A/N: Pretty sure this is the longest chapter so far. *sigh* this is gonna be a pain to edit, isn't it? I'll let the story stand for itself, more commentary at the bottom, as usual.

"Grom?" Amity asked, looking at one of the fliers a schoolmate was passing out that had been handed to her, "What in the world is Grom?"

Beside her, Willow glanced at Luz, who's expression at the word 'Grom' could only be described as 'idiotically constipated.' Seeing as her friend was too preoccupied with her own thoughts surrounding the occasion, Willow took the time to fill Amity in. "Well, it's a celebratory event that happens once a year. It's a time for coming together, for romance, for fear-"

Something clicked in Amity's brain, "Oh, it's a school dance, got it."

Willow hummed, a smile gracing her lips, "More or less. The event celebrates the reimprisonment of, or our imminent destruction at the hands of, Grometheus the Fearbringer."

The human bit her lip, nodding her head slowly, knowing there had to be a catch. "Alright, I think I need a little more context. Human world school dances are a little more… mundane."

Willow elbowed Luz, trying to bring the girl out of her thoughts and into the present conversation. Luz frowned, but Willow just shot her a look, "Oh! Uh, well, Grom escapes from his imprisonment under the school about once a year. He always gets sent back, but if he ever escapes, it's basically doom for the rest of the Isles."

"Why don't you just destroy him, then?" Amity asked, feeling she already knew the answer.

Willow shrugged, "Well, at this point it's imprisonment is practically tradition, so…"

"Of course…" Amity sighed, exasperated with how casually the inhabitants of the Demon Realm seemed to like gambling with death on the daily.

Glancing around the school, the group could see a few couples all shacking together, some handing out notes, others asking with handmade signs, while even more had complicated, eccentric Gromposals to ask their dates out. One even faked a medical emergency to ask Skara to be his date. Willow hadn't been kidding about the romance. "This seems like a pretty big deal."

"Well, if Grom doesn't get sealed away, would you want to die with regrets about not asking your crush out?" Willow explained easily, while giving Luz a pointed look.

"I guess that makes sense…" Amity conceded after thinking about it for a moment, "So, does that mean any of you have someone you'd like to ask out, or-"

Before Amity could finish, the school's intercom sounded, and Principal Bump's voice sounded through the hallways. "Yes, yes, get me a Dragon club sandwich from the deli, and remember to hold the mayo! Wait, is this thing on already? I hope no one on the lunch staff heard that…"

Some of the students laughed, while others just stood around awkwardly, waiting for the announcement to pass. Clearing his throat, Bump tried again, "I am honored to announce today that this year's Grom Queen is to be Willow Park! Congratulations, Miss Park, we're sure you'll make the whole school proud. Check in at my office before you leave school today so we can make sure the info for your next of kin is up to date, thank you."

The hallways were full of murmurs, most people looking sorry for Willow, others sending her words of encouragement. One upperclassman was even cheering for her, though he always seemed to do that. Luz just placed a supporting hand on one of Willow's shoulders.

"I'm sure we can talk Princy B out of this decision if you want us to," Luz whispered supportively.

Amity looked confused, and Willow quickly explained in a quiet voice, "Being Grom Queen means I'm the one who got selected to fight against Grom."

Amity quickly nodded in agreement with Luz, "Maybe we can see if we can find a replacement? I'll take the spot if I have to, or maybe more than one of us can fight it at the same time with you so you don't have to go alone?"

Willow surprised them both however by brushing Luz's hand off her shoulders. She held her head up high, "No. I- I know I'm not the most confident witch out there, but I was chosen for a reason. Principal Bump has to believe in my abilities, so I will too. The only thing I want you to focus on is having a good time, you two."

Amity and Luz glanced at each other, then back at Willow, "Are you sure? Maybe you should come over to the Owl House, I'm sure Eda can help teach you a new spell or two?" The Human asked.

Willow smiled, "I'm absolutely sure. I've got it. But thanks for the offer, it's just that Eda isn't exactly known for being a great teacher. No offense, Luz."

The brown haired witch snorted, having experienced her mother's attempts at lessons firsthand through Amity, "None taken."

"Besides," Willow continued, "I already made plans before this to help Luz out at Ms. Noceda's place. She's gonna ask out her crush."

Amity's gaze turned to Luz so fast she almost sprained her neck, the witch's cheeks burning red. Luz shot Willow a look, then took a step back, before all out sprinting away, "I'll see you guys later, I, uh, think Gus is calling for me!"

No sooner had Luz rounded the corner did the very boy she mentioned step beside them, "Hi guys! Uh, what was up with Luz?"

"Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about," Willow soothed, patting the smaller boy on said head.

Gus just grinned, then noticing the flyer in Amity's hands, snatched it away, "Oh! Grom! I came over to tell you guys, I'll be helping host it as a commentator! And since you're not panicking over the news, I guess I should congratulate you too, Willow, you must have done something to impress Bump!"

The girls were quick to congratulate Gus as well over him getting his own spotlight, but the boy realized one of them was a bit half hearted, "You okay, Amity? You look a little… What's the human phrase? Like someone kicked your puppy?"

Amity straightened herself out, and forced a smile to her face, "No, no, I'm good! Great! Just gonna… get ready for my next class. Busy, with all the-track and everything, heh."

Without another word, the human stiffly walked off, Willow rolling her eyes at how oblivious her friends could be, while Gus just took her words at face value, "Well, I hope she feels better before Grom!"

Amity pursed her lips, the familiar cold chill of disappointment still clinging to her bones over Willow's words about Luz already having a crush to ask out. Not that Amity had any plans on asking Luz out herself, but that didn't mean she was entirely over the warm feelings that accompanied her anytime the Noceda-Clawthorne girl was in her presence.

As much as she tried to push past these dumb feelings, it was hard. She lived with Luz half the time, which meant a lot of close proximity. She just didn't want to feel this way, and thankfully for the most part she had it under control. Every time she thought about dating the kind witch, it made her feel like an awful friend for wanting so much when Luz was perfectly happy with what they already had.

"Stop pouting, and turn around, let me get a look at you."

Amity sighed, holding out her arms and doing a little twirl. From their seats on the floor her siblings watched, judging her outfit. Emira, who had been the one who had spoken, let out a sigh, "This one just isn't doing you any favors either."

"Oh come on, Em, cut our baby sister some slack," Ed elbowed his twin, "She just needs to relax and smile more. All the dresses will look miserable on her if she looks stiff and miserable wearing them."

Emira swatted him in retaliation with her hand, "She's not miserable because of the dresses, she's miserable because she doesn't have a date. It's our job to make sure she looks so drop dead gorgeous that everyone dumps whoever they brought for the chance to ask her out."

