelia continued, "I just…"

"Mama," Elliott finally cut in, "You don't have to tell me this, I already know."

"I just think you need to focus on yourself right now." Cordelia said, "He's not a kid anymore, Elle, he's an adult. You don't have to look out for him like you used to."

"I'm always going to look out for him." Elliott said, "That's not going to change."

"I know…" Cordelia said, glancing down at her watch only to see she was already ten minutes late and groaning, "I have to go, just… think about it, alright?"

Elliott nodded as Cordelia stood, "I will, have a good time. You look great, as always."

Cordelia smiled, leaning in to kiss Elliott's head, "Thank you. I love you."

"Love you too." Elliott said, "Now hurry up, you're already late."

An hour later, Elliott heard her bedroom door creek open once again, not even glancing up, "You're back already? What, did they bore you to tears?"

When she didn't get a response, she glanced up, only to see David standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Hey." He said casually, like he hadn't torn her to shreds and disappeared for days.

"Hi." Elliott responded, her laptop once again being pushed to the side.

"Uh, me and Rachel are back together." He said, a sheepish smile gracing his lips, like he was nervous.

Elliott nodded slowly, "I figured."

David took another step inside the door frame, shifting from one leg to the other, "I, uh, I told her about the kiss. You know, just so there weren't any more secrets."

"Which one?" Elliott asked with a halfhearted laugh, David giving her a look.

"The one on Thanksgiving." David said, "The other was just for a game."

Elliott tried her best to hold her tongue, giving a curt, "Ok."

David's posture stiffened, "Well she doesn't really feel too comfortable with me staying here, with you."

"She wants you to move out?" Elliott asked sarcastically, "Where are you going to go?"

"She wants me to move in with her." David answered, scanning Elliott's face for a reaction.

"Do you want to?" She asked.

"I don't think it's a bad idea." He said, Elliott nodding as it took everything in her to stop the snarky comment from leaving her lips. Still, David noticed, he always noticed, "Say it."

She raised her eyebrows, "Say what?"

David scoffed, "Whatever you were just thinking."

Elliott shook her head, "I don't have anything to say."

"That's a lie." David shot back.

"You're an adult." Elliott began, "You can make your own choices. You really don't need my opinion."

David laughed, "What if I want it?"

"Why? So you can get mad at me and make yourself feel better about leaving?" Elliott asked, "You don't care about my opinion, you've already made your mind up."

David scoffed, "How could you possibly know that?"

"Because I know you David." Elliott fired back, "I've lived with you for five years. The only time you come to me is when you've already made a decision."

"That's not true." David argued.

"Do you not remember the last time you left, David?" Elliott asked.

"You were eight." David patronized.

"I begged you to stay," Elliott spat, "And it didn't even fucking matter, you left anyways. I even begged to go with you."

He scowled, "That was different."

Elliott scoffed, "I'm not doing that again. If you want to go and move in with a girl you can't stay with for longer than a few weeks, then by all means."

"There it is." David spit.

"What?" Elliott asked, "The truth?"

"You know what? I should have known better." David argued, "You're too immature to understand that some relationships are complicated."

"I don't know that relationships are complicated?" Elliott scoffed, "I'm living with the woman who gave me up, I know that relationships are fucking complicated. That's just toxic."

"If I told you to pack your stuff and leave with me right now, would you do it?" David shot back.

Elliott was stunned, "What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it." David said, his tone growing harsher, "Would you leave right now and never come back?"

"No." Elliott stated.

"Why?" David asked loudly.

"Because there my family. I don't have a reason to leave." Elliott said, matching his volume.

"Exactly," David said, "They're your family."

"They're your family too." Elliott shot back.

David scoffed, "I came along with the deal, they didn't choose me."

"But I did." Elliott said, scanning his face as he shook his head, quickly realizing, "That's not enough."

David sighed, "You found your family, I need to find mine."

Elliott schooled her features, "Then go."

She watched the regret wash over his face, both of them knowing exactly what she was doing, and he moved to speak, but Elliott was quick to cut him off, "David. Go."

He dropped his head and nodded, "I'll be back for my things tomorrow."

It wasn't long after the front door clicked closed that Elliott heard footsteps on the stairs, launching out of her bed and heading for the stairs, meeting Misty at the landing, "Darlin', are ya ok?"

Elliott shook her head, continuing her trek towards the door and grabbing her shoes, "I'll be back before curfew. I have my phone."

Misty followed, "Elle…"

Elliott shook her head, "I just can't be here right now."

"I'll go with you." Misty offered, reaching for the girl but she stepped just out of reach.

Elliott shook her head, "I'm sorry. I just need to go alone."

Misty met her eyes and nodded slightly, and Elliott took off. The swamp witch watched her walk down the road for a moment behind the curtain. She debated whether or not she should call Cordelia, but quickly decided against it, knowing the girl probably just needed some space, and Cordelia was sure to go after her.

