Come together: Rebirth

[Black Widow]

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Haleigh sent Cameron a text just to touch base and put his mind at ease, and then she sent a little something to jog his memory, just for fun. Then after relieving herself, she washed up and leaned into the mirror to check the smudge on her eye makeup. Satisfied with that, she reapplied some chapstick, and then she unzipped the top of her battlesuit about a third of the way. Now that there was no risk of getting ZARKED by Hecate for breathing too loudly, it was nice to let the girls out a bit.

When she followed the sound of voices back to where Morgan, Blaze, and Beto were, she was a bit surprised at what she was hearing. Brenthon was saying he could sense Blaze’s emotional heat, and that a part of him wanted to test her. That admission could’ve been written off as flirting, if not for his next comment, that his motive was to see if she was worthy of standing next to Spellbinder. Blaze responded quite perfectly that he might get what he was asking for but it wouldn’t be what he wanted. Haleigh was a little amused at the temerity of this man, to suggest HE was the one to deem her worthy or not. He had even more to say, telling Blaze that he had encountered her many times, and that in many cases she DIED. He was trying to warn her, Haleigh could identify that. He mentioned her hotheadedness and her over-protectiveness as key factors in her repeated demise.

She knew immediately that these suggestions would not be well received. It wasn’t a surprise when Morgan cut in reactively. Haleigh said nothing, for two reasons. Firstly, she was detached enough to see the potential value to be gained from his insights, so she didn’t see a need to take it personally. Secondly, she believed that psychological strength was forged in the struggle of conflict, and that people needed the opportunity to stand up for themselves. Blaze didn’t get much room for that since Morgan charged in defensively, telling Beto that he was in her house and demanding respect, calling him a stranger and an evil one at that, and so on.

“Morgan, please!”

Haleigh interjected, in much the same tone Morgan had used on Haleigh recently.

“Have you already forgotten that he’s HERE, right now, because he dropped everything to answer Blaze’s call for help, when YOU were reaching out to pay the ferryman?”

She asked calmly. Cooler heads prevailed, and the most surprising thing was that one of those cooler heads was Blaze. Beto told them he was called to stay here, and that his loyalty was to Spellbinder, but also that he’d pull no punches. Blaze responded in equal measure, and they shook hands. Haleigh didn’t let the room simmer too long before jumping in.

“Excellent, now that hostilities have been reconciled, we can get to know each other better. Boldizsár, may I call you that? Such a STRONG name, it seems a sin not to use it.”

She started, and waited for him to answer before continuing.

“Well, I’m looking forward to giving you that tour we discussed. Hopefully my King will be there, and I can introduce you two. And of course, I’m sure you’d like the opportunity to catch up with your old friend Persephone, she should be home as well.”

 

[Spellbinder]

Sanctum Sanctorum- Chamber of Dreams

<< Morgan, who stood at 6'1, without high heels, continued to stand right in front of Beto, staring him down with her violet eyes, DARING him to try her in her domain after he'd just spoke to her sister in a way that did not please her at all.>>

"It is, however, good to meet you here, in my new home. In my original timeline. But I pull no punches, you'll find."

[shrugging]

"My allegiance is to the mantle of The Mother. Of The Spellbinder. And that's all you really need to know."

"The mother" has TWO sisters, << 3, if you count Harbinger>> and she will KILL to protect either of them, YOU'LL find.

Whatever CALLING you have, I suggest you reign in your ARROGANCE, and keep in mind that Blaze Victory is part of MY life, MY circle, and she most CERTAINLY is worthy to stand beside me. No one, CERTAINLY not a STRANGER, is going to tell her OR me otherwise!

“Morgan, please!”

Haleigh interjected, in much the same tone Morgan had used on Haleigh recently.

“Have you already forgotten that he’s HERE, right now, because he dropped everything to answer Blaze’s call for help, when YOU were reaching out to pay the ferryman?”

She asked calmly.

<<Blaze to Morgan>> It's alright Morg. I'm calm. Everything's good.

:: Blaze extends her hand to shake his, keeping eye contact::

And neither do I.

Your allegiance may be to the Mother, but I am her sister, and I WILL be present when my sister wants or needs me, whether you like it or not.

Welcome to OUR timeline.

<< Morgan glared at Beto a bit more. He better not even THINK about trying to "recreate" WHATEVER he saw happen to OTHER versions of Blaze, or HE might find HIS OWN timeline rewritten, if not ERASED.>>

<< But soon, she stepped back, and turned to face Haleigh. She looked much calmer now as she faced her other sister>>

<< Morgan to Haleigh>> Haleigh, You know what I've been through [with men, particularly their father]. You know what my mother, Blaze and I have all survived. There's NO WAY I'm going to let him talk to OUR sister like that, and not check him. If he IS meant to be here, in our timeline, Better to establish boundaries NOW, before he gets too comfortable in thinking HE can talk to people any kind of way...

Haleigh didn’t let the room simmer too long before jumping in.

“Excellent, now that hostilities have been reconciled, we can get to know each other better. Boldizsár, may I call you that? Such a STRONG name, it seems a sin not to use it.”

She started, and waited for him to answer before continuing.

“Well, I’m looking forward to giving you that tour we discussed. Hopefully my King will be there, and I can introduce you two. And of course, I’m sure you’d like the opportunity to catch up with your old friend Persephone, she should be home as well.”

<< Morgan held up her hand to interrupt>>

But NOT in HERE. THIS room is My chamber of dreams- it is meant to be a private place for ME, and my loved ones, and now that we're all back, and we know when and WHERE we are, << turning her gaze back to Beto>>, MY house, I do have a more appropriate place in my Sanctum Sanctorum for receiving visitors.

Beto, or whatever it is you call yourself these days, you will WAIT for us in the Library on the first floor. I need to have a PRIVATE moment with MY sisters.

<< This was not up for debate, as Morgan opens a stepping disk underneath Beto and teleports him down to the first floor of the Sanctum, depositing him into the Library>>

He'll be just fine down there until we arrive.

<< She said with slight irritation in her voice>>

<< She turns to Haleigh and Blaze, slowly exhaling and looking calmer again>>

Haleigh, I haven't seen you in quite some time. That....was the way I wanted it. I didn't want to see ANYONE. I couldn't bare it. So i asked Blaze to take me away to the safety and protection of my Sanctum Sanctorum.

I asked BLAZE because she's my sister and I...I just couldn't articulate how devastated I was, but SHE could sense my need to escape, my desire to cocoon.

I couldn't go on. I couldn't deal with anything or anyone, and I didn't WANT to. I just...needed someone to take care of me. I knew Blaze would do that with no questions asked. I knew she would keep me safe, hidden away, and I could just....LET GO.

<< shutting her eyes for a moment>>

And I was ready to let go of life...of everything, and I'm not going to lie to either of you, that feeling is STILL within me even now. YES, I know Nicolas is safe, and in the Elysian Fields...but I want him HERE, with ME, and no one can tell me there's a reason why I SHOULDN'T have him back, not when someone like MAXIM got a second chance to walk this earth after all the terrible things he did to us!

But I heard everything that Hecate and Athena said to me, and I...I'm trying to process my reality as it is now.

Seeing both of you again, I realize how much I've MISSED you. I'm conscious again, I'm...MYSELF again...

<<thinking to herself>> Almost...maybe....

...but that doesn't mean I'm wholly at PEACE. I STILL have questions, and PLENTY of them.

<< They hadn't a moment quite like THIS since that night, ahead of Haleigh revealing to the rest of the Six who she really was, and what she was about to do. That was a moment of openess, away from prying eyes and minds. >>

<< She exhales as she begins to slowly pace around the Chamber of dreams for a moment, before turning back to Blaze and Haleigh>>

But what is this...some kind of COSMIC JOKE!?

<< gesturing with emotion>>

I LOSE Nicolas, only to gain BRENTHON!? I learned that Jimaine Szardos was my relative, AND "the Maiden", and before I could even really TALK to her, SHE had to leave, but BRENTHON gets to stay!?

And while we're on this subject, Haleigh, why are you so quick to accept HIM, but not Jimaine, who is actually part of my family? She came to offer help too, did she not?

Blaze, How did HE even get in here to begin with!?

Blaze: He came WITH Amanda. The house recognized her and brought her in. Maybe...because his history and connection to Darkchilde, as well as Amanda...I mean JIMAINE, and even his past history with YOU, the house chose to accept him too?

<< Morgan looked at Blaze, but didn't respond. That was plausible, but still not good enough for HER>>

Blaze: Hecate...she DID regard him well, even bestowing her favor on him. She wouldn't KNOWINGLY expose you to risk or danger, Morg, and she certainly wouldn't have let him stay...or even STAND...if she knew he was going to harm you.

<< Morgan looked away from Blaze and Haleigh as she resumes pacing slowly>>

Morgan: But you said it yourself, back in the Enchanted Forest, even the gods and goddesses are fallible, and they sometimes make mistakes. YOU TWO never met him before. I did.

I REMEMBER what he was like, who he was connected to...and yet...there are parts about that experience that I CAN'T clearly remember now.

<< and that fact was ALSO bothering her. Someone had tampered with her mind, her memories, without her consent, even though she had a Psi-Screen. She was so gripped by her SUSPICION and mistrust of Brenthon, that it didn't even occur to her just now that her own crosstime counterpart, DARKCHILDE, had likely been the one to cast a spell to ALTER her memories of her encounter with the MoE, for HER sake>>

But I DO remember that was when I learned that my crosstime alternate, Darkchilde, was in the MoE timeline. But he's no longer with her, and he hasn't been for sometime. He seems to think that because he's been "lost in limbo", that makes him MY ..."EQUAL"...and that HE can decide if MY SISTER is "worthy" to stand by my side?

The arrogance! the unmitigated GALL!

<< She turns back to face her sisters>>

Of COURSE it would be a MAN that behaves like this! And ALL THREE of us know what kind of damage THEY can do. Perhaps we should send him to PERSEPHONE, and let HER acclimate him to this timeline.

<< She hoped Haleigh and Blaze would understand where she was coming from, and why she felt this way. Even though she was conscious again, restored and repowered, her soul was NOT wholly at peace, not yet! Grief couldn't simply be ERASED, and if anyone should know, it should be Haleigh, who was present at Minerva's Aerie when Delilah tried to drown herself in the Aegean Sea, and then sought favor from Hecate and Athena to "take away" her grief/guilt over Bishop. >>

 

[Black Widow]

The Sanctum Sanctorum — Chamber of Dreams

Haleigh heard Morgan’s ‘mental voice’, speaking of her negative experience with men, and how she wouldn’t let him speak to Blaze that way.

<<to Morgan>> Oh come ON. It’s not like he insulted her or called her a bunch of names. Let’s not escalate things unnecessarily. You could suggest that his professed loyalty to ‘The Mother’ would include him helping her keep her loved ones alive and safe. There’s no need to feed the antagonism, we have a strong tactical advantage here.

She thought, and then she tried to smooth things over with Brenthon. Morgan wasn’t in the mood to be hospitable, though, and sent him off to wait in the Library. Haleigh sighed and went to sit on the chaise lounge nearby. Morgan explained that they hadn’t seen each other in a while and that was exactly the way Morgan had wanted it.

“Yeah, and the decision to do that was a mistake, Morgan. You cut yourself off from your own support structure.”

She replied gently. She had tried to get Blaze to understand this earlier, but emotions had been high. Morgan said that Blaze would do what she wanted with no questions asked.

“That’s ANOTHER issue. It’s fine to respect your wishes, but Blaze should’ve started asking questions the second you got WORSE and not better. You know what happens in a cocoon, right? A caterpillar turns into a butterfly. You didn’t become a butterfly Morgan, you became half a corpse. The fact that Blaze — and Karen— just let you isolate and suffer like that for months, well, it really fucking BOTHERS me.”

She said. It was rare for Haleigh to admit being affected by anything, but in this case she found it important to address the root problem. Morgan admitted missing them, but circled back to being annoyed with Brenthon. She asked Haleigh why she’d been so accepting of Beto and not Amanda. Haleigh chuckled briefly at that.

“What makes you think I’ve accepted him? He’s not even battle-tested, for all I know he’s full of hot fucking air. But there’s no reason not to be congenial during the assessment phase. Especially to a man so utterly fuckable.”

She replied with a smirk.

“As for Jimaine, well, we didn’t hit it off half as well. She just wanted to brag about her pedigree and how she was so powerful and that she was too good for Hellfire. I know you didn’t really get to talk to her, but the woman was a self-righteous snob.”