"I don't want to be asked out," Amity groaned, dropping her arms. "I'm not even sure if I want to go to this… stupid monster dance thing."

"You're only saying that because the person you like has probably asked someone else out already," Ed pointed out, earning himself his own elbow to the ribs from Emira and a glare from Amity.

"No teasing, Ed," Emira reminded him.

"I'm not interested in Luz, so drop it!" Amity seethed, folding her arms.

"He didn't mention anything about Luz," Emira pointed out, making Amity's eye twitch in annoyance.

"What was that about not teasing Amity, dear sister?" Edric smirked, laying back onto the floor with his hands under his head and his feet kicked out.

"It's not teasing," Emira stated plainly, giving Amity a reassuring look, "I'm just saying, if you have something you want to talk about, since you're clearly upset about something, we're willing to listen. Judgement free."

Amity shifted, a handful of the dress clenched tightly in her hands, her fingers wringing the material. Emira gave her a gentle smile, so different from the ones Amity had grown up seeing. It was one that promised to make her feel better, rather than make her feel like the butt of the joke. With a deep sigh, Amity sank to her knees, joining her siblings on the bedroom floor. "Okay, fine. I… might have a bit of a crush on Luz."

"Finally," Edric laughed, sitting back up so he could be a proper part of the conversation.

"Sh-shut up, Ed, you haven't even met her yet," Amity reminded.

"And yet it's still been so obvious," the boy smirked, then had to duck as a pillow was thrown at his head.

"That's enough, you two." Emira said sternly, then turned her full attention to her little sister, "So, Amity, what's the problem? Why can't you just ask her out yourself?"

Amity glowered, "Other than that she's already got someone in mind?"

"So? Maybe she does like someone else. That doesn't mean you can't be their competition. You've had your nose in romance books for half your life, you should know there is always a rival for the love interest." Edric advised.

"Or, for all you know, it could be you! Did she say anything about it?" Emira asked.

Amity pondered for a moment, "Well, technically, she didn't say anything about it. Willow did. Then Luz ran off. I guess she didn't want to talk about it."

Emira gestured to Amity with an open hand, "There you go, she didn't want to talk about it in front of you. So, that means you're not out of the running."

"Or maybe I've just been too obvious about my crush, like Ed said, and she didn't want to hurt my feelings." Amity frowned, thinking that was the far more likely answer.

"Don't be such a downer, sis. Why wouldn't she want to date you?" Edric

Emira butted in, "Or more specifically, if you like her, why haven't you already asked her out before learning she had someone she wanted to take to Prom?"

"Grom," Amity corrected automatically, then took a minute to think about her answer. When she found it, she spoke slowly, "She already shares so much with me. I take up half her room. Half her home. I steal half of one of her mother's time away from her. She even shares her friends with me. I already take so much from her life, it just feels… unfair for me to ask for more."

Emira reached out and pat Amity's arm, trying to provide some comfort, "I mean, you aren't taking those things. I'm sure her friends aren't being made to spend time with you, which makes them your friends too. You're not taking Eda away from her, either. And well, usually when someone is giving you half of their life, that means you're already pretty deep into a relationship."

"More if you count Mom and Dad. She got way more than half of what she brought with her when she married into the Blight family," Edric snarked

"Not to say we want our little sister to get married at fourteen. We know this world is kinda medieval, but we put our foot down at that." Emira winked.

Setting her joking tone aside, Emira took both of Amity's hands in her own, "But seriously, Amity, you shouldn't think that way. Maybe you need a bit more help than other kids your age that Luz might know, but she knows your situation. She's your friend, and she would be even if you didn't freeload at her house. You've still got a horse in this race, and you can win it if you just try, I'm sure."

Amity let out a shaky breath, "You really think I have a shot?"

Emira nodded, kicking Ed, who quickly agreed with her. "Now, let's get you into a dress that will blow her mind, okay? Just try not to look too miserable in the next one unless you actually hate it."

Amity took a step back, admiring the pile of dresses that Emira had brought her the moment she'd heard there was a school dance. Old outfits that didn't fit from old parties their mother had thrown that just wasted space in her sister's closet, and wouldn't be missed should Odalia go snooping.

They were all fine, yet with every one Amity tried, something just felt… off. Twirling a finger through her blonde hair, Amity picked up one that looked okay, one in purple, her favorite color and held it over her body as she looked in the mirror, "I don't know, what do you guys think?"

The twins glanced at each other, looking deep in thought. Finally Edric rose to his feet, taking the dress away by the hanger, "I think it looks great, but I can think of one thing that just has to be changed, don't you, Em?"

His sister nodded, understanding what he was talking about "I know what you mean. Your head isn't as full of packing peanuts as you'd lead us all to believe."

"I do try, don't I?" Was Edric's amused response as both older siblings began to push Amity out of the room to do whatever it was they wished to accomplish.

"What am I going to do, Willow?!" Luz groaned, burying her head in her pillow. "Grom is tonight and I haven't asked her out yet! How can I even show my face at the dance? She's going to think I'm a total loser!"

Willow rubbed a soothing hand on her friend's back, rolling her eyes at how overdramatic the girl was being, "Not to be a pain, but who's fault is that? Amity didn't know about Grom for the past few weeks, but you knew all this time, and still didn't say anything when you had the chance."

"I couldn't decide on what I wanted to do to ask her out! I thought about asking her out to the fair when it was in town, but that didn't seem, I dunno, big enough?" Luz whined, curling into the fetal position.

"It did seem odd that you'd pass up on a fair while it was in town," Willow nodded, "But how did that seem like a bad way to ask her to Grom? Couldn't you have taken her on the Scarris Wheel and asked there or something?"

"Ugh, I thought of that!" Luz rolled onto her back, tugging at her hair, "But that's the problem! I thought of it! So it was too obvious! Amity is way too smart, cool, and classy to want to be asked out to Grom on the Scarris Wheel of all places!"

"Is she?" Willow asked, then upon receiving a glare from Luz she specified, "I meant that she didn't even know Grom was a thing until today, so how could she be… uh, too 'smart, cool, and classy' to turn you down about something she had no idea about?"

Luz seemed to think about that for a moment, then cursed under her breath, saying something that would make Eda proud, and Camila very cross with her, "You're right, she didn't have any standards already in place for something she didn't know about! The Scarris Wheel could have worked!"

"How about a sign?" Willow suggested, gesturing over to Luz's art supplies on her desk.

Luz shook her head, "No, it's got to be something more personal! I can't go waving a sign declaring my feelings for her above my head for everyone to see!"

Willow leaned forward, her chin resting against her closed fist, "I'm pretty sure everyone else knows already, but I get your point. How about something smaller, then? More personal that only she'd see?"

