A/N: Lot of stuff happens in this chapter, so I won't say much here. Enjoy!
Luz finished her work, just before dawn, and managed to get a few restless hours of sleep before climbing out of her sleeping bag in the late morning. She smiled despite herself, her new Palisman was curled beside her and looking adorable.
Scooping her new friend up, she opened her door and was immediately assaulted by a wave of noise coming from downstairs. Remembering that they had things to do today, she raced down, and was taken aback by just how crowded the living room and kitchen were.
Lilith sat at the couch, bent over plans and maps, many of them painstakingly hand drawn from her own memories, and beside her was Raine, who was glancing over them and nodding their head as Lilith prattled on. At the edge of the coffee table listening intently was Amity, flanked by her siblings, Edric and Emira, who looked like they were moments away from wandering off to find something more entertaining to do.
Gus and King were in the corner, having a muffled discussion Luz couldn't make out. King was perched up on the boy's shoulder, leaning in and whispering something in his ears, while Gus, with a pen and pad, wrote stuff down, likely their own plans and strategies, if not their victory speeches when this was all over.
Eda was leaning in the doorway to the kitchen, overseeing both the planning and whoever was making a racket with the pots and pans in the kitchen. She gave Luz a nod and a tired smile in greeting, which the human returned. Peeking past Eda, Luz could see Willow in the kitchen, various potted plants in front of her as she urged them to grow fruits and vegetables that could then be harvested for their breakfast.
Then there was a trio of people Luz didn't really recognize, all dressed in a similar garb as Raine, though in much better condition, each wearing a mask with an overly realistic interpretation of a bat's face. They were the ones making the most noise, going through Eda's cabinets to pull out a variety of pots and pans, likely to cook with, since Luz couldn't see any other reason they would be doing so.
"I'm glad you could join us, Sleeping Beauty," Eda joked, ruffling Luz's hair, not commenting on the fact she was still wearing yesterday's now incredibly wrinkled clothes.
Luz did her best to smile back, "Sorry about that, Eda. I was up late last night."
"I can see that," Eda uncrossed her arms and gestured to Luz's Palisman, which was coiled around her shoulder. "You going to introduce us all to your new, little friend?"
"Luz!" Her friend's all gathered around her, and she wouldn't lie, it was making her feel more than a little emotional that they'd all come in her darkest hour. Amity brushed past everyone else, and wrapped her girlfriend in a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"Amity," Luz began, but broadened her view to the others, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my Palisman, Hecate."
The Palisman uncoiled from around Luz, looking at all of the new, unfamiliar people crowding around her. She was a snake, with big golden eyes and blue-green scales. But what separated her from the common serpent was the pair of very mammalian bat wings that were on her back, that she flapped in greeting.
Raine smiled, "I certainly approve of the wings. Shows she has style."
Amity nodded, "She's gorgeous, Luz. I'm sure she'll get along great with Ghost."
"Same with our Palismans," Gus grinned, summoning his Chameleon to say hello.
"You did a good job, Luz. I'm proud of you." Eda gave her a one armed hug, and it was all too much, so Luz had no other choice but to throw her arms around all of them, and squeeze them tightly.
"Can't… breath," Willow choked out.
"Too… strong," Gus gasped.
Amity just let it happen, nuzzling her beloved as best as she could despite the pain.
Owlbert flew down from the ceiling just in time to save Hecate from being crushed by all of Luz's love and affection, stealing the new Palisman away to guide her through the house, and all the best places to hide snacks.
The kitchen crew came to see what was up just as Luz had released her death grip on her friends, and Raine stepped in to introduce them. "Luz, these are my compatriots, the Bards against the Throne."
The three struck a pose, "The BATS!" Then they hissed, which had Luz clapping, if just for their enthusiasm and showmanship.
They took their masks off one by one, and gave their names, Derwin, Amber, and Katya, with the last one gasping, "Wait a second, I know you!"
Luz looked ecstatic as well, "I know you too, you're the weird girl who likes to ship food together!"
