Headcanoned with and beta-ed by graceonce
But I like to keep some things to myself
Her alarm had rung and she'd practically lunged to shut it off, hand slapping down repeatedly until the clock stopped its ringing, and she'd turned quickly to look over Misty, the necromancer very real and very much still in her bed, sleeping soundly. She hadn't even moved. And Cordelia could breathe easy.
Barely an hour had passed since the wild blonde had fallen back asleep, back turned to the Supreme but with her fingers tangled with Cordelia's, as if she too had been afraid she'd wake somewhere else, as if Cordelia was her anchor to the real world. The headmistress hadn't minded.
She brought the comforter up to Misty's shoulders and slipped out of the room, heading to the kitchen, steps slow. Though it made sense, the child and Misty and Papa, it didn't make sense. The idea was simple enough, the idea of a favor and its return.
She felt lightly numb. Though she had cried over the girl's death, she had never thought of the possibility of her being back, of her talking and breathing, and it made her panic lightly, the way she had no idea how to feel about the situation. Misty deserved a reaction, more than what she'd given, but she wasn't sure she could give it.
She fetched two cups of tea, green for Misty with a hint of sugar and earl grey for herself, unsure that the girl could stomach solid food, and when she opened her bedroom door, Misty was sitting cross legged on the mattress and with the comforter around her shoulders, making a mess of the Supreme's once pristine covers. She gazed the Supreme over with narrowed blue-green eyes, before finally sighing and moving aside. She'd always been able to take up the largest amount of space.
But Cordelia shook her head and sat down on the floor in front of her, holding out the mug. Misty took it gratefully, letting out an appreciative hum when the warmth hit the back of her throat.
"Are you alright?" the Supreme asked softly.
"Yeah, why?"
"You were stuck in hell," Cordelia reminded her gently. She looked away. "It might be rude of me to be asking so quickly, I'm so sorry."
"No, Cordelia, it's alright." Misty's fingers drummed on the side of her teacup. "I don't remember anything. I mean, I remember before I went, I remember goin', but I don't remember it, my time there. Which is good I guess. I don't think it was no good down there and I'm glad I'm blissfully stupid about it."
Cordelia shot her a warning look.
"I still don't understand, though. This, this pregnancy. Me bein' back. I don't understand how it all ties in together. I'm not even sure I know if I want to know," Misty said softly. She looked up, stricken. "You're pregnant," she repeated. "Actually pregnant. And it's my fault."
"Misty, it's not your fault."
"Do ya even want this child?" Misty asked quickly.
"I don't have a choice," Cordelia replied. "You're here now, and he's coming, and I'm not letting you go back."
The necromancer's shoulders fell, breath slipping out of her body. "Why would ya wish me back so hard?"
"You didn't deserve anything you got." Cordelia's gaze fell to the floor. "I told you this morning, I hadn't even thought of asking Papa, I'd wanted you back but I'd never truly looked into how to do it, I was too afraid I'd get my hopes up. So I just prayed. And I'm a coward for that. But if you're going to ask me if I regret it?" The Supreme looked up. "I don't."
"The child?"
"Getting you back."
Misty bit her lower lip, eyes sliding to the woman's waist. "How far along are you?"
"Fifteen weeks."
"Jesus Christ on a burnin' stick." Misty's head dropped into her hands, her elbows digging into the top of her thighs. "God, I'm so sorry." She threw her arm out angrily, sadly. "How can ya be so okay with this? You're fuckin' pregnant!"
"Isn't that what I wanted?" Cordelia asked softly.
The necromancer softened. "Can I be honest?"
"Always."
"I'm glad I can't remember my hell. I'm glad because we both know I wouldn't have been okay if I did," Misty began. "And because this way I can take care of ya. That child-" She pointed at Cordelia's stomach. "-is in there because of me, and ya can bet your ass I'm gonna take care of it with ya, even if I don't really understand what's goin' on, or how to raise anythin' but plants. And I don't wanna hear any protests about it."
"Misty-"
"None."
Cordelia shook her head, mouthing a 'thank you' through her gasped tears.
OOOoooOOO
It had taken a few hours, but Cordelia had calmly answered all of Misty's questions, more than happy to help her work through the hazy afterglow that was her thoughts. The day, the month, the year. It hadn't been as long as the necromancer had originally guessed, seven months give or take, but the Supreme had explained how long it felt, how hard it had initially hurt and then how it had turned into a dim pain at the bottom of her spine, prickling whenever she thought too hard, let her mind wander. The wild blonde had squeezed her hand then, sighing and murmuring how she had missed her too, no matter that time had meant nothing to her. She herself hadn't changed much, in fact, Cordelia was sure that if she'd remembered her last conversation before death, she'd have kept right on going with it. It unnerved the Supreme slightly.
The necromancer learned too much too quickly, her scowl growing at each pass of information she got, knee jiggling with anger or sadness. Madison was dead. Myrtle was dead. Fiona was dead. Witches were known.
Cordelia had asked her to stay inside her room until she herself could break the news, having told Zoe and Queenie to round the girls for a sudden school meeting, and had dug into her closet for Stevie Nick's shawl, Misty hugging it tight at the sight of her idol's gift.
She circled the room with it on, dancing on light feet, humming and smiling at Cordelia when black eyes met her blue-green ones. She paused mid-swing, suddenly self-conscious as she blushed and tightened the wrap around her shoulders, and went to sit at her side.
"I missed this. And the girls," she said softly. "Have they changed?"
"Zoe grew another inch, which is annoying. And most likely impossible, at her age. I suspect foul play." Cordelia smiled. "She's grown up so much, Misty. Her and Queenie. And Kyle's been working on mathematics and he can do basic algebra again, he's so happy. I think you'll be proud."
