EILONWY

In her pocket, Eilonwy could still hear the faint sounds of vines slithering across the call she'd never hung up. All sounds from Willow had gone silent, and distantly she knew that she was afraid about what that meant. But she had long ago learned to let fear fuel her temper, so as she sprinted down the street with her friends behind her, she focused on one goal. 

That plant was giving Willow back. Even if she had to kill it to make it happen. 

As they got closer, she yanked up the sleeve of her left arm, revealing the bracelet there. With a twirl of her wrist, her long sword shimmered into existence. "Edward, here!" she tossed the blade to him, confident that he would catch it. 

A twirl of her right wrist summoned her Elven sword to her hand right as she reached the door of the last greenhouse where Amity had said the plant would be and she yanked open the door. Instantly, a vine shot towards her, and she reflexively swiped down at it. Inside, she heard the plant scream. 

"Give. Willow. Back. Now."

WILLOW

The scream wasn't just from the plant. Willow screamed as the sword sliced cleanly through the vine, stumbling and clutching her head. She stood across the room in the middle of the wildly overgrown greenhouse. The hybrid had spread to several of the other raised beds, smaller purple and white flowers tucked amongst the black leaves. The flowers that were being overtaken swayed and seemed to fight back weakly.

Willow looked towards the group at the door in fear, her eyes glowing green and tears tracing down her freckled cheeks. Vines were curled around her neck and arms, blood dripping down in the places where thorns bit into her skin and from where her legs had been torn up by the same vines. Her concealment stone was buried in one of the beds, and she stood before them in her bloody costume with all the parts of her she tried to hide exposed. The scars. The ears. The tail. Her.

The massive flower on the back wall shivered and twitched with vines curling in the center like rows of dark, sharp teeth. "Leave!" it snarled in Willow's voice, even though her lips didn't move. The vines tugged at her and Willow whimpered in pain as she was pulled closer to the flower. "You're hurting her!"

TONY

When Tony had seen Eilonwy make way for the exit of the party he hadn’t hesitated. There was a text message typed out, unsent, in his pocket to Ian with an explanation. Later when Ian asked he would curse that he’d simply missed hitting the send button and apologize profusely but for now he had a task at hand.

Listening to Lon’s phone had sent a chill down his spine and he hurriedly hummed the enchantment song for the blade to come magically popping into his hand. Love you, babe. I’ll see you on the other side of… whatever this goddamn plant monster is.

At least he hoped so.

Coming into the building to see a giant writing plant wasn’t the best but this was Swynlake. They got attacked by demons on a not-infrequent-timeline and magic tended to just punish them for existing in the only Magick-Friendly Community in England (a little rude but it was what it was).

“We’re hurting her?! Look what you’ve done to her!”

EDWARD

Edward, as was unfortunately often the case, had little idea what was actually happening, but his instincts tended to serve him well and Eilonwy's sudden tension was reason enough to trust her, to follow. 

He felt a bit out of sorts without his own weapon, eyes going wider an instant as that vicious green appendage lunged outward, the writhing mass of devilish bloom shrieking like a nightmare. 

Not nearly as a nightmare as Willow though, trapped and fearful, the sort of horror in her helplessness that struck Edward as solidly as the hilt of the sword Eilonwy passed to him as his fingers wrapped around it and drew the blade in a smooth, practiced, motion to his side. 

His stance changed, the relaxed edges of it melting away into proper form, his eyes narrowed and their mirth bled away with the line of his lips drawn to a thin line. 

He said nothing, he didn't need to announce his intentions; they were clear in the subtle adjustment of the hilt in his grasp and the shift of his shoulder to brace for the weight of it as his sight snapped to that rustling, leafy monstrosity. 

Edward didn't know exactly what was going on but he took that step towards the door regardless, because he didn't care where that creeping, thorny creature had spawned from; it had hold of Willow and that was all he really needed to know.

