5. No secrets anymore, said the Good Witch

"But why not, dude?" Anne whined and took a big bite out of her sandwich. "I thought that would totally be your thing! Complicated codes for your mighty brain, dozens of new languages to learn, building new creative products, even whole worlds … why not?"

Marcy shook her head, but she couldn't help but smile. "Oh Anne," she moaned. "Poor naive Anne! You forgot the exhausting crunch, the management stifling all your creativity in favor of boring functionality and the inherent sexism in male-dominated fields. I'm telling you, programming isn't as great as a job as you think." She took a bite too. "Besides, I'm not sure if part-time programming would even be viable. I'm pretty sure my web comic would need to be on hiatus way more often than I'm comfortable with."

"Well, if you say so." Anne didn't look convinced, but she continued eating. Her break wouldn't last forever after all. "I still think you could do it though. You've never had any problems in school after all."

"Eeeeexcept nearly dying a few hundred times due to clumsiness if it hadn't been for my two guardian angels Anna-banana and Sashy," Marcy noted dryly.

"Didn't you tell me once that all angel names end with an -el?"

"Nah, bananael sounds just dumb." Marcy pursed her lips. "Sashyel though … not half bad actually."

Anne harrumphed. "I see how it is," she growled. Which was a bit undermined by her chewing. "Next time I see an open drain and you're hypnotized by your Switch I won't warn you."

"Awww, we both know you will," Marcy cooed and patted Anne's arm. "You are simply too nice, Anna-banana."

Anne grumbled and Marcy giggled. It was hard to believe that it had just been a few weeks ago that she had been crying in her room, mourning the death of their friendship. Admittedly, as Sasha would probably never get tired of teasing her with, Marcy was a bit overdramatic at times … though Anne certainly hadn't helped with her complete radio silence. That phone call after Sasha had talked some sense into Anne had been a complete mess, the two of them trying to out-apologize each other for five minutes straight, then moving on to telling each other all the small details of their horrible three lonely days to finally arriving at meticulously planning a whole week of friendship activities … before realizing that they both had to work and sleep too and the call ending with a beautiful shared laughter.

When Sasha had come home an hour later, Marcy had nearly knocked her over and hugged her as firm as she could and decorated both of her blonde friend's cheeks with heartfelt kisses. Only a few seconds of barely coherent thankful phrases later had she realized what she had done and looked up. She had never seen Sasha that flabbergasted and red in her face before, but to her credit the psychiatrist had regained her composure remarkable fast, laughed and hugged her back.

"See? It wasn't the end of the world, Mar-mar."

"Thanks you you, Sashy," she had answered, relaxing her arms a bit in order to be able to hug the other woman longer. "What did you say to her?"

"Oh no, that's confidential I fear." Sasha had laughed and let her go. When she had realized that Marcy had no inclination to do the same, she had sighed and patted her friend's back. "It's okay, Mar-Mar. I can't stand the thought of her not coming here anymore either."

"Yeah," Marcy had mumbled and inhaled the scent of Sasha's light perfume. "But I guess I WAS a tiny bit overdramatic. I'm sorry."

Sasha had chuckled. "Tiny bit, eh?"

"Okay, maybe more than a tiny bit," she had admitted. "Thank you, Sasha. For everything."

That had been the moment when Sasha had hugged her again. "I told you I'd take care of you, Marcy. I made a promise. And I intend to keep it."

Marcy's tear reservoir had been pretty dry after three days of mourning, but that sentence full of utter sincerity had indeed managed to wet her eyes again.

She had closed her eyes, feeling peace back then. "I love you, Sash," she had whispered.

She had been able to feel Sash flinch all over her body. Yet, after a few seconds the blonde had answered, her voice soft: "I love you too, Marcy." And then, less soft: "However, my back is starting to hurt. Could you please let me stretch?"

"Marcy? Marcy?"

Marcy blinked, reorienting herself after being thrown out of that pleasant memory. Anne had finished her sandwich and was looking at her suspiciously.