"I already am." Misty glanced down at the woman's stomach, something she'd taken to doing almost too many times since she'd been back that morning. It bothered Cordelia already. "Do they know?"
"I told them two weeks ago."
"Are ya gonna tell them it's mine?" Misty asked. She shook her head. "My fault?"
"It's not your fault. And I don't think so, not yet. They'd get worried about Papa, and I don't want that. The Coven is at peace again, I don't need them worrying, stressing, for almost nothing. This is my issue, his issue. Not theirs."
"My issue," Misty echoed. Cordelia cast her a long look, but finally let it slide. "Maybe ya should let them worry. Ya shouldn't carry all the stress by yourself, and ya won't let me carry it all. And this isn't almost nothing, you've been impregnated by a freakin' demon."
"Don't say that word," Cordelia begged, hand clasping at her stomach.
"Sorry, but this isn't no small frog, Delia." Misty shook her head, curls bouncing.
"We'll talk about this later, alright? For now, you're back and we'll celebrate. This can wait."
"Not for long."
"Misty, it can wait," the Supreme replied. She softened. "I'll be fine, and I'll let you help. Just don't rush me." The necromancer nodded and leaned in to hug her briefly, carefully, as if she were fragile, and Cordelia couldn't help but wish that she wasn't.
OOOoooOOO
Misty was finding it hard to leave Cordelia's side, knowing time had passed for everyone but herself, and the Supreme had watched her shuffle awkwardly at her elbow, smiling lightly at the sea of gazes watching her without much judgement, either good or bad. She'd watched Zoe squeal out and run to the girl, hugging her tight as Queenie tried to fist-bump her, though Misty failed, smashing her fingers into hard knuckles instead and divulging into giggles when the voodoo doll laughed.
She'd proclaimed her power shyly when prompted, a chorus of awe shifting through the living room as soon as she had and Cordelia knew the necromancer was relaxing, her spine softening at the sudden approval. She'd turned to grin, eyebrows up, and the Supreme had grinned back. She fought giving her a thumps-up. It was such a mom thing to do.
Kyle had brought out the alcoholic free sparkling wine for the occasion, passing flutes left and right and Cordelia accepted one gladly, Misty watching her over the rim of her own glass. The necromancer turned away only when she didn't taste the alcohol they weren't drinking.
A sudden wave of nausea passed over the Supreme and she delicately placed her glass onto a nearby table before exiting the living room, hand to her mouth. She crossed to the kitchen, black eyes on the outside world as she leaned over the sink, and waited for it to pass, breathing lightly through her nose, afraid to expand her lungs.
She shifted when an aura joined hers, but it was only the wild blonde, and she softened when a warm hand began to rub at her lower back, her head lolling forward. She hummed lightly as the necromancer did, as if they prayed together.
Cordelia wasn't sure but she'd thought she'd heard three stifled songs pass before the necromancer spoke.
"I can't believe I missed all of spring. Summer," Misty sighed shortly. "I'm back to winter again."
Cordelia glanced sideways at her, reaching over to rub the palm of her hand along her upper arm. "There'll be another spring," she reminded her. Unsatisfied, Misty turned away from the window. She kept her grip on the woman's spine. "There's always another spring," the Supreme added.
"Not always." The necromancer wriggled her nose, but seeing Cordelia's dejected look, she sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just...déboussolé."
"Misty, I don't-"
"The word isn't comin' to me." The wild blonde looked to the ceiling thoughtfully. Finally, she smiled. "My ma used to say that word. Confused. Lost. Literally without a compass."
"It's a good word."
"It's how I feel. Between the seasons and the academy, death." She looked to Cordelia. "Life."
"It's understandable. But spring is renewal, Misty. You'll be alright, I promise you that."
"Then so will ya."
Cordelia's gaze slid away and she crossed her arms, nodding. "I hope so."
"Hey," Misty tugged the Supreme's hands away from her waist and pulled her to her. "Hey, we'll get our springs together, the both of us." She smiled. "Well, three."
The older blonde shook her head and rolled her eyes lightly, but suddenly she was reaching for her nose, wiping at it. "I don't know if he'll have a spring. Is there a spring in hell?"
"Whatcha mean?"
"I don't know when Papa will take him, he said he would visit again when I gave birth to him, what if he has no spring? What if he takes him as a day-old child and he never sees the sun?"
"A baby needs its mama. I'll fight for that, and I may not know much but I know that."
The older blonde nodded softly, and she breathed in. "It's how I feel too, Misty. Déboussolé," Cordelia explained, watching blue-green eyes turn inquisitively. She nudged lightly at the girl. "It's your celebration, Misty, go back out there. Don't let me bring you down."
"Come with me," Misty said. She pulled on the woman's hands until they wrapped around her waist. "Or I'll stay in here with ya, it don't matter to me." She pressed her nose into blonde strands when the Supreme tightened her hold on her. "Ya ever waltz?"
"I'm pretty sure that's Maroon 5."
"This one's got a four four beat, it works," Misty laughed. "Come on."
Cordelia shook her head. "Can we just stand here?"
The necromancer nodded, suddenly serious. "Anythin' ya want." She gave her a quick grin. "It's true that I wouldn't want ya throwin' up all over me."
The Supreme ducked her head beneath her chin. "Shut up." She bit her lower lip. "Misty?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm so glad you're back."
"Yeah. Yeah I am too."
OOOoooOOO
"Where ya goin'?"
Cordelia turned as she fitted her jacket over her shoulders, frowning lightly at the tired necromancer walking down the hallway towards her. She fixed her hair over her collar and cocked her head to the side. "I have a doctor's appointment," she said. "For the baby. Fourth to fifth month."
"Can I come?"