AMITY

Amity didn't come with a sword. She came with herself, and her pot of golem, and all the could have should have would haves that she'd been carrying since she and Willow were little girls. They buzzed like firebees in Amity's brain on the way to the greenhouse, torturing Amity as they had the very first day she ever saw Willow. You should have apologized then-- then this wouldn't be happening now. Or: You could have destroyed the hybrid when you saw it-- why couldn't you see it would become the monster it is?

Those things wouldn't serve her when it came to stomping on monster plant ass though. Which she planned to. 

She also planned to burn the motherfucker to the ground. 

And so when she skid into the greenhouse, Amity opened her palms-- she'd drawn with sharpie marker the runes for fire on them. Her golem slithered out of its pot and wrapped around her hands like boxing gloves, then immediately lit with eerie, supernatural purple fire. A vine went snapping toward her like a whip. Amity blocked it, grabbed it, and lit it aflame. 

"WILLOW!" she called as she yanked the screaming, burning vine, using it as a rope to try and drag herself closer. "WILLOW, WE'RE HERE!"

WINSTON

Winston, admittedly, had not been a part of the group of young adults that had come barreling into the Grove after hours. Rather, he'd been part of the night shift, and had learned what, truly, finally, had horrible control of his coworker. 

At first, he'd believed the vibes and flowers were some form of Magick, done up for Halloween. But, Winston was not a stupid man, and the screaming, the monstrous voice, it all told him one thing: Willow was in danger, as were those kids. 

Yes, they may have had swords, Magick, what have you, but he held an innate instinct to protect those people around him, especially if he cared about them. 

In his own way, he did care for Willow. She'd become like a little sister, and seeing the way vines twined about her figure, dug into her flesh, and used her voice made him seethe. 

Yet there was no trace of anger in his voice when he chose, instead, not to fight the creature, but to speak to it. Directly. 

"You say they're hurting her. How? All they want is their friend back, darling. Won't you give her to them?"

HUNTER

Hunter should've known something would happen the moment he donned his armor tonight.

One did not just wear the armor of the Golden Guard. It was a mantle, a symbol.

The Golden Guard existed to protect Emperor Belos. And Belos wasn't here, but the helmet and all that it meant still weighed heavy on Hunter's shoulders.

(Maybe too heavy -- he hadn't worn it in some time -- had it always been this heavy -- had he always struggled to bear it --)

Hunter flanked the back, polearm ready, face masked. With a grunt, he slashed down one of the vines as it snaked towards his friends. He was on high alert.

WILLOW

The moment the vine caught fire, the greenhouse shook with the hybrid and Willow's screams. Willow stumbled back, grabbing the same vine as Amity, and it withered away under her touch before Amity could get too close.

"YOU HAVE TO LEAVE!" the hybrid screamed, howling in the voices of Harvey and Gilbert Park. "She's mine, you don't deserve her!"

More vines rose from the ground, thornless, and lashed at the group.

"No one is going to hurt her ever again, I won't let you!" it cried out. "I love her! She's mine!"

EILONWY

"We aren't leaving without her." 

The light that often swirled around Eilonwy began to ignite into little sparks of lightning as her temper mounted. She didn't know the voices the plant spoke in and she didn't care. It was going to give Willow back. That was the only way this ended. 

"Tony, there's a pouch of fairy dust in the main shop. Get it for me now." He nodded and turned to race off back towards the front as the rest of the group surged in through the door of the green house. 

Mentally apologizing and promising to pay for it later, she smashed the door into the building with her sword so it couldn't be closed behind them, turning back just in time to slice through a huge vine that was aiming for her throat. 

Something sharp sliced along her ankle and she winced as she reflexively stabbed down at it.

EDWARD

The words struck a bitter chord with Edward, leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth with the sort of suffocating control those voices screamed over and painted it as love. Oh how that was a distant feeling he thought he'd never recognize again, and his worry snapped to anger swiftly over it. 

He didn't have firepower, didn't have magic; his reasoning was simply that. He wasn't as useful in a direct assault the way some of the others were. 

