Giada (Ferguson's version)

The carriage stops and you open the door

"Welcome back Madam Jenny"

You hold out your hand to help her get out of the carriage and feel a shiver run down your spine as she grabs it

"Did you have a pleasant journey?" you ask

"Yes I did"

You follow her into the mansion and help her take off her coat

"Would you like some tea?"

Madam Jenny nods and takes off her gloves

"Yes dear, tea sounds very nice"

You nod, go to the kitchen and make the tea just how she likes it

You enter her room and place the tray on the bedside table

"Thank you dear" she grabs the cup and brings it to her lips to take a sip

You look away and busy yourself with grabbing Madam Jenny's dresses from her luggage and putting them in a basket to wash them later

"How was America?" you ask

"Beautiful, New York is a sight to see"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You open the curtains in your room and gasp when you see that it's snowing

You get ready for the day and then go to the kitchen to see if breakfast is ready

"Good morning" you greet the kitchen staff

The person in charge of making the Lady Of The House's breakfast smiles at you and gives you the tray

"Here you go"

"Thank you very much"

You grab the tray and make your way towards Madam Jenny's room, you quietly open the door and walk towards the bed

You hear movements and as you turn your head you are greeted by the sight of the woman you work for sitting up and stretching her arms to wake up

"Good morning Madam Jenny" you say

"Good morning"

You go open the curtains to let the sun in and smile as the light illuminates the room

"It's snowi-"

The words die in your throat as you turn around, the sight of Madam Jenny's face being illuminated by the sunlight making your heart skip a beat

"You okay?"

You snap out of your daydream and smile

"Yes Madam" you say "you should eat your breakfast before it gets cold"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can't help yourself

You go outside, it's a slow day anyway, and start playing in the snow

"What do you think you're doing?"

You freeze as you hear Madam Jenny's voice and slowly turn around, opening your mouth to apologize for being outside instead of working

"You're going to catch a cold" she says

You feel your heart skip a beat as she places one of her coats on your shoulders and buttons it

"There you go, much better"

Her scent envelopes you and you inhale it

"Now, let's build a snowman"

You watch a little dumbfounded as the woman you work for kneels down and starts gathering snow

"Y-you want to build a snowman?" you ask

"I haven't done that since I was a kid"

You kneel down too and together you and her build a snowman, you place two branches as the arms and two pebbles as the eyes

"It needs a nose"

You go inside and make your way to the kitchen. You grab a carrot, go back outside and put the orange vegetable on the snowman

"Perfect" the redhead says

As you admire your 'creation' you suddenly feel something cold hit your shoulder and you turn around to see Madam Jenny grinning with a snowball in her hand

"Snowball fight" she throws it at you and it hits you in the chest

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You collapse on the snow covered ground on your back, your breathing heavy after the intense snowball fight

"Don't tell me I wore you out"

"You did" you chuckle

The redhead offers you her hand and you take it. As you stand up your foot slips and you fall back down, taking her with you

You gasp as she lands on top of you, her body pressed against yours and her warm breath hitting your face make your heart feel like it's beating out of your chest

"S-sorry"

You look at each other for a few seconds without saying a word

"We should go back inside" Madam Jenny says before getting off of you and standing up

You stand up too and follow her back inside the mansion, shaking off the snow from your coat

"I haven't had fun like that in years"

"S-same" you say, your cheeks red from the cold and from the sudden closeness to her a few seconds ago

You take off her coat that she gave you so you wouldn't get cold, her perfume still lingering on you, and hand it back to her

"T-thanks"

Her fingertips brush against yours and your heart skips a beat

"I-i'll get back to cleaning" you say

You walk away and try to ignore the rapid beating of your heart as you think about her on top of you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You enter Madam Jenny's room and look at her

"You requested for me ma'am?"

"Yes" she walks towards you "I have... a bit of an odd request"

You tilt your head to the side a bit confused, wondering what the request is

"There's a gala next week and I would like for you to accompany me as my plus one"

Your breath hitches and you look at her wide eyed

"Y-you want me to be your plus one at a gala?"