The Supreme smiled lightly, taking in the girl's disheveled nature. "You want to come?"
The necromancer stood and crossed to gaze her down before she ducked to fetch her boots from beside the door, from in between a few other pairs that hadn't been put away. Cordelia watched her, knowing that the wild blonde kept her shoes down in the lobby because Queenie kept too many in their closet.
She'd moved Misty back into her old room, the council member more than happy to share with her again, since she'd come back. She'd wanted to ask Misty to stay in her room, thinking she'd move in another bed, but the necromancer stayed up so late into the night with her anyway that she might as well have been sleeping in her room. They'd fallen asleep on each other's shoulders before, Cordelia waking before dawn to make her move back into her own bed so they could both have a few hours rest, proper rest.
"I told ya, this is my charge too," Misty said, tugging on a boot.
"What do I say if the doctor asks what you're doing with me?"
"What, they don't allow friends?" The girl shrugged. "Just say I'm your sister or somethin'. The hair works."
"I guess."
Misty turned to stare at her. "Ya ain't walkin' out that door by yourself, Miss Goode, not when you're pregnant. Anythin' could happen. Don't be stupid."
"I'm a big girl, Misty."
"And that's a very small boy," Misty replied. She scowled. "You're lucky I can't drive, otherwise I would be. Is Zoe available?"
"It's eight in the morning, Zoe is asleep. That's the wrong foot."
The necromancer glanced down and smiled. "So it is." She fixed her shoes, taking a moment before she followed Cordelia out of the mansion and closed the door behind her, jumping down the front stairs and skipping to the car. The Supreme rolled her eyes when the Audi door was held open for her, but she sat behind the wheel anyway and waited for the girl to reach back to the passenger seat.
She put the key in the ignition as Misty fixed her smudged makeup in the side mirror, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she hummed lightly.
They watched the sunrise together over the city's horizon, in between traffic lights and four way intersections, and Cordelia reached over for Misty's hands, flirting with her fingers momentarily before she pulled her arm back into her lap. The wild blonde leaned towards her and took her hand back, squeezing it lightly before tangling her fingers with hers, far from letting go.
Cordelia's spine relaxed.
Misty opened her door before she could turn the car's engine off, and she shook her head, accepting the help, though she was sure she was far from tittering like a beached whale just yet.
The woman before her was taking longer in her appointment than scheduled, and Cordelia sat in the waiting room with her legs crossed and her foot moving up and down rapidly, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She noticed Misty glancing sideways at her and fought to slow her heart down, but the necromancer leaning in to speak to her only made her breathe harder.
"Ya okay?"
Cordelia nodded, but then she was shaking her head no, turning to watch the wild blonde. "Misty."
"Yeah."
"Misty what if he's not, you know-" the Supreme breathed in tightly. "Normal."
"Whatcha mean?"
"He's Papa's child," Cordelia whispered, bringing her hand up to bite at her thumbnail.
The necromancer sighed. "He's yours too, Delia."
"I never said I was right to raise a child," the older blonde mumbled back. "I'm afraid."
"Ain't that normal?" Misty asked. "To be afraid? I'd be worried if you weren't. Cordelia, if anybody's fit to raise a child, it's ya."
"Bullshit."
The wild blonde's eyebrows raised.
"What if I fail it? Him? What if I mess up so bad he turns out worse than me?"
"Ain't nothin' wrong with ya," Misty snapped back. She softened, reaching for Cordelia's hand. "I get what you're sayin', I was always worried I'd get aggressive when I grew up, that I'd get physically and verbally abusive too. I turned out alright, didn't I? So why can't he? He's gonna have an amazin' ma. Ya helped me and ya can help him."
Cordelia breathed out.
She tugged Misty with her into the doctor's office when her name was called, the wild blonde following faithfully, her smile braver than the Supreme's as she was asked to lay back and lift her shirt. Cordelia watched her fight to press her hands to her abdomen protectively, like she tended to do, and instead the necromancer rested her knuckles on the edge of the seat.
Cordelia's doctor turned, smiling as she pulled on blue gloves and reached for the ultrasound equipment. "Are you ready to find out what the gender of your baby is?"
"Sex," Misty corrected quietly. "Not gender."
"Sorry."
"Yes, I am," the older blonde said quickly. "Please."
"Still sure it's a boy?"
"Positive."
The Supreme hissed quietly when the cold gel was spread over her stomach, but her black eyes stayed glued to the screen at her side, along with Misty's blue-green gaze. They waited a moment as the woman moved the sound around, as she peered at the white and black and gray lines appearing and reappearing and shifting to make shapes.
"There's the head, the chest." She pointed them out. "Your baby looks like it's in the right position to see what it is. Let's see-"
Misty leaned forward as Cordelia craned her neck as best she could.
"You can breathe, Miss Goode, about your baby purchases. It's a boy."
Cordelia's eyes closed and she barely registered the kiss being pressed onto her forehead by a trembling necromancer, her hand being squeezed until her fingers turned cold.
"Would you like pictures?"
"Yes, yes please," Misty answered. She glanced down at Cordelia. "Zoe'll want them taped to the fridge."
OOOoooOOO
"I think he'd look good in blue. He looks like a blue kinda kid."
"I don't think you can tell from an ultrasound picture, Misty."
The necromancer lowered her hands, the photograph she'd began to tuck into her wallet three weeks before in between her fingers, and she frowned. "He looks like a blue kinda kid, Delia."
"There's a very big chance-" The Supreme paused and glanced around before stepping closer to the girl. "There's a very big chance he might be of a darker complexion. That blue would look horrible."
"A darker complexion? Like, black?"
"He's Papa's child," Cordelia murmured, fingering a shirt between her thumb and forefinger. "He could be."
"He might be light too, he's yours just as much as his."