Still, it didn't take long for Misty's phone to light up, Cordelia's name on screen. "Hey darlin'." Misty answered hesitantly, still unsure if she would tell Cordelia the truth.

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked, Misty hesitating, "I know there's something wrong. Where's Elliott?"

"She went out." Misty answered.

"And?" Cordelia asked, Misty finally giving in, knowing better than to lie to the supreme.

"David came back." Misty said, "I'm not sure what happened, but there was alota yellin' and then she left." Cordelia sighed on the other end, so Misty finished, "I tried ta go with her."

"Did she say where she was going?" Cordelia asked.

"No, but she took her phone and said she'd be back by curfew." Misty answered, "Do ya want me ta go after her?"

"No, I've got it. I'm done here anyways." Cordelia sighed.

"Are ya sure?" Misty asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Cordelia said, "You didn't hear anything?"

"Nah," Misty answered, "I was in the greenhouse and only heard the yellin' when I came in, and then he left right after."

A half hour later, Cordelia was attempting to make her way through the trees and failing miserably, she was sure she had gone in a complete circle at least twice, it was hard to tell. She thought it would be a piece of cake, having visited the spot more than a few times, but in the dark it was hard to make sense of anything. She stopped for a moment, trying to pick up Elliott's energy, knowing divination was of no use. Eventually, she felt the subtle hum, following it as it got stronger until she knew she was close. When she broke through the clearing, Elliott immediately flipped around, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Elliott sighed, "Misty called you."

"Actually, she didn't." Cordelia said, walking towards her and sitting down, "I called her."

"Why?" Elliott asked.

Cordelia laughed, brushing a piece of hair out of Elliott's face, "Gut feeling."

Elliott glanced down, "You're supposed to be at the party."

Cordelia smiled, "You gave me an excuse to leave."

Elliott laughed, "That's a nice way of putting it."

"What happened?" Cordelia asked.

Elliott sighed, "He told Rachel about the kiss."

"Both of them?" Cordelia asked, Elliott shaking her head.

"No, when I kissed him." Elliott said knowingly, "And now she wants him to move out."

"Well, that's an easy fix," Cordelia said, "I'll tell him no."

Elliott shook her head, creasing her brows before staring down at her hands, "I told him to go."

Cordelia paused for a moment before shaking her head, "You didn't mean that."

Elliott nodded slowly, "Yea, I did."

Cordelia combed through her mind for a reason, knowing Elliott wouldn't ever voluntarily let him leave, "Was it because of what I said?"

Elliott shook her head, "No, it wasn't. I had already decided this morning, if he didn't tell me he was leaving I would have asked him to."

Cordelia still couldn't believe it, "What happened?"

Elliott bit her lip, "We had a fight."

"About him leaving?" Cordelia asked.

Elliott sighed, "About a lot of things."

Cordelia bit her lip, knowing Elliott wasn't giving information away freely, "Show me."

Elliott shook her head, "No."

"Why?" Cordelia asked, getting no response from her daughter, "Did you say something bad?"

Elliott shook her head once again, "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" Cordelia asked.

"I don't know what's the right thing to say." Elliott said honestly, fidgeting with her hands, not noticing the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Cordelia did though, reaching her hands up to wipe them away, "The truth."

Elliott nodded, "I did."

Cordelia ran her hand down Elliott's back, hating seeing her in such distress, "Then why won't you show me?"

Elliott's jaw clenched, "I don't want you to think badly of him."

Cordelia shook her head, "I won't."

"He was upset." Elliott said.

"I know." Cordelia said, "Show me. It's ok."

Elliott still hesitated, and Cordelia wondered what he could have possibly said that would make her this upset, her mind raking over the different scenarios. It was strange that Elliott was still trying to protect him, even after everything. "Elle, you don't have to manage me. I'm the parent."

Elliott nodded, "I know."

"Do you?" Cordelia asked, only for Elliott to finally let her in, showing her the fight in its entirety. When Elliott pulled back, the tears had returned, running down her face and dripping, "Elle…"

"I don't want to see him struggling because of me." Elliott said, "I love him, I do, but..."

"It isn't your responsibility, baby." Cordelia said softly, wiping the tears once again, "He's an adult."

"Isn't it?" Elliott asked, Cordelia's hands moving to run through her hair, "He took care of me."

"He chose to do that, sweetheart." Cordelia said, "No one asked him..."

"I did." Elliott said, "I thought…"

"You thought what?" Cordelia asked gently, Elliott shaking her head.

"I don't know." She responded, Cordelia shaking her head in return.

"You thought what?" She asked again, brushing Elliott's hair back.