Luz paused, considering the suggestion. Her mind was too taken up by all the more brazen, big, grand gestures she'd normally love to do for someone to come up with anything private and subtle though, so she was coming up blank, "Like what?"

"How about a note? Just write out what you want to say to her, and then give it to her when you get there."

Luz thought about it, trying to put her thoughts into written words. She was terrible at that, and her handwriting was atrocious, at least compared to Amity's silky smooth writing. It'd probably come off as way too cheesy, and maybe a little pathetic since she'd have to ask Amity at the dance at this point, instead of before it. "I don't know… What- What if she just doesn't like me that way, and I ruin this by asking her out?"

Willow frowned, not expecting this angle from Luz, "Why do you say that?"

"I mean, she- Amity, she told me I'm her best friend, Willow. And… no one's ever wanted to be my best friend before." Luz confided, squeezing her hands together nervously.

Willow blinked, brow scrunched in confusion, "Uh, Luz. You're my best friend too."

That seemed to surprise Luz, "Wait, really?"

"Yeah! Why else would I be here instead of preparing to fight Grom if I wasn't?" Pointed out the Plant Witch.

Luz considered for a moment, "I always thought Gus was your best friend. O-or maybe Amelia, since you guys are in the same track-"

"Gus is one of my best friends. But you've always do so much for me Luz, never expecting anything back. And Amelia? I'd say she's more of an acquaintance, I mean we get assigned as partners for a lot of the same projects but that's really about all… Why would you think no one wanted to be your best friend before?"

Luz's answer was stuck in her throat. That she was cursed. That she was a monster. She'd come so close to telling Willow and Gus over the years, but she'd never come all the way, never had the courage to say it… Except that Amity didn't think she was a monster. Her warm embrace in the cold snow, Amity's voice whispering those words in her ear sprang fresh in Luz's memory.

Before Luz could respond, Willow checked her watch then got to her feet, done with Luz's pity party, "Well, we're out of time to come up with anything else. If we don't get ready now, we'll be late, and if I'm late, the Isles are doomed and you won't get a chance to ask Amity out anyway."

Luz blinked, then stared at Willow hopefully. The bespectacled girl narrowed her eyes at the brown haired witch, "No, Luz, I'm not going to let Grom sink the Demon Realm into a thousand years of darkness so you can get out of asking your crush out."

"Shoot…" Luz moaned, then climbed out of bed herself. She'd get dressed and do her makeup with Willow, and then write the stupid note that asked Amity out. Only time would tell if she would be able to give it to her, though.

Amity stood in front of the doors to the gym, where the dance and gladiatorial combat was being held, too nervous to open the double doors and enter. As much as Ed and Em had tried talking her up before they went back to the Human Realm, she was scared to go in, scared to see Luz with her crush, which proved it couldn't possibly be Amity herself.

She'd been in front of the door for fifteen minutes now, and was ready to give up. Turn around and head home for the night. Make up some excuse as to why she couldn't be there. Except that half the student body had already walked past her so far, and Eda and King had come with her and didn't know she was freaking out just outside, so wouldn't have an excuse ready when her friends asked where she was.

Stuck in her stalemate, she was finally broken out when she heard her name being called. Turning, she found Willow, clad in a beautiful, if simple, green dress that looked a lot like a blooming, upside down flower, flanked by Luz who was…

Luz had her hair slicked back with gel, which helped frame her pretty face nicely, especially with the light layer of makeup she'd gone with. A bit of blush and eyeliner went a long way, though Amity couldn't tear her eyes away from the light layer of glossy lip balm the witch was wearing.

Her outfit was strange, but oddly enough fit Luz to a T. Her top half was the kind of tux she'd expected and even seen on some of the boys who'd arrived at the dance, though she'd forgon any tie, instead keeping the collar loose. The jacket seemed to be tailored perfectly to her form, hugging her slim arms without any of the extra bulk the men's jackets had.

Her bottom half was a pink tutu, and under that a pair of blue tights and a set of black dress boots. On anyone else, on any other day, this clashing combo of an outfit would look comical, but Amity had a hard time breathing. Luz looked positively dashing, a mix of beautiful and handsome that made the human girl's heart thump in her chest.

Amity blinked, realizing that Willow was speaking to her, "I'm sorry, what was that Willow?"

Willow gave her an exasperated smile, "I was asking you what you were doing out here? You're just standing in front of the entrance."

Realizing she had no chance to leave now, and with Luz looking that good, she'd forgotten exactly why she had wanted to not go to Grom in the first place, Amity made up an excuse. "I was just… getting some air."

Willow rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day, "Right… I need to head inside and prepare for my fight against Grom, so I'll just leave you two here, since you need some… air, Amity."

Willow snaked past Amity, reaching for the handle and getting through the door, Amity only remembering to give a call of "Good luck!" Just before the door could close behind the plant witch.

Being alone with Luz, Amity realized the girl hadn't spoken in that entire interaction with Willow. Luz was staring at her, wide eyed, like a Windigo in the headlights. "Uh, you… look really nice, Luz. This look suits you."

That seemed to bring the witch back to her senses, Luz gasping for air as she'd forgotten to breathe while in Amity's presence. "T-thank you! I wanted to wear something humans would wear, for, uh… reasons."

Amity felt her mouth turn down a little at that. Maybe Luz's crush was in the HAS? … Maybe it was even Gus? That would make sense if she was attempting human fashion. "Well, you're really nailing it. Or, at least, I think you are."

Luz's cheeks tinted a shade of red, shyly scratching at her temple, "I, uh, think you look really good as well. Especially with what you've done with your hair."

Luz couldn't take her eyes off of it, the previously blonde locks now a deep chocolate brown, same as Amity's roots had always been. Over the two months Amity had been on the Isles, the brown had been creeping up more and more, banishing the gold that Luz now knew was a family trait that Amity had not inherited and been made to dye.

Amity nervously fingered one of the loose strands, giggling to herself, "Y-you think? I wasn't sure if I should stick with brown. I've had to dye my hair most of my life, but it's always been that dull blonde. I think I might want to experiment a little more, but for tonight, I thought going back to a brunette felt… right."

Luz nodded, stepping beside Amity and offering her an arm as she opened the door. Amity blushed, but took the arm as they stepped inside, greeted by the sounds of music and the flashing of lights, "Any colors you're really interested in trying out?"

"Well," Amity thought, bringing a finger to her chin, "I have always really liked lavender…"

Eda sighed sadly as she used a ladle to scoop herself out a cup's worth of punch. After what had happened with Amity, spiking the punch bowl didn't seem like a good, or funny, idea. Which totally blew, since that was half the reason she'd volunteered to be a chaperone for Grom. The other half had been to see some poor schmuck get blasted by their worst fears, maybe have front row seats in the splash zone, only to find out Willow of all people had been chosen this year.

