After Lilith and her mother left, things were…uneventful to say the least. Almost.

Eda was tired. Luz was tired. Everyone was tired. To put it simply, the events of that day were finally catching up.

True to her word, Eda flopped onto the couch immediately.

Luz had come back inside, noticed her, and approached cautiously. After...everything, the girl wasn't sure if Eda wanted to talk. But Luz wanted to say something nonetheless. The guilt was practically gnawing at her chest. For the time being, she settled on sitting on the floor against the couch, next to Eda's head.

"Eda?" Luz started. The witch turned her head to her in response, her eyes tired. It hurt all the more for Luz to look at her mentor like this. "I know you're tired, but...can I say something?"

"Hm?" Eda hummed in response. Luz took this as a signal to continue.

"I'm sorry. About everything tonight." Luz said.

"Kid, it's fine."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have gotten involved. I only wanted to help you, but- I think I made things worse by listening to your mom." Luz explained. Eda was looking at her. That meant that she was at least listening. "I thought that if I helped her cure you, the rift between you and her would be mended." Luz almost mentioned that it felt like fixing the rift between her and her own mother, but holds her tongue. This isn't about her.

Eda sits up in her spot on the couch, facing Luz. "Luz, it's- it's okay."

But Luz continued, needing to get this across to her mentor. "But I'm the one who set up the apple blood signs. If I didn't, you wouldn't have fallen into Gwen's traps, which almost got you killed! I swear, I tried to stop her, Eda. I had no idea she would do all that stuff! Heck, I-I had an elixir ready for you- I was ready to bail! But...it was the last second. You turned into the beast again, and it's my fault." She finished with a sigh. "I'm so sorry. I should've trusted your judgement. You have every right to be mad at me."

Eda glanced to the side, choosing her words carefully. It was clear that what happened weighed heavily on the kid, as would anything else. Luz, the selfless soul she was, was only trying to help her.

"Luz, I'm not mad. It's okay. I get it." The witch says, touching Luz's shoulder. "You had no idea my mom would hide the elixirs. You didn't know she would get that extreme. If anything, I should've told you more about her sooner. I could already tell her 'cures' were bullshit anyway after a few years. It's not on you."

Luz looked at her with unsure eyes. "But I still played a part in what happened. You turned into the owl beast because I was too desperate to know a way back to the human realm. And...now I know that Gwen fell for a stupid scam because she was desperate to help her daughter." Memories come back to Luz of people in the human world just like Gwen, except they were less willing to change when presented with facts.

Eda squeezed the girl's shoulder, smiling softly. "Hey. Did you forget what happened tonight? Mom finally got it into her head that I don't want a cure. She's willing to give the elixirs a chance, and-" The witch's smile faltered and she looked down as she remembered. "She's going to make things right with Lily. I-I know it."

Seeing the sadness in Eda's eyes, Luz takes her mentor's hand in her own. "I'm sorry about Lilith too, Eda. I can't imagine how much it hurt for her to leave. She's your sister, and she was only here for a few weeks." Luz knows Eda and her sister were close, and despite everything that happened between them all, Luz has to admit she is starting to miss her too.

"And now she's gone." Added Eda, who squeezed the girl's hand.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she misses you too. And King and I are still here for you, Eda." Luz reminds her. "Remember?"

Eda smiles again. Why did the kid have to be so good? "I know, kid." she wants to make sure to remember that and also return the favor moving forward. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being so sweet." Eda says fondly with a yawn. She places a hand on Luz's head, stroking her hair gently. "Honestly, what did I do to deserve you...?"

A light blush spread over Luz's cheeks as she leaned into the touch. "Dunno, just got lucky I guess…"

About a minute passed before Luz was close to dozing off on her mentor's lap. Seeing this, Eda finally decided it was time to settle in for the night. Titan knows both of them need it.

"Well-" Eda clicked her tongue, gently shaking the kid's shoulder. "I think it's time we both get to bed, dontcha think?"

Luz slowly stood up from her spot on the floor, rubbing her eyes. "You're right…" she yawned.

Eda stood up as well, stretching out her back. Remind me to not fall asleep sitting up again.

"Sooo, if you need me, Luz, I'll be in my nest-"

Suddenly, Luz had grabbed Eda's arm. "A-Actually, umm…" The girl tried to choose the right words, because she didn't know if she could sleep alone tonight, not after today. She couldn't shake the feeling.