She added with a shrug. Morgan and Blaze discussed Brenthon some more, how he got here and what they knew of him. Morgan worked herself right back up into a fit, over her perception of his arrogance and unmitigated gall. She remarked that of course it would be a MAN to act like this. Haleigh laughed at that.

“Oh fuck, I wish you would’ve been conscious to hear the way Hecate talked to ME. She called me a tiresome gnat, a perversion of science, an abomination to man and nature.”

Haleigh scoffed at the overblown reaction to her mild suggestion that they stop talking of Hecate’s genetic legacy and actually do the thing they’d all come to do.

“You want to talk about arrogance, let’s reflect on the hubris of your foremother, boasting about how legendary she is, and how far ‘beyond’ me she is. That would have been hilarious if you weren’t still slumped over the threshold of death’s door, Morgan. Hecate threatened to destroy me and pave the path of YOUR recovery with my ashes. Meanwhile everybody just stood there and watched, including your new best friend Amanda. And Blaze.”

Haleigh’s gaze shifted over.

“You were notably silent, even when Hecate struck me with purple fucking lightning. But right NOW we’re getting all wound up, because Beto has an opinion. Blaze wants to protect Morgan and Morgan wants to protect Blaze from the Gypsy King. This IS a cosmic joke, and I’m the butt of it.”

 

[Firebird]

Sanctum Sanctorum- Chamber of Dreams

Haleigh, I haven't seen you in quite some time. That....was the way I wanted it. I didn't want to see ANYONE. I couldn't bare it. So i asked Blaze to take me away to the safety and protection of my Sanctum Sanctorum.

Yeah, and the decision to do that was a mistake, Morgan. You cut yourself off from your own support structure.”

I asked BLAZE because she's my sister and I...I just couldn't articulate how devastated I was, but SHE could sense my need to escape, my desire to cocoon.

I couldn't go on. I couldn't deal with anything or anyone, and I didn't WANT to. I just...needed someone to take care of me. I knew Blaze would do that with no questions asked. I knew she would keep me safe, hidden away, and I could just....LET GO.

“That’s ANOTHER issue. It’s fine to respect your wishes, but Blaze should’ve started asking questions the second you got WORSE and not better. You know what happens in a cocoon, right? A caterpillar turns into a butterfly. You didn’t become a butterfly Morgan, you became half a corpse. The fact that Blaze — and Karen— just let you isolate and suffer like that for months, well, it really fucking BOTHERS me.”

She said. It was rare for Haleigh to admit being affected by anything, but in this case she found it important to address the root problem.

:: Blaze had come to think maybe she HAD made a mistake in not asking for help, but in HER mind, she was trying to be loyal to her sister. Haleigh did make a point earlier, before they were taken to pier of the River Styx::

::FLASH!::

“How about when Morgan sunk into catatonia, we take matters into our own hands and OVERRULE what she ‘wants’ and start doing what ever it takes to save her life? That seemed to be a fine fucking tactic when it came to separating Delilah from Alexia, but when it comes to Morgan we respect her wishes, right to the fucking DEATHBED?!”

I did what I thought was right at the time.

:: Blaze said in a reflective tone::

Morgan wanted to be alone, to be hidden away. YOU didn't FEEL the raw emotion that was emanating from her when she made that request of me, I did. You didn't feel the extreme loss and desperation from Morgan's heart and soul. I did.

I felt powerless, and I was caught up in the riptide of her despair, as well as MY OWN emotion and grief over Nicolas' loss.

I didn't know what else to do, other than give Morgan what she asked for, which was ESCAPE and SOLITUDE. I just wanted to help her however i could.

:: She was being genuine here, and part her assumed Haleigh wouldn't care. Firebird had been close to her native timeline's Haleigh, but it took YEARS of the two of them learning each other to reach that level of closeness and ease of communication::

:: everytime Blaze thought she'd made strides in her relationship with MAINSTREAM Haleigh, who is also her SISTER, something happenS to remind her how much of a GAP there is between them. The truth is Firebird and Haleigh are still "new" to each other in this FAMILIAL dynamic::

I thought maybe she just needed TIME. It's NOT unheard of, for witches, other magickal beings, or psi sensitives, to go into a state of....hyper sleep....when recovering from trauma. You said it yourself, "everyone grieves in his/her own way."

I was here, for six months, keeping watch, with Karen doing everything I could to keep Morgan physically comfortable, and to give her the solitude, the safety she ASKED FOR. When I realized that Karen and I couldn't wake Morgan, when the Sacred Fire gave me clarity to know that Morgan's light was fading, I called the one person who I knew COULD help, HECATE.

I KNOW i skipped over calling the TEAM, and you're not happy about that.

YOU came because you heard the call too, but you came in here being combative and accusatory, as if THAT was going to foster easy and productive communication? I felt like you were speaking to me as if I was the enemy here, instead of your sister, who was caring for your OTHER sister. Like I would KNOWINGLY do something to harm our sister!?

She replied with a smirk.

“As for Jimaine, well, we didn’t hit it off half as well. She just wanted to brag about her pedigree and how she was so powerful and that she was too good for Hellfire. I know you didn’t really get to talk to her, but the woman was a self-righteous snob.”

:: Blaze rolled her apple green eyes::

At least when Jimaine showed up, She lead with kindness and understanding. All she wanted to do was help.

Were you....offended(?) because Jimaine thinks she's better than Hellfire? She IS.

Hellfire is an EVIL organization, and it should've DIED with MALICE, and yet, here YOU are, keeping it ALIVE, playing dress up as the White Queen, boasting about your title and holdings to Beto and Amanda, as if that's something to be PROUD of? Jimaine came to her senses and LEFT Hellfire. When are YOU going to do the same?

:: Blaze said that with genuine agitation. She thought it was BEYOND of obscene, and absurd that Haleigh, Cameron and Ava were CONTINUING on in the entity that had cast a shadow over ALL of their lives, and it was time THAT issue was discussed too!::

<< She exhales as she begins to slowly pace around the Chamber of dreams for a moment, before turning back to Blaze and Haleigh>>

But what is this...some kind of COSMIC JOKE!?

<< gesturing with emotion>>

I LOSE Nicolas, only to gain BRENTHON!? I learned that Jimaine Szardos was my relative, AND "the Maiden", and before I could even really TALK to her, SHE had to leave, but BRENTHON gets to stay!?

And while we're on this subject, Haleigh, why are you so quick to accept HIM, but not Jimaine, who is actually part of my family? She came to offer help too, did she not?

Blaze, How did HE even get in here to begin with!?

Blaze: He came WITH Amanda. The house recognized her and brought her in. Maybe...because his history and connection to Darkchilde, as well as Amanda...I mean JIMAINE, and even his past history with YOU, the house chose to accept him too?

<< Morgan looked at Blaze, but didn't respond. That was plausible, but still not good enough for HER>>

Blaze: Hecate...she DID regard him well, even bestowing her favor on him. She wouldn't KNOWINGLY expose you to risk or danger, Morg, and she certainly wouldn't have let him stay...or even STAND...if she knew he was going to harm you.

<< Morgan looked away from Blaze and Haleigh as she resumes pacing slowly>>

Morgan: But you said it yourself, back in the Enchanted Forest, even the gods and goddesses are fallible, and they sometimes make mistakes. YOU TWO never met him before. I did.

I REMEMBER what he was like, who he was connected to...and yet...there are parts about that experience that I CAN'T clearly remember now.

<< and that fact was ALSO bothering her. Someone had tampered with her mind, her memories, without her consent, even though she had a Psi-Screen. She was so gripped by her SUSPICION and mistrust of Brenthon, that it didn't even occur to her just now that her own crosstime counterpart, DARKCHILDE, had likely been the one to cast a spell to ALTER her memories of her encounter with the MoE, for HER sake>>

But I DO remember that was when I learned that my crosstime alternate, Darkchilde, was in the MoE timeline. But he's no longer with her, and he hasn't been for sometime. He seems to think that because he's been "lost in limbo", that makes him MY ..."EQUAL"...and that HE can decide if MY SISTER is "worthy" to stand by my side?

The arrogance! the unmitigated GALL!

<< She turns back to face her sisters>>

Of COURSE it would be a MAN that behaves like this! And ALL THREE of us know what kind of damage THEY can do. Perhaps we should send him to PERSEPHONE, and let HER acclimate him to this timeline.

“Oh fuck, I wish you would’ve been conscious to hear the way Hecate talked to ME. She called me a tiresome gnat, a perversion of science, an abomination to man and nature.”

Don't you have a long history of antagonizing Hecate?

“You want to talk about arrogance, let’s reflect on the hubris of your foremother, boasting about how legendary she is, and how far ‘beyond’ me she is. That would have been hilarious if you weren’t still slumped over the threshold of death’s door, Morgan. Hecate threatened to destroy me and pave the path of YOUR recovery with my ashes. Meanwhile everybody just stood there and watched, including your new best friend Amanda. And Blaze.”

Haleigh’s gaze shifted over.

:: Blaze stood there, with her arms folded, looking at Haleigh as she looked at her::

“You were notably silent, even when Hecate struck me with purple fucking lightning. But right NOW we’re getting all wound up, because Beto has an opinion. Blaze wants to protect Morgan and Morgan wants to protect Blaze from the Gypsy King.

I was holding Morgan in my arms at that precise moment.

What exactly would you have had me or Jimaine do? We were in HER realm.

You...PRIDE yourself on pissing people off left and right, and then you WONDER why someone decides to clap back?

Hecate came to HELP us, and if that meant we had to listen to whatever she wanted or NEEDED to tell us, you should've just shut your mouth and LISTENED, like the rest of us did.

But no...not you...NOT Haleigh Davidoff, b.k.a. the WHITE QUEEN, who PRIDES herself on talking shit to any and EVERYONE from the earth to the stars above.

:: yes, the "white queen" thing was REALLY bothering her. Why did Haleigh HAVE to take on that infamous mantle, KNOWING what it represented!?::

And as far as Beto goes? He IS a stranger, and I don't think he can be trusted right now. TRUST has to be EARNED, and all he's doing right now is trying to throw his weight around. If the MoE timeline was such hot shit, he should GO BACK THERE.

This IS a cosmic joke, and I’m the butt of it.”

:: Blaze unfolds her arms, throwing her hands up as she looks up at the ceiling of the Chamber of Dreams, utterly exasperated as she exhales loudly, and begins pacing around slowly::

You can't be serious!

 

[Spellbinder]

Sanctum Sanctorum- Chamber of Dreams

<<it was clear that Haleigh and Blaze BOTH had issues they needed to air, but so did Morgan, but it seemed that instead of t hem trying to come together, they were on the verge of being driven apart.>>

Haleigh laughed at that.

“Oh fuck, I wish you would’ve been conscious to hear the way Hecate talked to ME. She called me a tiresome gnat, a perversion of science, an abomination to man and nature.”

Haleigh scoffed at the overblown reaction to her mild suggestion that they stop talking of Hecate’s genetic legacy and actually do the thing they’d all come to do.

“You want to talk about arrogance, let’s reflect on the hubris of your foremother, boasting about how legendary she is, and how far ‘beyond’ me she is. That would have been hilarious if you weren’t still slumped over the threshold of death’s door, Morgan. Hecate threatened to destroy me and pave the path of YOUR recovery with my ashes. Meanwhile everybody just stood there and watched, including your new best friend Amanda. And Blaze.”

Haleigh’s gaze shifted over.

“You were notably silent, even when Hecate struck me with purple fucking lightning. But right NOW we’re getting all wound up, because Beto has an opinion. Blaze wants to protect Morgan and Morgan wants to protect Blaze from the Gypsy King.”

<< Morgan buried her face in her hands for a moment, shutting her eyes tightly. the ultimate drawback to being descended from the goddess of witchcraft was that she would forever be tied to the things HECATE did, whether they were good OR bad. There was NO love lost between Hecate and Haleigh, and that would likely NEVER change, which meant Morgan would forever been stuck in the middle of an awful dynamic.>>

I was holding Morgan in my arms at that precise moment.

What exactly would you have had me or Jimaine do? We were in HER realm. SHE brought us there because I called her for help with Morgan.

You...PRIDE yourself on pissing people off left and right, and then you WONDER why someone decides to clap back?

Hecate came to HELP us, and if that meant we had to listen to whatever she wanted or NEEDED to tell us, you should've just shut your mouth and LISTENED, like the rest of us did.