So all in all, her Grom was an absolute dumpster fire this year.

"You're behaving yourself, I'd hope?"

Eda dropped the ladle into the punch bowl in surprise, splashing a little on her outfit and staining her dress shirt red. Cursing up a storm, she turned to see the person who'd snuck up on her, putting a smile on her face, "Cam! I hadn't expected to see you here."

Camila, dressed in a simple, modest yellow dress, stepped forward, spinning a spell circle with her finger and making the stains on Eda's dress shirt fade into nothing, "Well, I hadn't intended to chaperone, but then something very strange happened. Hieronymus sent me a Call Bird in a panic the other day, saying he needed my help because you had volunteered your services and weren't taking no for an answer."

Eda folded her arms, "Did you just call Bump by his first name? Who even does that?"

Her pose was copied by her ex, "Unlike you, Eda, I didn't go to Hexside as a child. He was never 'Principal Bump' to me. Also, I'm not afraid of him."

Eda was aghast at the insinuation, "I'm not afraid of him, either!"

"Sure. That's why you go to such lengths to bother him. It had nothing to do with you being terrified of him and the authority he had over you as a child." Camila mocked lightly.

"I'm not!" Eda insisted childishly, "Why would I ever be afraid of Bumpikins?"

"Because he's one of the only people not related to you who has not only experienced every major embarrassing moment of your adolescence, but has written, documented proof they happened?" Camila supplied cooly, her own grin growing as Eda broke eye contact, sweating a little under her collar.

"You get all of that because I call him Bump? Maybe I just think Hieronymus is a stupid name. Because it is." Eda grumbled.

"Either way, afraid of him or not, he called me in to help chaperone the event," Camila sighed, leaning against the concessions table. "More to watch over you than the kids, I think."

That brought out Eda's trademark smirk, as she gave her ex a suggestive look, "As if you need a reason to keep your eyes on me, Cam."

Camila scoffed, giving Eda a push that was just a little too hard to be considered playful. The mood between them was tense, but not awkward as they shifted their attention to the crowd. "So, you hear Plant girl got picked this year?"

Camila nodded, "I helped Willow get ready. Bless her fathers, they're good men, but they are helpless when it comes to getting a girl all prettied up to take on a living nightmare."

"Yeah, you gotta put the mascara on in a way where it doesn't run in terror." Eda agreed, rolling up the sleeves of her blazer. "Say, what do you say about a friendly wager? What do you think the odds are she wins?"

Camila frowned, giving Eda a dark glare, "Eda, you're incorrigible. I'm not betting on if a child dies."

"Not out here you're not," A passing teacher remarked, sipping from their own cup of punch, "but we got our own betting station in the teachers lounge, if you want in."

The teacher walked away wearing a bowl of punch on their head.

Luz fought with all her might to not tremble, feeling Amity's hand on her bicep as they made their way inside. The weight of the note in her breast pocket weighed her down as if it were as heavy as a Slitherbeast, making her brow sweat. "Okay, so, we're inside now. What would you like to do first? Snacks? Snacks sound good!" Luz squeaked.

Amity herself was floundering, looking everywhere but at Luz, but at least she had a reason to do so. She didn't see anyone coming up to the girl, or even glancing their way. "Uh, Luz, what happened to your date?"

Luz froze up, fumbling with her hands, "O-oh, them?"

"Is it someone I know?"

"No!" Luz all but shouted, her nerves getting the best of her. Realizing she'd just raised her voice, she forced herself to calm down, "No, uh, you don't know them. They couldn't make it, and they, uh, go to a different school?"

Luz couldn't do it. She had the perfect opportunity, but she just couldn't. It would be weird, and lame, and Amity deserves so much more than some stupid note Luz had maybe five minutes to scribble down. She knew this made her a coward, but she wasn't like Willow, who was going to willingly fight against her deepest fears, or Gus, who wasn't afraid of public speaking. Or even Amity, who braved this whole new world.

Meanwhile, Amity deflated, all but receiving confirmation that she wasn't the person Luz had wanted to ask out. She let her grip on Luz's bicep drop, wrapping her arms around herself. Still, she understood that Luz didn't exactly get the date night she'd probably been hoping and planning for, and a well of empathy swelled inside of her despite her own disappointment. "I'm… sorry. I'm sure they'd have come if they could have. You're a good person, Luz, anyone would be lucky to have you as their date."

Amity would just… forget this whole thing. Focus on cheering Luz up, since she'd been the one who got turned down, while Amity was too much of a coward to just take her crush's hand and pull her over to the dance floor like in all of her romantic fantasies.

Luz coughed awkwardly into her fist, "I'll just… go get us some punch then?"

Amity sent Luz a smile, only forcing it a little, "Punch does sound good."

Before Luz could step aside though, the announcement that Willow would be taking on Grom sounded. Gus stood on stage beside King, ready to begin their double act of commentating on the match, despite the little Demon's clear nerves. The ground parted, the arena formed, and Grom was unleashed.

Willow made her way down the ramp that led to Grom, her legs feeling a bit like jelly. She wasn't sure if she could do this, but she had to try. She wanted to prove herself, that she'd been worthy of being picked for this task, that she'd come as far as she had from her old Abomination days.

As she stepped into the Arena proper, Gus and King began their commentary, introducing her to the crowd. "In this corner, it's the eternal, the nightmarish, Groooom! And in the other corner, she's mean, she's green, she's Willloooow!"

Beside her young friend, King squeaked into his microphone, then coughed nervously, "Yeah, Gus, and don't you just know she's going to, er, plant a fist right in his face, right?"

The audience booed the poor self proclaimed King of demons for his bad pun, though Willow was thankful someone was trying to be funny, it helped soothe her nerves.

She'd forgon any weapons, only entering the arena with nothing but her dress, her magic, and her wits. It wasn't like she had any experience swinging a mace around anyway, it was better to rely on what she was good at, what she knew. Plants spoke to her better than anything made of iron or steel ever could.

As Willow approached the other side of the arena, she could see Grom in the shadows, waiting for her to get closer so it could steal a peek into her mind and take on the form of what she feared the most. Around her were the shouts and cheers of her classmates, looking on from the bleachers or hanging around the edge of the arena walls, some giving her words of encouragement, some just hoping to see some bloodshed.

"Alright, Grom, let's see what you're made of," Willow spoke through grit teeth, edging forward. The beast stared at her, sizing her up, then began to change form, rapidly switching between something that vaguely looked like her parents disappointed in her, to a bad grade in her Plant course, then to the silhouette of the Principal, disapproval in his eyes.

