Equilibrium 8.1
Taylor and Rachel made their way down the empty hallways of the Labyrinth. Every other step echoed with the impact of Taylor's prosthesis against the cracked tile.
"You want to talk about it?" Taylor asked eventually.
"No," Rachel bit out. "Assholes."
Taylor just nodded. They walked in silence for a while.
"Might need somewhere to keep the dogs," Rachel said suddenly. "And food and supplies and shit."
"We have space. Feel free to clear out any part of the Hospital you want to use," Taylor said. If Rachel was joining her in truth, then Taylor would support whatever she needed. Plus, the idea of her infinite Labyrinth housing a pack of bestial guard dogs was… pleasing. "I'll do a supply run and steal whatever you need tonight."
Rachel nodded.
They reached the ethereal door to the dog shelter.
"I have a guest at the Workshop currently, but I'll stop back by later to see what we need," Taylor said.
Rachel reached out and clapped a callused hand on her shoulder. They were almost the same height, Taylor's whip-thin physique and long midnight curls contrasting with Rachel's broad shoulders and ragged fit.
"Thanks," Rachel said roughly.
Taylor let her mouth curve up slightly at the edges. She wasn't sure why Rachel didn't like her smiles, but it wasn't a difficult adjustment.
Acquiring a following hadn't been something she considered when she started out, but… maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world. She was the first Hunter, but she didn't necessarily have to be the last.
"You said you trust me, and I take care of what's mine," Taylor said.
Rachel's stare was heavy, and Taylor met her eyes with unflinching intensity.
"Welcome to the Hunt, Rachel."
…
It was strange, being here without Taylor.
Amy's eyes wandered over the multitude of flickering candles, and the various hanging bodies.
They weren't exactly labeled, but she could pick out some of them.
Kaiser resembled an overcooked steak, and the two halves of Hookwolf each got their own… hook.
The thought made Amy snort, even if it was stupid as fuck.
The delicate glasswork of Taylor's equipment sparkled in the candlelight, reflecting and throwing strange ruby patterns on the walls.
On the far side of the room, the ritual altar sat below the huge, bloodstained rune.
The same symbol that marked Taylor's forehead.
It couldn't be a coincidence, but Amy wasn't sure about what it actually meant. Taylor had a thing about her scars, but she never explained the brand aside from the bullshit she fed Vicky.
Amy hadn't ever actually asked, though. Maybe she should.
The chalice crafted from Cricket's skull stared at her from across the room. Its empty eyes seemed entirely too dark, even in the warm glow.
"Let the blood be the Hunter's nourishment."
Something about the eldritch flames of the ever-burning candles whispered in the back of her mind. The rune on the wall seemed to leak ever so slightly.
"And let ye partake in communion."
Amy pulled the blankets from Taylor's nest around her tightly over her t-shirt, like a cloak.
It smelled like her. Like iron and smoke.
The whole place was much darker without Taylor. Cold, and forlorn. Like the Workshop itself missed its master.
Or maybe that was just her projecting again.
Taylor hadn't exactly explained where she was going. She just said she'd be right back and not to leave without her.
Like Amy was going to go anywhere. Like she had anywhere to go.
Still, if Taylor took much longer she was going to-
"Sorry about that. I didn't know how urgently I was needed, but it turned out fine," Taylor said as she strode through the doors.
Amy did her best to ignore the internal butterflies. She was supposed to be annoyed at her not-girlfriend for running off and leaving her alone in a creepy villain Tinker lab, not grinning like an idiot because she was back.
The fact that the creepy villain Tinker in question was also her not-girlfriend was irrelevant.
"Oh yeah, I just love hanging out with all the dead bodies," Amy rolled her eyes.
"I'm sure they appreciate the company," Taylor grinned and took off her hat and jacket. "Sorry, really. Rachel just quit the Undersiders, so I figured she wanted out as quickly as possible."
"Rachel?" Amy raised her eyebrows.
"Bitch. Hellhound, whatever. It's so stupid that the PRT won't use her actual name. Anyway, the Undersiders must not have agreed with our activities last night, so Rachel quit and joined the Hunt instead," Taylor said.
Amy scowled at her. Something ugly in the pit of her stomach twisted.
"She doesn't know I'm here, does she?" Amy demanded. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
Taylor shrugged and hopped up to sit on the edge of the nest lab table next to her.