His eyes pivoted swiftly, across Amity, Eilonwy, to Hunter, Winston, and settled back on the gleam of gold in Hunter's motions. 

His own sword arched, steel sweeping to the thick resistance of those vibes as he stepped into the spot Eilonwy lunged from, keeping sight of Amity at his shoulder; they stood a better chance with magic if they didn't have to spend it defending themselves. 

"They would do better with a clearer path," he called to Hunter, feeling it sufficed to get the point across as he turned his attention sharply to the crowding vines and his sword flashed again to reflect their eager rustling reach towards the others.

AMITY

Amity only had one mission, really: get to Willow. She would burn a path to her. She would burn the whole greenhouse down if that's what it took. She just had to-- get there. Come through for Willow now after so many years of failing her, when Willow needed her most. 

And so although Amity winced with each screech of the plants, she couldn't stop. She sent another fiery punch into a thorny vine and then somersaulted forward, avoiding another as it tried to crash down on top of her. "CAN YOU HEAR US? WILLOW-- WE'RE COMING!" Amity called out.

HUNTER

Hunter nodded at Edward's instructions. He slashed his polearm across some of the vines, back-to-back with Edward, clearing a path for the others to get through. 

The blade of his polearm glowed slightly, his own magic pulsing through it. This gave the blade an extra sharpness, an extra reach, as the glowing gold lashed out and swiped through a thicket of vines.

Hunter may not have completed this exact mission before, but he'd had many like it. Get to a place. Destroy a thing. Clear a path. Keep people safe. It wasn't Belos, though. But that didn't make it unimportant. It was his friends. They were almost as important as Belos.

(Or were they more important? Or was that a terrible thing to think?).

WILLOW

The hybrid screamed and thrashed as they cut their way through the vines that had taken over the greenhouse. It was starting to tire as it kept having to regrow new vines, and so the vines around Willow's neck and arms tightened as the hybrid started drinking from her faster. After all, it was half vampire rose, and vampire roses were predators first.

Willow sobbed as the pain and fear cut through the control the hybrid had over her, and the light in her eyes flickered like a dying lightbulb. "C-cut me loose," she choked out, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Stop it!" the hybrid hissed in a chorus of voices.

"Please!" Willow gasped, crying out in pain as the vines wound tighter.

"Just a little more," it soothed as the vines yanked Willow back, this time in Willow's voice. "Your blood made me, and now it's going to save us."

Willow was barely staying upright anymore, the vines doing most of the work to keep her on her feet.

EILONWY

Eilonwy surged forward into the space that Hunter and Edward were creating for her, feeling her awareness split in a dozen directions - back towards the entrance where Tony would be coming soon with the fairy dust, forward to where Amity was burning a path, to the sides where her boys were battling to protect the rest of them, off to the back where the older man she didn't know was still trying to talk the plant down and pull its attention his way. 

And forward to Willow. Always to Willow who needed them. 

Her ribs screamed at her as she suddenly lunged to the side to avoid a stabbing vine (she was not well enough for this - she didn't care), but that stabbing pain was distraction enough that she didn't see the thorny vine come around the other side and wrap around her wrist, digging in tightly enough that she reflexively opened her hand and dropped her sword - which disappeared a moment later into the mass of plant life. 

Looking at Willow, she knew she couldn't get there in time, the plants had kept her too far away. Too bad. 

Standing in between Edward and Hunter, she reached for every piece of light that she could, motes of light rushing towards her from the street lights, the gleam of Hunter's weapon, the flickering lights overhead, and even the glow of the plants themselves. Within moments she had made herself a beacon, lightning flickering around her hair and in her eyes. She shoved her hands forward and the arc of lightning lanced through the air to slice through the vine around Willow's neck, cauterizing it and igniting the plants behind her.

WILLOW

The hybrid shrieked as the vines wrapped around Willow were sliced clean through. Willow fell forward, reaching for her friends as she stumbled to her knees and failed to catch herself before hitting the ground. The severed vines around her arms and neck went slack.