She nods and your heart skips a beat

"W-why me?" you ask "W-why not one of your many suitors? I-i've never been to one of those fancy galas"

"Because I'd rather go with someone that doesn't know a damn thing about these events than go with someone that will go there with me only to try to be part of the glamorous life for a night"

The redhead stops in front of you and her perfume envelopes you

"Plus... it could be an occasion to get to know each other better" she continues

You feel your heart skips a beat as you hear her say that she wants to get to know you

"I-i don't think I have anything appropriate to wear" you say

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You stand in front of the mirror, the sight of yourself wearing a fancy gown a bit strange, and take a deep breath

"I can do this" you tell yourself "it's just a gala... full of high society people that will probably look down on me as soon as I walk in"

You take another deep breath and walk through the mansion towards the entrance hall where the butler opens the door for you

The night air hits your face and the first thing that catches your attention is Madam Jenny waiting for you by the carriage

You walk down the front steps and approach her

"The dress looks good on you"

"T-thank you ma'am" you say

You both get in the carriage and soon it starts moving

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You walk through the many corridors of the huge mansion, feeling out of place, and end up in a room full of paintings

You start looking at them and don't realize how much time has passed until you hear the door open

"There you are"

You turn your head and see Madam Jenny

"I've been looking for you everywhere" she stops next to you

"S-sorry, I lost track of time"

"Come on, let's go back. They're about to serve dessert"

You smile at the mention of cake and nod

As you and her walk through the door to exit the room something catches your eye and you stop in your tracks

"What?"

The redhead looks up too and notices the mistletoe hanging over your heads

"Oh..."

Your mind starts recalling the articles talking about the mistletoe, how it's tradition to kiss under it, and you feel your cheeks heating up

"W-we're going to be late for the cake"

You don't make it far before you feel Madam Jenny grab your hand

She pulls you back towards her and you gasp as your body presses against hers, your breath hitches as she cups your cheek

"Can I?"

Your heart skips a beat at her words, thinking you heard her wrong

"W-what?"

"Can I kiss you?" she asks

You can't believe it

The woman you work for, whom you've had a crush on for months now, wants to kiss you

You look at her and nod and she smiles

You both lean in and when your lips touch hers you feel butterflies in your stomach

Sadly the kiss doesn't last long and when you pull away you lock eyes with her

"Wanna skip dessert and go home?" she asks, rubbing your cheek with her thumb

"S-sounds good"

Madam Jenny smiles and grabs your hand, intertwining your fingers with hers

You walk through the corridors until you reach the huge front door, she helps you put on your coat and then you both get out of the mansion

You get in the carriage and it soon starts moving

You are playing alone by the well when two of Dinah's older brothers, Simeon and Levi, approach you and start picking on you

"Look at her, always playing alone" Levi says

"She has no friends" Simeon continues

You look down and try not to cry, one of the boys pushes you to the ground and the other laughs

"Hey! Leave her alone or I will tell mother!"

Simeon and Levi laugh again and then leave, you hear footsteps approaching and then a familiar voice

"Are you okay?"

You look up at Dinah

"I-i scraped my knee" you say

She looks at it and sees some blood

"I'll be right back"

You watch her run back to the camp and a few minutes later she returns with a piece of cloth. She gets some water from the well, wets the cloth and then wipes away the blood from your knee

"T-thank you"

Dinah smiles and places the cloth on the ground

"No problem and I'm sorry about Simeon and Levi's behavior, I promise they will never bother you again"

"R-really?"

She nods and you show her a small smile

"Good, do you want to be friends?" she suddenly asks

You gasp and look at her wide eyed

"Y-you want to be friends with me?"

Dinah nods and gets on her feet, holding out her hand

"Come on, let's go play"

You hesitate for a second, thinking that she's just messing with you

"I promise I don't bite" she says

You laugh and grab her hand, signaling the start of your friendship

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Years pass

You and Dinah grow up

You develop a crush on her, your heart skipping a beat every time she smiles and laughs, but keep quiet about it 

You are lying on a blanket with Dinah next to you and looking up at the sky, pointing at weird shaped clouds

"An upside-down fig tree"

You chuckle and look for another cloud

"There" you point "a man riding a camel"

"Ohh, I have always wanted to ride a camel"

You turn on your side and prop yourself on your elbow

"Maybe where we're going there'll be camels and we can do that" you say

"You think?"