"I told her that I had a guest at the Workshop when I dropped her off at her dog shelter," Taylor said. "I guess the shelter is subsidized by Coil, so Rachel is moving the dogs into the Labyrinth."
That was enough to distract Amy from the strange churning in her gut.
Am I… jealous? Of fucking Hellhound?
It wasn't fair that Taylor could do this shit to her so fucking easily.
"Wait, what does Coil have to do with anything?" Amy asked in surprise.
"Oh, yeah. I never got around to telling you about that part. Coil is secretly backing the Undersiders in addition to his mercenary crew. He also sent men to spy on my dad, and figured out my original identity," Taylor said. "I'm going to kill him eventually, but he has some kind of probability manipulation or precognition power, so I have to be careful about showing my hand too early."
Amy's head spun and she was sure that her expression looked ridiculous. Taylor had a knack for saying completely off-the-wall bullshit like it was an everyday issue that everyone ran into occasionally.
"What? He… he knows who you are? Or were? Or… Taylor, I…" Amy trailed off. She didn't quite know how to ask what she wanted to know. She took a deep breath. "I think I need you to tell me some of those long stories you mentioned, before."
Taylor stared at her for a long time. Or maybe it just felt like a long time, lost in her black eyes in the candlelight.
Then Taylor leaned in and kissed her gently, her lips much softer than the burning kisses earlier. Amy couldn't help but relax against her side, just a bit.
Taylor pulled back after just a brief moment, and it took Amy a second to remember what they were talking about.
"I told you about my former… best friend, and Shadow Stalker… harassing me, before my trigger," Taylor said slowly. Carefully. "And that they tried to kill me. Well, they almost succeeded. Would have succeeded, if I hadn't triggered."
Well… fuck.
"So… you…" Amy still wasn't exactly sure where Taylor was going with this.
Obsidian burned darkly in the dim glow.
"My original civilian identity is dead, Amy," Taylor said softly. "I've been to my own grave. That's why I don't go to school. That's why I live here. It's the reason I'm currently in the process of fabricating Anne Callahan from thin air. My name was Taylor Hebert, and she died a month and a half ago."
"Holy shit," Amy breathed.
"Yeah," Taylor sighed, letting her hair fall around her face as she braced her elbows on her knees. "I couldn't… I couldn't go back. When I found out everyone thought I was dead, it was just… easier, to start fresh. Better. My life… It was pretty shitty. I know some people obviously have it a lot worse, but… I didn't want to go back."
"Does anyone know you're still alive?" Amy asked. "Aside from Coil, I guess."
"My father knows. He thought I was a ghost or something, when I showed up. Well, thought I was a home intruder, at first. Almost brained me with a baseball bat," Taylor chuckled darkly.
"Is he…" Amy started.
"He's helping me. He's staying with some friends right now, because I kind of blew up our house after the whole Shadow Stalker incident…" Taylor said, a bit sheepishly.
"You blew up your house?"
"It seemed necessary at the time, okay?"
Amy laughed and let her head fall sideways onto Taylor's shoulder. Taylor might be insane, but it kept things interesting.
"Anyway, he's been remarkably cool about everything," Taylor said. "It wasn't the same, before, with Mom gone… but something about thinking I was dead shocked some life back into him. It's been… good. For both of us."
Amy frowned.
Must be fucking nice, to have someone who gives a shit.
Taylor obviously did, though. And Vicky.
It still wasn't quite the same as having parents who actually wanted her.
And now she was making Taylor's shitty life story about herself. Great.
Real fucking stellar girlfriend behavior there, Amy.
Not-girlfriend. Whatever. What the fuck was she even doing? Taylor deserved something more than being an outlet for her jealous, obsessive, fucked-up fixations. Deserved better than being a fucking replacement since she couldn't have Victoria.
Not that it would be enough to make Amy stop, obviously. Just enough to make her fucking hate herself while she did it.
Why am I like this?
Amy shoved all of that into the 'don't think about it' box.
Instead of continuing her self-destructive spiral into the fog, Amy turned her head and kissed the exposed skin on the side of Taylor's neck.
The overwhelming galaxy of ethereal stars danced behind her eyelids, as always. It did an excellent job of driving away the knives.
So fucking beautiful.
The feeling was wonderful, and it made something in Amy's chest hurt at the same time.
Through her biosenses, Amy could feel the goosebumps race up Taylor's neck and the blood rush beneath her skin.
The chemical reactions in her brain looked like fireworks.