"NO! NONONO MINE!" the hybrid screamed, vines rising up to try and cover Willow and drag her back.

TONY

Eilonwy had said to go get fairy dust so that's what Tony did. Besides, he wasn't magically gifted or even that good in a physical fight. Punching a necromancer came to mind at the same time he felt his phone buzzing frantically in his pocket. _Sorry, Ian!_ So retrieving something useful? Well Tony could certainly do that.

Ducking from this greenhouse under angry vines and away from the sounds of combat, he instead headed toward the bag he'd heard about. The plants in that area seemed to swell and swarm, urging him forward rather than turning him away.

"Thanks a million," he murmured as the fairy dust was literally handed to him by a very pretty flower. What kind of flower? Tony had absolutely no fucking clue but it felt rude not to say thanks. The plant responded by shoving him back out the door with the grace of, well, a very shivering flower. Now he just had to get back and hope that he wasn't too slow.

"LON! WHERE AM I PUTTING THIS?!"

EDWARD

The chaos around him registered to Edward in parts, divided in his mind by degree of urgency. With Eilonwy lit brightly and Amity a glimmer of fire and anger, Edward was held in position by the vines that swelled around them and threatened to surge from behind as they made progress forward, keeping the intruding vines at bay on the right.  

He couldn't concern himself as much with the left side, counterpoint to his own efforts, he knew Hunter was there and perfectly capable, Eilonwy and Amity advancing, Winston still a blur in the corner of his eye. 

When her sword was lost Edward drew his own to slice through the vines that burst forward eagerly while that dusty, rasp of leaves voice yowled from the plant and chilled him to the bone with the sound, uttering a hiss of his own at the drag of thorns across his shoulder, ignoring it the next second as Tony's voice reached him and he pivoted quickly, nearest to the other man as he rushed back through the door. 

Edward shoved his boot down on a thrashing vine with a wide swing of the sword to split the others that shot out towards Tony, a spill of sticky sap spreading from the ruined, thorny bits. 

"Go," Edward urged him, taking another step and leaving a thick vine falling to the floor to clear the path for him to the others.

AMITY

Amity was almost to Willow.

That was all that mattered. Not the thorns that had slashed at Amity's cheek. Not the thorns that grabbed at their black dress and tore. She kept fighting through it, burning as many plants as she could. 

Willow hit the ground. Amity cried out for her again and again. "Willow! I'm here! Willow!"

Here, how many years late? 

She hoped it wasn't too late.

WINSTON

Talking wasn't working. A pity. However, it looks as though the others had wounded it, enough so that Willow was now on the floor. 

Now, whatever they did couldn't hurt her, theoretically.

"Tony!" Glancing around, Winston sees him coming through the door, through the vines. He's closest. "Grab the green bottle!" 

He would not, in fact, be yelling the word 'weed killer.' That was like telling the person you're trying to kill that you're going to kill them. 

That now done, Winston begins to wade closer, through the vines, toward Willow.

HUNTER

Hunter wasn't unfamiliar with working with a team. There were a lot of guards who worked under Belos. 

But this felt different.

For one, he only really trusted Eilonwy and Edward in battle here, since he'd fought alongside them before. Amity was a wildcard; he knew she was capable, but also, he didn't really know much else about her. But mostly, he kept an eye on Tony and on the man who worked here.

The vines recoiled at his blade, but his pulse of raw magic snapped through some of the more resistant tendrils. 

At the stranger's instructions, Hunter's eyes darted towards the green bottle.

"I'll back you up!" Hunter called to Tony.

TONY

Tony didn’t really wait for any permissions before barreling forward, though they did still come. Edward and Hunter (who he knew through the grapevine and little else, definitely gonna need to buy that guy a drink later) were covering his sides and he ducked under furious vines to help Hunter grab the bottle Win had pointed out.

“Remind me to only order delivery from the Grove, Boss!” He laughed despite the situation. He tried to keep the pixie dust as far from the bottle as he could for fear of it being knocked out of his hands. Besides, he didn’t know if herbicide mixed with pixie dust.