Oh right … Anne. Their reunion had been equally short and sweet. Two days after their call she had knocked on their door, and when Marcy had opened it, another hug had been the result. It had been quite different though. Her hugging Sasha had been nearly aggressive, her body signaling her that it would surely burst if she didn't convey all the thankfulness she felt to the blonde through raw, primal strength. The hug with Anne had been gentle, supported by all kinds of apologetic whispers and had lasted much, much longer. Anne had told her how confused she had felt, and admitted that she still hadn't fully grasped WHY she had reacted so harshly, and she had vowed that if something ever came between them again, she would at least give short answers in their messenger to let Marcy know that she was still listening. Marcy on the other hand – after apologizing again and again until Anne made her stop – had promised that next time she wouldn't just shut down, but give Anne the space she needed while still staying in contact. It had been "sickeningly sweet", as Sasha, who had watched some of it without them realizing, had described it. She had tried to flee, but in the end Anne and Marcy's combined strength and cunning had forced her into a group hug too.

Since then it had been great. Both of them had spent much time with Anne again … even more than before on certain days, like today when Marcy had even shown up in the Aquarium to spend Anne's break with her. So far Anne hadn't uttered a single complaint.

"Well, you can put some of your ranger skills to use then?" Anne theorized, ignoring Marcy's absentmindedness. "I mean, you weren't on Sasha's level, but you were quite fast and nimble."

"And in what field of work would that be of use?" Marcy asked back. Not that she was angry at all. In fact she enjoyed that Anne took this so seriously while for her the arguments were mostly amusing, having thought them through before. "Besides, I thought a lot about it after we came back. I'm pretty sure that the natural laws in Amphibia are more … cartoony than ours. I mean, think about it: Superficial, fast-healing wounds from deadly dangers like falling from great heights? Your phone resisting ridiculous amounts of damage? Literal magic? You and Sash worked hard to build up your skills, but I think I gained mine mainly because I was more familiar with cartoon logic and magic than you two were. And I mostly lost those skills in time when we came back here. Maybe even our calamity powers would have waned in time on this side."

"Really? I'm sorry, Marcy ..."

"Oh, don't be." She grinned. "Why would I even need the skill to shoot a crossbow with uncanny accuracy when I have two very capable protectors?"

Anne raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So that was all a convoluted plan make Sasha and me do what you want?" The brown-haired woman leaned closer. "And what if we put our differences aside and team up with each other to take down the evil queen?"

"Weeeell, you traitors would probably find out that the queen has correctly predicted all of your plans and you will fall into her trap."

Anne huffed and folded her arms, shaking her head. "Enough with this deja vu stuff, I'm getting a headache. Didn't you want to show me some of your web comic? There's not that much time of my break left."

Marcy's eyes began to glow even without calamity powers. After they had begun talking again Anne had told her that she wanted to read the whole web comic, since she wanted to get to know the whole Marcy, as she had said. Marcy had of course offered to read parts of it with her to give her a making-of, so to speak. Anne had liked that idea, but now they had used up nearly all their time with small-talk. Shit!

"Oooh damn, I thought we'd have more time! Only 7 minutes … that should be enough to go over one arc at least. But you'd have no time to see all the hidden easter eggs that way … maybe it would be better to just start and see how far we can go and then continue on Wednesday? I'm not sure. I shouldn't have wasted all that time talking about Amphibia's natural laws ..."

"Marcy, stop!" Anne commanded. Her voice sounded strict, but she was smirking.

Marcy's mouth stood open for a moment. "Oh," she mumbled. "I started rambling again."

"Exactly," Anne agreed. "And you didn't waste time." She put her hand on Marcy's arm and squeezed it in a comforting way. "Listening to you never is. Alright?"

"Alright," she said, blushing slightly. "But let's at least read one chapter. How far have you read so far?"

Anne thought for a moment. "Chapter 20 I think," she guessed. "The one where Azura meets her first companion." She looked at Marcy curiously. "I thought back then that the two have quite some chemistry. Did you intend that?"

"Let's just say I've been told that before," Marcy evaded the question, flicking through the chapters. "I wanted to keep it ambiguous. And as I predicted, some of my fans like the Good Witch and her companions as best friends and some will ship them."

"So you intentionally didn't commit to one pairing to keep as many fans happy as you could?" Anne inquired. "How sneaky, Marcy."

"Is it that bad?" Marcy asked while showing Anne the 21st chapter where the Good Witch Azura got in conflict with the corrupt major and where she had to team up with her first companion. "I mean, I think I give them enough hints to justify spinning the fan-theories into every direction."

