the subject

At the soft touch to her jaw, Kaia felt her eyelids flutter closed, almost letting herself lean into the touch. As Nora explained how once again, she’d misunderstood what the other woman was saying, Kaia mentally kicked herself. Despite being a known optimist and despite her brain punching her sometimes to realize that she didn’t need to be so pessimistic, Kaia found herself being just that. She gave a small smile at the words, albeit still sadly. Turning her head somewhat, Kaia pressed a gentle kiss to Nora’s palm. “I’m glad you’ve got someone that’s helping you and keeping you safe.” She murmured into the skin there, finally opening her eyes so she could look into Nora’s pair. “When you used to leave because of your busy life as an actress, I would worry. It was just something I did. I’m kind of a worrier.” She chuckled low before swallowing thickly, her breath shaky as she pressed a hand over Nora’s. “I am living my life, Nor. And no matter what kind of life I’m living… I need you in it. Be it as a friend or…” Her eyes drifted to Nora’s lips before darting back to the brunette’s eyes, clearing her throat. “You being alive, even in a different body, is more than anything I could have ever hoped for. I’m just glad you exist.”

“I know.  I know you are.”  She nodded with a small smile.  She’d always thought it was so sweet to have someone at home worrying about her other than her sister, it was another reason to come home as much as she did.  Nora listened to all the words out of Kaia’s mouth and she saw those eyes shift down to her lips.  Leaning in, she her lips found Kaia’s in a gentle, loving kiss. 

“No, hey, don’t apologize. Never apologize for being you, okay?” Kaia soothed gently, a hand reaching out to move a stray strand of hair behind Nora’s ear when she heard what came out of the girl’s mouth next. Being taken care of. Her hand faltered, mind replaying back a certain woman’s words in her head. ‘Elle is…not dead, I can say that much. But Nora is…here. She is the now. Elle is the past.’ It hadn’t made any sort of sense to her then but now… After everything that Nora had just managed to tell her, it all slid into place. “Oh.” She breathed out, hand falling back into her lap. It was funny how she could go from happy to sad all in one quick flash. Her heart had soared from the revelation this was Elle but now with her new realization, Kaia felt defeated, maybe even a little jealous. She had to remind herself–It had been a year. More than enough time for Elle, now Nora, to move on from her. Especially when it seemed like the fates were working against them. “I’ll understand if…. If I’m not what your heart wants anymore.” The words tasted bitter in her mouth but she knew that Nora deserved to hear them. “I just want you to be happy,” She gave up, words choked as tears flooded her eyes, unable to look at Nora in the eyes anymore. “Even if its not with me.”

Being a Witch meant there was some truth in being in-tune with nature, so when she heard the rain really begin to fall outside, Kaia frowned. Nora had empathic powers and she was making her upset… Fuck. “Hey… Hey listen to me..” Kaia wrapped her arms tightly enough around Nora to help her sink to the floor without hurting herself. Once they were on solid ground, she pulled back enough to look at the other girl tenderly. “I always knew she did, okay? She didn’t… You didn’t look at me that way and have a girl not know.” Kaia chuckled sadly, brushing hair out of Nora’s face. “Hey.. Look at me.” Gently, she grabbed one of Nora’s shaking hands, placing it over heart and taking a deep breath. “Whatever is making you… However this happened, your emotions are heightened right now and I know from the looks of it that trying to tell me is painful. So just…You don’t have to try to tell me. You don’t have to talk about what happened. I know enough for now and I just want you to know that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re okay from now on.” She leaned slightly forward, pressing a soft kiss against Nora’s forehead, too scared to actually kiss her without permission. “And I got to say… No matter what body you’re in, you’re still absolutely gorgeous.” Taking another deep breath, Kaia looked at her with those shining blue eyes.”Now c’mon, take a deep breath for me.”

Who knew that two seemingly simple words like ‘Hey sunshine’ could floor her, could make an actual whimper leave her throat. Blue eyes drifted down to watch a lone finger trace around the star on her neck, realizing just how much she’d said about to Nora. Oh God. She’d told Nora how she’d…. As her mind was slowly beginning to piece together everything that she’d ever said to Nora about Elle, she heard her name being called. “Hmm?” A low hum of questioning left her lips as she looked back up just in time to see Nora looking at her. Her chin wobbled the exact second she heard the reciprocation of words she thought she’d never hear from someone she’d thought for so long to be dead. 

“You l-love me back.. I… You–” She let out another whimper as she choked back on an unexpected sob. “I thought you were dead. I thought….” Kaia couldn’t fully form a sentence, hearing those words had broke something inside of her and soon she was wrapping her arms around Nora, hand coming up to cup the base of the girl’s head as she felt herself convulse from crying. “I’m so glad you’re not dead. I was going to tell you… I was going to say it. I was… I love you. And then you never… I…I never thought you’d be able to hear me say it. And yet you.. Did. I’m sorry it took me this long to realize.”