"He's not going to be as white as me. Not that blue."
Misty shrugged, pushing away her scowl as a dark cloud seemed to take over the Supreme. "Red would be nice," she suggested.
"Burgundy, maybe?"
"I'll go look."
Cordelia granted her a grateful smile, relaxing as she pressed the palm of her hand to the tightening skin around her stomach. She didn't care much about the color of her child as long as he was healthy, happy, for as long as he stayed with her, within her. She cared about Papa, she cared about what would happen to her baby when he took him. It bothered her to know that perhaps he would never wear the attire Misty was currently looking at a few feet away.
Her frown came back and she tried to ignore Misty's light hums of appreciation as she picked out matching socks, something the Supreme had to admit to herself she'd forgotten to even think about.
"Delia?"
The older blonde nodded, black eyes on the shelves, but she turned when the necromancer tugged on her sleeve insistently.
"I don't mean to take away from the kid or nothin', since we're shoppin' for him. But, I mean, don't ya yourself need clothes?"
"Clothes?" Cordelia echoed. "What do you mean?"
"You're showin' kinda hard, like, maternity clothes or somethin'." Misty's boot scuffed on the store's floor. "I don't know." She muttered.
"Showing-?" The Supreme glanced down at herself and she flushed. "I guess."
"Just a little."
Cordelia looked up and she mirrored Misty's teasing smile before she brushed her hand past her eyes. "God, I hadn't even thought about that. I don't really want to."
"But ya have to." The necromancer pulled Cordelia by her elbow deeper into the aisles. "Come on, I'm sure they have somethin' in black."
"Black'll make me slimmer?" Cordelia asked, light hope in her voice, and Misty couldn't help the laugh that escaped.
"I was thinkin' ya could keep the Coven's legacy goin', but yeah, slimmer works too." The wild blonde smiled. "See? Black. Oh, but they've got some nice whites too. Purple?"
"Misty, Misty please don't talk so loud."
The necromancer turned and sighed. "Cordelia, you're pregnant, it's obvious. Ya can't change that. Celebrate it, alright? Shop a little. Get an ice cream with me later."
"You're a stomach with legs."
"One who wants ya to have clothes that fit ya comfortably. I love the pants but they're probably too tight."
The Supreme nodded in admission, blushing shyly as the girl pushed her towards the shelves. She took a moment to pick out a few shirts quickly as Misty showed her a pair of black jeggings from across the way. She nodded quickly and took them from in between her fingers, and let herself be urged towards the changing rooms. Turning abruptly, Misty threatened to smack into her and she held the girl at bay with a hand against her chest.
"What about-"
"Yeah?"
"I mean," Cordelia shook her head, voice breaking in embarrassment. "I think I'm going to need, ah, bras."
The necromancer glanced down the woman's chest quickly and nodded. "I can go see what they have, if ya want."
"I don't exactly remember you usually wearing any and-"
Misty cut her off. "Doesn't mean I don't know how to shop for any." She paused to cock her head to the side. "How'd ya know I don't wear one?"
"I like black."
"Of course ya do. I'll be back, try these out okay? I'll keep an eye on the baby stuff."
Cordelia nodded and closed the changing room door behind her, listening for the necromancer's steps and sighing when they faded away. With her back against the wall, she looked through the things she'd haphazardly picked out and went to try them, pulling her own shirt off and folding it before placing it on the bench. She'd have some semblance of order in her life.
She'd barely tugged on the second sweater when Misty knocked on the door, calling her name softly, and she fixed the hem of her shirt before she opened it.
"Here, I took these since I didn't know how-" The necromancer waved vaguely at her. "-Much bigger you might get."
"Thank you," Cordelia murmured. She shifted her weight. "How do you feel about this sweater? I'm not really sure how I feel about it."
"I like it." Misty smiled. "A lot, the color suits ya, ya know? Like florals do."
"I'm not sure. I might put it back and just find something else later, I can wait another two weeks I think-"
Misty stepped closer and pressed her fingers to the woman's stomach, cutting her off with a knock of her forehead to the Supreme's reassuringly. "I like it," she repeated softly.
Cordelia breathed out and nodded, black eyes gazing into blue-green ones.
"Then I'll take it."
OOOoooOOO
They'd gone out shopping again once Cordelia's stomach began showing beneath the shirts, an inch or two at a time and with the Supreme tugging them down every few moments. The movements drove Misty crazy, even if the older blonde herself didn't realize she was doing it.
The Supreme woke still in her new blouse from the night before, opened to the third button to let her breathe, and she gazed to her side at Misty, the girl's wild blonde curls strewn over her shoulder and an arm thrown over her protruding stomach. They'd fallen asleep in front of a VHS tape, the television's blue screen now throwing lights across the dark room, hours away from the dawn.
She nudged lightly at the necromancer until tired blue-green eyes stirred, and she smiled, leaning towards her to whisper in her ear.
"Misty, darling, you should go to your room."
"'m too tired to move."
"You can't stay."
Misty raised her head high enough to stare Cordelia down, eyebrows raised, before she lowered to the mattress again. "Make me, then. Just remember you're not supposed to exert yourself, baby and all."
"Misty," Cordelia sighed. She shifted down the headboard she'd fallen asleep against to face the girl properly. "Why are you so stubborn?"
"I'm stubborn when I'm sleepy. Just close your eyes and forget I'm here," Misty hummed back.
"I can't exactly do that when you snore."
The wild blonde sat up abruptly. "I don't!"
The Supreme closed her eyes, a satisfied smile taking over. "I got you up without exerting myself. That's new."
"Goddamn it," the necromancer breathed. She rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "Fine, I'll go."
"Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah." Misty stood, threatening to fall for a moment, and took a second to lean towards the Supreme to kiss her cheek. "Sleep good, alright? Ya won't be for the next few months."
"And thank you for that vote of confidence."
Misty waved at her, hiding a grin behind her hand as she yawned, and left through the room's far door, darkened from the night outside. Cordelia shook her head and reached for the remote to turn the television off. Cloaked in black, she turned to her side to make herself comfortable, staring at a square of light from the street lights outside before she began to doze off.
The floorboards creaked and she looked to the hallway, blinking rapidly.
"Misty?"
"Yeah, sorry."
Sighing, the Supreme turned her bedside lamp on and shifted back to gaze the girl down. "You're not helping." She narrowed her eyes. "What's with the pillow?"
"Oh." Misty blushed. "I'm stayin' the night."
"And...why?"
"You're 'bout ready to pop, ya know? I'm gonna be at your side 'til then. So ya don't freak out too much when ya do."
Cordelia's eyebrow raised. "Because you wouldn't?"
"Wouldn't what?"
"Freak out."
"Nah, I'm good."
The necromancer threw her pillow onto the side unoccupied by the Supreme and crawled over Cordelia to reach it, the older blonde keeping her balanced as she did so, a hand on her hip. The headmistress pushed her lightly, the necromancer laughing as she fell to her side.
Misty tugged the woman to her by her shirt, giggling when their noses bumped into each other's, and she pulled away to push Cordelia onto her side. "I got ya, ya can sleep easy. If ya wet the bed I'll wake ya."
The older blonde threw her a wry smile, but suddenly frowned. "Misty, I'm six months pregnant. I'm nowhere near ready to give birth."
The necromancer shrugged.
OOOoooOOO
Cordelia's foot tapped on the white wooden floors.
Coming out to tell Zoe and Queenie she was pregnant had been easy. Telling the Coven had been easy. Finally admitting to her council that the child she carried was Papa Legba's just as much as hers was something that made her want to punch herself in the gut. It'd be better than the slow torture of waiting for the girls to knock on her office door.
She turned in her chair, made a 360 that had her feeling nauseous, and she righted herself behind her desk again, head falling to the surface.
She was sure she'd made some kind of speech the night before, over and over and over again, but she'd fallen asleep and she'd forgotten them all. Every version. And Misty had been too worried herself to say anything.
The necromancer sat on a chair across from her now, playing with the tassels of her shawl, matching the rhythm that Cordelia had begun with her forehead against the cool wood. Misty had wanted to let her tell the girls herself, but Cordelia had downright begged for her to at least stay in the room, and she'd obliged, though begrudgingly. The older blonde's blood ran cold at the mention of Papa's name, she couldn't imagine what Misty went through, knowing he was responsible for the seven month long memory wipe.
There was a knock at the door and Cordelia straightened abruptly, wincing at the pain running down her back at the extra weight she carried, but Misty was already standing up and opening the door for her. She ushered Zoe and Queenie inside and let them take a seat at the desk, choosing to stand against the wall instead. A vulture over the scene.
"Are you alright? You're white as a sheet," Zoe asked, a frown already finding her way to her features. "Is the baby okay?"
"Yes, yes he's fine," Cordelia replied quickly. "Don't worry." She glanced at Misty. "I just have something to admit to you two."
"He's not an IVF baby, is he."
The Supreme watched Queenie carefully, mouth opening and closing as she fought for an answer. Exasparated, she settled with "How did you know?"
"You've been way too jumpy, too stressed. Don't get me wrong, you're usually stressed but this," Queenie's eyebrows raised. "This is ridiculous. Whose child is it?"
"Don't rush her!" Zoe admonished.
"No, I called you two in here to tell you." Cordelia wrung her fingers in her lap, hiding herself behind her desk. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "This has to stay in between the four of us, alright? I can't have the girls knowing."
"Oh god, you weren't-" Zoe's hand closed over her mouth. "Cordelia-!"
"No! No I'm fine, Zoe!"
"Let her talk, Zoe," Queenie sighed, giving her a sideways glance. "Miss Cordelia, whose child?"
"It's Papa Legba's."
The Coven's council turned in their seats to stare Misty down, the necromancer's blue-green eyes trained on the ground.
"He just like, placed it in her or somethin'. For bringin' me back."
"A trade?" Zoe breathed.
Misty shrugged, shying away from Cordelia's gaze.
"He, he visited me when I was about three months, told me that he'd placed this child inside me in return of a favor, I didn't know what he meant until two weeks later. I woke up and Misty was there and, and it made sense, I think. I'd wished for her to be avenged and he listened, and he took it a little too seriously. But I don't regret it." She added, more for the necromancer than for her council.
"That's crazy." Queenie scowled. "What a fucking dou-"
"Is this going to be an issue? Is the baby okay?" the youngest girl cut the voodoo doll off, alarmed.
Cordelia nodded. "The doctor says he's perfectly fine, there's nothing to worry about, alright? I just needed you two to know, just in case something I can't possibly conceive right now happens. You're my council and-" Her eyes met Misty's and she held her stare. "And you deserved to know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."
"It's hard to let out," Queenie said. "We're just glad you did at all. We're here for you and him, you can count on that."
"Thank you," Cordelia sighed.
After hugging the two girls to her, the Supreme let them go, her black eyes on Misty as she closed her door behind their retreating figures. The necromancer had sat back down and was now ignoring her as best as possible, but her gaze kept shifting to her guiltily, a flush running across her chest.
"I thought you didn't want to help?"
"Ya were beatin' 'round the bush too much," Misty muttered. "But now it's done with. I thought ya wanted me to help?"
"I'm glad you did," the Supreme admitted sheepishly. "That was draining."
"Emotionally?"