"True, but some people would call that directionLESS," Anne argued while she studied the picture where Azura stood alone against all the town guards, fearless and elegant. "No me, I kinda like it. Rewards creativity and stuff." She pointed at the next picture. "You know, some of the poses and manners of the main characters remind me of things. This one looks a little bit like you when you aimed your crossbow … and don't think I haven't seen the similarities between this proud Hecate character and Sasha. And this snake villain whose only weakness is dying … don't know, but somehow the Core comes to mind, right?" She looked at Marcy, who was grinning sheepishly. "Am I right? Is Amphibia still present in your mighty brain?"

"Yeah, it is," she admitted. "Can you blame me? For all the bad that happened there … there was so much beauty and friendliness and adventure. How could I NOT be inspired?"

"Oh, I don't blame you, dude," Anne reassured her, tilting her head to the side and squinting her eyes. "I guess I'll find myself in there too if I read far enough, right? Can you give me a hint?" She looked at Marcy curiously.

"You … didn't realize?" Marcy asked her. Oh … she had thought it was quite obvious. Sasha too, she had figured it out after the third chapter. She had called it a successful conversion. Was Anne teasing her? But no, she seemed to be truly confused.

"No. Did I miss it?" She blinked. "I'm sorry. Look, we don't have any time left, can't you just tell me? We can read it together another time."

Marcy stared at her for a moment. Then she pointed at the central character in the current picture and watched Anne's eyes grow wide.

"Wait … Azura? Azura is supposed to be me?" Anne stared at her like she had grown a second head. "Are you kidding me?"

"Who else?" Marcy asked. Sure, Anne was oblivious to things sometimes, but this … "I mean … I based her being crafty and powerful on you when you were using all three gems. In Sprig's description you were breathtaking, kinda like a living goddess." Had Anne just flinched? No matter. "But it's not just that. I wanted Azura to have strong morals, to be brave, kind, funny, compassionate, energetic, a loyal friend ..." She paused. "All the things I see in you, Anne."

Anne stared at her. "That is how you see me?" she asked quietly and looked back at Azura. "But Azura is a perfect character … I'm far from that."

"She isn't perfect." Marcy shook her head. She couldn't believe it. Anne had saved a whole world and she STILL thought so little of herself. It would be infuriating if it wasn't so … Anne. "She is often too naive, sees the good in everybody. And sometimes she acts before thinking. And like all good heroes threatening her friends is a good way for a clever hero to make her yield." Marcy stood up. Anne's break was up, but this had to be said still. She hugged her stunned friend. "But she is all I could ever wish for in a friend," she closed her statement.

"Oh Marcy ..." Anne whispered, putting her own arms around her. "That's … I'm not THAT good."

"That's like just your opinion, dude." Marcy hugged her friend tighter. "But I DO see you like this … when I'm not ruled by my primal urges that is."

Anne giggled. Marcy found that she loved this sound more and more. Most of their life Anne had been kinda … repressed, too much under Sasha's thumb. Continuously happy she had only seen her when they were little kids and after Amphibia. And she had cared about Marcy through all this time, despite her own problems. Any kind of happiness that Marcy could give her … she deserved it, and then some.

"Boonchuy? Are you coming?"

"Yes, I'm coming," Anne shouted and ended the embrace. "I … I don't know what to say, Marcy," she turned to Marcy again. "I'd love to talk about this some more on Wednesday." She genuinely smiled at her. "Your comic seems to be even more interesting than I thought."

"Definitely!" Wednesday was the next time the two of them would meet. Sasha had excused herself because that was the only possible day that week to hit the gym … but Marcy was suspicious. She thought it more likely that Sasha wanted her and Anne to have more time to mend their friendship. Not that she minded that. "Have a nice day, Anna-banana. Till Wednesday!" She wanted to turn around and leave the Aquarium, but then she suddenly felt Anne's hand on her wrist.

"Wait!"

She turned around. And her eyes grew wide when Anne's lips briefly touched her forehead. She couldn't help but blush although it was quite chaste, all things considered.

"Thank you," Anne whispered. Marcy could nearly physically feel the thankfulness and honesty in that statement. "I love spending time with you, Marcy. Till … till Wednesday."