It seemed to have a lock on what she was afraid of, being centered around her school. It lurched forward, once more shaping into an Abomination, slime dripping from it's form as it charged. An arm formed into a spiked ball, and it swung at Willow, who only just dodged in time, leaving the ground she'd just vacated as nothing but a crater of cracked stone.

The crowd roared, and Gus said something about it being a narrow blow, but she couldn't focus on those things right now. Willow spun a circle, calling forth roots that grew under the school to do her bidding. They burst through the cracking stone floor, lashed out wildly, flailing at Grom's form with thorns, but nothing the plants did was permanent, as any harm was quickly regenerated from the purple Abomination sludge.

Still, Grom could sense this wasn't Willow's fear, only tangentially related to it. It couldn't truly feed and grow stronger until her truest fear had been exposed, even if it had to give up the advantages of this form to do so. The Abomination sloshed forward, a wave of purple heading in Willow's direction that she couldn't shield against. It surrounded her, forming back into a large hand as Grom retook shape, gripping her tightly in its grasp as it lifted her off the ground. Then a black tendril came from Grom's depths, attaching to Willow's head to get a better read on her mind.

Willow was dropped back to the floor a moment later, landing harshly on all fours, as Grom began to shift form again, abandoning the Abomination's shape and twisting itself until it appeared before as a mass of faces and limbs. While the faces of Willow's peers stared down at her from their seats, their warped doubles appeared in the girl's midst as Grom found what made Willow most afraid.

Grom's body was grotesque, a fleshy combination of arms, legs, torsos and heads. Their eyes on each of the faces were empty, yet pierced through Willow despite that. Before her were the faces she'd seen every day for the past eight years, watching her, judging her. Her friends, Luz, Gus and Amity, her classmates, Amelia, Bo, Eileen, Boscha and her gang, her teachers, and even Bump, all smashed together into one hulking body that almost hurt her eyes to look at.

Then as one, all the mouths opened, each chanting, each laughing at her, "Half-a-witch Willow! Half-a-witch Willow!"

A cascade of mocking voices, hands with fingers pointing at her, the sounds of a hundred children and adults maliciously laughing in her face. It was enough to make Willow freeze up, hands clamping over her ears as it wailed those words. She now knew what it meant to stare at horror, and to know what it meant to know true fear. Her own personal fear. Now Willow understood why this was a tradition. Not many witches had the privilege of knowing exactly what they were afraid of these days. It was almost humbling.

Almost.

"You know," The young witch spoke, eyes on the floor as she lowered her hands from her ears back to her side where they tightened into fists, "That really is what I'm afraid of most. Of going backwards. Of being made fun of, and mocked, and bullied because of something I really couldn't help…"

When she looked up at the demon, her eyes were hardened, and glowing bright green, "But as much as I'm afraid of that happening, it just makes me twice as angry to think about!"

She formed two rings of light with her hands, and the ground began to shake under her feet. "I am not weak, I am not half a witch, and I'll show you, and everyone else just how far I've come!"

Eda whistled as Willow lay into Grom, it's more solid form unable to bear the brunt of the vines and plants like it's Abomination form had. "Damn. Remind me never to piss that kid off."

"So, I shouldn't tell her you tried betting against her?" Camila deadpanned, sipping from her drink, sidestepping a wave of gore that was sent flying from the arena and narrowly missing both witches. "Maybe we should get out of the splash zone?"

"Yeah, in all this hustle to get here, I forgot my poncho." Eda took a step back, gesturing over to the dance floor, "It'll be a moment before that gets some use. Well, not long at the rate girly is going, but we've got time."

The two witches meandered over to the empty dance floor, standing awkwardly as they sipped at their drinks. Eda felt stiff, being in a place with her ex that she knew couples would soon be slow dancing in soon. Beside her, Camila didn't look much better, avoiding looking over at the grey haired woman.

"So…" Camila searched, "It's probably been a while since you've been to a Grom dance, huh? St. Epiderm didn't have Grom, of course, but we still had the occasional school dance. I never had a date to any of them, though."

Eda shifted, popping her neck, "I never really went to my Grom, actually."

Camila smirked, peering over her glasses, "What, no date?"

Eda snorted, then frowned, "No, that wasn't it. Curse. Ditched this place before I could go. It was too bad, I'd promised someone a dance."

Camila breathed out through her nose, trying not to feel too guilty for bringing the subject up. Of course Eda missed her own Grom. Still, she'd chosen the topic, so she was going to stick with it. "Promised someone a dance, huh?"

Eda smiled, looking back fondly on whatever memory was flickering behind her eyes, "Yeah. They were a little pint sized brat back then, not that I was any better. It took a lot of guts to ask me of all people on a date, especially with how shy they were. I even had a dress picked out and everything, but, well…"

Camila nodded, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," Eda spoke plainly, "If I had gone to that dance, I might never have met you."

The Owl Lady smirked, gazing at Camila fondly "And yeah, sure, that ended up a mess and a half, but we got Luz out of it. So I wouldn't change it for the world."

The two glanced at each other, and for a moment they knew peace despite their differences. Neither of them would trade what had happened away for anything if it meant Luz wouldn't be in their lives, and that was enough for them. Suddenly the lighting changed, and music began to play, a group of students clamoring over to the dance floor.

"Come on everyone, it's time to celebrate and get your boogie on, grab your partner and get on the dance floor!" Gus' voice range over the loud speakers as the music was changed to something vaguely romantic enough for teenagers to dance to.

"Guess Willow is finished up with Grom then," Eda put together, resting her hands on her hips, cup of punch long vanished away.

"It would seem that way, yes." Camila agreed, making to get out of the way of the dancing teenage couples before she could get trapped on the dance floor, only for Eda's hand to grab her by the wrist, keeping her from getting far.

"Uh, hey?" Eda's voice was unsure, but she had a soft smile on her lips, "Do you maybe want to join me for a dance?"

Camila gaped as Eda let go of her wrist, and instead held out her hand for the dark skinned witch to take. Camila's gaze was torn between Eda's eyes and her hand, and she let out a sigh, "I don't know, Eda…"

"Oh come on, it doesn't have to mean anything! Just two girls who never got to experience Grom getting to dance. What do you say?" Eda pleaded, shooting Camila her most charming smile.

"Fine, one dance." Camila conceded with a shake of her head, taking Eda's hand, "Just the one, and then we get back to what we're supposed to be doing, chaperoning the kids."

"Fine, fine," the Owl Lady assured, "One dance."

Luz and Amity watched as Willow tore Grom literally limb from limb with a ferocity they'd never witnessed from the usually quiet girl. The human girl gulped at the display, "I think I'm going to have a new worst fear after tonight."

Luz nodded, dumbfounded at her friend's strength, "I think Grom is going to have a new worst fear after tonight as well."