Cordelia nodded. "I'm exhausted." She watched Misty stand and cross to her and she accepted the embrace she was tugged into, letting out a groan of agreement when the necromancer suggested a nap in her ear.
The wild blonde suddenly gasped against her, and Cordelia pulled back, alarmed.
"What? What is it?"
"Delia!" The necromancer pulled her to her again. "He kicked!"
OOOoooOOO
"God, I'm starvin'."
Cordelia's eyebrows raised and she glanced sideways so she could look at Misty properly. The girl stared up at the ceiling from beside her on the bed, blue-green eyes wide as she chewed on her lip. The older blonde pushed away the smile tugging at her lips. "We just had dinner."
"Yeah but-" The necromancer turned to watch her, elbow supporting her head. "It's like, cravin's, I don't want pasta or rice or somethin'. I want chocolate. Or toffee."
"Oh my god, Misty Day," the Supreme giggled. "Are you having a sympathy pregnancy?"
The wild blonde scrunched her nose. "What?"
"It's when you experience stress and empathy along with the woman who's pregnant," Cordelia said. "You have been complaining about back pains. And insomnia."
"Hey, that's because I'm afraid you'll give birth when I'm sleepin' or somethin'. I can't imagine wakin' up with a baby screamin' by my side."
The older blonde snorted. "Why do you think I don't sleep?"
Misty shook her head, pushing away the thought. "I'm still hungry though."
"It's midnight."
The necromancer let out a small groan before she fell back onto the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes.
"I just don't want you waking anyone up. Tomorrow's a school day."
"Are ya sayin' I'm noisy?"
"So noisy."
The younger blonde laughed lightly. "I guess I can't say no to that." She looked to the Supreme. "Ya sure I can't play no Fleetwood Mac still?"
Cordelia hummed. "The baby has ears now, I don't know if I want a second you in the mansion."
"Ya mean a third me."
The headmistress frowned. "Third?"
"Ya like 'em too." Misty grinned.
"Oh god, a Fleetwood MacFamily," Cordelia groaned. She pulled her pillow up from underneath her to hide into it, laughing dejectedly.
The necromancer pushed it aside softly, her smile light as she gazed down at the Supreme. "I like the sound of that."
The older blonde smiled back. "Me too."
Misty watched her for a long moment, leaning in, but she sobered quickly and pulled back. "Alright, bedtime. Tomorrow's a school day and you're stubborn and won't take a break. Ya need sleep. So does that kid." Cordelia let out a laugh but accepted the help when the necromancer sat her up to place the pillow back behind her. The wild blonde pulled the covers up to her chin and Cordelia gazed her over, black eyes full of mirth, as she leaned over to turn off the bedside lamp. She settled into her side, hand skirting quickly over her stomach, before placing her arm between them.
A small moment passed, darkness closing in on them.
"Misty?"
"Delia?"
The Supreme blushed and Misty could have sworn she saw her cheeks reddening. "I'm having cravings now."
The girl grinned and sat up on her knees, looking down at her. "What do ya feel like?"
"Try to stay quiet, alright Misty?" Cordelia begged. "But there's a pomegranate in the fridge."
OOOoooOOO
She watched over her students, the girls moving around her greenhouse as one, with a small smile on her face as she passed her hand over her stomach out of habit. She moved back at a soft call of 'excuse me' and one girl passed by her, holding a rather large bag of potting soil in her tiny arms, followed by two of her friends carrying trowels. They moved past other students, calling ahead and parting a way through carefully, quietly. They'd learned the Supreme's one rule easily.
Respect.
Respect of space, of each other, of the life that permeated in the plants and in the air and in the walls. Of themselves.
She sighed in the comfortable silence that moved through her kingdom, her girls speaking lowly as to not disturb their months of work. Plants could be so fickle when mistreated, yelled at. Like anyone, really. Mutual respect it was.
Her baby kicked inside her and she grimaced lightly at the pain, feeling like her liver (or was it her kidneys?) were about to be pushed out from where they should never be pushed out of, and she walked towards the nearest chair, placed there by Misty weeks before, just in case something like this happened, a sudden wave of pain or nausea.
She breathed out lightly, pursing her lips when the boy pushed again, and she nodded quickly when one of the youngest girls asked if she was alright, eyebrows together in worry. She began to turn away, but Cordelia pulled her back by her wrist.
"Honey, could you, could you go find Miss Day for me? She should be up in the living room, learning Latin with Miss Zoe."
"Or trying to," her student replied, smiling. "I'll be right back with her."
"Thank you."
It didn't take long for the necromancer to rush down the basement steps, the girl following her as best as she could, and the wild blonde paused inches away from the Supreme, winded, to take her hands in hers.
"What's up?" she asked, kneeling in front of her.
"Do you think you could take over? I'll have Zoe set up another class for you, I just need to rest."
"Ya got it." Misty nodded. "It ain't no problem." She stood and helped the Supreme to her feet, pushing her towards the student that had fetched her. "Have Miss Cordelia up in her room safe, alright?"
Cordelia wanted to fight, but another spasm had her breathless and she took the girl's hand in hers and the help she offered along with it. She knew Misty was watching her, most likely annoyed with her choice of teaching until she couldn't anymore, but the Supreme ignored her, and instead climbed, though slowly, up to her bedroom.
She fell asleep before the girl had descended the stairs back to the ground floor, and only woke when the side of the bed dipped down beneath the necromancer's weight, back from the basement and having let the herbology class go after it's allotted time.
Blue-green eyes watched her carefully, and the wild blonde pushed away her hair from her face. "Ya okay?"
"I'm fine, he's just causing a ruckus," Cordelia replied lightly. "Which is normal, before you ask."