"We'll have to wait and see"

Dinah chuckles and playfully shoves you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few days of traveling you reach the city of Shechem and end up at a market

While looking at some fabrics you turn to Dinah to ask her opinion and find her looking at something, you follow her line of sight and see that she's looking at a man

You feel your heart break a little and quickly look away, pretending you didn't see a thing

"L-let's go" Dinah says before grabbing your hand and pulling you towards her aunt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are in your tent folding clothes when Dinah enters

"I'm going to the palace!"

You gasp and focus your attention on her

"Really?! Why?"

"A woman is in labour and they need a midwife and the King heard about aunt Rachel and she needs an assistant" she says in one breath

You hug her, happy for her

"You're going to the palace!"

You help her put all the stuff she and her aunt will need in a bag and then watch with the rest of the camp as the two of them follow the guards towards the palace

A few hours later Dinah's aunt returns but there's no sign of your best friend, you walk towards the woman

"Where's Dinah?" you ask

"The King has requested she stays at the palace for a few days to watch over the woman that just gave birth, in case something happens"

"Oh... o-okay"

You go back to your tent and lay down, a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You see people on horses approaching the camp, the same guards from the other day and an old man that you suppose is the King

He approaches Dinah's father and his next words feel like a punch to the gut

"My son has married your daughter"

You can't breathe

You feel like someone put their hand inside your chest, grabbed your heart and ripped it out

Everything is muffled, like you're underwater

You run away from the camp and reach the well, you fall to your knees and let the tears flow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wake up to worried voices and hurried footsteps, you walk out of your tent and gasp at what you see

Dinah is on the ground, her face and nightgown covered in blood, not moving and surrounded by her mother and aunts

You take a few steps towards them when suddenly your best friend stands up and starts yelling at her father, her voice trembling

"I curse you to a life without peace, without happiness and all that you treasure you will lose. You are no longer my father and this is no longer my home" she says before walking away

Without thinking your feet are already moving towards your tent. You quickly change, put all your stuff in a bag and then run in the direction Dinah went

You spot her and try to catch up to her

"Dinah! Wait!"

She stops walking, giving you the time to reach her, and turns around

"What are you doing?" she asks

"I'm coming with you"

She looks taken aback for a second and then shakes her head

"Go back to the camp"

You stay put and look at her

"I'm coming with you" you say again "we promised to always be by each other's side, remember?" you continue, recalling the time you and her made that promise when you were kids

She stays silent and you take a step forward

"I'm not leaving you Dinah, you need someone in your corner"

You lock eyes with her then she grabs your hand and resumes her walk towards the palace with you in tow

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After several weeks of traveling you and Dinah reach Egypt

The carriage stops and you gasp at the sight of the huge pyramid-palace as you get out

You and your best friend walk up the stairs and enter the palace, a servant approaches you and bows

"I will escort you to your chambers"

You follow the servant through the many corridors and soon reach a room

"Miss Dinah, this is your room" the servant looks at you "and yours is the one next to it"

You nod and thank her, the servant leaves and you look at Dinah

"I'll be in my room if you need me" you say

She nods and you both enter your respective rooms

You gasp at the sight in front of you. Silk sheets on the bed, a chest filled with dresses and a view of the city of Thebes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the next few months you help Dinah with her pregnancy, make sure she eats, help her choose a name, feel the baby's first kick

The night the baby is born you are by her side the whole time, letting her squeeze your hand whenever she needs and wiping away the sweat from her forehead

Soon, a baby's cry fills the room

The midwife places the newborn on Dinah's chest and she smiles

"He's perfect"

"What are you going to name him?" you ask

"Bar-Shalem"

You smile and stand up

"I'm gonna go get you something to eat, you try to rest"

You walk out of the room, make your way towards the kitchens and after grabbing as much food as you can you walk back to Dinah's room

You slow your pace as you hear the Queen's voice coming from inside, her tone cold as she tells Dinah she will be nothing but a nursemaid for her own son

As soon as she leaves you enter the room and get on the bed, wrapping your arms around your best friend to hold her

You manage to doze off

An hour passes and you wake up when you feel that Dinah isn't in bed

"Dinah?"