Things seemed to be going so bad for the demon that Principal Bump had to run interference, clambering down into the arena, lifting his robes up past his ankles so he didn't trip and calling Willow off. Grom, now little more than a sad pile of tangled limbs was gasping on the ground, struggling to crawl away from the Plant witch, begging for mercy from it's many mouths, "Seal me, please, seal me!"

Ushering Willow out of the arena, Bump brought a mic to his lips and after getting over his speechlessness, forced an eerie smile that didn't reach his eyes, "And there you have it! An… astronomical showdown from our own Willow Park! With Grom defeated, we all get another year to live, and another year of school, give her a hand everyone!"

A round of applause echoed throughout the gymnasium, with Bump using this time to get over to Gus, urging him to get some music playing before the mental scarring could sink in and no one was in the mood to dance anymore.

Before the two teens knew it, they were practically alone, everyone else moving towards the dance floor as the music kicked on. The two glanced at each other, then at the dance floor, longing in their eyes, but unwilling to broach the subject unless the other did first.

"Are you two just going to stand around all night?" Willow's voice greeted them, the girls turning to face their friend instead of their troubles. Willow looked winded, her hair a little frazzled and her brow a bit sweaty, but otherwise was untouched, a bright smile on her face despite her carnage moments prior.

"You were amazing down there, Willow!" Amity complimented, taking a step towards the girl. "I knew you had it in you, but, well, I didn't know you had that in you."

Behind Amity, Luz nodded, "You almost turned Grom into plant food."

Willow seemed almost bashful at their praise, rubbing the back of her head, "Oh, it was nothing really. I just tapped into some primal rage I'd been repressing, it was no big deal."

"No big deal?" Amity inquired, wondering how something like that could ever qualify as 'no big deal.'

"I know, you shouldn't undersell yourself so much Willow!" Luz insisted, throwing an arm over Willow's shoulder, "That was super powerful! A totally big deal!"

Amity raised a finger to object that that wasn't what she had meant, and maybe Willow had some therapy to go through if she could just lay into something like that by tapping into her own buried rage, but decided this was just one of those Boiling Isles things she was going to have to get used to. No point in arguing over that kind of insanity as long as it wasn't being pointed at her.

"Speaking of big deals," Willow began suggestively, looking between the two, "Did anything interesting happen while I was busy handling the nightmare creature?"

Luz quickly shook her head, sending the girl a frantic look to not touch that subject with a ten foot pole. "Nope, nothing. What could possibly have happened while you were away?"

Willow's smile downturned into a small frown, "Oh. Okay."

"It was really brave of you to go down there," Amity spoke with a bit of envy in her voice. "You were totally fearless, facing down Grom like that. You made it look so easy. You were completely unafraid, and I wish I had a fraction of your bravery."

Willow shook her head, "You've got it wrong Amity. I wasn't fearless, or unafraid. That's not what bravery is. I was terrified, even after I was beating Grom back."

Both girls looked at Willow in surprise, and she continued, "I know, I didn't look like it. I've been pretty calm about the whole thing, but this was something I felt I needed to be able to do. For myself, and for everyone else. Being brave, it's not the same as being fearless. It's better, because I had to conquer my fear, rather than be without it."

"Actually, I think that's why they make this a tradition. So that once a year, a student gets to learn a lesson. What's in front of you may be frightening, but by not letting that fear control you, you can find happiness and joy beyond it. That's what the dance after the fight is for. I get it now."

The bespectacled girl smiled brightly at her two friends, not actually believing a word she just said about the tradition, but hoping it would give the two of them the courage they needed to face each other. "Now, if you'll excuse me, using all that magic has made mama hungry, I'll be at the refreshment table!"

Amity and Luz waved as Willow departed from their presence, each mulling over the girl's words. Each thought over their own fears, desperately wanting to get over that hurdle, both wanting to emulate a fraction of Willow's bravery. They stood in equal silence long enough that it was beginning to feel awkward.

Amity's mind played with the picture of her fantasy of being swept off her feet and towards the dance floor, only this time, if she wanted to make that happen, maybe she had to be the one doing the sweeping. Sucking in a lungful of air and turning to Luz, Amity offered her hand, "Would you like to dance with me?"

Luz eyed the hand, then Amity's sincere face, and her own lips broke from an 'o' into a wide smile, breaking past her own fear, "I would love to."

From the refreshment table, Willow watched smugly, sampling the hors d'oeuvres with glee as Luz took Amity's hand and together they rushed off to the dance floor.

The night went on seemingly forever, Amity losing track of the time as she danced it away with Luz. The witch was a surprisingly good dancer, even keeping up with Amity who had been trained by tutors as a child. Luz had immediately taken the lead, keeping an arm tightly around Amity's waist as they spun and twirled together to the rhythm of the music, careful not to knock into any of the other dancing couples.

They focused on each other for the most part, with the exception of when Luz had spotted her parents dancing together, a grin stretched across her face and Amity giggling at the glee her friend felt seeing her Mom and Mama getting along in such a way. The two adults seemed lost in a world of their own together, much the same as their daughter and her dance partner were.

Feeling Luz's body close to her own, able to gaze deeply into her eyes for hours on end, Amity felt lost in all the right ways. Everything but the music faded away, and even her fears seemed muted as long as she was with Luz.

Only for her to be pulled out of her fantastic night when a hand clamped down on her shoulder, stopping their dance cold in their tracks. Turning to the newcomer, both Amity and Luz were surprised by who it was. "Boscha?"

The three eyed girl was clad in her own potion track yellow dress. It was sleeveless, showing off her toned, muscular arms. She kept her expression even when she spoke, addressing Amity, "Sorry to interrupt. I've been waiting half the night, but you just wouldn't stop dancing, so I'm butting in. Do you mind if I have the next dance?"

Amity and Luz stared at the Grudgby player, then glanced at each other. Boscha crossed her arms and scoffed, "I'm not trying to steal your date away, Noceda. I just want to talk to Amity."

Neither girl denied that Amity was Luz's date, which filled them both with butterflies. Luz stepped back, biting her lip, "If it's okay with Amity, sure."

Amity considered it, then gave a short nod, "Just a dance. We won't be long, Luz." She assured, stepping away to join Boscha, who took one of Amity's hands and settled the other on the human's waist as the next song began to play.

The two danced awkwardly, not nearly as in tune as Amity had been with Luz. The human wasn't sure if it was because Boscha wasn't a good dancer, or if Amity had just clicked with Luz that much, but each girl stepped on the others toes more than once before they found their rhythm. "So, what did you want to talk about, Boscha?"

Boscha kept her expression guarded, "I just wanted to say that… after what you said before… I talked with my gan- my friends."

