Author's Note: This was a short little blurb I couldn't get out of my head as soon as I saw this prompt. A sort of 'what if Michael took Cordelia's hand' sort of deal.
Miss Robichaux's Academy had never seen such destruction.
The all-white atrium was streaked with crimson to and fro, splattered across the ceiling and all across the floor. Dried blood frozen in time striped the walls of the ancestral room. The portrait of Mimi DeLongpre was nearly unrecognizable beneath the splattered remains. Even the furniture couldn't escape the aftermath, the once-pristine white fabric of the sofa permanently dyed maroon as oxidation took its toll.
Mallory was breathless as she assessed the trail of destruction, eyes flitting around her adoptive home with nothing but pure disbelief. She and Michael had, blessedly, been far from home when the Devil sent his newest minion after his son gone astray. The young knockoff Antichrist had flown into a rage at the discovery that Michael was nowhere to be found and would have murdered Coco in cold blood had it not been for Zoe's quick thinking.
"It looks worse than it is." Coco murmured as she approached her best friend, looking pale and shaken yet strangely serene as she gazed upon the result of her near-miss. "Be grateful you weren't here for when they had to scrape him off the walls."
"I can't imagine it looking worse." She murmured though, based on Coco's description of the immediate aftermath, this was a lie. The younger witch sighed and turned her attention fully to her friend, stricken. "I am so happy to see you."
"I can honestly say I've never felt more thrilled to see you." She cracked a small smile before it smoothed into a frown. "How's Michael holding up?"
"Broke about every traffic law to get back here." Coco nodded, this answer explanation enough. "He's in with Cordelia now."
"He is?" Coco quirked a brow, puzzled. "I just came from there and I didn't see him."
Mallory felt a faint flicker of fear in her gut, all of the what-if's that had been running through her mind since Zoe called them screaming through her mind now. She marched down the hall to Cordelia's open office door, dismayed to find the Supreme alone and looking deep in thought. At the sight of the younger witch, she perked up though her relief soon gave way to concern at the look on her face.
"Mallory? What is it?"
"Have you seen Michael?" She looked frantic and the Supreme's concern quickly grew.
"No, not since you got back earlier." She pushed back her chair to stand up, trailing behind Mallory as she turned towards the kitchen.
There she found Queenie and Zoe working on lesson plans, no Michael in sight. She ignored their questions as she raced into the backyard towards the greenhouse, unusually frustrated when Misty cheerfully turned to greet her. Mallory spun around without a word and headed back for the house, nearly colliding with Cordelia in the doorway.
"Michael!" Mallory shouted as Cordelia trailed after her, the younger witch racing up the steps like the house was on fire. "Michael!"
"He's in his room, flower child." Madison grumbled as she poked her head out of her own, bleary-eyed despite the fact that it was nearly afternoon. "Enough banshee noises until sundown, ok?"
Mallory ignored her and burst through the door of Michael's room, relief seeping through every pore as she spotted the familiar head of blonde hair. Relief quickly gave way to confusion and then panic as she spotted the half-packed suitcase spread across his bed. He jumped at the sound of the door slamming open, expression a cross between startled and guilty as he identified the intruder.
"What are you doing?" She asked him, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. "Are you going somewhere?"
"I just..." He trailed off, casting his eyes towards the unblemished white ceiling as he fumbled through an explanation. "This was my fault."
"No."
"Mallory, yes—"
"No!" Mallory insisted, rushing forward to force him to look her in the eyes. He stubbornly avoid her gaze, determined to drown in the guilt as some sort of makeshift penance. "This was not your fault."
"He came here looking for me." Michael reminded her, nearly choking on the words. "He could have killed Coco! He nearly did! He could have killed all of them!"
"But he didn't." Mallory attempted to soothe but he shook his head, looking away as tears jumped unbidden into his eyes.
"That's not a risk I can live with. Next time, it could be Zoe or Cordelia or..." he paused, so traumatized by the mere thought he could barely speak the words aloud, "or you. Why should I stay and put you all in danger? What reason could there possibly be to continue dragging all of you into his spotlight with me?"
"Here are five good reasons you should stay." She told him, silently locking the door as she spoke. She didn't want to be interrupted, and she also didn't want Michael to be able to make a break for it. "One: Cordelia knew the risks when she offered you a place among us. Did you think she thought it would be all sunshine and roses, that the Devil wouldn't possibly want revenge once he found out you betrayed him? Of course not. But she did it anyway, because she knew you, the real you and your potential to do some good.
"Two: you keep us all safe." He opened his mouth to object, point out the evidence splashed across the downstairs to the contrary, but she barrels on before he can get a word in. "How many times have you stopped some nutjob who saw Cordelia on the news from breaking into this house? Who traced the witch hunter back to his nest? Who stopped the first replacement Antichrist from blowing up the house? Who stopped that mugger when you went with Zoe downtown just last week? Michael, you've saved our skins more times than I can event count.
"Three: You are the best asset we have in fighting your father. You know all about the demons, the hell mouths, and the copycat Antichrists. You know all his dirty tricks and you know how to fight back. You know that trick Zoe did with the explosion in his heart? You taught her that. Without all of the knowledge you've given us, we would already be dead.
"Four: Cordelia would be devastated if you left. I don't know if you realize how much she's grown to care for you, but I can guarantee that if you left that she'd fall to pieces and never be able to put herself back together again. She has hundreds of daughters, but only one son."
"Mal, I appreciate everything you're saying, but—"
"You didn't let me finish." She murmured, leaning in close to his face to ostensibly look him in the eye but she hovered her lips dangerously close to his own on purpose. "I have a fifth reason."
"Oh yeah?" He couldn't help himself, relaxing at the proximity of her skin to his own. "And what's that?"
"If you left, you would be breaking your promise to me." He furrowed his brow, confused by her logic.
"I made a promise to never hurt you, and if my staying is what would cause you hurt—"
"There is nothing in Heaven, Hell, or on Earth that could hurt me more than being separated from you." She spoke with complete sincerity and he felt his resolve waver at the strength of her declaration. "Michael, you're it for me. I love you and if you left me out of some misguided attempt at chivalry, you would destroy me. Please...don't go."
Michael doesn't say anything as he soaks in her words, certainty in every syllable. When they got the frantic call from Zoe urging them home this morning, he felt as if the very ground had been pulled from beneath his feet. When he took Cordelia's hand all those years ago, he never could have anticipated the incredible bond he would form with each of the women in his life and the thought of anything, let alone his own father, jeopardizing that left him breathless. He silently weighed his options, sighing deeply at the realization that there was no way he could protect this coven without hurting each of its members.
"I won't rest until he's dead." Michael snarled. "No one hurts my girls and gets away with it." At his response, Mallory's face relaxed into a radiant smile.
"Where do we start?"