Ever since the night that Elle had disappeared, Kaia had imagined what it would be like to wake up one morning to find the blonde on her doorstep. That gorgeous smile would knock her off her feet and she’d feel that tell-tale thump in her chest of her heart damn near exploding. But that moment had never happened and when Jo had told her that she should move on with Nora, that Elle was alive and never coming back, she’d chosen to finally get closure. So when Nora began to stumble over her words, looking increasingly pained as she tried to say something, Kaia felt her heart stop. Had she just… Had she just said she was Elle? It looked like she wasn’t able to fully say it, she’d heard of things like this before, her mother having warned her about curses and hexes. But that didn’t explain the how or the why. 

With a shaky breath, Kaia brushed the tears away from the brunette before tilting her chin to look up at her. She saw the pain in those eyes, those beautiful eyes and she knew, she knew that this wasn’t just Nora… But Elle. And suddenly, it all fit into place. Elle had been gone but then Nora had shown up eventually, coming into her bookstore and it had been so easy to be friends with her. The similar mannerisms that Kaia had brushed off, the gentleness, what Jo had said to her. It had been her all along. “No, it’s okay… You don’t have to.” Kaia said softly, her own eyes teary. “Hey gorgeous.” The words came out with a watery laugh, having not said them in over a year because she’d only ever said them to one person.

“I’m so sorry...”  She murmured with a whimper, still in pain from trying her damndest to fight the magical blockade within.  She could literally create a fucking blizzard that knocks out electricity in an entire town and yet she was somehow unable to say a few simple words. Eleanor leaned into the touch as the blonde wiped at her tears, not backing away from those eyes that seemed to search her own. “B-but I want to... I just... can’t.”  She felt so utterly defeated, fresh tears cascading down doll like cheeks.

When Eleanor opened her eyes she was no longer in the streets of Wallcord with Emerson.  For a moment she thought that maybe she’d just had an incredibly vivid dream but then her vision started to adjust to the dim lighting around her.  She could feel the pulse of magic in the air, she could feel it sparking and sizzling around her and it was terrifying.

Where the fuck am I?

It smelled like Hexcorp, it felt like Hexcorp but what was this space.  It was cold, her naked body was stretched out on a sleek, chilled, hard surface beneath a white sheet.  She slowly sat up and peered at the glass walls surrounding her. In the faint glow of the room she could just barely make out her reflection from the walls.  Her breath caught in her throat and she brought her hand up to her cheek.  Hazel eyes stared back at her from the glass and her lips pulled into a smile.

“She did it...”  The girl whispered.  Her smile only grew when she heard herself speak. Wrapping her body up in the sheet she looked around the room and her eyes settled on the screen outside the preservation cell.  That was odd... the monitor for her vitals still said she had no pulse.  Her smile faded at the sinking feeling she felt.  Something wasn’t right.  Technically, she was still dead, her body was still being preserved.  

Her memories from Nora that now seemed like a dream hit her full force and she sat there, silent and still as she tried to process it all.  She remembered Emerson, Emerson putting the pieces together.  She could remember all of the emotions and auras stemming from out of nowhere, crowding her headspace and driving her nearly to the brink of insanity.  She could recall suppressing it all as much as humanly possible.  She could recall how dark and sinister things felt.  She could recall the empty feeling of death.  She could recall the fear she held for the town.  Something bad happened.  Something bad was happening.

“Jo!”  She yelled. “JO!”  She shrieked.

“JOANNE!!!!!”  She screamed.  She knew Joanne heavily monitored this space.

Elle would just have to keep screaming, screaming until the Doctor appeared

Tightening her hold, she brought one hand up to rub her back soothingly, “It’s okay. It’s okay, you don’t have to say it. I understand.” She murmured, into her hair. “It’s okay, Elle, its okay.” Emerson’s mind was reeling as she processed all this new information. Up until two days ago, she believed her happy and safe, remembering a letter saying how she was taking a break from acting. Yesterday, she found out that supposedly Elle West had been missing for a year. Today, she was holding Elle in her arms, only it wasn’t quite Elle, but at the same time it was. “I- maybe we should get out of the street.” She glanced around, spotting a cafe not too far away. “Do you, um, do you drink coffee, still? Or…”

The relief she felt when Emerson told her she understood was mind blowing.  Hearing the older woman call her Elle had a choked sob ripping from her throat as she burrowed into that embrace.  She tried to process what the woman was saying but they wouldn’t be safe in a cafe.  “Em, Em you have to listen to me.”  She shook her head, tears streaming down her face as she pulled back enough to look up at her. 