"Can...may I sleep with you in the nest tonight? I don't wanna be alone." Luz asks sheepishly, closing her eyes, not wanting to see Eda's reaction. To her surprise, Eda has a small smile on her face.

"'Course you can, kiddo." Eda says, patting the kid's shoulder in reassurance. She almost asks why, but a part of her feels that she already knows the answer, and that the kid would rather not say. Besides, the witch could use some company other than King tonight.

The girl sighs in relief, her body relaxing. "Thanks Eda."

"Aight then, you go change, and uh, I'll be up in my room."

And if Eda noticed how Luz held her hand as they both went upstairs, she didn't say.

By the time Luz had changed in her room, Eda was already lying down in her nest, still in her dress since she was too tired to get into her own pajamas. She was on the verge of falling asleep, until Luz had appeared in the doorway in her pajamas holding a large pillow and her sleeping bag. She looked unsure of herself until Eda sat up and nodded her head, gesturing for Luz to come in.

The kid eagerly walked over to the nest, already trying to scramble inside, albeit very clumsily. Eda snorted at the adorableness of it all, but reached out.

"Hey hey, slow down there, kid. Let me help you with that." Eda tried, keeping her voice soft so she doesn't wake King.

Luz shook her head. "Nooo, I'm fine. I can do it. The walls of the nest aren't that high…" Her words were slurred. She obviously was already getting tired, the grip on her stuff weakening. But the witch wouldn't give up.

"Luz, really. You're tired and you're carrying a huge pillow plus a sleeping bag. You could easily trip." Eda insisted, reaching a hand out. "And trust me, you don't wanna pass out on the floor."

"I'm fiiiine." Luz yawned.

The witch rolled her eyes at the stubbornness and took the pillow, placing it in the nest along with the sleeping bag, surprising Luz, but she didn't protest.

Said human girl was about to climb in when two bony hands grabbed her arms and yanked her up and inside with a surprised 'oh!'

"C'mon kiddo, get in here." Eda said, releasing her and allowing the kid to get comfortable while adjusting her position herself. Now they were both laying on their sides, facing each other.

"Hey…" Luz yawned again.

"Hey." Eda whispered tiredly. Next to her, Luz was all tucked inside her sleeping bag, one hand hesitantly sticking out, as if reaching out to her. Eda didn't know why, but she stuck her hand out, close enough to Luz's.

The events of the day were, to say the least, exhausting. From Gwendolyn visiting, to the old woman making things worse, to Lilith getting more and more stressed by her presence leading to the curse affecting her, to both sisters transforming, to Lilith leaving after weeks of living there.

But as usual, it all worked out okay in the end.

"Well...sleep well, Eda." Luz murmured, and within a minute, she was asleep.

"You too, kiddo."

"AH!"

Eda bolted up in her nest, shaking and breathing heavily. She looked around frantically, making sure she was truly safe.

So it was one of those nights tonight.

Eda had that dream again. The one where things had gone...differently during the bridge duel. The witch suppressed a sob and hid her face in her hands as the horrible images replayed in her head.

Luz was thrown over the side of the bridge, like usual, except...Eda couldn't catch her. Luz had, to her mentor's horror, been impaled by the spikes, screaming out in pain as she bled out while Eda was helpless to watch the poor girl die while she herself had succumbed to the curse.

There was nothing she could do.

The witch took some deep breaths, trying to remind herself that it wasn't real, that her kid - Luz was fine, she was safe, they were all safe and -

Next to her, Eda heard the sounds of rustling of fabric and soft crying. It was Luz. And she was tangled up inside her sleeping bag, tossing and turning. Her face was scrunched up in discomfort, and she seemed to be fighting something only she could see.

"Luz?" Eda called out softly, taking Luz's shoulder and shaking it. The writhing girl had tears coming down her cheeks, and started kicking out. "Luz?!" she said, alarm creeping into her voice. "Hey, wake u-"

Suddenly, Luz stirred awake, eyes wide with fear. She tried to sit up, but was trapped by her zipped up sleep cocoon, making her begin to panic and breathe heavily. The girl didn't know what was going on, but whatever was binding her down, she wanted out.