You get up and start looking around for her, a feeling in your stomach telling you that this will not end well

You run into her at the entrance of the palace, Bar-Shalem in her arms

"Dinah..."

You hear footsteps in the distance, most likely the guards looking for her

Without saying anything you and Dinah run down the steps towards the nearby village. As you both run through the many alleyways you knock on doors, hoping someone will open and help you

But it's no use

The guards catch you and take you back to the palace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At dawn the door of your cell opens and a guard walks in, he removes the shackles from your wrists and makes you stand up

"What..."

You spot Dinah at the entrance of the cell and run towards her

"What's going on?"

"I told the Queen that you had nothing to do with me kidnapping my son and running away, I asked her to spare you and she has granted you to leave the palace" she says

"Dinah..."

She grabs your hands and squeezes them

"I will stay here at the palace, with my son, but you have to go"

"I'm not leaving you" you say

"Please" she squeezes your hands again "don't go against the Queen, she won't be so merciful a second time"

The guard from before drops a bag filled with your stuff at your feet

"Go, before she changes her mind" Dinah says

You nod and grab your bag

You look at your best friend one last time before being escorted away

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ten years pass

You live in the village near the palace, your thoughts always on Dinah and how she's doing

You finish washing your dresses at the river and make your way home, you spot a woman knocking on doors and decide to approach her

"Excuse me ma'am... can I help-" the woman turns around and you gasp "Dinah?"

You stare at your best friend, finally seeing her again after ten long years

You feel tears in your eyes and hug her tightly, after a few seconds she hugs you back

You pull away to look at her and cup her cheek

"I thought I would never see you again" you say

She pulls you into another hug and you let her. You stay in each other's embrace for a few minutes, not caring about other people staring

"Come on" you grab her hand "let's go to my house"

"W-who are you?" you ask, voice trembling 

The woman chuckles and kneels in front of you

"Wouldn't you like to know little one"

You look at her and then at the hat on her head

"You like my hat?"

You watch a she takes it off and then places it on your head

"It looks better on you than it does on me" she says

You touch the hat and then look at the woman curiously

"W-what's your name?"

She chuckles again and then smirks

"Aren't you a curious little one?"

"A-are you a magician?" you ask, pointing at her hat on your head

"Why don't you see for yourself"

As the woman lifts her hat from your head a few flowers fall down on your hair and you gasp. You touch the inside of the hat but find nothing, the flowers coming out of nowhere

"D-did you do that?"

"Yes" she grabs one of the flowers and hands it to you

You watch as the woman stands up and places the hat on her head

"Until next time little one"

She starts walking away and you try to follow her but your feet are glued to the ground

"W-wait, where are you going?"

She disappears and you wake up

A single flower, the same one the woman with the hat gave to you in your dream, that wasn't there when you went to bed placed on your nightstand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Four years have passed since that night

You are now ten years old and from time to time you find yourself thinking about the mysterious woman with the hat

You go to bed and when you fall asleep the first thing you see in your dream is the woman with the hat

"Hi"

She approaches you, her steps confident and precise

"It's been some time, hasn't it?"

You look at her, not knowing what to say

"You've grown up"

"Who are you?" you ask

The woman throws her head back and laughs

"Such a curious girl"

"What's your name?" you ask another question

She starts circling around you, looking at you with a smirk

"You really want to know my name?"

You nod and she pretends to think about it

"Maybe next time" she says before disappearing

You wake up from the dream and sit up in bed, the woman's laugh still echoing in your head

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you navigate your teenage years the mysterious woman's presence becomes a constant in your life

She appears in your dreams more frequently, her mysterious persona drawing you to her even though you know you should stay away from her

You go to sleep and she's in your dream again

"You know, seeing you in my dreams is getting boring" you say

The woman chuckles and approaches you

"And here I thought I made your dreams more interesting"

You shrug your shoulders and then look at her

"You're just a nameless woman that I most likely made up in my mind when I was a kid and that keeps appearing for some reason I can't explain"

At that she throws her head back and laughs

"Oh sweetie, you really think I'm just a product of your imagination?"