 “We need to go somewhere safe- something bad is happening, something really, really bad is happening.  I can feel it.  It’s all around us.. this town is-... We can’t-”  Her breathing was getting ragged, her heart was pounding in her chest.... something was pulling her away.  She couldn’t function.  This pull wasn’t her connection to the weather, this was something entirely different.  “Joanne.”  She managed to breathe out.  “Fi-find Joa-”  Nora collapsed in her arms appearing to have simply passed out... but no amount of rousing would wake the girl.

“No?” She repeated doubtfully, furrowing her brow in thought. In her travels, Emerson had met people of all walks of life, and by now, combined with her natural heightening instincts, she was able to to tell when a person was being hindered by an external force. As the girl wobbled, her hands shot out on instinct, steading her. “It’s okay. Try again, you can do it.” She murmured in what she hoped was a comforting tone. Em almost fell over when she heard the name Eleanor, her mind flashing back to years before, a sweet young actress in need of a friend. Realization hit her like a bat to the side of her head and she staggered, as the strange scent suddenly had a label. “Eleanor? Eleanor West?” 

Nora shook her head, things were getting bad, things were getting really bad.  All of the things she felt around them were starting to close in on her.  She tried taking another step at Emerson’s  encouragement but she only ended up falling into her a little more her forehead resting for a second on her upper chest before she forced herself back some.  

Emerson definitely didn’t recognize the face, but the scent that wafted up to her nose had the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.  Crouching over, she tilted her head, before moving to help the girl back to her feet, scrunching her nose slightly. “Do I know you?” She asked slowly, trying to figure out what who the other woman could be. There was definitely something familiar, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think of where she might know her from, which was even more frustrating. Despite the amount of people she met on a regular basis, she never forgot a face, and she rarely couldn’t place one she recognized.

The tiny brunette nodded her head yes even as her lips parted to tell the curse’s lie.  “No.”  She swallowed back the lump in her throat, letting the older woman help her up.  Nora was so sick of no one knowing who she was,  Right now Emerson was a familiar face and good lord, she needed help.  She went to take a step but her mind fogged and she had to reach out and steady herself on the taller woman. “S-sorry.”  She closed her eyes and took a breath.  “El-leanor.”  She tried to introduce herself and failed, just the way she’d failed with Kaia but when she felt her throat tighten she grimaced and didn’t even try to keep going.

She hadn’t been prepared for Nora coming down to find her in the basement, a place she never brought anyone. She hadn’t been prepared for the present that was now attached to her wrist. But what she most definitely wasn’t prepared for was to watch as the amethyst flew out of her grasp and jolted straight at Nora. The severity with which it flew was a shock to her system, watching as blood now flowed freely from the brunette’s palm. “I…” Taking a step forward, Kaia gently took Nora’s hand in her own two, eyes going shut as she held three fingers over it, feeling heat emanate between their hands as the wound slowly healed itself. Slowly her eyes opened and she looked at Nora, swallowing thickly. “I did a tracking spell. To find Elle, so I’d know she was safe somewhere. And… It… I’ve never seen a pull that strong, Nora. Why would my crystal think you’re Elle?”

Nodding at Nora, Kaia walked back to the table, fingers finding the amethyst. With a subtle look over at Nora, as if for approval, she began to recite the words her mother had taught her many years ago. But this was different, this time she was looking for a person, not a lost cat. “Over a map, a crystal on thread should flow…” She took a deep breath, knowing to focus on those gorgeous eyes, that blonde hair, the addictive laugh. Blinking slowly, Kaia whispered out the next words that would surely send a shell-shock of sorts to Nora’s system. “Show me Elle West.” The gem did nothing at first but then it jolted, moving away from the center of the map of the United States and heading upwards, to the border of Canada. Kaia blinked in confusion before reaching for another map, this time one of Canada. And with that, the crystal began to move again….

At the soft brush of lips to her cheek, Kaia felt the air dissipate from her lungs. She could tell that Nora was going to leave and to be honest, she probably should have left her but there was something about having her stay that… Helped. “Wait! I–I uh… You could stay, if you want. I mean… Unless me performing some magic makes you uncomfortable. Then I won’t… I was just… I’m getting closure. And I was–You can join me… If you like.” This was probably the worst way to spend time with Nora but Kaia didn’t really know how or when would ever be a good time. 

It was funny how her breath caught each time she saw Nora, the girl always making her get a fluttering feeling in the pit of her stomach. Granted, she had literally just seen her moments prior but, watching her walk down those steps.. Well… She couldn’t help the smile that lit up her face. At the semi-rambling Nora seemed to be doing, Kaia shook her head, walking a bit closer to her. Before she could ease the other girl’s clear worry, Nora was offering her a small box. With a raised eyebrow, Kaia opened the box, feeling her breath catch at the sight of the charm. “Nora… I–You didn’t have to..” She blinked quickly, gently taking the bracelet out of the box. Before she could stop herself, Kaia took the few steps towards Nora and gingerly leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to the girl’s cheek. “Thank you. I don’t deserve this.. But thank you, Nor.”