Katya pumped her fist, "Heck yeah! I was just about to write another story about the vegetables your friend was growing for us, but Amber made me stop, 'cause we're supposed to cook them."
Amber rolled her eyes, "That's because you'll end up crying if you have to eat anything you get attached to!"
"It's just so tragic a fate for these delicious, star crossed lovers!" Katya wailed, and Derwin had to steer her away before she could cause any more of a scene.
"It was good to see you again!" Luz called out to her, then turned her attention back to her friends. "I can't believe you're all here."
"Of course we're here!" Willow beamed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"If you think a boring old Emperor is gonna scare us away… well, normally you'd be right, but we're still gonna fight by your side," Gus insisted, holding out his fist for a bump, which Luz happily gave.
Amity laid a gentle hand on Luz's shoulder. "Eda caught us up on everything last night. If Belos thinks for even a second about hurting you, or your world, well then I'm obligated to kick his ass."
"Wow, look at the mouth on you, sis," Ed grinned, stepping in and behind Amity, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, much to her distaste.
He was joined by Em, which only made Amity's grimace turn even more sour, "Don't forget that we're here too, Cutie." She finger gunned at Luz with her free hand.
Luz nodded, "of course I can't forget you guys! Honestly, I'm surprised you two would stick your neck out for me like this. I'm just your little sister's dumb girlfriend, after all."
Em flashed a winning smile, "Exactly, and that's exactly why we're doing it. Little sister's dumb girlfriend is really only one big step away from little sister's dumb future wife, and really, you're the only family we think we could stand being related to, even if it's just someday."
"So we're in it for the long haul!" Ed finished, and the two cackled as the two lovebird's faces turned equal shades of beet red.
"Can you guys not be embarrassing for like, two minutes?" Amity groaned, shoving them off of her. Luz, however, was reminded of something upon hearing the joke, and seeing an opportunity sprang forward and grabbed Amity by the hand, tugging on her arm and pulling her towards the front door.
"I need to talk with Amity real quick, sorry to ditch you guys, be back soon!" She rambled out quickly, sending a wave to Gus and Willow, who were rolling their eyes, knowing what this likely was all about.
As soon as they were out of the door, Luz stopped pulling on Amity, and instead offered her her hand properly for her girlfriend to hold as they walked. Amity looked at Luz curiously, but held on anyway as they went around the house, towards the trees that overlooked the boiling ocean.
Luz stared out towards the sea for a moment, basking in the glow of the sun and the warmth of Amity's hand in hers. "You know, it's my birthday today."
Amity blinked, "oh, yes! It is, I'm sorry, I completely forgot!"
She began to panic, patting at her clothes pockets, "I didn't bring your gift! It slipped my mind after Eda called last night, and I-"
She was silenced by Luz's lips on hers, and she melted into it, her hands falling to the human's hips. When Luz pulled away, the pink haired girl was left a giggling mess, "That was so unfair, Luz."
"I don't care about any gifts, Amity." Luz chuckled, cupping Amity's face. "I don't even really like to celebrate my birthday on the day it happens, anyway."
"Why's that?"
"Well, it falls on the same day as my favorite holiday, Halloween. It's a day where everyone dresses up in silly or scary costumes, and we go door to door demanding candy." Luz explained, knowing this probably sounded ridiculous to someone from the Boiling Isles. "We dress up as heroes, villains, monsters…"
She winked at Amity, "witches. Anything you can think of."
She hummed, "I was really hoping I'd have been able to celebrate it with you this year, but not only did I not get the portal finished in time, but the bad guys decided to plan their attack on today of all days. So, I guess we'll just have to wait until next year."
"It does sound like a very Luz type of holiday," Amity mused, delighted by the prospect of another full year of being with her girlfriend. "I really want to celebrate it with you too, next year."
Luz brought Amity's hand up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "And the year after that?"
Amity nodded, "Then too."
"And the year after that?"
Amity giggled, and Luz broke into the widest grin she'd ever had. "What's with you today, Luz?"