"Aren't you?" you ask

The woman gets closer and looks down at you

"I can assure you I'm very much real" she says

In the blink of an eye she's gone and soon after you wake up, wondering if what she said about being real is true

If she really isn't just someone you made up in your mind when you were a kid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eighteen

A big milestone for everyone

You spend your eighteenth birthday with your friends and family and when you go to sleep the woman with the hat is already waiting for you in your dream

"Big day today huh? You only turn eighteen once"

You stop in your tracks when she says that and stare at her

"H-how do you know today is my birthday?" you ask

The woman chuckles and looks down at you

"Oh sweetie, you really think I don't check on you during the day too?"

Dots connect in your head

The constant sensation of being watched, strange things happening to people that bother you

It all makes sense now

"I-it was you"

She smirks and takes a step closer

"Bingo"

"What's your name?" you ask, still wanting to know her name after so long

The woman tilts her head and just looks at you without saying anything for a few seconds

"Hmm, I suppose I can tell you my name, I think you have earned it"

A shiver runs down your spine at her words, at the fact that she will finally tell you her name after twelve years of you calling her 'The Woman with the Hat'

She leans closer, like she's about to tell you a secret, and for a second you get lost in her blue eyes

"My name is Rose, Rose the Hat"

After that, you wake up and something on your nightstand catches your attention

A small box and a note

You grab the note and read it

"Happy birthday, R."

You gasp as you realize that it's a gift from her and you feel your heart skip a beat

You open the box and see a beautiful necklace inside. You stare at it for a few seconds, take it out of the box and put it around your neck

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that night Rose hasn't been in your dreams frequently but you always feel her presence during the day

Always watching you hidden in the shadows

Night falls

You wake up to drink some water and when you return to your room you jump as you see a silhouette, you quickly turn on the light

"Hi there"

Rose is standing in your room, acting like she owns the place

"I-is this a dream?"

You pinch yourself to make sure you're not sleeping and hiss as you feel pain, she chuckles

"You're not dreaming"

You reach out your hand towards her and your eyes widen when it passes through her like she's a ghost

"W-what..."

"I'm astral projecting sweetie"

You tilt your head confused, you know about astral projecting because of the witch stuff shown in tv series and movies but it's just fiction

Right? 

"T-this is not possible..." you say and Rose chuckles again

"Oh sweetie, it is possible, you're seeing it with your own eyes"

She keeps looking at you and you try not to get lost in her eyes

"Tell me sweetie... have you ever told someone to do something and they just... did it, no questions asked?"

Your mind starts wandering

All the times you jokingly told your friends or your parents to do something and they did it like they were hypnotized

It's something you've never been able to explain

"D-do I have some kind of power?" you ask and Rose smirks

"You're catching up fast"

You keep looking at her, confused about this whole situation

"H-how..."

"We should talk about this face to face"

"W-we are doing that" you point out and Rose smirks

"I meant with me physically there sweetie... plus, I want to meet you in person... outside of your dreams"

A shiver runs down your spine at her words

"O-okay" you say

"New York, Central Park, 10 a.m. next week... I'll be waiting for you"

After that she disappears into thin air, leaving you alone in your room

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You think about it for a few days and then decide to do it

You will go to New York to meet her

You book a flight, a cheap hotel and pack a luggage before going to bed

The next day you go to the airport, go through security and all the other stuff and after waiting two hours you finally board the plane with the other passengers. You find your seat and fasten your seatbelt and fifteen minutes later the plane takes off

Three hours later the plane lands in New York

You walk out of the airport and get in a cab. During the ride to the hotel you look out the window at the city that never sleeps in awe, the skyscrapers and billboards huge

You arrive at the hotel, check in and go to the room. You lay on the bed, too tired to unpack the few things you brought with you, and soon fall asleep

The next morning you get ready to meet Rose and make your way to Central Park. You arrive and walk around until you spot a woman wearing a magician's hat sitting on a bench

The same woman who has been in your dreams for almost twenty years

You approach her and soon you're standing in front of her

Rose looks at you and smirks

Your ears perk up as you hear footsteps and you grab your gun, ready to shoot whoever it is

"Guys?"

Recognizing Degas' voice you put your gun away and sit down, suddenly a small yellow light glows in the dark room and illuminates Grace's face

You look at the drive in her hand

"Did you..."