"Yeah, I know, the doctor said so, but you're so close and all to givin' birth so, ya know." Misty shrugged. She scowled. "Ya gotta stop teachin'."
"I'm not having this conversation with you again, Misty," the Supreme said. "Don't even try."
"Ya gotta take care of yourself! The girls are fine with me and Zoe and Queenie, hell, I can ask Kyle to teach spells, he can read off of slides just fine, even if he doesn't have no magic bone in his body."
"And he will, once I've given birth and I'm really unable to teach," Cordelia replied easily.
"And how long will that last?" Misty asked hotly. "Two weeks? Three? How long till you're walkin' 'round with a baby against your chest and back up in front of the girls?"
The Supreme began to blush heavily. "If he's sleeping, I don't see the problem."
"Dear god, you're obsessed," Misty groaned.
"I can't give up on my Coven, alright?" Cordelia tried.
"Ya takin' a break isn't givin' up on the damned Coven," the necromancer muttered. "And you'd better not be about to say what I think you'll say. Ya are not your mother. You're havin' a kid, you're not runnin' away to fuckin' Europe or somethin'."
"She ran away to-"
"I don't care!" Misty snapped her hand up, stopping her. "You're takin' at least a month off after he's born. At least. More if I can convince your stubborn head."
"You won't."
The wild blonde shook her head, softening as she sighed. "I know. Ya idiot."
Cordelia smiled and Misty fell beside her, giving up. She nudged into her neck with her chin.
"Ya drive me insane."
The Supreme glanced quickly at her, fingers tightening in her sheets, and she gave her a shaky smile before looking up at the ceiling again, breathing tightly.
"Misty?"
"Yeah."
"My water just broke."
OOOoooOOO
They'd rushed to the emergency room, with Zoe trying not to go over the speed limit for long periods of time, with Cordelia trying to ignore her half handled thoughts of 'please don't stain the leather seats we're almost there oh my god-". Misty crushed the Supreme's fingers between hers, whispering it'd be alright in her hair, but Cordelia only nodded back.
She didn't feel any pain.
She'd wetted her sheets, of course, but as the necromancer had ran for the duffel bag they'd prepared weeks before and as she yelled for Zoe, Cordelia just stared down at herself. Her breathing wasn't awkward, as she'd been told it would be. She could feel her muscles contracting, her baby pushing, but the pain was dull compared to what she'd seen, heard, expected. She tried to tell the necromancer, her brows together in confusion and worry, but Misty was more frazzled than she'd ever seen her, so she left it alone and instead followed the girl down to the car, pulled along carefully.
The hospital wasn't very far, and Zoe dropped the two of them off in front of the doors. Cordelia waited sagely in the waiting room as the necromancer pushed her way to the front desk, both their IDs already in hand.
Cordelia only half listened as she sat and gazed around, the lower half of her body completely numb even though she could still move and walk, but she heard the nurse ask the necromancer if her contractions were less than a minute apart, and she watched as Misty blushed deeply and admitted she hadn't checked.
The nurse appeared at her side and she looked up into her eyes, pleasantly dazed. "First child?" the woman asked, glancing sideways at Misty.
"Something like that," Cordelia replied. "I hate to be a burden, but they are under a minute apart. My contractions?"
"Already?"
"He's coming quickly, I think." Though I couldn't explain why.
"Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. We had a woman once who began her true labor barely three hours after her water broke, she was giving birth for a day after that." The nurse signed off quickly on her clipboard and took the Supreme's hand in hers. "Alright, let's go see the doctor."
Misty followed closely behind them, bag in her left hand. "A whole day? Won't that hurt?"
"Childbirth isn't painless, ma'am."
Cordelia opened her mouth to protest but she was pushed through a doorway, and she decided not to say anything. The nurse was too busy anyway. Misty came to help her up onto the hospital bed, but she pushed her away lightly.
"I'm not an invalid, Misty," the Supreme said gently.
The necromancer shrugged, her upper half trembling as she watched Cordelia with worry written in her muscles, and she went to hold her hand and kiss her cheek, lingering there as she pressed her fingers to the side of her waist.
"You're not going to cry, are you?" Cordelia asked curiously, turning to watch her.
"I'm fine."
"You look like you're going to pass out, are you sure you don't want to wait outside?"
Misty scowled. "And leave ya here by yourself? Fuck that." She ignored the nurse's sharp glance. "Aren't ya hurtin' or somethin'?" she begged softly. "Tell me I can help."
"We just got here, Misty," the Supreme said softly. "And no, I tried to tell you when we left the academy but you're like a raging bull when you're upset. I'm not hurting."
"At all?"
"At all. Actually, I feel great." Cordelia gave her a lopsided smile. "I want to wonder why but at this point, if it's not hurting-" She broke off and shrugged. "Go see Zoe and tell her to go home, alright? She doesn't need to stay, she'll only be allowed in the waiting room anyway."
Misty nodded softly. "Just don't give birth while I'm gone, alright?"
"She has labor to go through," the nurse put in from behind them. The necromancer glanced back at her, frowning,
"You won't be gone for very long, right? She's not at the other side of New Orleans. Go," Cordelia pushed her away from her side. "If you're worried, run."
The necromancer kissed her cheek again before rushing out of the room.
"She's a little battery, isn't she."
The Supreme turned to watch the nurse. "She is, yes."
"Does she ever die out?"
Cordelia's black eyes turned to the door. "She's always fought it off."
OOOoooOOO
As the necromancer had promised months before, she'd held Cordelia's hand through her birth, even if she'd barely had to push, barely had to think the boy through her body. The Supreme hadn't had to breathe or hold her lungs in or even cry out, her black gaze steeled on Misty's blue-green one the entire time.