Reaching Willow wasn’t easy, Tony stumbled into Amity as he did, and shoved the pixie dust into her hand roughly. “Ahhhhh! Please fuckin’ fix this!”

WILLOW

When Eilonwy had cut the vines tethering her to the hybrid, Willow had felt everything at once. All the feelings that it had tried to smother with its own crashed into her, and Willow laid on the floor and just let it run over her. Fear, anger, pain - oh, Titan, pain - exhaustion, and all of the emotions from the plants the hybrid had tried to smother, shouting in her head. She was dizzy and trembling, but couldn't tell if it was from the onslaught of emotional distress or the blood loss.

Over it all, Amity's voice broke through, calling out to her. Willow rolled slowly onto her stomach and pushed herself up on shaky arms, withered bits of vines falling from around her neck and arms. She could hear the sounds of fighting, the hybrid's howls as its vines were cut down, and people yelling. Fighting to get to her.

She managed to push herself onto her knees and looked up just in time to see Tony make a break for her. The pouch in his hands was familiar, and she reached out with trembling hands to catch the pouch. Golden pixie dust spilled onto her fingers.

"NO, DON'T!" the hybrid screeched as Willow turned the bag out onto the floor and dropped both hands into the shining dust.

Thorny vines rose up and aimed for Willow and Tony, but a massive Wolfshowl shot out of the ground and snatched the vines in its maw, ripping into them with a snarl. Three more burst up around the group and began to attack the vines, each one easily the size of a real wolf.

Willow raised her hands dripping gold and Sunbursts and Lantern Lilies sprung up and filled the room with light so bright it was almost blinding.

"STOP IT!" the hybrid sobbed. It rapidly shifted between voices as it begged Willow to stop, crying out her name and begging with the tongues of the very people it fought against. Flush with magic, Willow glared over her shoulder at the monstrous plant and her tail lashed behind her.

"Shut up," Willow snarled, voice mangled through her bleeding and bruised throat, and the hybrid recoiled from the power there. Willow's vision burned green, but she could see perfectly clear.

She grabbed the bottle of weed killer from Tony as she rose to stand on shaky legs. The first Wolfshowl curled around her to keep her upright, even though the places where it touched her, it seemed to rot.

Willow popped the top of the bottle open with the help of the Wolfshowl and chucked it right into the center of the flower, and it *screamed*. All of the smaller blossoms that lined the room cried out and the vines writhed and twisted, and Willow stumbled past them all. She left a trail of pixie dust after her, the bottoms of her feet coated with potting soil and glitter. 

"You want more blood?" she bit out, grabbing the edge of the flower bed with one hand and reaching deeper into the shrub with the other until she had the stalk in her sticky, blood-soaked hand. "Take it."

Willow, covered in pixie dust and dark blood, poured all of her fear and rage into the hybrid, and it howled as it started to die and wither from the inside out. She overwhelmed it right back, letting the stress and the terror from the past month - and further, honestly - tear it apart. The entire greenhouse writhed as they all began to wilt, even the plants Willow had conjured. They defended the other people in the greenhouse even in their final moments, making sure the hybrid couldn't take any of them with it.

Within moments, the once living, writhing mass of plant life was a dry, dead husk, with Willow in the center. She pulled her hand back and took two steps away before her legs went out and she fell to her knees again. Wrapping her arms and her tail around herself, Willow just stared blankly ahead for a moment, before she took a short, shaky breath.

And started to sob.

AMITY

As soon as the pixie dust touched Willow's fingers: magic.

That's all it was. Magic, springing to life. Magic, blooming in petals. Magic, snapping, with thorn-like teeth and a carnivorous appetite. It blossomed, it bled, it blinded everyone-- Amity had to turn away and shut her eyes when the Sunbursts and Lantern Lilies did their thing. But when Amity looked back, it was still dazzling. And Willow was in the middle of it all.

Amity no longer shouted or cried or begged. She instead said her friend's name quietly all to herself. Willow. Willow, making everything grow. Saving herself. 