Marcy was still standing there like a statue when her friend had vanished around the corner. Slowly her hand touched her forehead, wiping the traces of Anne's lipstick away. She stared at her fingers and a dopey smile crept on her face. She was humming a tune when she left the Aquarium. Wednesday couldn't come soon enough!

"Seriously? You have never thought about it?"

"Books are a dying market, Anne," Marcy stated, looking at her cell phone where she and Anne had just looked through 27 chapters of her web comic. The sun was slowly going down, and she shifted. They had been sitting on this bench for quite a while now, it was getting a little uncomfortable. "I'd have to put a lot of time into writing one for just a small chance of it becoming successful."

"But your web comic is already successful," Anne argued. Why was Marcy so against this? She didn't get it. "You kinda already have a built-in fan base. I think fantasy still sells quite well, dude."

"But only certain series," Marcy countered. Then she pointed at one picture. "Ooooh, look here! Do you see it? Azura dodging the spell by ducking really looks like you in your calamity pre-attack pose, you know when your legs are bent and gathering strength like a frog before jumping."

"Wait, I really looked like that? It's not like I can see myself, you know?" Anne smiled. If it hadn't been for Marcy's boundless enthusiasm they would have probably walked back to Sasha's apartment a while ago. In these moments she was just as adorable as she had been as a teen. "Cool! I still think you'd have a chance though. I KNOW that you are good at writing."

Marcy looked at her, clearly amused. "Geez Anne, you really want me to write this book, don't you?"

"Why not? I'd buy it." She put her arm around her friend's shoulders and put the other towards the horizon in a dramatic gesture. "Think about it – shelves upon shelves with your book on it, with Azura on the cover smiling at potential readers! Azura fans in cosplay camping outside of the stores, waiting for them to open! You signing autograph … oh, wait, scratch that, you might be uncomfortable with that … and after that – movie rights!"

Marcy laughed out loud. "And you and Sasha call ME silly!" she exclaimed. "That's crazy, Anne stop it!"

Anne grinned at her. Hearing Marcy laugh always brought joy to her heart. Even after all the naughty things she had learned about her friend lately, in moments like these there was still a certain childlike innocence around Marcy like an aura. She was someone you WANTED to see happy. Maybe it was some kind of motherly instinct … yet somehow this description had begun to irk Anne lately. An image flashed though her mind and made her blush. Why had she put a kiss on Marcy's forehead? She had really been touched that her friend had modeled Azura after her. They had always been very close, but this had surprised even her. Well, at least it hadn't been a kiss on the mouth like with Sasha. THAT would have been awkward! Yeah, at least it hadn't been … that …

"Hello? Earth to Anna-banana?"

Anna blinked when Marcy snapped her fingers in front of her eyes. Had she really been that distracted?

"Where were you right now?" Marcy inquired and looked at her curiously. Anne REEEALLY hoped that the blush on her cheeks wasn't too visible. "Setting up the Azura franchise in your mind?"

"And why not?" Anne countered and leaned back, letting go of Marcy's shoulders. "I still think it's a good idea. Be honest: Do you really not want to see your name written on a book?"

"Nah, not really," Marcy declined and flicked to the next picture of her comic. Anne had to admit that Marcy was really good in making Azura look graceful. Did she really see her, Anne, like that? "I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with people out there knowing my real name. I'd probably use a pseudonym, just like with the web comic."

"I could see that," Anne agreed. "Do you have one in mind?"

Marcy stared into the distance for a moment, rubbing her chin. Anne really couldn't decide if she looked more mature like that or more like an adorable child pretending to be an adult. "Hmm, it would need to be something flowery, mysterious for this kind of work … maybe Eclipsa. Or Theselbraum. Or Featherwhyle."

Anne burst out laughing. "Dude! Where do you GET these kinds of names from?" she cried, desperately sucking in air between giggles. "Is your mind linked to different dimensions or something? I mean … Featherwhyle? Really?"

"Why not?" Marcy's expression looked offended, but Anne could tell by the tone of her friend's voice that she was really amused. "I think it would work. What's your deal, first you try to make writing books tempting for me and now you are already criticizing me? Some friend you are!"