"I did" she says and you hug her tightly

The knowledge that she trapped the Entity, that this nightmare is finally over and the world is safe once again makes you feel relieved

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks have passed since you and the team stopped the Entity and life has returned to normal

As you're looking through your closet to find clothes you don't wear anymore so you can get rid of them you find a box. You take it out, cough a little as you wipe the dust off and open it

Pictures and polaroids of the team's rare moments of peace after a succesful mission before moving on to the next one greet your sight

You smile as you look at the pictures, you and Benji doing silly faces, Benji and Luther playing chess, you on Ethan's back as he gives you a piggyback ride

Your hands start shaking as you look at the next picture. You and Ilsa smiling at the camera, Venice in the background

It was taken THAT day, the day you lost her forever

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You pace around the kitchen, you've been restless all day, a strange feeling in the pit of your stomach that you can't explain

All of a sudden you feel like all the air has been knocked out of you

The glass you're holding slips from your hands and shatters on the floor, you fall to your knees and don't even realize you're crying until you let out a sob

A few seconds later Luther is kneeling in front of you, trying to calm you down

"Y/n, are you okay? What happened?"

You just keep sobbing and Luther pulls you into his arms, after a few minutes you finally start calming down and that's when you hear the others return

You quickly run to the other room and see Benji, Ethan and a woman that you presume must be the famous Grace from the airport. They all have somber expressions on their faces that make you feel uneasy

And then you notice that SHE is not with them

You look at the door behind them, expecting her to enter the safe house in her usual confident stride that you have gotten used to but she doesn't

"Where's Ilsa?" you ask

As you say that you see Grace looking down and Benji clenching his fists

"Where. Is. Ilsa?" you ask again

Ethan comes up to you and places his hand on your shoulder

"She...Gabriel..."

You connect the dots

The somber expressions, Benji's clenched fists, Ethan's familiar 'I have bad news' face

It can only mean one thing

You feel your legs give out and Ethan catches you before you can hit the floor

You let out a gut wrenching sob

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wipe away the tears rolling down your cheeks and put the pictures back in the box before shoving it back in the closet

You go downstairs to the kitchen and grab a glass from the cupboard, you hear the front door open and then footsteps approaching

"Hey Ethan" you say, thinking it's your older brother

"Grace texted me, she wants to-"

You turn around and the glass you're holding slips from your hands, shattering on the floor

You feel tears in your eyes as you stare at Ilsa standing at the entrance of the kitchen

"I-if this is a prank, it isn't funny" you choke on a sob

"It's not a prank" 'Ilsa' says

"W-whoever you are, take off the mask, now!" you demand

'Ilsa' takes a step forward and you take one back

"D-don't come any closer!"

You keep looking at 'Ilsa' with a cold face

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Ilsa"

"Yeah right" you scoff "and I'm Queen Elizabeth"

Realizing that talking won't take you anywhere you decide to take matters into your own hands and lunge at the person impersonating Ilsa

You go for their neck, ready to rip the mask off, but when you feel real skin instead of rubber your brows furrow

"What..."

You keep touching, still searching for the mask but don't find anything

"T-this is a very good mask..."

Next thing you know, two fingers under your chin lift your face so you can look at the person in front of you

"It's not a mask"

Your breath hitches and you start shaking a bit

"N-no...t-that's not possible..." your voice cracks

"Let me explain"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ilsa feels immense pain as Gabriel plunges the dagger into her chest, barely missing her heart

She drops to the ground and pretends to be dead, waiting for Gabriel to leave. Soon after he's gone she hears hurried footsteps and then Ethan's voice as he kneels next to her

"Ilsa?"

She opens her eyes and looks at him

"You need to go to a hospital" he says

"I'm fine"

"You got stabbed in the chest, it's a miracle you're still alive"

Ethan calls an ambulance and then looks at her

"Listen to me, after you get treated at the hospital you disappear, Gabriel thinks you're dead and it needs to stay that way until we find a way to stop the Entity, got it?"