At least I know she likes me. Even if I don't like myself.
The sound that slipped between Taylor's teeth was like fucking heroin. Not that Amy would know what that felt like, but she assumed it had to be similar.
Amy pulled back and let her breath wash over Taylor's flushed skin.
"Thank you, for telling me," Amy said quietly. "And I'm… sorry, that happened to you. It's not fucking fair, and you didn't deserve it."
I don't deserve you, either.
Taylor twisted to face her, and her onyx eyes blazed with the same fire Amy saw sparking in her nervous system.
"It might not be fair, but I wouldn't trade it for the world," Taylor hissed, leaning in and easing Amy back until she was lying on the lab table, still wrapped in one of the blankets from Taylor's nest.
Amy's heart pounded in her chest and her face felt entirely too warm.
Taylor's thin fingers threaded themselves through her hair and then closed, holding her head still in an iron grip as Taylor loomed over her.
"I wouldn't trade any of my scars for an easy life," Taylor whispered, her words and heat flooding under Amy's skin. "Wouldn't change anything, because it got me here."
Amy squirmed and gasped involuntarily as she felt Taylor's breath on her neck. She could feel the lines of Taylor's wiry steel body against her own.
The body she made for her. Twisted and sculpted like a masterpiece.
Taylor's lips pressed against her throat, and Amy's world was consumed by the galaxy of spiraling stars that pulsed with Taylor's rapid heartbeat.
The heart caged in iron, that Amy created.
Taylor pulled back enough to meet her eyes again, black oil burning in the dim light of the Workshop.
"Because it got me you," Taylor breathed.
In the small sliver of Amy's mind that wasn't on fire, it occurred to her that she definitely wasn't the only one with the unhealthy, fucked-up fixation.
And she definitely wasn't complaining, right now.
And then Taylor's lips claimed her own, and she couldn't think about anything at all, for a long time.
Nothing but fire, and starlight.
…
"You need to steal a mattress," Amy groaned. Taylor couldn't help but admire the view as she stretched. "Some of us don't have indestructible bones."
"I'll get right on that," Taylor grinned at her from across the lab table as she checked the status of her current distillations.
Amy's shirt was rumpled and her frizzy hair was even messier than usual, but Taylor liked it. It was also cute how she wrapped herself in the blanket from Taylor's nest.
Amy shot her a crooked smile.
"I can just imagine you, running from security guards with a fucking mattress on your back. I'd prefer one without bullet holes, if it's all the same to you," Amy said.
"You think you're joking, but that's pretty much what happened at Medhall. It was a shitshow," Taylor replied. "I had at least twenty security guards shooting at me, all while trying to run and keep a hold of the centrifuge and the spectrophotometer. It was completely ridiculous. I have gotten better at stealing things, since then."
"Uh huh, sure you have," Amy's smile became more authentic. "Aside from grand theft mattress, do you have any villainous plans tonight? I'm not working, so feel free to massacre the innocent populace."
"Nothing that sinister," Taylor laughed. "Just going to steal some supplies for Rachel's dogs."
"You're kind of shitty at being a villain, you know," Amy walked around the lab table and wrapped her arms around Taylor's waist from behind.
She felt Amy's head rest against the center of her back. The casual touch was electric, and Taylor liked it far more than she should.
Not that Amy had complained about any of the other-
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm great at being a villain," Taylor protested, gesturing at the multitude of draining bodies. "I killed two hundred people last night. The heroes are too scared to even try to bring me in. I'm a very villainous… villain."
Amy laughed at her, and Taylor couldn't help but smile too.
"You rescue literal puppies and shit. Totally classic evil villain behavior," Amy's sarcasm was muffled by Taylor's vest.
"You never know, maybe Bonesaw runs around rescuing puppies in her free time," Taylor said.
She felt Amy tense against her back.
"Don't joke about that. I don't want to think about them coming here," Amy said in a low voice.
"I'll cut them to bloody pieces and drink their blood if they show their faces here, don't worry," Taylor said. "It would be kind of funny if they got stuck in the Labyrinth."
Speaking of which…
"Shit, I forgot about Alabaster again," Taylor grumbled.
"What?" Amy asked.
"Alabaster can't fucking die, so I tossed him in the Labyrinth. I wonder where he's wandered off to," Taylor turned to face Amy and wrapped her long arms around her. Feeling Amy melt into her chest was better than any blood vial.
