A Mother's Foresight

Linda hated to admit it, but the latest incident with Joey had shaken her up pretty badly. Being kidnapped and nearly sacrificed in a ritual was bad enough, but she hated how useless she felt as her family suffered. Actually, she felt worse than useless as it was her being held captive that Joey was able to cause so much harm. Because her life, her very soul, in fact, had been at risk, her dear husband was forced to warp everyone they cared about and turned Bendy, their son, into a nearly hollow puppet. It was heartbreaking to see her family lose so much of their progress and happiness just because one man refused to let things go. But despite her own turbulent emotions, she was determined to help her family and shower them with the love they deserved.

Which is probably why it took her so long to realize that something was off with herself.

It started with little things. Someone would be looking for something and Linda would be able to give it to them just as they were about to ask her about it. Those instances were easily brushed over as Linda just watched over them and realized what they were after and got it before they decided to ask for help. But then Linda started to provide things before the person or toon would have a chance to look for it. With everything going on and everything the family had been through, that wasn't enough to wave any red flags though, and was still brushed off as her being a mother hen after everything.

The incident that finally tipped everyone off was during a quiet afternoon. Linda had been upstairs, helping Alice brush her hair when she just knew that Edgar was going to be in trouble. She could picture it clearly in her mind, the spider climbing up the counter to get something from the top shelf before losing his grip and falling to the floor. With a gasp, Linda bolted out the door and hurried down the stairs, gaining confused and worried looks from everyone she passed. She arrived in the kitchen just as Edgar lost his grip.

"I've got you!" Linda shouted, managing to catch the toon just in time. Edgar looked startled and frightened by his close call and quickly clung to Linda in thanks and for comfort.

"Everything alright?" Henry asked, having been drawn in by the commotion.

"Yeah," Linda assured, rubbing Edgar's back gently. "Edgar fell when he was reaching for something on the top shelf of the cabinet but I was able to catch him before he could get hurt."

"How did you know something was wrong?" Boris asked, tilting his head in confusion. "We didn't hear anything weird going on until you came running down the stairs."

"I… I don't know…" Linda replied, looking lost and confused as she realized how strange this all was. "I just knew something bad was going to happen and had to be here to stop it. I could picture him falling so clearly in my mind…"

"Your eyes glowed mom," Alice informed, joining the conversation after getting downstairs herself. "I saw it in the mirror. Your eyes started glowing suddenly, making you gasp and run out of the room."

"Glowing..?" Linda said in shock. While it wasn't a secret that everyone suspected the failed ritual and ink had had some sort of permanent effect on Linda, this was the first real proof that they were right.

"They're not glowing now…" Henry said thoughtfully. "It must have been because of whatever foresight ability you seem to have now triggered so strongly to let you know Edgar needed you. It probably won't happen until you get another one of those 'visions' or something."

"This… doesn't seem like something I'm going to be able to control…" Linda commented, still rather dazed by this turn of events. " Not when it only happens when one of the toons is in danger…"

Edgar went from being comforted by Linda to comforting her instead. The other two members of the butcher gang went over and pressed themselves against Linda's side to offer their support as well. Linda smiled at them in appreciation even if was obvious she was still overwhelmed with everything.

"It'll be alright," Henry said, pulling his wife close. " There's a lot about the powers of Ink we don't understand… Heck, Bendy and I are still trying to figure out our abilities even after all this time, but that doesn't mean it's something to be afraid of. The Ink and powers that come with it may have been created from darkness, but that doesn't define what we chose to do with them. Your new ability helped you keep Edgar safe and I know you'll continue to use it to watch out for our family."

"You're right," Linda laughed softly even as her eyes teared up, adjusting Edgar's position to be able to sink deeper into her husband's embrace. "Think Ink has given us so many wonderful members of our family and you and Bendy have been able to do such wondrous things with your powers. Now I'll be able to do that too."

"We'll help you figure this out mom," Bendy said as he and the rest of the family joined the hug. "Like dad always says, we're in this together."

Linda just smiled and held her family tighter, thankful for all their love and support. Whatever the future may bring, at least they would have each other.