Elliott's eyes moved back and forth for a moment, trying to piece together her thoughts. "I thought he had his shit together." She finally spit out, "Language, I know. I'm sorry, but he was the one I always looked up to. He was the put together one and I was the mess, always. I wanted to be like him, but now…"

"But now you know better." Cordelia finished for her, Elliott giving a sad laugh as her eyes got glassy, the pain written all over her face.

"I wish I didn't." She finally said, Cordelia placing a kiss on her head.

"But now…" She began, only for Elliott to cut her off.

"But now I know he's just as messed up as I am." She said harshly.

Cordelia grabbed her chin, "But now you're healing. He just needs to catch up."

Elliott gave another laugh, "That would require him to acknowledge that there is a problem."

Cordelia sighed, "Sometimes people need to hit rock bottom before they realize it."

Elliott shook her head, Cordelia being quick to cut in, knowing the thoughts that were swimming through the girl's mind, "You didn't do anything wrong."

Elliott let out a strained laugh, "Yes I did."

"No, you didn't. You handled it so well. I'm really proud of you." Cordelia said, Elliott still looking doubtful, "What did you do wrong?"

Elliott's face went hard, "I picked you over him."

Cordelia shook her head, "No you didn't."

"Yes, I did." Elliott said, clearing her throat, "To him I did."

"It was hypothetical." Cordelia said, "He didn't mean it literally."

"Yes he did. He asked me the same thing when I was working with Thomas." Elliott said, swallowing thickly before staring mindlessly over the cliff, "He meant it, and I said no."

Cordelia watched her for a moment, the way her jaw clenched and unclenched rhythmically, and her spine straightened. She didn't understand it, why Elliott always felt the need to be so solid when she was obviously in pain, even around the people she knew were safe.

After a moment, Cordelia reached for her hand. "I'm glad you did." She said softly. Elliott didn't look over at her as she nodded, but Cordelia could see her lip quiver ever so slightly, the reflection of the moon in her eyes becoming more and more apparent. "Do you regret it?" She asked, watching Elliott try to keep herself together, only for her face to shatter a moment later.

"No." She choked out between heaving breaths, and this time Cordelia didn't hesitate, quickly wrapping her arms around the girl and pulling her in.

"Shh, shh," Cordelia whispered, peppering kisses in Elliott's hair, "It's ok. You did the right thing."

"It doesn't feel like it." Elliott cried, the anguish in her tone making Cordelia's stomach tie into a knot, "It really doesn't."

"I know," Cordelia said gently, squeezing her tightly, "I know it doesn't."

Cordelia just held her, letting her cry it out for a few moments, before the history of where they were at dawned on her, rubbing Elliott's shoulders, "We should go home."

Elliott shook her head, "Not yet."

"Yes," Cordelia argued, "It's not good for you to be here right now." Elliott shook her head again, before Cordelia pulled her face out of her chest. "Do you trust me?" She asked, Elliott nodding in return, "Then let it go, baby. You can always come back."

Elliott bit her lip, whispering, "Five more minutes."

Cordelia nodded, "Ok, five more minutes."

Cordelia stuck to her word, and at five minutes on the dot she was herding a reluctant Elliott back towards the car. She watched her daughter carefully out of her peripheral as she drove home, watched the muscles in Elliott's face carefully tense and relax, morphing her face piece by piece until she looked completely composed, and the witch felt her heart stutter a bit. She knew why she was doing it, she had been the daughter of the supreme once, and she knew it came with a price. Elliott had never really meshed with the other girls, at least the ones her own age. Cordelia could never understand why, even when she was a girl, but something about her mother's title had always kept her separate, especially at the beginning.

"The girls are all already in bed." Cordelia offered, watching Elliott nod slightly as relief swept over her, her face relaxing ever so slightly. Cordelia hated to think that Elliott felt like she had to hide how she was feeling, but Cordelia understood it. She heard stories from the older girls, the way they all would whisper anytime something seemed even remotely off, gossiping about who got their heart broken or who had a fight with their parents. In a way, Elliott was lucky, she had all the older witches on her side, rooting for her, but the supreme still knew it was hard on her, even if she would never admit it.

Just as Cordelia had predicted, the house was dark when they arrived home. "We should go to bed." Elliott mumbled, "It's late."

Cordelia threw her a knowing look, "You aren't going to bed and we both know it. Sit down, sweetheart."

"Why?" Elliott asked.

"Because you need to talk it out." Cordelia responded, knowing Elliott wasn't exactly stellar at processing her emotions on her own.

Elliott sighed, "There's nothing to talk about."

"Sit. Please," Cordelia said, nudging the girl towards the couch, "For my sake."

Elliott sighed but complied, sitting next to Cordelia and looking at her expectantly, "Now what?"

Cordelia gave a chuckle at her attitude before her voice grew soft again, "You never told me he left you."

Elliott glanced down at her hands, her voice growing defensive, "I didn't think it mattered. We were kids."