"You have an immortal Nazi wandering around in your Hospital?" Amy blinked up at her.
"I'll hunt him down and see what I can do with him eventually. I don't know how his power works, but he might keep generating infinite blood. That would be pretty neat," Taylor mused.
"No. Bad Taylor," Amy frowned at her, although it wasn't an entirely serious expression. "Keeping people in perpetual torment as infinite blood bags is definitely shitty villain behavior."
"I thought I was a shitty villain," Taylor smirked. "Should be well within expectations, right? Besides, he's a Nazi."
"So go kill him, or something," Amy groaned. "Or if you can't kill him, at least, like, throw a pumpkin into his enclosure for some enrichment, or whatever."
Taylor laughed a bit too hard at that, but at least Amy was laughing too.
"I guess I could just let Rachel's dogs loose in the Labyrinth," Taylor said between fits and gasps.
"No!" Amy was also having trouble speaking. "That's even worse! He might give the dogs indigestion!"
And now Taylor was wheezing again.
"I'm sure a blood vial would handle any bad reactions to immortal Nazis," Taylor said as their broken giggles subsided.
"Wait, you gave the dogs blood vials?" Amy asked suddenly.
"Yeah. Brutus would have died otherwise. I didn't exactly have another option," Taylor shrugged.
"And have you noticed any… changes?" Amy said warily.
"He got a lot bigger than usual when Rachel used her power on him afterwards," Taylor said. "I actually forgot to ask her about that."
Amy pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Taylor. I shouldn't have to tell you that injecting animals with unknown Tinkertech concoctions that may or may not interact unpredictably with other parahuman powers is a terrible fucking idea!" Amy complained.
That had, in fact, occurred to her. There just wasn't much she could do about it.
"I'm sure it will be fine. Brutus seemed alright, and it definitely helped him fight Hookwolf," Taylor said.
"That's not the point! Messing with biology like that… it has consequences!" Amy ranted, pulling herself free of Taylor's arms and pacing across the lab. "Remember my whole spiel about accidentally ending all life on Earth? Do you think I'd be like this if it wasn't terrifyingly easy to set off a chain reaction that destroys everything?"
"It's ending anyway!" Taylor clenched her fists and felt her steel bones creak.
She was trying her best not to get annoyed, but Amy was overreacting. Amy had been holding onto what she considered a curse for far too long, and its roots ran deep.
"You've seen all the same shit I have. The Endbringers, the warlords, the Nine, the gangs. Fucking quarantine zones and just…" Taylor trailed off. "Nothing's going to get better if we don't have a little faith. I don't know how the fuck my powers work, but I really think it can make things better!"
She remembered the way the full moon sang within her.
"What if it doesn't, though?" Amy threw her hands up helplessly. At least she wasn't trying to break Taylor's lab equipment yet. "What if you just start yet another spiral that makes everything worse?"
"Then it doesn't fucking matter!" Taylor ground out through clenched teeth. "If it was all going to fall apart anyway, then why not give it a fucking try? Worst case scenario, we hit the finish line a bit quicker. Best case scenario, we actually make a fucking difference for once!"
Do not fear the Old Blood.
Taylor unclenched her fists and leaned over the lab table, thin fingers splayed flat to avoid crushing the epoxy.
"I just want to matter," Taylor whispered into the silent workshop. "Is that too much to fucking ask?"
It was quiet, aside from the drip, drip, drip, of the titration apparatuses.
She felt Amy's hand on her arm, hesitant and unsure, and she resisted the urge to flinch away.
Amy deserved better. Better than this broken half-life Taylor had dragged her into. Better than all the blood and death and nightmares.
Not that it would stop her from continuing to pull Amy deeper, though. It was too late, and Taylor was too selfish to let her go, now. Not unless Amy asked her to.
And maybe not even then. Hopefully she would never have to find out.
"Okay," Amy said quietly.
Just one word.
Okay.
Warmth bloomed in Taylor's chest and she looked down at the strange mix of terror and determination in Amy's dark chocolate stare.
"Take what you want, and make no apologies," Amy said. "Right?"
Taylor smiled.
"Right," Taylor reached up and ran her fingertips down Amy's cheek. Her freckles and blush were so fucking beautiful. "I…"
Taylor swallowed and blinked. Her chest felt strangely tight.
"I'm just really, really happy you're here," Taylor said. Her voice sounded oddly choked.