Beto IS a stranger, and I don't think he can be trusted right now. TRUST has to be EARNED, and all he's doing right now is trying to throw his weight around. If the MoE timeline was such hot shit, he should GO BACK THERE.

<< Haleigh and Blaze continued to go back and forth.>>

This IS a cosmic joke, and I’m the butt of it.”

:: Blaze unfolds her arms, throwing her hands up as she looks up at the ceiling of the Chamber of Dreams, utterly exasperated as she exhales loudly, and begins pacing around slowly::

You can't be serious!

<< chimes sound off!>>

STOP IT! This is RIDICULOUS!

We're SISTERS. Haleigh, sometimes, you seem to act like that's not a big deal, but it's a VERY big deal to ME. Blaze is NOT your enemy.

Blaze, you don't have to go on the attack with Haleigh! She's not YOUR enemy either!

WE THREE are sisters, and it seems there's a bigger gap between us NOW than there was six months ago!

Haleigh, you have a problem with how I chose to cope with my grief, and heartbreak, and you think Blaze made a mistake in the way she handled carrying out my request. NOTED.

But I'm here NOW, thanks to HECATE.

Let's be honest, Haleigh. you and Hecate are NEVER going to get along. It goes beyond/deeper than the ORIGINAL Set Caper. She despises you because you represent something she is completely disgusted by- SCIENCE.

I "SEE" her thoughts on it... she thinks science has made humans too "ARROGANT". It's much like how Zeus felt when Humans first harnessed the power of FIRE.

And it's plain as day, she is REPULSED by the idea of you, AND that you are connected to me. But she LEARNED something from what she did with the Red Moon and Circe, and that lesson is what STOPS her from destroying you. She knows that the days of the gods and goddesses just..doing whatever they want to humans, and running ROUGHSHOD over those of us on earth are done, and she knows that hurting or killing you would hurt ME.

Science vs Magick. but HECATE wasnt the one to have to deal with MYSTECH- an entity that combined the best parts of both disciplines to deadly effect, WE were.

And Hecate isn't here now, I AM.

I'm telling you now, BOTH OF YOU, that despite what Hecate has done for me, I am STILL not at peace.

I'm telling you that I don't KNOW how I'm going to deal with this new reality, WITHOUT Nicolas.

Instead of just giving in to a deep seated IMPULSE, to just RETREAT and ABANDON EVERYTHING and EVERONE, I'm trying to TALK to BOTH of you, I'm trying to MAKE sense of things.

<< And why WOULDN'T she? In Limbo she could have/do/BE anything, she could have WHATEVER she wanted there, she could GO anywhere. Why NOT go there where she'd truly be SAFE? >>

Can you two STOP trying to one up each other, and hear ME?!

I don't feel comfortable with Brenthon's presence.

I DON'T CARE what Hecate said. SHE doesn't have to live this life here, I do! She can come and go as she pleases, but I can't.

I don't know Brenthon like Darkchilde did...but he's here in OUR yard now, and HE needs to adjust to US, not the other way around, and if there's ANY truth to what he says, about his "allegiance to me, 'The Mother'" than he DAMN WELL BETTER KNOW that INCLUDES MY FAMILY.

Haleigh, you talked about a SUPPORT SYSTEM...well I wasn't ready for it six months ago, and I'm sorry if that offends you, but Nicolas was MY soul mate, and when he died...part of me left WITH HIM, and I was ready to let the REST of me join him.

It....it's NOT ENOUGH for me knowing that Nicolas is in the Elysian Fields. I WANT HIM HERE, WITH ME, NOW!

During the blue moon, We'd FINALLY gotten through so much dysfunction...most of it on MY end.... due to my past trauma with my father, and men.

We became engaged, we were to be MARRIED, we were supposed to have a CHILD, a child that YOU have seen, Haleigh, but one that I will likely NEVER get to see.

<< shaking her head>>

Y'all are talking about BRENTHON, and all this other stuff like I'm 100% and I'm NOT.

Can you please STOP trying to dunk on each other, and HELP ME?

Haleigh, you wanted me to do things different, well, I'm doing that now.

<< tears were welling up in her violet eyes as she looked at both of her sisters>>

HELP ME!

<< She turns away from them, wrapping her arms around herself as she struggles to hold back tears. >>

Haleigh, Go down stairs, please, and deal with that....

<< She stopped herself from saying "INTERLOPER". He'd pledged himself to "the Mother", and Haleigh CORRECTLY pointed out earlier that THEY had a STRONG tactical advantage here. It was clear that Haleigh was the best person to deal with Beto, aka Brenthon, at this time, and Morgan NEEDED her to handle this>>

<< She turns back to Haleigh and Blaze>>

....deal with HIM. VET him THOROUGHLY. If he's going to stay here, I want to be SURE that it's safe to trust him, and i want to be sure that HE knows what will happen if he crosses any of us. We're NOT the Masters of Evil. The behavior that flew with THEM does NOT necessarily fly with US.

But before you go...

<< she moves toward Haleigh and Blaze...>>
I need a hug...please...i need my family...

 

[Black Widow]

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Now that Morgan was back, Haleigh was addressing some serious issues with the way things were handled. It wasn’t good that Morgan cut herself off from her own support structure, that she isolated away from the people who would’ve helped her work through her struggle with grief. Haleigh wasn’t going to pretend otherwise, because death and loss was part of life, and she didn’t want to see Morgan repeat the same unhealthy tactic the next time someone was lost to them.

The bigger issue was the way Blaze handled things, that she didn’t call in reinforcements when it was clear Morgan wasn’t improving. That really bothered Haleigh, that they had all been shut out. It seemed to be that Blaze secretly thought the rest of them would have made things worse and not better. That was troubling and indicated a problem that would be recurring. Blaze launched into the same defense as before. Haleigh could understand being in a no win situation and just doing one’s best, but to fail to adapt when the situation deteriorated was just unacceptable to her. Blaze acknowledged skipping over calling in the team and that Haleigh wasn’t happy about it. Haleigh knew it was too much to ask for her to actually admit a mistake, but SOME kind of progress was warranted here. Yet all she got was an accusation of coming in hot, that Haleigh was combative.

“Blaze, you put a stop to easy and productive communication when you cut me out of the loop. Seriously just stop, and take a second to consider how YOU would feel if I kept YOU away from Morgan, and six months later you check in to find she’s DYING. Wouldn’t YOU be pissed that I just unilaterally decided YOU couldn’t help her when she obviously needed it? I’m not asking you to apologize, I get that you did what you thought was best, everybody KNOWS I’ve been put in similar catch 22s. Do you think you can just say ‘okay Haleigh, I hear you, next time I’ll call you’? Is THAT too much to ask of you?”

The next subject was Jimaine and Beto, and Haleigh was asked why she was less amicable with Jimaine than Beto. She explained that it was because Jimaine was a self-righteous snob. Blaze wouldn’t hear it, because she was apparently smitten with the girl after knowing her for 2.5 seconds. Haleigh rolled her eyes when Blaze asked if she was offended by Jimaine. In order to be offended she’d have to actually value the opinion of an absolute stranger, which Haleigh did not.

“No, not offended, just ANNOYED by her condescending attitude.”

Haleigh interjected, and then Blaze straight up attacked her for assuming the lead on Hellfire after her mother died. There was a flash of resentment in Haleigh’s eyes, because she didn’t like being at Hellfire, but she knew that to just walk away from it and allow it to mutate on its own was pure negligence. She would’ve liked nothing more than to burn it down and stamp it out, but it was not so simple as that. Her and Cameron had spent the last six months killing key players and cutting connections from the worldwide network. She was weakening it and containing the danger it posed, and for Blaze to stand there and accuse her of playing dress up was just plain mean-spirited.

“If you THINK that Hellfire would’ve just laid down and died because Malice was defeated, you’re a fucking FOOL. You didn’t GO THERE, Blaze. You didn’t see all the people at the blackout party, all the ones from city hall, and Congress, who make the laws and policies that the rest of us have to live with. You didn’t meet the weasels from Wall Street, who manipulate the market and jack up the price of commodities, who pretty much STEAL money through exercising influence over the economy, which is a lesser evil, but I have to cover gas for my fleet and I don’t like paying twice as much because some hedge fund boy paid a politician to shut down a pipeline.”

She laid an arm over the back of the chaise lounge, crossing her legs at the knee.

“You think it’s just some club where evil assholes hang out and blow smoke up each other’s asses? You are mistaken. Hellfire is a network of people with the power to affect our daily lives. If I’m at the helm? I have SOME influence over the decisions made behind closed doors because I’m there to weigh in. Failing that? I have easy access to take them out, one by one or several at a time. For fuck’s sake Blaze, it’s like you’ve never heard of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.”

Haleigh said, with a scoff.

“You don’t know half the shit we went through there. You don’t know what it COST us to surrender to the sisterhood, and buy time for you and the rest of the Six to prepare for your attack. Jimaine might be too good for Hellfire, but I’m not, and I’m going to keep playing dress up until those people can’t hurt us anymore.”

She finished, and then Morgan was back on the subject of Brenthon and how arrogant she thought he was. He was incredibly mild compared to Hecate, and Haleigh pointed that out, then she called out Blaze for her silence, when Hecate was insulting Haleigh every which way for simply speaking up to get Morgan the help she desperately needed. Weakly, Blaze suggested that Haleigh had a history of antagonizing Hecate.

“Are you really trying to justify her attacking me back there when all I was doing was trying to get Morgan the help she desperately needed??”

Haleigh challenged incredulously. Blaze hadn’t even blinked when Hecate attacked physically, blasting Haleigh with a bolt of purple energy. Blaze countered that she had Morgan in her arms at that very moment, which inadvertently contributed to point Haleigh had been making at the time, that Morgan needed help and Hecate was wasting time.

“Oh boy, what an excellent excuse for not using your voice.”

Haleigh retorted, and Blaze asked what Haleigh would’ve had her or Jimaine do. Haleigh’s eyes flashed angrily again, and this time she rose up from her seat.

“I don’t give a FUCK about Jimaine being a little teacher’s pet, but YOU could’ve said something. How about a little indignation at the way that bitch dared to talk to your sister?? Or maybe you could’ve expressed the slightest consternation that she tried to fucking SMITE ME?! But hey, it’s fine if you don’t care about ME, the LEAST you could’ve done would have been interject that I had a POINT about focusing our efforts on helping your REAL sister Morgan.”

She said, and the more she thought about it the more frustrated she got, not at Hecate, but at Blaze.

“If Persephone had been there, she wouldn’t have stood by for a SECOND and let Hecate act like I was just SHIT to be scraped off her high heels. But you’ve got your head so far up Hecate’s ass that you apparently can’t even see she was treating me that way. Seph is more of a sister to me than you’ll EVER be.”

Haleigh spat angrily. Blaze threw up her hands and exclaimed that Haleigh couldn’t be serious, and then Morgan cut in to mediate. She at least acknowledged that Hecate was biased against Haleigh, because the hybrid was the product of science, which Hecate hated.

“It’s the reason I EXIST, Morgan. I’ll never be able to overcome that. It’s not right for her to make me her punching bag because she hates progress. Science and Technology improve the lives of EVERYONE, not just Hecate’s precious magick-using descendants. I’m never gonna just bend over for her so she can feel like she’s all powerful.”

Haleigh replied, less heatedly. Morgan moved on, saying that Hecate wasn’t here now, she was, and she was still struggling. Oh so Hecate DIDN’T just hocus pocus make her baby all better, and maybe we shouldn’t worship her so hard?? Haleigh thought to herself bitterly. Morgan expressed that she wasn’t feeling like she was a hundred percent, she wasn’t comfortable with Brenthon, and she wasn’t satisfied with Nicolas in the afterlife.

Morgan: Can you please STOP trying to dunk on each other, and HELP ME? Haleigh, you wanted me to do things different, well, I'm doing that now. HELP ME!

“Okay Morgan, how can I help?”

She asked, and Morgan wanted her to deal with Brenthon. Haleigh nodded calmly. It would be done, and she was a little relieved to be able to extract herself from Blaze’s constant sniping about every little thing. Then Morgan asked for a hug, something that actually gave Haleigh pause. Haleigh was not a touchy feely person, she didn’t typically make physical contact with a person unless she was going to inflict violence, or achieve some kind of sexual satisfaction, or if there was an operational necessity, like moving them with her innate teleportation ability or dragging them out of a danger in battle. A hug was way out of her comfort zone. But if it would help Morgan… then it’s an operational necessity. She thought, and then she hugged Morgan.