Luz sighed, and as quickly as it had come, her smile ran away from her face, "We might not get to spend the next year together. Or any of them. And if we don't make it out of there today, I don't want to have any regrets."
"Then we'll make sure that we do get out of there. I'll keep you safe, and make sure we get the chance to celebrate your 'Halloween,' and then your birthday. I'll even bake you a cake. I promise, no fairies will be in it, too." She pressed a kiss to Luz's cheek, "Te quiero."
Luz took a step closer, giving a subtle shake of her head, "Te Amo, Amity."
Amity's jaw dropped, a cute little 'o' forming. Luz spoke gently, just barely above a whisper, "That means-"
"I know what it means," Amity interrupted, then cleared her throat. "I- I mean, I can… I understand."
Luz flushed, "You don't have to say it back, I just wanted you to know and-"
Amity gripped both of Luz's hands tightly, cutting her off, leaning in so their noses brushing together, "I love you too, Luz Noceda."
She gripped both of Luz's hands tightly, their noses brushing together, "I love you too, Luz Noceda."
"And I love you more, Amity Blight." Luz murmured against her girlfriend's lips, and brought her into the single most passionate kiss she was capable of.
The two embraced, entranced in one another's presence, on what could be their last day together. They pressed quick, chaste kisses to every inch of their faces, warmed by the morning sun and the blushes on their faces, completely unaware they had spectators.
"They know we can still see them, right?" Raine asked from the view they were getting through the kitchen window, a cord of amusement in their voice.
"I'm sure they're aware in some corner of their minds. Let them have their moment." Eda chortled, then tried to usher literally every other occupant of the house away from the window to give her kid some privacy.
"The-they're just so beautiful together," Gus ugly cried, reaching out blindly to find someone to hold him, and settled on Edric, who was just as much, if not more of a mess.
"Why can't I find someone who loves me like that?" The Green haired boy sobbed, much to his sister's irritation.
"Men, am I right, Willow?"
Willow shook her head in disappointment, "So overly emotional…"
As the group continued to stumble away from the window, Raine was stopped by a hand on their arm. Turning, they found a lute being thrusted into their hands, and Eda's grinning face swimming in their vision.
"A Bard needs an instrument, and you seem a little short, Rainstorm."
Raine grasped the lute carefully in their hands, giving the strings an experimental strum and feeling a tinge of nostalgia at the sound that reached their ears. "I know how important this is to you, Eda-"
"Which is why I'm giving it to you." Eda shut them up, not willing to take no for an answer.
Raine smiled, feeling the other Witch's resolve. "I'll play a lovely tune for you then. Pluck the strings of destiny, if I have to."
Eda rolled her eyes at the corny line and punched their shoulder, "Just make sure you don't freeze up out there. You'll have the Emperor for an audience, after all, and I know you get stagefright."
Willow and Emira had to physically drag Gus and Edric away before they could start howling and sobbing again.
Celebrating someone else's birthday was always awkward the first time around, and this time was no exception for Vee.
Her mother had made a big fuss, that they'd be having a Quinceañera to celebrate in a few days time, since she was fifteen now. It all seemed like such a big deal, and while she didn't ever want to leave, a bit of her hoped that Luz would be back before she was put in the spotlight for such a big party in front of a bunch of her new extended family that she hadn't yet met.
Lucia seemed to gather that she was feeling a bit smothered, and did the bare minimum she needed to celebrate the big day. She slipped Vee her present at the breakfast table, which after unwrapping ended up being the next book in the Azura series, released only a few weeks prior. She hid her grimace as best she could, until Lucia gestured for her to open it when their mother wasn't looking.
Inside the cover was a pair of twenty dollar bills, with a little note telling her to buy whatever she wanted with the cash. While initially this would have made Vee uncomfortable, to be treated as her own person, the action now got Vee out of her seat and hugging her big sister properly. She got to show her appreciation while also really selling to Camila that she was happy over her new book.
The rest of the day was surprisingly normal, to Vee's relief. She set aside the Azura novel on her shelf for Luz to find whenever she got back, and together the family watched a few Halloween specials on TV.