Amy smiled at her. Not the halfway, forgot-to-frown smile, but a real one. With just the slightest mischievous edge, as always.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Amy said, reaching up on her toes and pressing a kiss to Taylor's throat.
Then Amy bit her, hard, and Taylor hissed inarticulately with surprise and pleasure.
"Because it got me you," Amy whispered.
Maybe Amy did need this as much as she did.
And maybe that was okay.
…
"We need to get the Workshop better equipped, somehow," Taylor rambled as she paced between the lab tables.
It was… nice, seeing her focused like this. Satisfying. Usually, Amy just saw the outcome of her insane antics. Now she got to be a part of the planning, for better or worse.
She sat cross-legged on the table that served as Taylor's nest, rewrapped in one of the blankets. It was comforting, and it still smelled like Taylor. Her not-girlfriend was too busy being a manic mad scientist to cuddle right this second, so Amy had to put up with a pale substitute for the actual smoke and blood and-
"More Tinkering supplies?" Amy raised an eyebrow.
"Not necessarily. Just… the basics of life, you know? We have an unassailable fortress, but no running water," Taylor said. "We need to be able to retreat here indefinitely, just in case."
"I have no idea how the fuck plumbing works," Amy said.
"Victor did, but his skills aren't… complete. Plus, it's not exactly my Tinkering specialty. I might be able to rig something up, rainwater or whatever, but it would probably be shitty and inefficient," Taylor grumbled. "It would be easier if we could just hook it up somewhere, but…"
Taylor stopped and then smacked herself in the forehead.
"The Labyrinth. We have an infinite fucking Labyrinth that can go anywhere, and I'm worrying about getting water from fucking rain," Taylor groaned and eyed Amy critically. "If I open a door somewhere, do you think you could grow living pipes through the Labyrinth from the door to the Workshop?"
"Living pipes?" Amy said incredulously, even though she could feel her power buzzing pleasantly in the back of her mind.
It had been doing that a lot more often, lately. She didn't know whether to be concerned or not.
"Yeah, out of bone or wood or something," Taylor said. "It would save me a lot of material and welding."
That was actually… very much possible.
"I hadn't… thought of that before, but yeah, I guess," Amy said, even though the idea made her stomach twist.
I agreed to this. Fuck it, end the world, etc, etc, right?
At least it would increase the chance of Carol dropping dead if she ever found out.
"Okay, so I need to open a door and… scratch that, open several doors. We don't want to be shit out of luck if one of our access points is discovered," Taylor continued. "And then we'll run the pipes and the electricity that way. Gas too, if we can manage it, although that's easier to steal. But to open the doors, we'll need…"
Taylor eyed her critically, and Amy wasn't sure she liked the look on her face.
"What?" She demanded. The spark in Taylor's black eyes was only a bit unhinged. It was as exciting as it was scary.
"I can only open doors to places or people I care about. Which means that I can open a door anywhere you are, in the real world," Taylor grinned. "I think Panacea should take some field trips. Maybe to the PRT building? And the PHQ?"
Amy blinked at her.
"You're insane," Amy said.
Taylor laughed.
"That has been well established," Taylor grinned. "You could also go to an out-of-the-way utility distribution center, but I can send Rachel for that just as easily. I can't exactly send anyone else to the PHQ, though."
Amy couldn't help but smile back.
"Is that all I am to you? A glorified magnetic north for your creepy stalker lantern?" Amy drawled.
"You're a very pretty magnetic north," Taylor replied, then her face suddenly became more serious. "What do you want to be, to me? You can be whatever you want."
And just like that, Amy's stomach flipped and her heartbeat echoed in her ears.
How does she do that so easily? It's not fair.
Amy knew what she wanted. It was selfish, and overdramatic, and definitely not fair since part of her was still broken over Victoria, but she didn't fucking care. And Taylor didn't seem to care either, so she let herself give in to the impulse.
"Everything," Amy said. "And also your girlfriend, I guess."
Taylor blinked for a moment before a wicked smile spread over her face again.
"I think I can manage that," Taylor said.
"Good," Amy said in a deliberately casual tone. "Because thinking of you as my 'not-girlfriend' was getting annoying. Glad we cleared that bit up."
Taylor choked on her next thought and Amy couldn't help but laugh.
It was nice being the one to throw Taylor off her rhythm, for once.
"Right," Taylor recovered. "So aside from valuable access points, we'll also need-"
Amy's phone buzzed.
V: Team meeting in ten. Where are you?