Amity blinked, "Oh! Uh, how did that go?"

Boscha took a moment to consider her next words. "You were wrong. And also right. We did choose each other because of our status. Just a gathering of rich or talented kids who didn't want to hang with the losers rather than because we wanted to be friends. But we did choose each other, and after talking… We're going to try and be better friends with each other from now on. For more than just how good we are at something, or how rich our parents are."

Boscha gestured with her head to a table that had her group sitting at it, watching the two of them dance together. Seeing Amity glance over to them, a few waved. Skara and her boyfriend, Kat, and Amelia with their own dates. Even Beanie Boy, sans his beanie and almost unrecognizable to Amity without it, sent her a smile.

Amity allowed herself to give Boscha a small smile, which was returned. "That's great. I hope you'll be a little bit more open to accepting other people into your group from now on as well?"

"I'm considering it." Boscha admitted. "I'd still really like it if you could join the team, and if that means you want to be friends with people outside my own group, I'm willing to accept that. Or get over it."

"I'll think about it," Amity promised as they swayed. "I'm glad you and your friends have talked things out. Sometimes… I wish I had taken the chance to work things out with someone I knew before I left the human world."

It had been a while since Amity had given Clara a passing thought. If Boscha had worked things out with her own friends, wanting to establish that they were, in fact, friends, she wondered how Clara would react to the same conversation. Amity had never considered her more than someone her mother approved of, but maybe Clara had always considered Amity a friend. Maybe she was worried about her right now, hoping that Amity was safe, wherever she was. Amity supposed she'd never know now.

The dance came to an end, and Amity and Boscha parted, standing still on the edges of the dance floor. The triclops gave Amity one last lingering look, admiring her outfit and new hair, "I'd ask if you're still up for that lunch date, but… well, you've already got a date to get back to."

Amity didn't bother correcting the other girl. She'd already made up her mind on her feelings about Luz, even if this wasn't an actual date. Boscha stepped aside, heading back to her friend's table with little more than a backwards wave. Sending one last nod to the Grudgby team, Amity turned back to the dance floor, weaving through to where she'd left Luz

Luz held out her hand for another dance, and Amity, despite her sore feet from hours of twirls and dips, eagerly took it and gave the witch a tug, taking the lead this time. Luz's cheeks blazed at Amity's take charge attitude, but didn't fight it, giving in as Amity closed the gap between them, pulling Luz in for a slow dance together.

"Alright everyone," Gus's voice rang out, "This is the last song for the night. We all hope you had a wonderful Grom, and hope to all see you alive for next year's big monster bash!"

A slow, romantic song began to play, all the remaining couples rushing to get one last dance in together before they had to leave. Luz, flustered, nervously opened her mouth and asked, "So, what did Boscha want?"

"She just wanted to ask me to join the Grudgby team, is all," Amity answered. If Boscha had wanted anyone to know about her business with her friends, she wouldn't have yanked Amity aside to do it, so she'd keep that private. Instead, Amity smiled, "Now shush, I'm not with Boscha right now. I'm with you."

Luz seemed at a loss for words, a goofy grin on her lips as they swayed. Together they held each other close, resting their chins on each other's shoulders, more hugging than dancing as their song continued to play.

As the final song came to an end, they slowly broke apart, holding each other's hands. People began to pack up and leave, but they remained unmoving. Finally, Luz broke eye contact, glancing at her shoes, thinking about how Amity had made the first move and now it was her turn as she reached into her coat pocket.

"I know, we only have like thirty seconds of Grom left before it's officially over, but-" She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Amity, who unfolded it, feeling confused as to what it could contain.

"Dear Amity

I would be otterly delighted if you would go to Grom with me~

Luz"

Amity put a hand over her mouth as Luz tried to speak, "I know, it's a lame pun, but otters are my favorite Human Realm creature, not that I've ever seen one in person or anything, and you're form there, and I like puns, and you don't have to say yes, and it's basically already over-"

"Yes, you dork!" Amity pulled Luz into an enthusiastic embrace. Luz fumbled, not sure what to do with her hands or Amity's excited response, but soon figured it out and wrapped her arms around the human girl's waist.

"I thought you wanted to ask someone else out this whole time." Amity spoke, face buried in Luz's shoulder.

"Just you, Ams. Just you. I had a hard time coming up with any way to impress you, and I was worried you'd say no, and I kept putting it off. Willow made me write the note as we were leaving so I'd at least have something. I hope it's not disappointing. I can do something bigger?"

Amity shook her head, "It's perfect, Luz. Even if it did come a little late.

"So, did you finally ask her out, then?" Willow's voice greeted them, the girl stepping onto the now empty dance floor, heels clacking against the floor.

"Wait, that's what was going on this whole time?" Gus added, free from his duties, but far from missing out on the festivities.

"You'll understand when you're a bit older, Gus." Willow assured, patting her friend on the shoulder.

Amity and Luz broke from their hug, still hanging onto each other but wanting to be able to face their friends. Luz spoke first, "Thanks for pushing me to write that note, Willow. It turns out it did work after all."

"If you paid more attention, you'd see my advice is usually pretty good," Willow joked.

"I'll be sure to listen to you more often too, then," Amity bantered back.

"Soooo," Gus looked between the two, "does this mean you guys are together together, or…?"

Luz and Amity exchanged glances. "Well, I'd be happy to be more than a Grom date, if you're up for it, Luz."

Luz gulped and nodded, "Absolutely. It's… kinda scary to think about, but Willow was right. Facing my fears allowed me to find something greater beyond them."

"Before you get all caught up in the romance of the situation," Willow interrupted, "This place is going to close soon, and we still haven't had our pictures taken. If we hurry, we might still be able to get it done."

They all nodded, Luz taking the time to add one last thing before they put a pin in their conversation, "We'll talk more about the, uh, dating stuff later. I think we'll have plenty of time to work that out over the next few days."

Both the human and witch's cheeks heated up at the idea of discussing dates later, walking hand in hand beside their friends to the photo booth, which luckily was still operating, the last few people in the building rushing to have their pictures taken as well just before they were pushed out the door.

The group posed side by side, Willow throwing up two V's with her fingers, Gus posing with his microphone, and Luz throwing an arm around Amity's shoulder. Just as the picture was snapped, the light flashing to capture the moment, Amity's eyes widened as she felt something brush against her cheek. A soft kiss from Luz, who's eyes were as wide as Amity's own over her own action.

"S-sorry, uh, I think I hear my Mama calling me, I gotta go, bye!" Luz spoke frantically, backpedaling away from the group, Amity still stunned and grazing her fingers over her cheek where Luz's lips had been, while Gus and Willow broke into hysterical laughter over it.

Amity made sure to get a few copies of that photo, just in case.