“Alright, it’s gonna be okay Morgan. You’re strong enough to get through this, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

She said gently, and then she pulled back, her hands still on Morgan’s shoulders.

“And if you decide that you just can’t go on without him? Let me know, and I’ll help you get him back. You can do your scrying thing and find him in some bad alternate reality, and we can hop through a stepping disc and go rescue him together.”

She said, sincerely.

“But for now? Try to remind yourself that the way to honor his sacrifice is to make the most of every day. Find things that make you happy and pursue them, so that when he looks down on you, he can be happy that you’re flourishing. Because he’s never going to be at peace if he has to spend eternity watching you suffer without him.”

She added, then she finally let go.

“Don’t worry about Brenthon. I’ll deal with him until you feel more comfortable.”

She assured Morgan, and then she turned to leave.

 

[Firebird]

Sanctum Sanctorum- Chamber of Dreams

“Blaze, you put a stop to easy and productive communication when you cut me out of the loop. Seriously just stop, and take a second to consider how YOU would feel if I kept YOU away from Morgan, and six months later you check in to find she’s DYING. Wouldn’t YOU be pissed that I just unilaterally decided YOU couldn’t help her when she obviously needed it? I’m not asking you to apologize, I get that you did what you thought was best, everybody KNOWS I’ve been put in similar catch 22s. Do you think you can just say ‘okay Haleigh, I hear you, next time I’ll call you’? Is THAT too much to ask of you?”

:: No, it WASN'T, and Haleigh was right, if anyone understood the unpleasant position of being in a catch 22, it was HER, it had been that way in Firebird's native timeline. Blaze was ALREADY reassessing her response and her behavior regarding the way she followed Morgan's request.::

If you THINK that Hellfire would’ve just laid down and died because Malice was defeated, you’re a fucking FOOL. You didn’t GO THERE, Blaze. You didn’t see all the people at the blackout party, all the ones from city hall, and Congress, who make the laws and policies that the rest of us have to live with. You didn’t meet the weasels from Wall Street, who manipulate the market and jack up the price of commodities, who pretty much STEAL money through exercising influence over the economy, which is a lesser evil, but I have to cover gas for my fleet and I don’t like paying twice as much because some hedge fund boy paid a politician to shut down a pipeline.”

She laid an arm over the back of the chaise lounge, crossing her legs at the knee.

“You think it’s just some club where evil assholes hang out and blow smoke up each other’s asses? You are mistaken. Hellfire is a network of people with the power to affect our daily lives. If I’m at the helm? I have SOME influence over the decisions made behind closed doors because I’m there to weigh in. Failing that? I have easy access to take them out, one by one or several at a time. For fuck’s sake Blaze, it’s like you’ve never heard of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.”

Haleigh said, with a scoff.

:: Blaze flinched...as she found herself remembering her dynamic with her native timeline's Haleigh, and how they BOTH had a background in espionage and black ops, it was something that allowed them to gel quite well together from a tactical place, even though they didn't always get along on a PERSONAL level in the beginning, and again, Blaze had never found out whether she'd been related to THAT Haleigh by way of Christopher....::

:: Firebird had not been touched by Malice the way Foxfire had, but with the enchanted ring Blaze wore, she knew ALL of Foxfire's memories. Haleigh was right...again.::

“Are you really trying to justify her attacking me back there when all I was doing was trying to get Morgan the help she desperately needed??”

Haleigh challenged incredulously.

No, OF COURSE NOT....

:: But Blaze still felt it was obvious that Haleigh didn't like, or even TRUST Hecate, even though that was Morgan, Karen, AND Alison's Foremother...Yes, Blaze DID have a reverence for Hecate that Haleigh did not share and she was....::

....afraid that Hecate might WITHDRAW her aid all together if she was angered....

:: YES, Blaze was afraid of that. She had cried out for Hecate, knowing she was the only one who could save Morgan, and she didn't want anything to prevent that from happening, but she realized that in her tunnel vision in that moment, she'd stood by, not even SAYING anything. She COULD have VOICED the need for Hecate not to ADD to Morgan's loss, appealed to the goddess on some level. She'd always been good at building bridges in the past, even going back to her native timeline, but with everything that had happened, going back to the Blue Moon, Blaze had grown INCREASINGLY TRIBAL, ONLY wanting to protect and advocate for Morgan, herself, and Karen, and this was directly due to the trauma she endured LOSING both of these women in her timeline. she realized that she'd never really GOT OVER THAT. And now, with Nicolas loss, and Morgan's breakdown, she'd gone into OVERDRIVE, and it had clouded her judgement. ::

“Oh boy, what an excellent excuse for not using your voice.”

Haleigh retorted, and Blaze asked what Haleigh would’ve had her or Jimaine do. Haleigh’s eyes flashed angrily again, and this time she rose up from her seat.

“I don’t give a FUCK about Jimaine being a little teacher’s pet, but YOU could’ve said something. How about a little indignation at the way that bitch dared to talk to your sister?? Or maybe you could’ve expressed the slightest consternation that she tried to fucking SMITE ME?! But hey, it’s fine if you don’t care about ME, the LEAST you could’ve done would have been interject that I had a POINT about focusing our efforts on helping your REAL sister Morgan.”

She said, and the more she thought about it the more frustrated she got, not at Hecate, but at Blaze.

“If Persephone had been there, she wouldn’t have stood by for a SECOND and let Hecate act like I was just SHIT to be scraped off her high heels. But you’ve got your head so far up Hecate’s ass that you apparently can’t even see she was treating me that way. Seph is more of a sister to me than you’ll EVER be.”

Haleigh spat angrily.

:: Blaze was hurt by this, but Haleigh had been hurt by what Hecate had said/did to her. Blaze couldn't believe what was being said, what was happening, as she throw her hands up in the air, and Morgan screamed at both of them to remember who they were to each other. Morgan also shed light on Hecate's hostility toward Haleigh, saying that it went far beyond their encounter during the original Set caper. Hecate hated Haleigh because she was a product of SCIENCE, a discipline that the goddess of witchcraft felt made humans too ARROGANT. Hecate was also repulsed by Haleigh's BIO connection to Spellbinder::

“It’s the reason I EXIST, Morgan. I’ll never be able to overcome that. It’s not right for her to make me her punching bag because she hates progress. Science and Technology improve the lives of EVERYONE, not just Hecate’s precious magick-using descendants. I’m never gonna just bend over for her so she can feel like she’s all powerful.”

It shouldn't be something she HAS to "overcome"...

:: Blaze thought to herself::

:: Morgan was right, HECATE wasn't here, this wasn't where HER life was bound, but it was where MORGAN, HALEIGH, AND BLAZE'S lives were bound, and they had made it this far because they'd been able to face things TOGETHER. Blaze LOST SIGHT of that in her ZEAL to protect Morgan, and do ANYTHING she could to STOP the pain that was literally killing Morgan after Nicolas' death::

:: the Olympians were cosmic beings, and most of them didn't have bloodlines that stretched to earth the way Hecate did, and it was mainly the goddesses who were connected to the Amazons, even after all these centuries. they didn't have the kind of ties or emotional attachments that humans did, and it was well documented how unkind and even abusive they could be toward humans. If not for the bloodline, who's to say that Hecate wouldn't treat Morgan or any of the rest of them the way she treated Haleigh??::


:: Morgan screamed that she was not 100%, despite being conscious and repowered, and asked her sisters to stop going at each other and help HER::

“Okay Morgan, how can I help?”

Haleigh, Go down stairs, please, and deal with that....

<< She stopped herself from saying "INTERLOPER". He'd pledged himself to "the Mother", and Haleigh CORRECTLY pointed out earlier that THEY had a STRONG tactical advantage here. It was clear that Haleigh was the best person to deal with Beto, aka Brenthon, at this time, and Morgan NEEDED her to handle this>>

<< She turns back to Haleigh and Blaze>>

....deal with HIM. VET him THOROUGHLY. If he's going to stay here, I want to be SURE that it's safe to trust him, and i want to be sure that HE knows what will happen if he crosses any of us. We're NOT the Masters of Evil. The behavior that flew with THEM does NOT necessarily fly with US.

But before you go...

<< she moves toward Haleigh and Blaze...>>
I need a hug...please...i need my family...

“Alright, it’s gonna be okay Morgan. You’re strong enough to get through this, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

She said gently, and then she pulled back, her hands still on Morgan’s shoulders.

“And if you decide that you just can’t go on without him? Let me know, and I’ll help you get him back. You can do your scrying thing and find him in some bad alternate reality, and we can hop through a stepping disc and go rescue him together.”

She said, sincerely.

“But for now? Try to remind yourself that the way to honor his sacrifice is to make the most of every day. Find things that make you happy and pursue them, so that when he looks down on you, he can be happy that you’re flourishing. Because he’s never going to be at peace if he has to spend eternity watching you suffer without him.”

She added, then she finally let go.

“Don’t worry about Brenthon. I’ll deal with him until you feel more comfortable.”

She assured Morgan, and then she turned to leave.

:: If Haleigh could step outside of HER comfort zone for Morgan, Blaze should certainly do the same for Haleigh, right now, in front of Morgan, so that SHE could see that Blaze was truly about helping her too, AND so that she could show Haleigh she'd HEARD her::

Haleigh, please wait.

:: Blaze said as she came up to her::

I DO owe you an apology.

You see....I...i've NEVER gotten over the losses I sustained in my own timeline. And when [Mainstream] Morgan and I made the promise to watch out for/protect each other...I became so TUNNEL VISION in that after the Blue Moon. I also became very TRIBAL, without even realizing it. That's part of why I lashed out at Delilah after Morgan fled to Limbo after the Blue Moon. I felt that somebody had to speak up for Morgan!

:: She said with genuine reflection::

When Nicolas died, and Morgan began to fall apart, I felt powerless, and I was caught up in the riptide of her despair, as well as MY OWN emotion and grief over Nicolas' loss.

I didn't know what else to do, other than give Morgan what she asked for, which was ESCAPE, from EVERYONE, and SOLITUDE. I just wanted to help her however i could.

You're right. I see that the way I chose to handle things, once it was clear that Morgan was deteriorating WAS a mistake, AND while I didn't CONSCIOUSLY realize it at the time, I secretly felt the rest of you would have made things worse and not better. It WAS hurtful for me to cut you and Alison out of the communication where Morgan was concerned, and I'm sorry.

I just...

:: shutting her eyes tightly::

I just didn't want Morgan to be HURT ANYMORE.

I was able to fight off Circe's bestiamorphs, and whatever else she threw at Minerva's Aerie, But I powerless to help Morgan in the aftermath of the Blue Moon when she and Alison bore the brunt of Delilah's wrath, and I felt so....USELESS. So I verbally attacked Delilah in the name of defending Morgan.

And then Nicolas....he and Cameron did SO MUCH to help me feel like I BELONGED here. He and Morgan BELONGED TOGETHER, and yet...once again, there was NOTHING I could do to SAVE him.

When Morgan asked me to take her away, and hide her from the world...I jumped to it because I wanted her to know I wouldnt fail her THIS time, and I didn't want her to FLEE to Limbo, AGAIN, where neither I, nor ANYONE ELSE could reach her.

:: She looks back at Haleigh::

I understand now, what you're doing with Hellfire.

The Haleigh from my timeline....she and I...we had similar backgrounds in espionage and black ops. I knew what she could do, and even though we didn't always get along PERSONALLY (in the earlier days) I KNEW i could TRUST her with my back, my LIFE, and the same went for her with me.

You've proven, MORE than once, that you are exceptionally good at navigating the darkest, most dangerous waters, and people, willing and able to make decisions that perhaps only Harbinger could face.

I....I'm ASHAMED that I LOST sight of that with YOU. You're right. I HAVEN'T been a good sister.

I let my RESENTMENT and personal offense at you taking the mantle of the White Queen effect my view of you and i stood back and said nothing when Hecate berated you and physically bullied you.

:: She looked genuinely remorseful as she shook her head::

I KNEW she was wrong for how she was treating you, but I let my REVERENCE for Hecate cloud my judgement!

:: She balled her hand into a fist, as a red/orange corona formed around it::

I have ALWAYS prided myself on following my [enhanced] instincts, and even in the Enchanted Forest, every instinct told me you were just trying to help Morgan, I just couldn't go against Hecate's will. I was "frozen" in fear that if she were too angry, she would COMPLETELY withdraw ALL possible help.