It was a good thing Amy actually checked her phone. If that had come in an hour ago, she may have been… distracted.
A: At Anne's. Meet at home?
V: I'm at the mall. Meet here? That way Mom doesn't ask questions?
"Shit," Amy said. "I have to go to the New Wave meeting, and I need to meet Vicky at the mall. You don't have a doorway there yet, right?"
Taylor bit her lip and hummed thoughtfully.
"Victoria is already at the mall though, right?" Taylor asked.
"Yeah, that's what she said, anyway," Amy replied.
"I guess it's time for you to take communion, then," Taylor said, grabbing a bottle of thick, especially bright ruby blood off of a shelf.
"I never actually agreed to the whole 'drinking blood' thing," Amy said, her stomach clenching unpleasantly this time. "And how will that help, anyway?"
"Once you're linked to the Labyrinth, I'll be able to find anyone who's important to you, too," Taylor said. "I'm assuming that includes Victoria."
If only she knew.
Amy would probably tell her, someday. When it hurt a bit less. And didn't make her want to die.
It would also mean that Taylor always had access to Victoria, which was… a bit concerning.
"You won't hurt her, right?" Amy asked. It was a stupid question, but she had to make sure.
"No, of course not," Taylor said seriously. "I know you love her. I would die before I hurt her."
The thought of Taylor letting Victoria kill her just to avoid hurting Amy was… horrifying, in so many different ways.
Amy couldn't quite bring herself to protest, though. It was Vicky.
"Okay. Give me the damn cup," Amy grumbled.
Taylor's grin was only a bit smug as she handed over the ritual chalice.
Let the blood be the Hunter's nourishment.
The flames at the altar burned an otherworldly white.
And let ye partake in communion.
Amy drank the clear ruby ichor as quickly as possible.
It tasted good, and that somehow made it worse.
Amy wiped her mouth and grimaced.
"I don't feel any different," she said. "Am I supposed to?"
Taylor shrugged.
"Rachel didn't say anything about feeling different, just that now she can find the doors to the Labyrinth without getting lost. I always know where everything is, but I also have the lantern," Taylor said.
It was annoying that Hellhound got to take communion first, but Amy let it go. Taylor was hers.
"Whatever. Can you see Vicky?" Amy asked.
Taylor raised the lantern, and her face fell strangely slack.
"Yes," she said faintly. "It's like staring at the sun."
Oh.
Well… shit.
Amy knew the feeling, but it wasn't exactly ideal right now.
"You can find her, though, right?"
Taylor blinked and looked down at her.
"Yes. I'm pretty sure I could find her with my eyes closed," Taylor stared at her for a long moment. "She's… really important to you, isn't she?"
It felt like getting carved open with a rusty steak knife, but Amy nodded anyway.
"She's my favorite person," Amy said. She sounded broken, even to herself.
"Okay," Taylor said softly. She reached out and cupped Amy's chin. "I'll keep her safe, for you. Don't worry."
Amy wanted to cry.
But she nodded again, despite… everything.
Because Amy knew, deep down, that she would still burn everything if Victoria actually loved her back.
But she never would. And Amy had to live with that, somehow.
"Thank you," Amy whispered.
Her phone buzzed again.
V: Are you coming? We're gonna be late
A: Almost there, one sec
V: Tell Anne to step on it
Amy snorted, and it came out a bit watery.
"We have to go. I'm going to be late for the meeting," Amy said.
Taylor nodded, but she pulled Amy against her and forced Amy's head back until she was falling in obsidian pools again.
"Is this okay?" Taylor asked, her stare searching as she hovered an inch from Amy's lips.
And despite everything, Amy knew what she wanted.
"Yes, please," she breathed.
Taylor kissed her, hard. Her lips were hungry and desperate as they devoured her, and Amy felt like she would shatter from the force of Taylor's longing and her own shitty, broken, fucked-
And then Taylor pulled back and Amy was gasping for air again, the stars fading as Taylor set her down.
She hadn't even noticed her feet had left the floor.
Amy didn't want to go back to her real life, after the last few hours of blissful escape.
Taylor opened the door of the Workshop, the endless halls of the Labyrinth waiting beyond.
"After you," Taylor smiled at her.
Amy really didn't want to go.
But Victoria was waiting, and Amy wasn't ready for her house of cards to collapse just yet.
So she left the comforting candlelight of the Workshop, back into the dark.
…