"You still are a kid." Cordelia still teased, knowing the defensiveness was merely a reflex. She hoped it would at least make Elliott crack a small smile, but her reaction was minimal at best.

She nodded slightly, "But he isn't."

"What happened?" Cordelia asked gently, Elliott shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter." Elliott said, her posture growing tense, like she was still trying to protect him, like it mattered.

"Sweetheart," Cordelia began, reaching over and raking her fingertips through her daughter's hair, "It obviously still hurts you if you brought it up."

Elliott sighed before her shoulders dropped again, "You remember that home we were in?"

"The foster father with the knife?" Cordelia asked, trying to keep the bitterness out of her tone, still enraged at all that had happened. Elliott nodded, and the realization dawned on Cordelia slowly, "I thought he protected you?"

"Right," Elliott whispered, "That wasn't exactly the whole story."

Cordelia's jaw clenched, but she still nodded, "Ok, tell me."

Elliott took a deep breath before beginning, "He did protect me, for a little while anyways. But after a few months, he started escalating again, and David's tactics weren't enough anymore." She bit her lip, "One night it was pretty bad, and David flipped out, said he couldn't do it anymore, and he packed a bag."

Cordelia nodded, but Elliott didn't continue, so Cordelia pushed, just a bit, "Go on."

Elliott nodded hesitantly, "He was really the only person I ever felt safe around, so I told him I would go with him, but he didn't ask, so I begged." Elliott's eyes grew glassy, and Cordelia reached for her hand, squeezing softly in reassurance, that she was here, that she was safe, "I latched onto his leg, when he told me no, I thought that would stop him, but he pulled me off and said that he couldn't take care of me anymore."

Cordelia could feel the heat pumping through her veins, she knew it was unwarranted to hold it against him. He was what? Ten? Twelve at the time? Still, she could see how badly it hurt, the tears dripping down Elliott's face at a steady stream. "I thought he protected you." She stated, trying and failing to keep the last bits of venom from her voice.

"He did," Elliott said with a nod, "Until he left."

Cordelia swallowed thickly, trying her best to not make a bad situation even worse, "Did he come back?"

Elliott shook her head, "No, he got caught and sent to a group home. I thought if I got myself sent away that they would put me in the same place as him, but they didn't."

"So, this…" Cordelia said carefully, trying to make sense of all the pieces, "Feels like him leaving you all over again?"

Elliott shook her head, "No. I chose this."

Cordelia gave a sad smile, "Baby, you didn't choose anything. He didn't give you a choice."

Elliott shook her head again, "He did."

"Not a feasible one." Cordelia argued, relieved when Elliott nodded her head slightly. At least they were getting somewhere.

"He was scared." Elliott whispered, although Cordelia wasn't sure if she was talking about before or now.

Still, it didn't matter, "Being scared isn't an excuse."

"I'm not saying it is." Elliott said, "But it's an explanation."

"You want so badly to believe everyone is good." Cordelia sympathized, "But not everyone deserves your compassion, Elle."

"Why doesn't he get to have it?" Elliott asked, "Just because someone does something bad, doesn't make them a bad person. People make mistakes."

"He hurt you." Cordelia stated, "I'm not saying he isn't a good person, but you don't have to forgive him right now. You're allowed to be mad. You should be mad."

Elliott shook her head, "I'm not."

"Then how do you feel?" Cordelia asked, waiting patiently as Elliott sat with the question.

"Sad." Elliott said after a moment, "I'm sad, I guess."

Cordelia nodded and watched her for a moment, letting her sit with the feeling after she had given it a name. It wasn't easy, the second the word sad left Elliott's lips, she wanted to pull her into her arms and pepper her face with kisses until Elliott was laughing and begging her to stop, but she knew this was important. Still, she didn't let her sit with it for too long, leaning back on the armrest and beckoning Elliott towards her, the young girl crawling between her legs and settling her head on her mother's chest. Cordelia wrapped her arms around the girl, stroking her back and arms for a moment before one of her hands found purchase in Elliott's hair, knowing it usually would calm her daughter down. Elliott closed her eyes and focused on Cordelia's heartbeat, the two sitting in silence for a moment before Cordelia felt Elliott's muscles begin to relax, dropping a kiss on Elliott's head as she felt the witch's fingers begin to tap on her leg, the feeling weirdly familiar, although she couldn't place it. After focusing on it for a minute, she couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"What?" Elliott asked, lifting her head.

"Sorry, nothing." Cordelia said, feeling guilty for disturbing the girl and pulling her head back down, "It's just, when I was pregnant with you, you used to kick me in exactly that rhythm."

"Really?" Elliott asked, Cordelia chuckling as she nodded.

"You were a real kickboxer, I'll tell ya." Cordelia laughed, "It was always right in the ribs too."

"Of course it was." Elliott chuckled, before she whispered, "It's your heartbeat."