I just...wanted to do WHATEVER I could to help Morgan. I wanted to STOP the pain for her, however I could...and even though, neither I, nor Karen could do that.

I loved Nicolas too....and now he's GONE!

<<Morgan came close, placing her hands on Blaze's shoulders as the fire elemental spoke to the hybrid, offering silent support as Blaze reached out to Haleigh. Blaze was talking, really reaching out, THIS was what Morgan wanted, for all three of them>>

I was USELESS, yet again, and I displaced that on You, and everyone else!

I saw what could happen if things went unaddressed amongst FAMILY in my native timeline. I don't want that to happen here, it didnt occur to me, until just now, that I could be OVERCORRECTING due to FEAR, GRIEF, wanting to do WHATEVER I could to protect her from any more losses, surprises or distress, even if I thought that meant shutting the rest of you out, could cause something like that to happen here.

I made a mistake, and I'm sorry.

 

[Brenthon]

NYC - The Sanctum

<< This entire exchange was illuminating. Much in the same way that Haleigh Davidoff King was testing Jimaine Szardos, Beto was testing Firebird. In his life with The Masters of Evil, he had been Darkchilde's most faithful and deadly confidant. And when she explained to him that his next chapter in life involved Morgan Victoria, he needed to get the lay of the land. And he had learned very early on his life that the best way to see how people truly felt, to see where their loyalty truly lied, was to get them angry. He had never met Firebird or Foxfire in his time in Limbo. But she didn't need to know that. He wanted to see how both Blaze and Morgan would react to his words, in an effort to know where Spellbinder's ties truly lied. This manifestation of the dark trinity had not one but two sisters, and it was glaringly clear to him that Firebird felt herself to be the protector of Morgan, despite Haleigh having a much more succinct and clear mode of operation. >>

Morgan: Firebird is no helpless little sparrow, but please believe me when I tell you, if you raise your hand to her? You WILL have to deal with ME. I love my sister, and she loves me. We don't always get things RIGHT, but we're ALWAYS there for each other, we ALWAYS have each other's backs. You're in MY house now, and as long as you're here, you'll show me and MY family respect! You're the stranger here, and we have a right to ask you questions and determine how we will deal with you. The last time I saw you, you were FIRMLY aligned with an EVIL organization. There are SOME things that go beyond "good" and "evil", Black being one of them. But HE is beyond dead now, and much has happened since you were last in THIS timeline.Darkchilde asked you to stay here, just as she sent Persephone here. But YOU'RE the new comer. YOU have to adjust to US, not the other way round!"

<< Brenthon smirked. He would in no way, shape, or form change himself or who he was for the benefit of ANYONE around him. It was not his job to be Morgan's friend. It was his job to ensure that she would fullfill the duties required of her. And Blaze represented a variable to that calling that Brenthon didn't trust. And he was not scared of her. Her power was immense, but so was HIS. While she was skimming the depths of mysticism and desperation in her call to Hecate, Brenthon was comfortable in the flames, and they did not effect him. Him being here made things different for Morgan. And he could sense instantly that Blaze would be a thorn in his side as he moved forward. He had no other option than to show that he would not be stopped by her passion and fire. >>

"My allegiance is to the mantle of The Mother. Of The Spellbinder. And that's all you really need to know."

Blaze: "Your allegiance may be to The Mother, but I am her sister, and I WILL be present when my sister wants or needs me, whether you like it or not. Welcome to OUR timeline."

<< He laughed as she spoke. This was as much his timeline as it was hers. Her will was strong. He wanted to tell her that when it came to duty, her opinion didn't matter. That there were things Spellbinder would face that could not and WOULD not be colored by her view on things. But he remained silent. He looked to Haleigh to see what she thought. When everything was happening, she held fast to her belief that getting Morgan awake and home was the best option. He agreed. >>

Haleigh: “Have you already forgotten that he’s HERE, right now, because he dropped everything to answer Blaze’s call for help, when YOU were reaching out to pay the ferryman? Excellent, now that hostilities have been reconciled, we can get to know each other better. Boldizsár, may I call you that? Such a STRONG name, it seems a sin not to use it.”

<< Brenthon smirked. >>

"Tis but a question of space and opportunity, Black Widow. You are the only woman here of any sense. Something I'd love to reward you for."

Haleigh: “Well, I’m looking forward to giving you that tour we discussed. Hopefully my King will be there, and I can introduce you two. And of course, I’m sure you’d like the opportunity to catch up with your old friend Persephone, she should be home as well.”

"Persephone."

"I am not a man of much emotion. But seeing her...however briefly...it's created a great aching inside of me. I have missed her so much. To know there is a member of my family so close to me yet so far away...it torments me. I long to kiss her lips..."

<< She was his greatest rival and oldest friend. They had taught each other so much. Had so much fun, held each other in weak moments, and tormented each other on every occassion. She was the only one who could possibly know what he had gone through. The only one who could give him insight. And he longed for the moment he could melt into her arms. >>

Morgan: "But NOT in here. THIS room is my chamber of dreams - it is meant to be a private place for ME, and my loved ones, and now that we're all back, and we know when and WHERE we are, MY house, I do have a more appropriate place in my Sanctum Sanctorum for receiving visitors. Beto, or whatever it is you call yourself these days, you will WAIT for us in the Library on the first floor. I need to have a PRIVATE moment with MY sisters."

"I wait for nobody, Spellbinder. Unsure and angry as you are of me, you will come around. It is simply part of my charm. Until next time."

<< He left, moving towards the room that Morgan had "assigned" him to. Only remaining out of respect for her. He could leave this place easily. He had the power and the intention. But it was clear that Morgan had a lot to deal with, so he was trying to remain available. But he would not be domesticated. He would not have his wings clipped by her. He was a force. A force that she would do WELL to listen to. And if she didn't? Well that was HER problem. >>

 

[Tycoon]

Manhattan, NY — Central Park

Gavin had apparently let the cat out of the bag on Haleigh’s marriage. He tried to apologize for that, but she dismissed his trespass, telling him that Cameron should have told her directly, and that anyway this would give her time to adjust to the idea before seeing him. Gavin nodded at that, then marveled at the fact that Haleigh had told her accountant before she’d apparently told friends and family. She could be so mechanical at times, and very mission oriented. He joked that maybe she’d gotten married like it was a tactical operation, and then asked Delilah humorously if she thought Haleigh had just ambushed her husband into it. Delilah replied that Haleigh had probably just dragged him to the chapel and not taken no for an answer, and Gavin chuckled at that.

“Well, I’m not sure if ALL of Clandestine knows. It’s not scuttlebutt at the water cooler yet, so it might just be me and Hud.”

He commented, and then he wondered if she knew him. There was a lot of overlap between his people and hers.

“I mean Darren Hudson, her lawyer. You might know him, he’s been dating the Silver Swan, she’s a friend of yours, isn’t she? Anyway, we’re both usually pretty discreet guys. I only blabbed to you because I assumed you would’ve known days ago.”

He said, and then he looked at her with wide eyes.

“Blimey, I wonder if Zach’s found out yet…”

He said, and then he mused that he might be interested in marriage again, which was his subtle way of broaching the topic without creating a pressure point. Apparently it was a bit TOO subtle. She was not picking up what he was putting down. However, she did suddenly remember his failed marriage and apologize for all her talk of divorce. He teased her a bit, good-naturedly, and then he admitted he’d prefer she not remember him for that personal failure.

She reached up to wipe off some stray sauce, smiling as she said that she doubted the failure was his. He smiled warmly back at her, and then asked her if she ever talked marriage with her ex. The guy was a a total dunce, though, and her answer proved it. Delilah relayed the reasons that maybe were the cause, but Gavin still thought it was stupid and said so. She agreed, and that was the end of lunch, and the marriage talk.

Gavin was fine letting the subject drop for now. He would have future opportunities to breach the subject, now that she agreed to go to Zach’s wedding with him. They wrapped up their lunch rubbish and Gavin dumped it in the nearest trash bin before taking her hand and asking her what they were going to next now that she’d kidnapped him from work. She seemed surprised that he didn’t need to be back.

“Eh, I’ll just tell them Haleigh sent me on some top secret financial espionage mission.”

He replied, and then she suggested they go to the castle, or for ice cream, or to Mickey Mantle’s.

“Ooh, spoiled for choice! Well, I love castles, and ice cream, AND Mickey Mantle’s, so I vote yes to all three.”

He said, his hand dropping to find hers as they began to walk through the park. She got a text, which he didn’t intend to read and tried to look away from in case it was private, but from his angle he did notice Cameron’s name.

“Ah, is that Cameron again? You could have him meet us at Mickey’s. Unless you want time alone with him. Sorry, I just realized I invited myself to something that’s probably private. AND I’m trying to monopolize your time today, aren’t I? My apologies… I just…. I really like being with you, Delilah.”

He said, looking over at her happily.

 

[Persephone]

Persephone stepped out from the tree line, jokingly saying she hated being summoned. Hecate reiterated that sentiment, saying she never did. It was true, Persephone hated being 'called upon' by anyone, especially the Grecian Gods. She may have been a God herself, but she could barely stand anyone from her own pantheon. They were all rapists, narcissist, or power hungry - and she fell under the power hungry category [though she never claimed to be perfect].

Hecate: You look beautiful. Being the QUEEN of the Underworld certainly BECOMES you.

"Thank you. It feels...right this time."

But they weren't here to speak on looks. Persephone knew that Hecate had finally fixed the Dark Trinity that she had destroyed centuries ago. She gave her well wishes to Hecate, stating that she was happy that it had finally been unified once again. But Hecate rarely stuck around for casual conversation, so once the Hemlock appeared, Persephone knew she wanted to speak about more than just the Dark Trinity. Taking the goblet, she lifted it to cheers her friend before taking a sip. Mmm. Nothing truly hit like Hemlock.

Hecate: I know you saw your Spellbinder here earlier, conscious, restored and repowered, but I wanted you to hear it from ME, that she WILL be okay.

Persephone nodded.

"That's good to hear. I could feel her soul leaving on the embankment of the River Styx. She didn't want to stay...I understand that feeling well. But I also knew you wouldn't let her give up on life, so I wasn't worried. Plus I would have dragged her ass back to the Upper World myself."

She smirked as she took another sip of her drink. It was a dismal topic to make jokes about, but Persephone wouldn't have allowed Morgan to die. Hecate then went on to explain everything that had transpired from start to finish. It was a lot, but apparently it all needed to be done in that very moment. In a strange twist of events, Nicolas dying ultimately ended up leading to the Dark Trinity being restored.

Hecate: When you see Harbinger again, TELL HER that her friend, Nicolas, is SAFE now in the Elysian Fields. I understand, and EMPATHIZE with her marble hard HEART, AND I know she feels quite SAFE and AT EASE in YOUR presence. She'll receive that much needed update from you, and it will allow her to face the others in her life who need her.

Persephone resisted the urge to roll her eyes at 'Elysian Fields', the place where Athena keeps her chosen warriors in after life. Conveniently named after the Elysian Fields in the Underworld created for Persephone after her marriage to Hades in which all Hellenic practitioners prayed to go in death. Jealous bitch. They may have made amends, but there was no love loss between herself and Athena. But what made Persephone finally crack a smile was Hecate mentioning to tell Alison about Nicolas, as if the precog wasn't watching everything everywhere all at once.

"You and I both know Alison is fully aware of everything that has just happened. But i'll pass along the message. It's been a few months since i've seen her. The sentiment is mutual."

She felt more at ease with Alison than she did Haleigh at the moment. It was strange, considering how close she and Haleigh had always been...but after losing Alek, it felt like she was left in rubble after the collapse of Old Hellfire, while Haleigh flourished and thrived.

On a personal level, I called you here, because I wanted to SEE you.

<< Hecate said, as her purple eyes looked Persephone over. The moment that Harbinger had SEEN for Persephone during their last interaction on Minerva's Aerie, six months ago, was now at hand.>>

It's been so long, for both of us.

Our journey has had it's peaks and valleys, but despite all the odds, and those who tried to use those odds against BOTH of us, we found our way back to each other.

Here WE stand, while many of our counterparts and peers have faded away in the aftermath of MUCH DESERVED humiliation, defeat, and PUNISHMENT.