The sight of it made Eda's heart crack. So she quickly unzipped the damn thing, freeing the panicking kid. She helped Luz into a comfortable sitting position, curling an arm around her shaking body.

"Luz, hey, it's okay, it's okay. You're safe. I'm here," Eda says, pulling Luz close as the girl snuggled closer in return, burying her face in her chest. "Easy there."

"I-" Luz choked out as she clung tight to the back of the witch's dress. "I-I can't- Mamí -"

Eda held her tighter and tried to ignore the feeling that came with what Luz just said. "Shh, shhh, mama's here, you're safe, kid," She repeated, combing a hand through the girl's hair over and over. "Jus-just breathe, okay? I got you." She could feel her own throat tightening, and the tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. Whether she was comforting herself or Luz, she didn't know. Luz needed her.

"I got you…"

As Eda cradled and rocked Luz in her arms, she felt the way her human shook with sobs, and it broke her heart. She knew what it was like to wake up scared and alone, and she;ll be damned if her kid went through the same. All she could do was hold Luz close and tight like her own child and try to help her.

At the same time, Eda was just glad Luz was alive. She wouldn't forgive herself if anything had happened to her. The child - her child at this point -, although scared and crying, was enough to reassure her that she was safe. That they were both safe.

Shit, kid, I wish I knew how to make this all go away.

"Eda…?" A small, scratchy voice squeaked.

Eda looks down at the girl, pulling away only a little bit, keeping her arms wrapped protectively around her. "Hey, kiddo." she says softly. Luz looks back up at her with tired, glossy eyes. "You okay?" She asks, even though it is a stupid question. Of course she isn't okay.

"Mmh." Luz responds. "I don't know…"

"That's okay," Eda says, adjusting Luz so that her head is resting on the witch's shoulder.

A small smile forms on Luz's face. "You're alive."

Eda nods. "That's right." So are you.

"I'm glad…" Luz murmurs. Then her eyes widen. "The dream - it was the bridge again, I-I was on the…a-and you were…" She squeezes her eyes shut and burrows close to the witch, going in for another hug. "I'm sorry."

Eda's breath hitches and she returns the embrace easily, because for Titan's sake, she needs one too.

"Oh, Luz, it's okay…" Eda rests her cheek on top of Luz's head, holding her tight once more as she tries to hold back tears. "I'm here."

"I know it's just a dream, but I was so scared. It could've been real."

"I know, but it's over. We're all okay, thanks to you." Eda reassures, continuing to stroke her hair.

"Thank you…" Luz clings tighter. "'m sorry for waking you up."

Eda pulls back to look her in the eyes. "Don't apologize, Luz. In fact…I had the same nightmare."

"Really?" Luz gasps softly.

Eda nods. "Mm-hm. When I woke up, I really thought you were…" she stops there, not needing to elaborate further. "But I know you're still alive and well."

Because I really don't know what I'd do if I lost you.

The witch cups Luz's cheek, and Luz leans into the touch.

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Luz says, resting her head on the witch's chest.

"You won't, you won't. I'm not going anywhere." Eda promises.

After a while, Eda looked down to see Luz starting to drift off.

"You ready to try to go back to sleep, kiddo?" She asks. But Luz opens her eyes and shakes her head.

"I dunno, Eda…"

Eda grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Luz, draping the top part over her head. "Don't worry. I'll be right here, and I won't let 'em get to you. Okay?"

As Luz was laid down in the nest, a warm feeling sprouted in her chest. The way Eda's been treating her lately has been soft, kind, and… god, Eda was just being so good to her.

And it reminded her of her mother.

She didn't know how to feel about that. But it was nice.

"You're a lot like her, Eda." Luz says to the witch.

"Who?"

"My mom. You take care of me..."

Eda looks away at that, not sure of what to say. She still wasn't used to the idea of being a mother, especially after the fiasco that was her own mom's visit, and yet taking care of Luz and King came naturally to her. She won't admit it, but she likes the warm, fuzzy feeling it gives her.

"Well, I'm glad I get to take care of you," She says simply. And it's true.

Eda settles down next to Luz. "Now, let's get some shut-eye, yeah?" She says, kissing Luz's forehead.

Luz snuggles closer to Eda tucking her head under her chin, letting the older witch wrap an arm around her swaddled body.

"Good night, mamá…" Luz mutters.

The last thing she remembers before drifting off was a warm feeling of safety.