She nods and watches as he takes Grace's unconscious form in his arms

"I'm going back to the safe house, I will contact you when necessary"

With one final look Ethan turns and leaves and a few minutes later she hears the ambulance approaching

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You watch as she unbuttons her shirt and you notice a scar on her chest, right where she said Gabriel stabbed her with the dagger

Your heart and mind are at war. The first one is telling you that this is your Ilsa while the second one is screaming that this is just a trick, that anyone could have cut themselves there so no one would be suspicious

"T-tell me something only Ilsa would know" you say

"Our first kiss was under the stars at that medical camp in Kashmir. I gave you my jacket because you were cold and when I saw you wearing it, your face illuminated by the moonlight, I remember thinking that I had never seen something so beautiful. And when you jokingly said that you might have to steal my jacket because it was comfy my brain stopped working and before I could stop myself I kissed you"

The dam breaks

Tears start rolling down your cheeks and as your legs are about to give out you get pulled into familiar strong arms

You hold onto Ilsa, your Ilsa, and let the tears flow

Two months of thinking she was dead, of thinking that you would live the rest of your life without her, of missing her like crazy

Everything you kept bottled up pouring out of you in the form of broken sobs and endless tears

You feel Ilsa running her fingers through you hair and whisper sweet things in your ear to help you calm down

Eventually the tears stop and your breathing returns to normal. You look up and lock eyes with Ilsa. She wipes your tears away and cups the back of your neck, pulling you closer. Soon you feel her breath on your face and a shiver runs down your spine

You both lean in and then her lips are on yours and fireworks explode in your chest, you get on your tip toes and wrap your arms around her neck as she wraps hers around your waist

You only pull away from the kiss when you both run out of breath and then brush your nose against hers

"I'm sorry. I should have told Ethan to not lie to you, to tell you that I was alive" she says

You shake your head and look at her

"It's okay"

"No, it's not. I could have spared you two months of crying and suffering if I had told Ethan to tell you that I wasn't dead and just hiding"

You know she has a point

Had you known she was alive the entire time you wouldn't have spent the last two months crying your eyes out everytime you thought about her

But what's done is done

"You're right...but maybe it was better this way...the less people knew about you being alive, the less chances the Entity and Gabriel would have found out...the important thing is that you're back" you say

Ilsa nods and presses her forehead against yours

"I missed you" she says

"I missed you too"

You take her hand, lead her upstairs to your bedroom and lay down on the bed. You get on your side and keep looking at her, afraid she might disappear if you divert your eyes

"Hey" she cups your cheek and rubs it with her thumb "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere"

"Promise?"

"I promise" she says

You both lean in and soon your lips connect, making shivers run down your spine

"I missed kissing you and being able to hold you in my arms"

"Yeah?" you bite your lip

Ilsa nods and runs the pad of her thumb on your bottom lip

"Yes, being far away from you wasn't easy"

"Well, we can make up for the two months spent apart now" you say before kissing her again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning you wake up and the first thing you register are warmth and two arms wrapped around your waist, you look up and see that Ilsa is already awake

"Good morning"

"It wasn't a dream" you say, touching her face to make sure

She chuckles and runs her fingers through your hair

"No, it wasn't"

You hug her tightly and bury your face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her perfume

You stay cuddled up to her on the bed without saying a word, just content to be in the arms of the woman you love

At some point your stomach starts to grumble and Ilsa chuckles

"Someone's hungry"

You stick your tongue out and sit up, stretching your arms above your head. Ilsa gets out of bed and puts her shirt on

"Come on, let's go make breakfast"

You put on a shirt, take her hand and you two go downstairs to the kitchen. Together you start making breakfast, she toasts the bread while you cook the bacon and the eggs

Soon, you feel a pair of arms wrap around you from behind and you lean into her

"You're distracting me" you say in a playful tone

"Am I?"

You nod and shiver as you feel her lips on your neck

"I-ilsa..."

"Yes?" she asks

"Y-you're distracting me" you say again

She chuckles and stops what she's doing to let you focus on making breakfast

"Sorry"

Soon the eggs and bacon are ready and you turn off the stove. You grab two plates, plate the food and go sit at the table

You and Ilsa eat in silence and from time to time you find yourself looking at her, still not believing that she's not dead and is here with you

"You okay?"

You come back to the present and look at her

"Yeah, I'm fine" you smile at her

She grabs your hand and kisses the back of it before going back to eating her breakfast and you do the same

It will take some time for you to get used to her being back without first thinking that it's just a trick your mind is playing on you but you decide not to think about it