<<She was certainly referring to the likes of Hera, Zeus, and HADES most of all. In these modern times, only Athena, Demeter, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hestia, Persephone, and Hecate herself remained, choosing when/where/how they appeared in the physical plane of existence.>>

<< Hecate raised her glass toward Persephone, and the two goddesses silently shared in a montage of memories>>

It had been a long, long journey, filled with crater size holes throughout the way. But in the end, despite the chauvinistic, narcissistic, abusive Gods who saw themselves as superior, it was only the women [minus that treacherous bitch Hera] who survived the long haul. They were the ones whom were called upon by modern day practitioners for guidance and help. They were the ones that continued their Hellenic legacy to this day. Persephone raised her glass with Hecate, taking a moment to appreciate it all.

"It's been a journey. One that i'm glad is less dramatic than years past."

Hecate: We've both had the privilege of learning, and recovering. I only wish I could've been there WITH YOU, to get MY pound of flesh from Hades, before you finally destroyed him, and took his power.

"I know how badly he hurt you, but he nearly destroyed me. Despite knowing how much you would have wanted to help, I needed to kill him...so for that I am sorry, Hecate."

<< Hecate said with deep seated bitterness toward Hades.>>

<< Before Hades' saga with Persephone, Hecate and Hades had once been betrothed. It was during the earliest days of Hecate's time on Mt. Olympus, when Zeus and the rest of the Olympian pantheon sang her praises for her key role in VANQUISHING Cronus, and leaving him in the form of tragic, old, gnarled tree, deeply rooted in the ground of the wasteland in the Underworld.>>>>

<< But Hera was INCREDIBLY jealous of Hecate, resentful of Zeus' adoration and favoring of the Goddess of Witchcraft. the irony of ALL of this is that everything BAD that had happened to Hecate, AND Persephone, was set in motion by a woman, a fellow goddess.>>

The only thing worse than Hades' "love" was his betrayal, his violence, his twisted brutality.

<< She knew Persephone would understand. Hades had kidnapped Persephone, MULTIPLE times, forcing Demeter to go and RESCUE her from his clutches - this story was even archived among humanity. Hades forced his attentions on Persephone, abused her mentally and physically, and manipulated her at a time when she was she was HUNGRY for POWER and STATUS, leading to Demeter's shocking murder by her daughter's hand, and the destruction of the Moon Trinity.>>

When the original trinity was destroyed, my place on Mt. Olympus, my POWER was weakened, which is what Hera wanted all along, and I was primed for Hades' assault (rape). Zeus knew this was coming...he pushed it, just like he pushed Hades to treat you the way he did. It was his way for getting BACK at me for rejecting HIS "affections" when he was flushed with triumph after *I* vanquished his father.

Persephone remained quiet, knowing the story well. But also knowing more of the story that Hecate didn't know. Yes Zeus pushed Hades to rape Hecate for his own vendetta, but Hades only did it as a way to make Persephone jealous [with his warped logic]. Despite being betrothed to Hecate years prior, he had always been obsessed with Persephone, ever since she was a child. She remembered the feeling of being watched in the poppy fields when her mother wasn't around. She remembered the darkness that filled her room many nights when the bright full moon should have illuminated everything. He wanted her, and Demeter refused it. But as Persephone grew older, she became just as dark as those shadows. And knowing that he had been watching her for years - wanting her - she used it to her advantage. Thus, killing Demeter to gain her powers, then marrying Hades to gain his kingdom. It seemed perfect at the time, but if Persephone knew what it would cost her in the end, she would have never done it.

Zeus REALLY thought that *I* would WANT him, or that I would be taken in by his overbearing ways, the way so many other women- from the humans on earth, all the way up to the deities in the Halls of Mt. Olympus did, INCLUDING Hera! and Zeus HIMSELF had been manipulated and goaded by that weak bitch HERA. Her jealousy was her greatest "weapon", and she ONLY had eyes for her wretched husband, despite him being as much of a monster as HIS father, Cronus was.

<< Persephone could see the bitterness and HATRED on Hecate's face as she slammed back her next refill of Hemlocked>>

<< Hecate hated Hera, Zeus, and Hades even more than she hated Black Widow. Black Widow was actually FORTUNATE because Hecate's most LEGENDARY act of WRATH (to date) had been the Red Moon. It was IRONIC that Black Widow was Spellbinder's SISTER, and it REPULSED Hecate that HER seed had ANY connection THAT creature, and all of that was due to "SCIENCE", so Haleigh WAS correct, Hecate DID have a STRONG bigotry toward science, and those who clung to it.>>

<< After gulping down the next refill, Hecate paused, taking a moment to breath, and looking up at the glowing moon which hovered above both goddesses.>>

But Zeus is gone, his power LONG faded, and leaving him in a state even more pathetic than that of his father's, and Hera, true to form, followed her husband into oblivion- where she belongs. And Hades... is FINALLY GONE, thanks to you! No more worries, no more lingering threats.

"Fuck Zeus, fuck Hera, and FUCK Hades."

Persephone raised her glass, at that sentiment, downing it immediately. Knowing that he would never come back to hurt her or anyone she loved again was like a thousand bricks being lifted off her chest.

Hecate: Demeter is alive, Artemis are still here, and The TRINITY is reborn, and secure! You and Athena are on good terms again--

Persephone half shrugged with a mild 'eh' at that part. But yes, they weren't currently trying to murder one another.

Hecate: -- and are you and I are reconnected! Here WE stand, you and I, as vital as we EVER were, our place, not only in the records and archives of the humans, but in the COSMOS, firmly secured, as we choose WHEN/WHERE/HOW we appear. The AMAZONS are a living testimony to Athena and Artemis' legacy and enduring presence on Earth. Hestia's cosmic Flames of Faltine have found a new WORTHY host and caretaker. You now rule the Underworld, with my Moon still lighting that realm, as it did all those centuries ago, and I continue to touch all corners of the Cosmos. The gods (Zeus, Hades in particular) FAILED and have fallen away, but WE GODDESSES (with the clear exception of Hera) endured, and TRIUMPHED. To US!

Persephone chuckled as she clinked her glass against Hecate's, taking a long and well deserved sip. It had been a very very long time since all things seemed to be in alignment where the Grecian Gods were concerned.

"To us. May we continue down this very smooth path. Because fuck...it's been a wild one."

 

[Black Widow]

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Haleigh mediated a bit between Morgan and Brenthon. She tried to smooth it over, but Morgan was just not having it. Brenthon determined that Haleigh was the only woman with sense and said he wanted to reward her for it. Haleigh raised an eyebrow at that, wondering just what he meant by that, but she didn’t ask. She suggested the tour they’d discussed, and that maybe he’d catch up with Persephone while they were there. Brenthon reminisced a bit about Seph, saying that he wanted to kiss her.

“Well, I advise you exercise extreme caution there. These days Seph is more likely to kill men than kiss them.”

She quipped, and there was an exchange where Morgan sent him to wait in the library, and he wasn’t exactly happy about it. Morgan clearly needed to decompress a bit, though, so he left the three women and went to wait. There was quite a bit to be discussed. Haleigh made sure to address some big issues, which prompted some push back from Blaze. The thing was, Blaze didn’t have the full picture on the issues at hand, and Haleigh wasn’t shy about correcting the record.

Morgan was the next to mediate, but as she did she revealed that there was a bigger issue. Namely, Hecate’s intervention hadn’t been wholly effective. She still wasn’t a hundred percent, even if she looked it, and there were unresolved problems for Morgan. She wasn’t comfortable with Brenthon, but that wasn’t the worst of it. She still wanted Nic back, too. Morgan asked for help, and Haleigh stepped up to deliver. Morgan delegated the task of dealing with Brenthon, which Haleigh was glad to accept. Then she asked for a hug, which was outside of Haleigh’s comfort zone, but she did it anyway, because it was not something Morgan had ever asked for before, and it DID seem like she needed it.

Afterward she told Morgan that they could go get Nic, and she suggested rescuing an alternate timeline version of him. She volunteered to help with that, and reassured Morgan that she’d take care of Brenthon. Then she turned to leave, but Blaze called for her to wait. The hybrid gave a heavy sigh, her defenses up. When she turned back to face Blaze, her expression was one of patience stretched very thin. She was quite surprised when Blaze lead with an admission that she owed Haleigh an apology.

“You what??”

Haleigh asked, sure that she just hallucinated. Blaze began to explain the numerous reasons behind her overprotectiveness of Morgan. It became clear to Haleigh that Blaze meant well, even if she was mistaken. Blaze also addressed the Hellfire issue, after apparently realizing that Haleigh was playing the long game against that organization. Then she went on to admit she’d mishandled the confrontation with Hecate, and explained that she’d been find Hecate would withdraw her help. Finally, she said she was sorry, and it seemed sincere.

“Okay, you’re not useless, so cut that shit out. Even those who call themselves GODS aren’t perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, the best we can do is recognize it and correct course.”

She replied to start.

“I probably should’ve explained my Hellfire strategy better. We really just seized power in a vacuum and never stopped to talk about it. We knew what needed to be done and assumed everyone else knew us well enough to understand.”

She allowed, recalling that maybe she’d only discussed the move with Delilah.

“We’ll both need to work on improving our communication. If you had a good relationship with me in your timeline, we can probably reach that again. Morgan’s right. We’re not enemies. We’re on the same team, we should try to remember that.”

She said, and then she took a breath and let it out heavily.

“As far as Hecate goes, she’s not worthy of your reverence if she would do as you fear.”

Haleigh said, her thumbs tucking into her belt on either side of her buckle.

“I’m not a religious woman. None of the people who were gods a thousand years ago are gonna get any default respect from me. She damn sure won’t get any favor while she’s taking every opportunity to hate me for something I had no control over.”

She continued, her expression serious. She didn’t know if Blaze would be receptive to advice, but she was going to offer it anyway.

“The old gods, they’re people just like us. They have power, sure, but so do we. WE’RE the gods of THIS era. It’s fine to ask for their help, and it’s fine if you have respect for your heritage, but take off the rose colored glasses and see her for what she IS, a powerful but flawed woman. Otherwise, she’s going to walk all over you, and NOBODY has the right to do that.”

 

[Spellbinder]

Sanctum Sanctorum- Chamber of Dreams

"I wait for nobody, Spellbinder. Unsure and angry as you are of me, you will come around. It is simply part of my charm. Until next time."

<< Morgan glared at Brenthon>>

Oh we'll just SEE about THAT. I'll fix it so that you wait FOREVER, in a BLACK HOLE in the center of the galaxy!

<< Morgan was about to retort, BELLOW even, but she instead sent him down to the main library on the first floor, via stepping disk, and it was clear to Haleigh and Blaze that she WASN'T happy right now.>>

<< Haleigh and Blaze went back and forth, and many of Haleigh's grievances very significant. If she didn't care, she wouldn't be voicing them as she did now.>>

<< Just as things were deteriorating, Morgan, who was still not quite settled, screamed at them to remember that they were sisters, and she needed them both!>>

<< Morgan knew that Hecate loathed Haleigh, and why, and she spelled it out, for both her sisters to hear. NOT that she AGREED with it herself...>>

“It’s the reason I EXIST, Morgan. I’ll never be able to overcome that. It’s not right for her to make me her punching bag because she hates progress. Science and Technology improve the lives of EVERYONE, not just Hecate’s precious magick-using descendants. I’m never gonna just bend over for her so she can feel like she’s all powerful.”

Haleigh replied, less heatedly.

You're right.

<< Morgan said softly>>

My mother is a doctor. Nicolas was a scientist.

Science has benefited all of us.

<< She looked at Blaze and Haleigh>>

There's room in creation for both science, AND magick. Hecate has to accept that. Not even SHE can just...WIPE OUT an entire discipline from the consciousness of humanity.

<< of course, there were OTHER beings in the overall cosmic pantheon that COULD, but thankfully for ALL of the Six, and the general populace of earth, they hadn't earned THAT level of "attention"...YET.>>

“Alright, it’s gonna be okay Morgan. You’re strong enough to get through this, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

She said gently, and then she pulled back, her hands still on Morgan’s shoulders.

“And if you decide that you just can’t go on without him? Let me know, and I’ll help you get him back. You can do your scrying thing and find him in some bad alternate reality, and we can hop through a stepping disc and go rescue him together.”

She said, sincerely.

“But for now? Try to remind yourself that the way to honor his sacrifice is to make the most of every day. Find things that make you happy and pursue them, so that when he looks down on you, he can be happy that you’re flourishing. Because he’s never going to be at peace if he has to spend eternity watching you suffer without him.”

She added, then she finally let go.