Then as soon as it started, it was over. The flowers shut. The hybrid died. The greenhouse was littered with its dead parts and Willow was still in the center, but now she wasn't golden with magic-- now she was alone.

Not for long though.

"Willow!" Amity reached her friend first. Maybe she shouldn't have, but her child instinct took over as Amity flung her arms around her, holding her tight. "Titan's breath, are you okay? Willow, look at me--" Amity pulled along long enough to cup her friend's wet, dirty face in her hands.

WILLOW

Willow let herself be tugged into Amity's arms, leaning against her with no care for the blood that was definitely smearing across Amity's skin and clothes. She was crying quietly, hiccuping with each little sob, and trembling like a leaf.

When Amity cupped her face, Willow leaned into the touch, looking at Amity with clear green eyes that were glassy behind her crooked glasses. Her expression crumpled into agony. "I'm so sorry," she keened, like a dying animal.

EILONWY

As Willow's light flooded the greenhouse, Eilonwy closed her eyes and reached out for every piece of it she could, the brilliant energy swirling around her before soaking into her skin. When she opened her eyes again, the sparks of lightning had faded, but she was able to stand up straighter as she ignored the dull pounding in her arm and in her side. 

But they were surrounded by devastation. 

A quick glance confirmed that Edward was already healing. Hunter seemed shaky, but unharmed. Which also seemed to be true of Tony and Winston. Her sword had been revealed by the withering of the plants, so she knew she would be able to pick it up in a moment, along with Willow's phone. The call was still going. 

But all of that could wait as she bolted the rest of the distance across the greenhouse to where Willow and Amity were standing. 

(Yes, she was vaguely aware of the ears and the tail which had definitely not been there before, but that was a side issue and she wasn't worrying about it right now.)

"Hey, Willow, it's okay, we're here for you. We're here." She slid one arm around Willow's waist and leaned against her side.

WILLOW

Willow had to lean hard on Amity as they stood, dizzy from crying and blood loss. Her legs and arms were shredded, and she could feel warm blood dripping down her chest and back from her neck.

Eilonwy rushed to her, leaning in tight, and Willow flinched. She'd put them all in danger- they should be furious with her! And she'd used her magic, let it tear through her and burn her from the inside out, and all of her lies and deceit had been laid bare before all the people she'd worried about the most.

Instead, Eilonwy murmured soft reassurances to her, and Willow sobbed. Her hand crossed her stomach to lay over Eilonwy's. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, voice rough and thick. "I-I should have- I wanted to- I'm sorry."

TONY

It was suddenly over and Tony barely understood how any of it had even begun. The truth about Tony's involvement in situations like these always tended to boil down to: Someone I care for is in danger so I shall help. Sure, he didn't know Willow as well as most everyone else standing here breathless but Tony's loyalties were still drawn in the sand anyway.

Now came the aftermath, the part Tony was not necessarily better at.

"You're alright, Willow," Tony crooned in what he hoped was a smooth tone. He kept his distance, however, not wanting to crowd her too much. He stood at a point between Eilonwy and Winston, assessing.

EDWARD

Edward had found himself occupied with a particularly angry vine thrashing to and fro, but the vicious floral appendage had shuddered and tensed when the area lit up, his eyes jerking from the sword he plunged into it to pin the writhing monstrosity to the ground and to Willow, a gleam of light everywhere but dancing around Willow at its center. 

He felt the sword nearly jerked from his hand when the other plants surrounding him snagged the vine and jerked it away, twisting and rendering it broken. 

Edward watched, eyes a bit wider at the magic, then troubled as Willow folded in on herself after, the wild rustling, dying thing falling to ruin.

The sword was already tucked to his side, a few steps taken towards her, but he slowed as Amity and Eilonwy caught hold of her, his attention making a quick sweep to be certain everyone else was sound and accounted for; Hunter and Winston looked well enough, the small group clustered around Willow as well. 

Edward exhaled, a twinge of relief in the breath. 