Eda, King and Amity entered the Owl house late into the night, stepping in through the side door in the kitchen so as to not wake Hooty. Eda's feet and calves were sore, and likely swollen from all the dancing, but she wasn't complaining. Camila's one dance had turned into two, then three, then five. She'd always taken anything that woman would give her, and tonight she had given plenty. She'd just be paying for it in the morning.

Meanwhile, Amity was still in a daze, having had to be guided back to the house. A dreamy look was in her eyes, and her hand had hardly left her cheek, "I can still feel her lip gloss from where she kissed me…" She murmured tiredly to herself.

"Gross. You do know that's my kid you're talking about, right?" Eda reminded her, finally breaking Amity out of her trance.

"Oh! Uh, I'm sorry Eda. You- you don't have a problem with us dating, do you?" Amity asked nervously, having never really thought about what the consequences of dating the Owl Lady's kid might be, especially when she lived in her house.

Eda however waved her worries off, "Keep the door open at least a few inches when you're together, and don't stick your tongue down her throat while I'm in viewing distance and you'll be fine. Luz could do a lot worse than you, Boots."

That didn't make Amity feel any less awkward as she shifted from one foot to the other, "Uh, thanks?"

"Welcome!" Eda snorted, then ushered her out of the room, "Now, get to bed. It's late, I'm tired, and I don't want to deal with your mushy Minotaur crap anymore for the night."

King plopped down at a seat at the kitchen table, turning on the crystal ball that sat there, only for Eda to swiftly turn it back off, "You too, little mister. Off to bed."

"But Eeeeda!" King complained, stifling a yawn, "My stories are on!"

"Your 'stories' can wait until morning. Titan, you need to stop picking up phrases from my mother, it makes you sound older than I am." Eda picked him up and set him back on the ground, only to see Amity standing in the entrance to the living room unmoving. "Hey, what's up, does no one listen to me anymore or something?"

Amity just pointed into the living room, and Eda marched over to see what all the fuss was about. In Eda's favorite chair, sipping a steaming cup of tea, was none other than Lilith, surrounded by stacks of papers and files that made a series of small mountains around her.

"You're all back late," The coven witch greeted smoothly, "did you have a nice night out with your pets, Eda?"

"Kids, go upstairs." Eda ordered, all the tension drained from her night out soaring straight back. She sauntered over towards her sister to place herself between Lilith and the kids. Behind her they quietly obeyed, only pausing to glance at each other before they bolted up the steps and to Luz's bedroom.

"You know, Lil, I don't break into your home uninvited and insult your family." Eda drawled, placing her hands on her hips. "Not that you have one to insult, anyways."

"Please, Eda, they aren't your family. I am." Lilith spoke nonchalantly, dismissing Eda's wards in an instant.

"There is a difference between the family I choose and the family I'm stuck with, and I've made it pretty clear I stand with the former." Eda warned, then settled down onto her couch, crossing her legs and staring her sister down. "Now, I'm assuming the reason you broke into my home in the middle of the night has to be important, right? Did you find any information?"

Lilith grabbed one of the files from the pile and held it out to Eda, "These are dossiers on everyone you had on your suspect board. Some of them are extensive, as they've all led colorful lives, others short, as those colorful lives came to an early end."

Eda flipped through the folder handed to her, "There's a lot to go through. Any highlights?"

Lilith shook her head, "Absolutely none. I used every resource available to me to find every scrap of information. Every one of these witches and demons all had an alibi for the time of your curse. Witnesses, doctors notes, prison sentences. I regret to say that none of these people could have cast that curse on you."

Eda snarled, tossing the folder aside. "So what are you trying to pull here?"

"Nothing, Edalyne," Lilith soothed, holding her hands up to placate her sister. "I'm just saying… The Emperor may be your only choice in the matter. I even brought all the dossiers as proof instead of just my word that these people are innocent, at least of the crime of cursing you.

She was met with a face full of paper, as Eda threw the files in her face. "No, it just means I need to broaden my suspect range. If it's not one of the idiots I really screwed over as a teen, then I'm clearly not thinking petty enough, someone real low must have done this to me. These other guys were clearly too high class to curse a kid."

Eda stood from her seat and began to march for the stairs herself, following after her kids. "Thanks for the assist, sis, but I've got work to do. Names to think of. Vengeance to plan. I'm sure you can see yourself out, and if you can't, well, I'll just have to wake Hooty and have him do it."

By the time Eda was at the top of the stairs, Lilith was gone, the threat more than enough to get her moving and out the back door. As Lilith summoned her staff to her hands to begin the ride back to the Emperor's Castle she cursed her sister's name for being so stubborn. Lilith was running out of time to sway Belos any longer. The Emperor was not a patient man.

A/N: Holy Hell, this is a very long chapter. Like man, this took me the longest to write so far, over a week of hours and hours of typing. Just to finish the first draft(halfway through Willow talking with Luz and Amity before they danced) took me nearly five hours. And now I have to go back and edit it all! Yay!

Can you tell I'm terrible at coming up with unique outfits, so just had everyone show up in the canon Grom outfits anyway?

Seeing as Willow is the Top student of her track, while Amity is a newbie and Luz, as far as Bump is concerned, is a mediocre Potion track student, she was the pick for Grom Queen. This was also to make up for my severe lack of Willow in my last fic, where she mostly just existed and I kept having to give her lines in my second drafts because I'd forget I put her in the scenes.

As for Lumity becoming canon at Grom? I pondered that for a while and discussed it with my friend. The series is going to be more or less unrecognizable by the time we hit season 2, much less when KKKOHD would take place. It's just not happening then. Besides, I wanted to work outside of the constraints of canon. So, I went over reasons why they couldn't work in canon by Grom. Amity wasn't ready to stand up to her parents yet, and couldn't face her fear of rejection. Not a factor for their relationship in this fic. Luz was too busy worrying over her Mom and her lies. Also not a factor in this story by this point. The biggest major obstacles in the way don't exist at this moment, so there wasn't much reason to keep them apart other than to draw it out a bit longer, for the sake of drawing it out longer because canon did. So I didn't. You're welcome. Grom just got even gayer than canon did.

Some people seemed to think Amity would still end up facing Grom, so let me just say to those disappointed, her fear in this is more of a toss up between Eda kicking her out, or her Mom somehow finding her in the Demon Realm(or maybe a mix, where Eda was working for her mom the whole time). Luz's fear is the Owl Beast. They both now fear Willow more.

As of right this moment, I only have three more chapters planned for season one. After that, we'll have Intermission, which will be a chapter or two of Vee material, following her adventures back on Earth. Then maybe a short break while I get to work on season two. Leave a comment if you'd like, I always enjoy them!