“Don’t worry about Brenthon. I’ll deal with him until you feel more comfortable.”

She assured Morgan, and then she turned to leave.

<< Morgan gladly received Haleigh's hug and returned her embrace. >>

Thank you so much...

<< she whispered. It meant the WORLD to Morgan that Haleigh readily AGREED to go with Morgan to rescue an alternate Nicolas from the time stream, if she needed to. USUALLY, one or more members of the Six OBJECTED to her delving FURTHER into Limbo, and using that eldritch dimension to accomplish whatever goal she had.>>

<< AND Morgan was quite relieved that Haleigh would deal with Brenthon for the time being. She didn't want to deal with him, she didn't even want to LOOK at him right now, and if ANYONE could handle a man who was upsetting to her, it was Haleigh! >>

<< As Haleigh was about to leave the chamber of dreams...>>

Haleigh, please wait.

:: Blaze said as she came up to her::

I DO owe you an apology.

You see....I...i've NEVER gotten over the losses I sustained in my own timeline. And when [Mainstream] Morgan and I made the promise to watch out for/protect each other...I became so TUNNEL VISION in that after the Blue Moon. I also became very TRIBAL, without even realizing it. That's part of why I lashed out at Delilah after Morgan fled to Limbo after the Blue Moon. I felt that somebody had to speak up for Morgan!

:: She said with genuine reflection::

<< Morgan REMEMBERED when she first met FIREBIRD in her native timeline, when they arrived there to find and rescue THEIR Harbinger and Persephone. Seeing Firebird reminded Morgan of how much she MISSED her original sister, and two were immediately drawn to one another. They HAD made a promise to each other, and that was one of the reasons why Morgan instinctively turned to Blaze when she wanted to "ESCAPE" from the crushing grief over Nicolas' death>>

:: She looks back at Haleigh::

I understand now, what you're doing with Hellfire.

The Haleigh from my timeline....she and I...we had similar backgrounds in espionage and black ops. I knew what she could do, and even though we didn't always get along PERSONALLY (in the earlier days) I KNEW i could TRUST her with my back, my LIFE, and the same went for her with me.

You've proven, MORE than once, that you are exceptionally good at navigating the darkest, most dangerous waters, and people, willing and able to make decisions that perhaps only Harbinger could face.

I....I'm ASHAMED that I LOST sight of that with YOU. You're right. I HAVEN'T been a good sister.

I let my RESENTMENT and personal offense at you taking the mantle of the White Queen effect my view of you and i stood back and said nothing when Hecate berated you and physically bullied you.

:: She looked genuinely remorseful as she shook her head::

I KNEW she was wrong for how she was treating you, but I let my REVERENCE for Hecate cloud my judgement!

:: She balled her hand into a fist, as a red/orange corona formed around it::

I have ALWAYS prided myself on following my [enhanced] instincts, and even in the Enchanted Forest, every instinct told me you were just trying to help Morgan, I just couldn't go against Hecate's will. I was "frozen" in fear that if she were too angry, she would COMPLETELY withdraw ALL possible help.

I just...wanted to do WHATEVER I could to help Morgan. I wanted to STOP the pain for her, however I could...and even though, neither I, nor Karen could do that.

I loved Nicolas too....and now he's GONE!

<< Morgan too had felt a way about Haleigh becoming the White Queen, that name/title was so LOADED and evoked images of a woman had destroyed Morgan's immediate family, and terrorized the lives of Everyone in the Six. But she never got a chance to say anything to Haleigh about it privately, to ASK her about what she was doing/why, to get an understanding. To hear the hybrid say it now...it all made sense. It wasn't APPEALING, but it made sense.>>

<< Then came the topic of Hecate.>>

<< Morgan, Karen, Alison, and even Blaze, who is more aligned to the mystical said than her cross-time alternate was, all of them had a reverence of Hecate that was not shared by the other members of the Six. It had lead to conflict before, and Morgan also remembered what happened when the Six faced the Olympians (excluding Hecate, who was actually on THEIR side) in support of Persephone during the Red Moon>>

<< Blaze expressed regret over her handling the confrontation between Hecate and Haleigh, and revealed that not only had she allowed her reverance of the goddess of witchcraft to cloud her judgement, but that she was also genuinely AFRAID that Hecate might completely withdraw her aid if she had been further angered by any of them.>>

The Olympians CAN be cruel like that. History is FULL of examples of their cruelty. My mother, myself, Alison, and even you, Firebird, with your mystical accents,...we are FORTUNATE that we ARE of Hecate's blood. If we weren't....who knows what would've happened to us when we fought the Olympians during the last Red Moon, or how Hecate would treat any of US.

<< Blaze expressed HER grief over Nicolas, and it was a stark reminder that in the aftermath of Nicolas' death, Morgan wasn't the only one who felt the pain of that loss. He had touched the lives of all of his team, as well as aunt, his adoptive mother (Sharon) .>>

<<Morgan came close, placing her hands on Blaze's shoulders as the fire elemental spoke to the hybrid, offering silent support as Blaze reached out to Haleigh. Blaze was talking, really reaching out, THIS was what Morgan wanted, for all three of them>>

I was USELESS, yet again, and I displaced that on You, and everyone else!

I saw what could happen if things went unaddressed amongst FAMILY in my native timeline. I don't want that to happen here, it didnt occur to me, until just now, that I could be OVERCORRECTING due to FEAR, GRIEF, wanting to do WHATEVER I could to protect her from any more losses, surprises or distress, even if I thought that meant shutting the rest of you out, could cause something like that to happen here.

I made a mistake, and I'm sorry.

No, Blaze, you are FAR from useless. NEVER think, not even for a moment, that you are "useless!"

<< Haleigh agreed>>

“Okay, you’re not useless, so cut that shit out. Even those who call themselves GODS aren’t perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, the best we can do is recognize it and correct course.”

“We’ll both need to work on improving our communication. If you had a good relationship with me in your timeline, we can probably reach that again. Morgan’s right. We’re not enemies. We’re on the same team, we should try to remember that.”

AND we're SISTERS. Our father is a monster, but we've survived and OUTLASTED him. We're stronger TOGETHER.

There's no doubt that you two CAN be as close as Firebird was to her native timeline's Haleigh, just as YOU AND I have come SO far from OUR earliest days together in the Six.

<< she said as she look at Haleigh>>

“As far as Hecate goes, she’s not worthy of your reverence if she would do as you fear.”

Haleigh said, her thumbs tucking into her belt on either side of her buckle.

“I’m not a religious woman. None of the people who were gods a thousand years ago are gonna get any default respect from me. She damn sure won’t get any favor while she’s taking every opportunity to hate me for something I had no control over.”

Secretly...I've always wondered if you...hated me for being a witch, or being a descendant from Hecate. I KNOW Cameron has had a problem with magick users, he's said so.


I guess we're two sides of the same coin, you coming from science, me coming from magick, but like i said earlier, there IS room in creation for science AND magick. MysTech understood that, and we need to remember that.

She continued, her expression serious. She didn’t know if Blaze would be receptive to advice, but she was going to offer it anyway.

“The old gods, they’re people just like us. They have power, sure, but so do we. WE’RE the gods of THIS era. It’s fine to ask for their help, and it’s fine if you have respect for your heritage, but take off the rose colored glasses and see her for what she IS, a powerful but flawed woman. Otherwise, she’s going to walk all over you, and NOBODY has the right to do that.”

<<FLASH!>>

<< A horizontal split view.>>

<< Morgan's violet eyes in the top panel. Blaze's apple green eyes in the bottom panel>>

<< BOTH women look at Haleigh as her words sink in to their minds, and hearts.>>

She's right....

<< Morgan said softly>>

We CAN'T let our connection to Hecate supersede our personal judgement, OR our bonds and connections HERE, right in front of us.

Hecate has saved my life, MANY times, and she's done favors for others in the Six, BECAUSE of their connection to me, but I must not...DARE NOT forget who she is, what she is capable of.

<< And while they were speaking of the gods...>>

And look what Set did to Nicolas, HIS OWN SON, and Isis, his SISTER! look what he cost ME....ALL of us. We will NEVER forget.

<< She looks at her sisters once more, and hugs Blaze again>>

The gods ARE flawed, and they can be fickle, careless, and CRUEL. We must NOT be afraid to stand up to them, AND we must always be ready to DEFEND ourselves....SET is a reminder of that.

I'm RELIEVED that we had this talk, and that you're both here.

But I'm tired now...I need to rest, and I DON'T want to hear OR see Brenthon...Beto....or WHATEVER he calls himself, not right now!

<< Haleigh assured Morgan SHE would deal with him.>>

We BOTH will.

Oh....and I almost forgot!

You...WE have a new kitty!

a new kitty??

<< Morgan perked up a bit at this news>>

 

[Firebird]

“Okay, you’re not useless, so cut that shit out. Even those who call themselves GODS aren’t perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, the best we can do is recognize it and correct course.”

She replied to start.

No, Blaze, you are FAR from useless. NEVER think, not even for a moment, that you are "useless!"

“I probably should’ve explained my Hellfire strategy better. We really just seized power in a vacuum and never stopped to talk about it. We knew what needed to be done and assumed everyone else knew us well enough to understand.”

Well that, AND I should've remembered [who you are] and TRUSTED. "White Queen" is such a...LOADED name and after all that Malice has done to EVERYONE I just....

:: Shaking her head::

I get it. I Understand...and I thank you for reminding me [ about who you are, and why you're doing what you're doing]

“We’ll both need to work on improving our communication. If you had a good relationship with me in your timeline, we can probably reach that again. Morgan’s right. We’re not enemies. We’re on the same team, we should try to remember that.”

:: Blaze nodded. She'd been so close to HER Haleigh, and she was so TUNNEL VISION about Morgan, that she just...TOOK IT FOR GRANTED that She and MAINSTREAM Haleigh would "pick up" where she'd left off with HER native timeline's Haleigh. On the one hand, PART of her wanted the ease of overlap, but on the other, she understood that even though she was dealing with the "same" person, there was literally a world, a whole TIME LINE of difference between the two Black Widows::

AND we're SISTERS. Our father is a monster, but we've survived and OUTLASTED him. We're stronger TOGETHER.

There's no doubt that you two CAN be as close as Firebird was to her native timeline's Haleigh, just as YOU AND I have come SO far from OUR earliest days together in the Six.

<< she said as she look at Haleigh>>

Yes.

she took a breath and let it out heavily.

“As far as Hecate goes, she’s not worthy of your reverence if she would do as you fear.”

Haleigh said, her thumbs tucking into her belt on either side of her buckle.

“I’m not a religious woman. None of the people who were gods a thousand years ago are gonna get any default respect from me. She damn sure won’t get any favor while she’s taking every opportunity to hate me for something I had no control over.”

She continued, her expression serious. She didn’t know if Blaze would be receptive to advice, but she was going to offer it anyway.

“The old gods, they’re people just like us. They have power, sure, but so do we. WE’RE the gods of THIS era. It’s fine to ask for their help, and it’s fine if you have respect for your heritage, but take off the rose colored glasses and see her for what she IS, a powerful but flawed woman. Otherwise, she’s going to walk all over you, and NOBODY has the right to do that.”

:: Something about that very last part in Haleigh's response about Hecate, it shot up Blaze's spine like a jolt of electricity::

<<FLASH!>>

<< A horizontal split view.>>

<< Morgan's violet eyes in the top panel. Blaze's apple green eyes in the bottom panel>>

<< BOTH women look at Haleigh as her words sink in to their minds, and hearts.>>

She's right....

<< Morgan said softly>>

We CAN'T let our connection to Hecate supersede our personal judgement, OR our bonds and connections HERE, right in front of us.

We CAN'T let our connection to Hecate supercede our personal judgement, OR our bonds and connections HERE, right in front of us.

Hecate has saved my life, MANY times, and she's done favors for others in the Six, BECAUSE of their connection to me, but I must not...DARE NOT forget who she is, what she is capable of.

<< And while they were speaking of the gods...>>

And look what Set did to Nicolas, HIS OWN SON, and Isis, his SISTER! look what he cost ME....ALL of us. We will NEVER forget.

<< She looks at her sisters once more, and hugs Blaze again>>

The gods ARE flawed, and they can be fickle, careless, and CRUEL. We must NOT be afraid to stand up to them, AND we must always be ready to DEFEND ourselves....SET is a reminder of that.

:: There was nothing more to be said on that. Blaze agreed with BOTH her sisters whole heartedly::

I'm RELIEVED that we had this talk, and that you're both here.