As the day went on, and the sun made it's trek along the sky, Vee decided it was time to get in her costume. She slid into a black robe and a pointed hat, with a large, bulbous nose covered in a wart glued in place with costume glue. With a broom in her hand, she inspected herself in the mirror, the very image of a cheeky rendition of a witch.
Lucia had opted for a flannel, plastic machete, and a hockey mask, a very lazy imitation of a popular slasher villain, but at least it had been cheap.
The two waited impatiently for the sun to start to set, eager to collect candy. While Vee personally preferred the winter holidays, having celebrated Haunukah plenty of times in her past life as Victor, and looking forward to trying out Christmas if they got the chance this year. Halloween was still definitely in her top human holidays, though. As an eternal child, candy always pleased her.
A knock on the door was their signal, as Amelia had arrived. Opening the door, Vee and Lucia's jaws dropped, eyeing the costume the witch had chosen.
"What are you wearing?" Lucia blurted out, not sure how to feel about this.
"It's… simple." Vee supplied.
"Look, it's all I had at the last minute. I didn't exactly fit into last year's costume anymore, and there wasn't anything I wanted at the costume shop, so it was this or nothing." Amelia said heatedly, crossing her arms.
Or, at least the two Noceda girls thought she had. It was hard to tell under the plain white sheet that Amelia had clearly thrown over herself after cutting out two little eye holes. It was the most pathetic, stereotypical, 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' ghost costume someone could make, and it was hard to hold back laughing at it.
Lucia pursed her lips, trying to contain her chuckles, "Since these are clearly bedsheets, I guess this does technically qualify as a slutty Halloween costume, right?"
Vee elbowed her, "Don't tease Amelia too much, sis. Look at her, she's as pale as a ghost as it is!"
Amelia stomped her foot, "look, let's just get this over. It's not like I'm going door to door, I'm just here to chaperone the birthday girl."
As silly as it sounded, Luz still loved to dress up and go out for Halloween, looking short and cute enough no one could deny her the candy. Vee was taking advantage of that, and dragging the two others along to keep her company, despite them insisting they were too old for trick or treating.
"You're never too old for candy!" Vee insisted, and if anyone would know, it was her. She was older than everyone on their block put together, after all.
The three wandered from door to door for a few hours, laughing and pointing out the interesting costumes. Amelia eventually ditched her sheet, wearing it less like a ghost and more like a cape, tied around her neck. Lucia frightened a few children in good fun, hopping out from behind bushes with her mask down and fake machete raised, crying "Ooga booga!"
One particular house stuck out to Vee, in that as she rang the bell, a boy in a pink monkey costume and a large shell on his back stood beside her with his own bag at the ready, the two giving a cry of "trick or treat!" As the door opened.
They were each given a small helping of candy to fill their sacks, and a compliment on their outfits, with the pink monkey getting heaps for his creativity and the execution of his outfit, to which he seemed incredibly bashful.
The thing that really stuck out was Lucia's laughing fit the entire time they were at the door, and something about a Snaggleback, which was just ridiculous. Everyone on the Isles knew Snaggleback's were among the largest, most deadly and frightening creatures around.
After hitting every house in a five block radius, it was dark enough that Camila would want her youngest home. Together they all walked back, Vee with a large haul of candy that filled an entire pillow case turned makeshift candy bag.
Overall, far from the worst birthday Vee had ever stood in for. She didn't know where she'd be a year from now, but she hoped she'd be able to find a way to visit during the holidays, and drag her old family out to trick or treat with her again.
Lucia and Amelia dropped Vee off at the Noceda household, using the excuse of stopping by a schoolmate's Halloween party for an hour or two as a guise for another patrol. Despite All Hallow's Eve basically being bupkis for the Supernatural as far as Vee was concerned, her two partners in crime hadn't wanted to take the chance, and wanted to be at the ready, and with how often creatures were popping up, Vee didn't blame them.
