A/N: ...Guess who realized the reality of having Ava go with Lilith instead of back to Jillian's?

Ava dreamt of Mother Superion.

She was back in the chapel at Cat's Cradle, eerily empty with fog teasing at the corners of her eyes that made her head feel like it was bigger than anything else around her. Everything was overlaid in blue, and as Ava registered the woman standing before her at the alter like she had always been there and waiting for Ava to notice her, Ava furrowed her brow. "Mother Superion?"

Mother Superion nodded at her. Taking her hands off of her cane, she stepped closer, footsteps muted. "Ava."

"What... How are you here?"

"As I imagine how all the others get here." And even though Mother Superion didn't take another step forward, Ava had to stop herself from taking a step back.

This was wrong. Something wasn't right.

"I... No." Ava shook her head. "You shouldn't be here. You should be at ARQ-Tech, and I should be at..." She frowned. "Well, I don't know where I should be, but I doubt Lilith would take me back..." Ava gestured weakly at their surroundings, "Here."

Mother Superion nodded. The blue of their surroundings made her skin pale and drawn, the scars on her face slashes of dark purple that made Ava think about the story the woman had told her earlier. At that thought, her vision suddenly skewed, Mother Superion appearing to grow, almost like the shot of a camera rushing forward and stretching out the space around her.

Ava fought to not close her eyes, something inside whispering that if she did so longer than blinking, Mother Superion would disappear. And, no. No. Ava couldn't let that happen. Instead, she stared into Mother Superion's dark gaze, chest constricting as she fought to stop the fog threatening to move away from just the edges of her vision, curling almost like cold hands at her feet.

Why did... Why did Mother Superion's expression remind her so much like Shannon's had - ?

"Ava."

Ava snapped her attention back from that thought, gasping as, without a movement, Mother Superion was abruptly in front of her, a hand so warm it was almost burning cupping her cheek.

"We don't have much time," Mother Superion smiled gently at her, so different than her normal severe expression it made Ava's eyes fill with tears as the older woman softly tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "And there are things I want to pass on to you. So many things I wish I could pass on to you."

No. No. This was wrong. Mother Superion had to stop looking at her like that.

The fog pushed in closer, like it was moving to separate them.

"What... No... M-Mother..."

Shaking her head, Mother Superion firmed her expression, voice following as if to command her attention; as if she knew how hard Ava had to fight to stay present. "Our plan to stop Adriel failed, Ava, but no plans are ever one hundred percent guaranteed. You cannot let this failure break you. Nor can you let your choice to go with Lilith go to waste."

No, no. Ava's eyes widened. Mother Superion shouldn't be saying this. How could she know what Ava had done?

But the other woman was continuing. "Even though you made what some might call an... Unorthodox decision, I am proud of you. To reach out to our fallen sister, you are truly embodying what it means to bear the halo... And showing how you are worthy of it. How you have always been worthy of it, despite my initial reticence." Mother Superion swallowed, stroking her cheek before dropping her hand.

But when Ava reached out to take it, stop her, Mother Superion was suddenly back to where she had first been in front of the alter, the space between them lengthening even more. Ava lurched forward with the impulse to run forward, but somehow did not move at all. "No! Mother! Please don't do this!" Her cheek stung with the loss of her palm's heat.

Mother Superion looked away before she sniffed, her shoulders straightening before she placed her hands back onto her cane. She stared gravely at Ava. "Sister Lilith will need your help, and you will need hers. Even though you may walk in the shadow of devils, do not let Adriel twist your good intentions or use you. Do not let him make you give up on her. And, Ava, I ask that you do not let Lilith give up on you, either."

Ava swallowed, her voice clawing up from her chest. "I won't. I promise." Her heart throbbed, painful in her chest, the icey chill of the fog now swirling higher between them. It felt like it was encroaching, threatening to cut them off from each other, and she knew she couldn't let that happen. Couldn't let it break their connection.

So she lied. She begged. Anything to give them more time. "And you! You - you have to stay and be there for the others. Tell them that I'm okay, that I haven't run away! That I have a plan. And that just as I'm with Lilith, y-you'll be with them and we'll figure this out. We'll figure this out, together."

But when she tried to continue, opening her mouth, Ava choked.

No. No no no.

Mother Superion smiled briefly before closing her eyes, slowly shaking her head.

No!

Ava fought to stay focused on her as the fog, as if finally tired of being denied, surged up, the room, in response, rocking violently, a deafening groan crackling all around them. And even as Ava tried to reach out for her again through the upheaval, Mother Superion was suddenly pulled back, lost through the darkening blue stretching between them. Gone.

No.

Abruptly, with an almost snapping sound, Ava knew she was able to move only because her legs gave out, dropping her to her knees on the hard stone, the fog greedily rising to pull her into its clutches now that she was alone.

No no no no no!

Slowly sinking down onto the freezing floor, the fog eagerly continuing to wrap around her to pull her under, Ava, shaking, curled into herself, and sobbed for the woman she had finally realized, just like Shannon, was only here to talk to her because she was another former Warrior Nun left as a shade to speak to.

Because Mother Superion was... She was...

Dead.