He looked to Hunter and Winston again then, thinking of the blood, the shakiness in Willow's stance. "She will require something to hold warmth with that much blood lost," he pointed out quietly, shock was already evident, but he wasn't certain where to locate a blanket or something of that sort for her to wrap up.

AMITY

Part of Amity wanted to whisk Willow away-- sequester her off in a room all their own. Amity would wipe the blood from her face and hands. Amity would tend her wounds and wrap them. Amity would draw a blanket over her shoulders and talk to her in a low, calming voice, until Willow stopped crying, until Willow stopped apologizing. And she'd tell her, when Willow was ready to hear it, you were brilliant. She'd repeat it until Willow believed it.

But Amity couldn't do any of that. It was selfish. Willow hadn't belonged to Amity in a very long time.

And so Amity reluctantly shifted off to the side to let everyone come closer, biting her tongue so she didn't bark at Tony or Edward to stop crowding her already. Edward at least had a good suggestion though.

"Right, um--" Amity traced the runes she'd drawn into her hand, but changed them just slightly so her hands just grew warm insteads of catching on fire. She put them around Willow again. "We should get you back to the dorms too."

WILLOW

"No!" Willow blurted out, looking at Amity with wide, panicked eyes. "Please, no, not the dorms. I-I have stuff here. I have some of Papa's potions-"

She attempted to turn and walk towards the corner where she had her rolled up sleeping bag and some other items she wanted to have at work that she didn't want anyone to find, but her legs were much weaker than she thought and she stumbled upon her first step and barely caught herself. Her tail lashed under her heavy skirts and Willow felt more tears roll down her cheeks.

What a mess she'd made.

WINSTON

Willow stumbles and Winston jerks toward her side, one stride then two, and he's got her steadied, bends and then lifts, and she's cradled carefully in his arms. 

Winston didn't care about what she'd done. She hadn't done anything. "Hush, Willow, darling," he says, voice gentle as he adjusts his hold, careful, ever so careful. "We've got you." 

Her costume was heavy, sure, but none of the others save, perhaps, the one in armor could have lifted her. Winston didn't mind. He'd done very little as it was, hadn't known what to do, really, save to make sure none of them got themselves killed. 

That had succeeded, so now. Here they were. 

"Where are the potions? Or," he glances up, over, to the group. "If any of you have an idea?"

HUNTER

In the calm after the battle, Hunter counted his heartbeats.

They were precious, he'd learned, and as each one bubbled in his chest, he grew a bit terrified, convinced it was going to be the last. But the next came. Then the next. Then the next. 

He took a deep breath.

Right -- he oriented himself. There was no time to waste on silly matters.

"I'll look," he offered, and started going through Willow's things and the surrounding area. If he was looking at the potions, then he was not looking at Willow, and how small and battered she looked and how that made his heartbeat scatter even more.

WILLOW

Willow could not remember the last time she had been picked up. It must have been ages ago, back when she was small enough for her Papa to lift. She went mute in Winston's arms, feeling young and small and scared. She sniffled pathetically, and wanted to curl up under the dried up remains of that stupid plant and sleep forever.

"Blue liquid, copper wax," she called out once she could form the words, voice raw. Willow cautiously leaned her head against Winston's shoulder and after a moment, let herself sink into his hold.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to his collarbones, tears still rolling down her cheeks and stinging the cuts along her neck.

EILONWY

"We're going back to my place," Eilonwy said decisively. She certainly wasn't going to leave Willow alone, and it would be more comfortable for the group of them anyway, however many of them there were. 

"Laurel will be out at the Court for a few more hours anyway which means we'll have the place to ourselves. Edward, could you help gather Willow's things? Hunter, you're the best one to take care of the potions once you find the one that Willow needs for now, so if you could carry the rest of those. Amity, if you could keep using your magic to help her stay warm and Winston if you can keep her steady, the journey isn't far. Tony, if you could get back to the house first, get the door open, get the kettle on, and get out any of the food we have in there. I have a feeling we'll need a lot." 