So, there Vee was with her Mom in the living room, sorting through candies while an old Disney Halloween movie played on the TV that had been on every year since Camila was Luz's age. Vee split some of her candy with her mother, out of love and obligation, as per the universal Candy Tax all parents had. Vee was more than happy to share, though, popping a few into her mouth and laughing alongside her Mom at the corny acting in the movie.
Then it happened. A sudden shock to Vee's system, that signaled a portal had opened. She could sense Luz, just as she always could when this happened, but the difference this time was the feeling didn't immediately fade. Whatever portal had opened, it was stable.
Whatever portal had just opened, it was at the shack in the woods.
The sound of Camila's phone loudly going off brought Vee back to her senses, and reminded her that she needed to act quickly, to alert Lucia and Amelia so they could go bring Luz back before the portal closed. She sprang out of her seat, reminded that her own cheap flip phone was sitting on the desk in her room, as her witch costume lacked pockets.
"I'll be right back, Mom!" She cried, almost tripping over the hem of her robe as she ran.
"Take your time, mija, there's a commercial break coming up in just a moment." Camila called back, reaching for her phone on the coffee table, wondering who could be messaging her at this time of night.
Vee burst into her room, and snatched the clamshell phone off her desk and opened it, quickly hitting speed dial to get Lucia on the phone. As it rang, she tapped her foot impatiently, "Come on, pick up, pick up…"
The line went live, "Vee, what's up?"
"Get to the shack, now." Vee hissed, "a portals open. Big one. And it hasn't faded yet, so we need to haul ass and get over there now."
"Shit," Lucia cursed, "We're a good twenty minutes out. Head over there, we'll meet you there. If it looks like it's closing… I'll let you make the judgement call on if to go through or not."
Vee shook her head, before realizing she couldn't be seen, "I'm not going anywhere without you, sis."
The other end was silent, Lucia not knowing what to say, before it just went dead completely. The older girl had hung up, likely not wanting to waste anymore time and running over to the shack as fast as she could.
Vee tore out of her costume and back into her day clothes, shoving the phone back in her pocket. She practiced a few lines in her head to give to Camila, about just stepping outside to give Lucia something she forgot, hoping that her mother wouldn't panic when she likely didn't come back for a few hours, if not longer.
Only for that plan to fall apart as she re-entered the living room, to see Camila looking at her phone with her brow scrunched up in bafflement. "Luz? What am I looking at here?"
Vee approached, not having any more context than Camila had for what she could be seeing. Camila flipped her phone around, and Vee was greeted to a familiar face. The same one she saw in the mirror every day for the past few months. It was video of Luz, clearly talking about her adventures on the Boiling Isles.
It was surreal for Vee, to see footage of someone who's identity she'd assumed. She was so used to them already being dead and gone, that seeing Luz on screen felt weird. Looking at it, she could see, truly see, how much she had got wrong about the girl while pretending to be her. Her accent when she spoke Spanish, the way she moved, the way she styled her hair. Small, but subtle difference that made Luz feel so much more alive than any picture around the Noceda house ever could capture.
It almost brought a tear to her eye, seeing this girl like this for the first time.
There were more videos and pictures. Updates, meetups with people Luz had met. At some point Vee had transitioned from standing there, gawk-eyed to sitting beside Camila on the couch, watching Luz's every move. Camila shook her head as the footage played, finally stopping it, tapping the pause button on the screen with her thumb, "I- I don't understand, Luz. Did you make these at camp? Who are these people?"
Vee opened her mouth, but was unsure what to say. "No, mom. That's not me on the screen."
That only made Camila more confused, "What do you mean, mija? That's clearly you. When did you have time to make these? You couldn't have done all of this today. Despite the costumes, there wasn't enough time for you to sneak off and make these with your new friends."
Vee shook her head, sliding a few inches away, "Mom… That came from the old phone."
Double checking, Camila found it to be true. The number was Luz's old one, not the new one that had replaced it.
"And the dates, check the dates." Vee insisted, and so Camila did, her understanding of what was going on loosening with every passing moment.