"I'm sorry, Mar-Mar, I'm sorry," Anne laughed and hugged the other woman fiercely. When had it become so normal for her to hug Marcy? It simply felt … right. Like after their time-out due to Marcy's confession their friendship had become even stronger than before, like that was even possible. Well, as long as Marcy didn't protest … "I'll shut up about it now. But shouldn't we head back soon? It's getting dark."

"Just when it was getting good," Marcy griped, sticking out her tongue playfully, leaving open if she meant the hug or looking through the web comic further. "But actually … there is something I'd like to tell you before we go, Anne."

Anne raised an eyebrow. Marcy was very serious suddenly, and also kinda nervous. Had she done anything wrong again? If so, then she would react differently this time. She put her arm around Marcy's shoulder again. "What's up, Marbles?" she asked in a voice that she hoped would ease the nervousness a bit. "You can tell me everything. I mean it, I won't flip out this time, I swear."

Marcy was avoiding looking at her and was currently staring at her legs. She obviously was searching for the right words, and Anne waited patiently. Considering she had been pushing Marcy to become a book author right before it would have been quite hypocritical of her not to do so. "It's … about Sasha."

"What about her?" Sasha and Anne had just met up for a quick talk two days ago. She tried to meet up with her blonde friend as often as she did with Marcy, but it wasn't that easy since they both worked full-time in opposition to Marcy's part-time jobs. "You look nervous, Marcy. Did something happen with your parents?"

"No … no," Marcy denied, shaking her head. "Me and mom are still talking regularly, it's going … quite well. She misses me. Dad is still being stubborn, but … he is a lot calmer. I think he'll come around, seeing that I'm doing quite well here with your help. But Sasha … she … well … sheaskedmeoutonadate."

"Huh? I'm sorry, what was that?" Did she really hear that right? Anne felt her heart pounding a little faster.

"Sasha … asked me out. On a date." Marcy had become beet-red. Not surprising.

"A date? A real date?" Anne had to fake her excitement at least a little since she had been the one urging Sasha to do just that, but she was still surprised by it. "Wow, that's … you don't look that excited, Marcy? What's wrong?"

"It's just ..." Marcy started twiddling her fingers. "We have been friends for so long … I'm really nervous, Anne."

"Is it because of the kiss?" Anne asked. She felt very concerned suddenly. Had her suggestion maybe been a mistake? "Do you have second thoughts? Are you and Sasha not speaking anymore? Do you think about moving back to your parents? Talk to me, Marcy!"

"No, no, nothing so drastic," her friend said, seemingly somewhere between amusement and nervousness. "I mean, I was really ecstatic … at first. Ever since the kiss … I've tried to respect Sasha's decision, but I haven't been able to forget about it."

"Uuuh, more fantasies?" Anne moved away a few inches from Marcy pointedly. "I'm not sure if I want to hear any more of those." Not that images like these hadn't been popping up in her head too since that fateful night, no matter how hard she had tried to suppress them … but that wasn't important right now, she decided and suppressed the thought.

"Hah! Don't worry, I'm not willing to talk about those with you, no offense." That cause a grin to appear on her face for just a moment. "None of your business this time. It isn't even Sasha, you know? I think … I think I AM attracted to her." She blushed again. It looked so adorable that Anne had to force herself NOT to move back closer again. "And even if the date went bad … we talked about it. I agree, we would stay friends even then for sure. I was even excited … I mean, can you image Sasha in gentleman mode? Her being well-dressed ..."

"She always is."

"... her sweet-talking you and making you feel really special ..."

"Don't you live with her? Doesn't she do that already?"

"... you being in her arms, feeling completely safe ..."

"But isn't ..."

Marcy glared at Anne. "Damn it, Anne! You're ruining the moment!" Then she giggled suddenly. "You sound like you are more interested in dating Sasha than I am."

Fortunately her friend was giggling, otherwise she might have seen Anne freeze for just a moment. Her and Sasha? As if! As interesting as it would have been, considering their more than complicated past and their newer, respectful friendship, that ship had sailed long ago. If there was any true feelings for her on Sasha's side, she'd have asked her out already. There was no way this could work. … No way …

Marcy's laughing fit came to an end. "But really … dating Sasha isn't the problem. I'd have said yes immediately. The real problem is my parents."