But I'm tired now...I need to rest, and I DON'T want to hear OR see Brenthon...Beto....or WHATEVER he calls himself, not right now!

<< Haleigh assured Morgan SHE would deal with him.>>

We BOTH will.

Oh....and I almost forgot!

You...WE have a new kitty!

a new kitty??

<< Morgan perked up a bit at this news>>

Yes! Look!

:: Blaze directed Haleigh and Morgan's attention to the king size bed::

Haleigh brought her here, her name is PERLE!

 

[Tinker]

Mommy's bed

:: Something had changed. The "Big One" was gone, and Mommy was very sad. So sad.::

:: This made Tinker worried, and she tried her best to comfort mommy::

:: Nudges and rubs, licks and kisses, purring and gentle pawing::

:: Even psionic pictograms, as only this enchanted feline could generate, depicting pictures of "The Big One" ::

:: Tinker stayed by her mommy, keeping watch, and Cloud, the other kitten that Haleigh had given Morgan a while back, followed Tinker's lead::

:: Cloud, curiously, did not age. That was a mystery that some, including Nicolas King, had considered looking into, but he never got the chance to follow up, and in the meantime, Cloud and Tinker had settled into their "kitten/mommy" dynamic.::

::Soon, a NEW kitten arrived::

<<FLASH>>

Perle mewled in her carrier, drawing their attention. Haleigh unlocked the gate and took the cat back into her arms as Blaze asked about it. It began to purr so loudly that Haleigh raised her voice a little to speak over the sound of Perle, who was nuzzling her little face against Haleigh’s cheek.

“Yes, she’s a rescue. I thought maybe Morgan would like to take her in, so she could have other cats for companions, instead of a pack of wolves.”

:: Blaze felt safe in speaking for Morgan::

We'll take her. We have plenty of room. We also have a special area on the grounds especially for animals that are lost, in need of help, or who are visiting.

<< Tinker spotted Haleigh and perked up. She stood up, stretched and yawned, before making her way over to the otherside of the bed, toward the direction where Haleigh was seated. The siamese trilled a bit, as she let it be known she recognized Haleigh. Cloud, eventually followed after her surrogate mommy.>>

<< All the while, Tinker and Cloud cautiously approach Perle. the cats eye each other, as Tinker circles around her and cautiously sniffs her. Perle vocalizes a bit, and Tinker LIGHTLY hisses, letting Perle know that she's the boss. The bigger cat and the two kittens sort out their "differences", with Tinker eventually beginning to groom little Perle, the first sign of exceptance.>>

<< When Tinker sensed that her mommy was in danger, she tried her best to warn the humans, who were quarreling. By the time they paid attention, MORE humans came into the room...including one TINKER recognized [Brenthon], which lead her to growl as she moved in front of Cloud in a protective stance>>

<< Soon ALL the humans were gone, even MOMMY!>>

<< Tinker was not pleased, as she meowed loudly, several times, "calling" for her mommy, calling for "the Big one", but no one came. It was just Tinker Cloud, and Perle>>

<< What to do? What to do? No mommy, no Big One. Maybe the beautiful woman with the flowing white hair? Or Auntie Delilah??>>

<< Time passed, and both Tinker and Cloud continued to investigate little Perle, who was quite feisty, for a small kitten. A few hisses and swats, Tinker pinning Perle down a few times.>>

<< Tinker sensed the powerful magick that surrounded the kitten via her diamond colllar, that magick was "familiar" to her, as it was part of her mommy's bloodline>>

<< Eventually, all three cats calmed and came to accept one another, and when the humans returned, Tinker, Cloud and Perle remained TOGETHER on mommy's king sized bed>>

<< MOMMY was home, and she was AWAKE again!>>

<< Other humans, including that one she wasn't sure about>>

<< Tinker watched with her beautiful blue eyes, and listened, assessing each person's aura, taking in their scent, determining if they were friend, foe or danger.>>

<< Soon>>

But I'm tired now...I need to rest, and I DON'T want to hear OR see Brenthon...Beto....or WHATEVER he calls himself, not right now!

<< Tinker trilled with agreement>>

Oh....and I almost forgot!

You...WE have a new kitty!

a new kitty??

<< Morgan perked up a bit at this news>>

Yes! Look!

:: Blaze directed Haleigh and Morgan's attention to the king size bed::

Haleigh brought her here, her name is PERLE!

aww! LOOK at the baby!

<< Tinker felt a bit JEALOUS. SHE was the FIRST baby, and she meowed loudly to remind everyone of that>>

PERLE? The name of the DREAM FAERIE? Oh Haleigh, where ever did you FIND her??

<< They were all focused on the NEW COMER! Tinker didn't like that, and she made SURE that SHE was closest to her mommy now, pushing her head under Morgan's hand for pets and scritches as she talked to the other two humans>>

<< Perle cautiously crept closer prompting Tinker to hiss at her to keep her distance>>

Now Tinker! be a nice kitty! You have another baby to look after!

<<Mommy sat on the bad and gathered ALL THREE cats close to her>>

I'm GLAD you brought her here. Of course we'll keep her!

I knew you'd be okay with it

:: The fire elemental said with a smile as she gentle pets each cat::

 

[Firebird]

Sanctum Sanctorum- Chamber of Dreams down to the Main Library

Blaze and Haleigh watched as Morgan was calmed and soothed the presence of Tinker, Cloud and Perle.

:: Spellbinder recognized the name "PERLE", and she wanted to know where Haleigh had found her. Blaze was curious too. She'd asked earlier, but Haleigh seemed defensive about going into further details, not that anything would change Blaze OR Morgan's willingness to take her in....::

It's just curious....that her name is the same as that Dream Faerie we encountered in the DreamTime Event.

:: Morgan held little Perle in her hands, and Blaze kept a jealous Tinker occupied by giving her pets and scritches::

It's like how the other baby, Cloud, NEVER seems to age! She remains a small kitten!

Let me give all the babies some treats. It's been a BIG day for everybody. Morg, you get in to bed. I'll take care of the kitties, and I'll go with Haleigh and see about Beto.

<< A short time later, all three cats were happy and settled in the bed with their mommy, Perle was nestled next to cloud, and Tinker was right beside Mommy.>>

<< As Morgan began to fall asleep, Blaze lowered the lights, and closed the double doors to the Chamber of Dreams behind herself and Haleigh>>

Morgan will rest now.

I'll take "second chair" on this interaction with Beto.

:: Blaze said, as she and Haleigh made their way down to the first floor, and to the main Library, where Morgan had sent Beto via stepping disk.::

:: Haleigh would be the primary in this interaction, Blaze would support, as well as use her own mystical accents to "scan". If Haleigh needed to communicate something to Blaze without Beto knowing, she could access the "psi path" that Spellbinder estabished between herself, Blaze and Haleigh when she pulled Haleigh into Limbo a while back. That was Morgan's way of helping to strengthen Haleigh's bio connection to her sisters::

 

[MorningStar]

Manhattan, NY — Central Park

Gavin had told her that, apparently, Cameron and Haleigh were now married. News to her. But she didn't fault Gavin for ruining the surprise. Who the hell tells their accountant before their supposed friends? Though maybe everyone else DID know, and it was just her they hadn't told. Sure, Haleigh had probably told her new "sister" and bestie Morgan about it, Delilah thought with a scoff. And then she remembered that Morgan wasn't talking to anyone. Unless that was another lie meant only for her.

Gavin: “Well, I’m not sure if ALL of Clandestine knows. It’s not scuttlebutt at the water cooler yet, so it might just be me and Hud.”

"Still."

Gavin: “I mean Darren Hudson, her lawyer. You might know him, he’s been dating the Silver Swan, she’s a friend of yours, isn’t she? Anyway, we’re both usually pretty discreet guys. I only blabbed to you because I assumed you would’ve known days ago.”

"You would think that, wouldn't you?"

She smirked, then smiled.

"I've never met Darren, only heard about him when the Six was helping with Rose and her Sanctuary. Yes, Sharon's a good friend of mine but...we haven't been as close lately as I'd like."

There wasn't anything wrong in her relationship with Sharon, it's just that they hadn't had much contact since everything happened with Rose. Since Sharon had joined the Birds of Prey actually. And then there was all this suspicion about Sharon and Alycia from Haleigh... Delilah couldn't believe anything nefarious of them, however. She was sorry she hadn't known Sharon was dating someone, but she supposed that maybe Sharon wanted to keep it private when it was new. Delilah could of course understand that.

"Both of us have been busy I guess."

Gavin: “Blimey, I wonder if Zach’s found out yet…”

"I'm not sure it's Zach that we need to worry about..."

Not that Delilah would care an ounce if Ashley's head exploded. Zach was pretty level headed, and he had ended it between him and Haleigh after all. She thought Zach would do just fine with the news.

Somehow this segued into talking about both her and Gavin's prior marriage prospects. And then he asked what they were going to do for the rest of the afternoon, which surprised her - she'd assumed he'd need to go back to work.

Gavin: “Eh, I’ll just tell them Haleigh sent me on some top secret financial espionage mission.”

THAT made Delilah laugh out loud.

"Why, Mr. Greeley, I didn't know you could be so duplicitous..."

Then she threw out some ideas off the top of her head of things to do in the area, and he hedged the decision a bit, selecting all three options.

Gavin: “Ooh, spoiled for choice! Well, I love castles, and ice cream, AND Mickey Mantle’s, so I vote yes to all three.”

He took her hand, and they moved further into the park.

She heard her phone ding, and while she didn't like to look at her phone when she was with someone like this, it could be important, like news about Morgan. She gave Gavin an apologetic look as she pulled out her phone and looked at the screen.

>> [from Cameron]: "So my return to New York has gone as well as expected. Care to meet a bit sooner....I've really missed you by the way. Let me know."

Now that the shock had worn off a bit about the news that Cameron was sure to impart when they met, she was thinking a little more clearly, though she still wasn't sure if she was angry, hurt, a combination of the two, or neither. But she knew she didn't want to cut her afternoon with Gavin short to be told after the fact about Haleigh's wedding. She didn't know how to respond, and paused for a moment.

Gavin: "Ah, is that Cameron again? You could have him meet us at Mickey’s. Unless you want time alone with him. Sorry, I just realized I invited myself to something that’s probably private. AND I’m trying to monopolize your time today, aren’t I? My apologies… I just…. I really like being with you, Delilah.”

Delilah blushed.

"I really like being with you, Gavin. It's not Cameron I want time alone with."

Unless it was to throttle him. Maybe. Ugh, she really didn't know how to feel.

She smiled at Gavin, then sighed.

"But, he will probably keep texting until I agree. He can be a bit ADHD."

She texted Cameron back.

>> "Two hours, Mickey Mantle's on Central Park South."

"I told him to meet us in two hours. That gives us time for a nice long walk."

She smiled again, and reached to take his hand again.

"Shall we?"

 

[Black Widow]

The Sanctum Sanctorum

Haleigh and Blaze had an overdue discussion, hashing out the few issues they had. Morgan surprisingly agreed with Haleigh on many things, and a lot of progress was made towards developing an understanding. Once they reached a good point, Blaze remembered the new cat. Morgan was quite happy about that, as Blaze told her the name, and Morgan asked Haleigh where she’d gotten her.

“Uh, the Petco on Park Ave. Did you know this whole city is heavy on dog stores? I had to go all the way down to Union Square to find cats, it’s crazy.”

Haleigh said, and then Blaze remarked that she was named after the dream faerie.

“Oh yeah, weird choice right? I never DID ask my mother what that was about.”

She replied with a shrug of nonchalance. They watched the cats interact for a bit and then Morgan decided that she wanted to rest. Haleigh nodded and started to head out to deal with Brenthon. Blaze closed up Morgan’s bedroom and volunteered herself to take ‘second chair’ with Beto. Haleigh looked at her curiously.

“Second chair? The man’s not on trial, Blaze. I have no intention of cross-examining him.”

She replied, as she started downstairs towards the Library. Inexplicably, she knew where to go.

“I know you and Morgan have a thing about men, but try to keep in mind that he came to help just as Jimaine did. He deserves at least the same grace you gave her. Just because he said some things about experiencing you in the timestreams, doesn’t mean we should make an adversary of him.”

She added, and then she opened the door into the Library. She looked around until her gaze found Brenthon.

“Morgan’s had a big day and isn’t in the mood to entertain guests. She’s asked me to take care of you, in her stead. I hope you don’t mind.”