It was awkwardly painless and it bothered her, even if everything was going according to plan. Misty'd cut the umbilical cord with shaky breaths as cries filled the room, ignoring Cordelia's worried grimace, and had finally collapsed into a chair afterwards, head between her hands as the nurses bustled around her, cleaning and cradling the newest breath of life inside the hospital.
Unresponsive.
When the older blonde looked back to her after taking her baby from the nurses and cooing at him, she found the girl staring, hand over her mouth as her knee moved up and down rapidly. Cordelia opened her mouth to ask but the necromancer shook her head, curls bouncing.
"It's weird seein' ya without your bump," Misty murmured, moving to prop her chin on the duvet.
Cordelia smiled, fingers finding the swamp witch's in the sheets, her other hand supporting the child at her breast. The boy suckled tightly, letting out tiny whimpers that the older blonde quieted down with kisses to his forehead, and she gave him a light smile before gazing at Misty. "It's weird for me too. But I'm not willing to try it again anytime soon."
The necromancer grinned, but sobered quickly. "I'm just glad he's healthy."
"Perfectly healthy," Cordelia replied.
"Zoe'll be here in the mornin', and Queenie in the afternoon," the wild blonde informed her. "But I sent pictures already, I hope ya don't mind. The whole Coven's seen him by now."
"As long as nothing's showing."
"You're fine."
Cordelia smiled gratefully, but her black eyes glanced sideways at the hospital room door and she tugged her boy closer to her. "Have they said anything?"
Misty cocked her head to the side. "They who? And about what?"
"The nurses. The doctor. About his, you know-" Cordelia lowered her voice. "Skin."
Misty's blue-green eyes slid to the black boy sleeping in the Supreme's arms. "No. And ya shouldn't worry anyways, it ain't none of their problem and if they've got somethin' to say, they can say it to me."
Cordelia shrugged lightly, a quip at the tip of her tongue, but she yawned suddenly instead, and she glanced at Misty, surprised. The necromancer smiled and stood from her chair to press a kiss to the woman's forehead, the palm of her hand skirting across the boy's back.
"Ya should sleep, alright? Ya both need it. I'll be around."
"Can you stay?"
Misty turned, eyeing her, a gleam in her gaze. "Ya want me to?"
"I'd like you to."
The girl made her way back to the bed and waited until Cordelia had shifted to the far side before climbing in. The older blonde let her head fall to the necromancer's shoulder, exhausted, even if the birth had been painless. Her muscles screamed in the aftermath.
"Ya did good, Delia. Real good," Misty whispered to her, tightening her hold on the Supreme. Cordelia hummed back as her black eyes closed.
The Supreme woke hours later, the room plunged in darkness, and she wasn't quite sure what had woken her until she realized the boy at her breast was no longer there, most likely removed by one of the nurses. She looked quickly to one side, finding Misty sleeping there, but on the other where the crib was waiting and where the child should have been,
It was empty.
She began to panic, a light noise torn out of her throat, and she struggled to raise without waking the girl beside her. The necromancer tightened her hold on her momentarily before letting go and turning around in the bed's tight fit, spine arching out towards the Supreme.
She fleetingly wondered if something had gone wrong with her baby, if he'd been taken to intensive care, but she figured someone would have woken her, and if not an official, the wild blonde. She'd asked for the child to be kept at her side, not to be put with the other children (she wasn't quite sure why she'd done that, either to protect him or the others) in the maternity ward. She was sure he was fine, there was no reason for him not to be, but the panic in her heart only settled deeper and she rose to a sitting position, body trembling and eyes beginning to tear up.
Cordelia stood shakily, taking a moment of half-heartened sanity to pull the covers back up Misty's body, and held onto her own waist as she made her way to the door, breathing erratically and feeling as if her insides had been torn out.
The rest of them, anyway.
Sudden shadows played inside the hospital room and she blinked, and suddenly hell red eyes stared her down from the corner.
Papa Legba stood with Cordelia's, and his, child in his arms, the boy's head at his shoulder and his long nails raking down his back soothingly. He smiled at the blonde and she couldn't help the goosebumps that ran up her arms, hair at the back of her neck standing at attention.
"Please give him back," she begged silently.
He laughed at her first words, the disbelief in her voice, and he shook his head slowly as his grin widened. "Him? Is that to be his official title? Give me his name."
"We-" Cordelia breathed in. "I haven't picked one yet."
The demon tsked lightly, almost as if he was annoyed. "He needs a name."
"Maybe you have an idea?" she replied forcefully. She regretted her action for only a moment, because soon the man was laughing again, ignoring her outburst.
"I'm sure my girl there had an idea?"
Cordelia bristled lightly at his possession of Misty. "We didn't talk about it."
"No, no she had a name. She was scared to mention it, it was too close to me, the connection too real," he said, smiling. "She was ashamed." The Supreme glanced back over her shoulder at the girl. She didn't shift.
It seemed that neither the necromancer nor the child could hear the loa's rumbling voice, she slept on and so did he. It personally reminded her of thunder and she so desperately wanted to close her eyes, but the boy in his grip prevented her from doing so. She held her arms out for him but Papa ignored her again.
"You will do well to raise him right. I'm sure I can trust you with him."
"You didn't tell me I'd keep him-!"
"And now you know that you will," Papa replied easily. "I will be back for him, someday. I would like him to be perfect."
"And when will that be, exactly?" she asked, fingers shaking again.
"Oh, that isn't an easy answer to give. Not a temporal one." He wagged his forefinger at her. "When he is ready to cross through the netherworlds at will, I will take him." He gave the boy's forehead a kiss. "Janjak," he breathed, voice smooth, like water over jagged rocks. "It's a good name. Have your hand stay still when you write it on the certificate."
"And who do I write in as the father?"
Papa Legba looked up, amused. "A ghost."