Ah. Right. Marcy had mentioned that in the night of her confession to her. She obviously had thought about this a lot since then. "Yeeeeah," Anne groaned, searching for a mental image of Mr. and Mrs. Wu. They looked strict and demanding even in her memory. Oh, they loved their daughter, no doubt about it, but if they hadn't radically changed in the last ten years, hitting them with such a bomb after they had put their trust in you would be … unwise. "Considering that they think Sasha is just your therapist ..."

"Exactly," Marcy agreed, now serious again. "I mean, can you imagine? If the date went well and me and Sasha became girlfriends … they would NEVER believe that we hadn't planned this from the start. Or if they believed me at least, they'd put all the blame on Sasha. And I couldn't even blame them. I guess I'd believe the same thing. Even if they someday accept me living on my own, and one day I WOULD have to move out, they would never accept me being with her." Marcy's lowered her head. "I'm curious … really. But this could ruin everything."

Anne swallowed. There was a part inside of her that wanted to fuel Marcy's doubts, that wanted to tell her that this would change their group dynamic forever. Among other things. She pushed the mental image of Sasha in a pantsuit aside. But she had seen the barely hidden glances between them. She had heard the emotion when they had talked with her about each other. And frogdammit, she was a hopeless romantic!

"Listen, Marcy," she began, putting her hand on Marcy's shoulder and rubbing it comfortingly. "I know that this is your decision … but do you want my advice?"

Marcy looked at her. The sheer amount of trust and insecurity in her eyes made Anne's heart leap. "Of course, Anne. Always. You are my best friend."

"Alright. I think you should do it. No, no, no, let me speak," she interrupted Marcy, before the black-haired woman could interrupt her. "I understand your concerns. You really have thought this through, and that's a good thing. But think a little further. If you two have your date and you enjoy it, but nothing comes from it … well, then it likely was a nice experience and nothing is lost. And if it DOES work out … then the situation wouldn't be much different from now. Right now your dad doesn't think that you can live on your own, and it will take some time to convince him otherwise. And if you and Sash become a couple, then it still would take time to convince them that this isn't a one-sided seduction or a breach of trust by the both of you. Way more time, for sure, but do you think they would stay mad at you forever? Let's say for example that you and Sasha end up happy and stay together for years – do you think they wouldn't accept you eventually?"

"I … think they would," Marcy admitted, deep in thought. "But I don't know how long it would take. And I'm not completely sure ..."

"You can't be, Marbles," Anne told her. "It's just not an ideal situation. But we are grown-ups now. We have to make grown-up decisions sometimes. And that's what they don't see. To them you are still a child."

"M-hm." Marcy was staring on the ground, no doubt imagining a dozen scenarios of how this would end at once.

"I won't press you any further, Marcy," Anne concluded and patted her on the back. "It's really your decision … and Sasha's. But don't let your fears control you. That will never end well." She briefly touched Marcy's scar on her back, causing the other girl to flinch. "Think about it long and hard, find out what's really important to you and then make the decision." She touched Marcy's chin and made the girl look at her. "And no matter what it is, I will support you. And Sasha will too. Don't you ever forget that."

It was slow, but another smile grew on Marcy's face. "Thank you, Anne," she said. "That's very good advice."

"Right?" Anne laughed. "I can't believe how elaborate that was. Maybe I should be the one writing books!"

"Hey!" Marcy cried out in mock anger. "You will NOT write about Azura! She's MY intellectual property!"

"Oh really?" Anne teased her. "I thought she belonged to a Mrs. Featherwine?"

"Featherwhyle!"

"Gesundheit!" Anne stood up, still laughing. "Come on, Marcy, it's getting dark. Time to go home."

"Ah, alright," Marcy agreed, standing up too. "We can still do five more chapters or so until we are at Sasha's place."

Anne nodded. "Definitely."

"Anne?"

"Yeah?" That's when she felt the kiss on her cheek. It was short, nothing more than a quick peck really, but it still sent shocks through her system. She touched the spot immediately, staring at Marcy. "Uuuh ..."

"Thanks for being the best friend ever," Marcy said softly. "I am forever in your debt, my good witch."

That awakened her from her stupor. "Eeeh, it's alright," she answered lamely. "Let's go. Sasha's probably home already. How about we don't tell her that you just kissed me?"

"That's probably wise."

They started walking, both getting more and more excited about a date which might change their whole future ...