"Luz… I-"
"I'm not Luz, Mom." Vee admitted, snapping a little harsher than she intended. "I'm just the thing that took her place…"
Vee met Camila's eyes, and willed what little magic she had inside her to shift her features around, messing with her bone structure, changing her nose and her brow, then shifting back into Luz once more. "Your daughter… your real daughter, got stuck in my world, Camila."
Camila gasped, sliding away from Vee, making a cross with her hands. It almost made Vee laugh, if it hadn't hurt so much, "I'm something called a Changeling. I fell into your world. It's my job to take the place of kids who have di- been lost."
Vee reached out slowly, placing her hand over Camila's who shook from fear, "Lucia figured it out a while ago. We've been looking for a way back together, and a way to rescue the real Luz."
Camila seemed unsure of what to make of that statement, not sure if she could trust the word of this strange demon that had invaded her home. "Wh-what is it that you want?"
Vee chuckled sadly, "I don't even know, really. My whole life, I've always been someone else. What do I want?"
She gazed off in the distance, pondering the question, despite knowing the meaning behind it was different than what Camila had meant when she asked. Then she found her resolve. Standing to her feet, she forced herself to meet Camila's eyes, then threw herself at the older woman, holding her tightly. "I want you to be happy, Mom. I'm going to go find your daughter. No Changeling has ever had the chance to save the person who's place they took. I can't replace Luz in your heart, not while she's out there, not ever. So I'm going to bring her back. Because that would make you happy."
She squeezed the woman tighter, painfully aware that Camila wasn't returning the embrace, and was tense under her touch. Choking, she managed to utter out, "I probably won't ever get the chance to say it again, but you were a really good Mom to me. I love you."
Camila gasped, but Vee didn't stick around to talk any longer, releasing her hold on the woman and bolting out the front door. Camila, breathless after the encounter, stood up on shaking legs, calling for her to come back. If Vee heard, she ignored her, Camila barely catching a glance of the changeling as she entered the woods across the street, and vanished into the night.
Camila leaned against the doorframe, pressing her forehead against the wood, unable to call out to the Changeling, or fully grasp just what had happened outside that her daughter was gone.
Luz readied herself, her Palisman at the end of her staff as she stood in front of the gates to the Emperor's castle. The plan was simple. Tear through the fortresses defenses, make their way to where the portal was, and destroy it once again.
There was the issue, of course, of all the guards, who at this moment were making their way to Luz's position. Luz smirked at the challenge, and looked to her Palisman, "What do you think, Hecate? Should we show them what we're made of?"
The winged snake hissed an affirmative, coiled around the end of the staff and poised to strike on command.
Of course, Luz was just the bait, something to get the guards out of their usual positions and moving towards her. With a crash and a boom, all the guards in the vicinity dropped at once, Luz only having to strike one of the group herself, and in an instant the empty gate entrance was filled with her allies, decloaked from their invisibility spell that Gus had cast on them all.
"Good job guys!" Luz cheered, "Now let's go save the day!"
A/N: And thus, the start of the climax begins. This one was a hard chapter to write, with the rising action and all that. Vee is now officially out of the closet about not being Luz, Luz and Amity have confessed their deepest feelings for each other, we have yet another member to the ever expanding cast, and you better believe I'm going to regret that in the next chapter. Mostly because I've already written it, duh.
Seriously, the next chapter has so many characters that it's hard to remember them all. I know I didn't, I forgot to add an entire scene featuring three of the characters because there were so many it slipped my mind! So that's what I'll be doing next in the editing phase.
I chose a winged serpent for Luz's Palisman for a few reasons. It's a combination of two things, like Luz, a human who is a witch, who lives in two worlds. It looks like the Gildersnake, who was a winged serpent, which is what kickstarted this whole adventure with Luz's book report. And it combines Snakes and Bats, which are the two likeliest candidates for Luz's Palisman, as of this writing. My money is her having a bat Palisman in canon, but I also half expect all the bat imagery to be a red herring…
Hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you'll leave a comment below. Thanks!