She spoke with the confidence that she would be obeyed in this, already primed to steamroll anyone who might argue with her and yet certain that at least the majority of the group would know better. 

Turning, she scooped up Willow's phone and finally ended the call that had been running the entire fight and picked up her own sword as well, giving the small twirl that sent it back into the bracelet so she had her hands free again. She didn't worry about if anyone was watching as she did so. 

Then she marched over to the ruined door and stood nearby, ready to fix a shield of light into place over it until the morning came and they could get a real replacement in.

TONY

Tony felt like he stood at the edge of this group, his brain buzzing at each word that was shared by the others. It made sense, he had the least connections here within the walls of the Grove, but it was a bit disorienting to try and keep up with everything people were saying.

Eilonwy’s voice cut through the chaos and his eyes snapped to her face as she gave him instructions as it had before. He could do those things, they were very simple but he knew how much food and tea would make a difference.

“On it, Lon.” He nodded and started for the door, finally pulling his phone out to check on the constant buzzing. “Fuck!” He’d never hit send on his text to Ian. His boyfriend was clearly worried sick.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” He answered the ringing as he darted across the town to get the Lightfoot place ready for the rest of their arrival. “I typed out a text and meant to send it! I can’t, um, I don’t know how to explain it all but meet me at your mum’s house ASAP. We’ll explain everything there. I’m sorry and I love you!”

I’m in the doghouse for sure.

EDWARD

Edward was already in motion, so his attention shifted fluidly to the task at hand while Tony darted past. He paused himself to return the sword to Eilonwy to return to its magical holding spot and joined Hunter where he was still searching. 

Once Hunter had sorted through things and removed what was needed Edward gathered up the rest, careful to tuck everything together carefully just in case as he rose from where he had knelt to pick up the items. 

He cast another glance towards Willow, a pang of worry striking him, even though the danger had passed, because she was such a gentle soul, and the worry of the horrors of that night settling on her gripped at him. 

She had friends though, they would see her through, he would see her through it with the rest, and just hope the monsters faded. 

He glanced at Tony, a blur of motion and anxious energy, not the first time they'd faced trouble together and come out of it, and Hunter looking steady but so very silent and grave, and even Amity who he barely knew but admired her bravery now and Winston's compassion. When his eyes fell on Eilonwy he smiled, seeing her shine as she led always amazed him.  

The monsters would fade. 

Edward nodded, mostly to himself, and allowed a moment to catch his breath, as everyone else gathered themselves.

AMITY

Amity had said the wrong thing.

Amity didn't really have time to dwell on this, though later, definitely, she would. She'd wonder why she reacted so strongly. What was at the dorms that was so horrible? Were more people bullying Willow? The thought would set Amity's brain on fire, and she'd keep herself up for hours sketching out new, gruesome abominations to punish any of the made-up villains in Amity's head. She'd make them scream and cry and bleed. To make up for not doing so before-- with Boscha and the rest. 

But right now, she just wanted Willow to be okay. So Amity's eyes darted to the ground, and she nodded stiffly at Eilonwy's orders. 

She stepped to Willow's side, then, hesitating just once, gently put a hand on Willow's shoulder. "We got you," she murmured.

WINSTON

Willow curls up into his shoulder after a moment, sniffling, crying, and Winston’s chest aches for her. He makes a soothing noise, a hand running soft fingers over her hip, her side, just the part where he can reach. If they'd been sitting, he'd have rocked her, too, but they weren't so he didn't. "It's alright, Willow. We'll fix it," he murmurs, before diverting just attention back to the people around him. 

He listens to the blonde, Eilonwy, and decides he rather likes her, her attitude and her sword notwithstanding. She has a jut to her chin that said she didn't give a shit what anyone else said; that was what they were going to do. Luckily, all Winston cared about right now was getting Willow somewhere safe and warm, the other kids too. 

He does wince in sympathy, however, when he hears Tony's frantic phone call. If he needed help, uh, getting something to fix that later, might be a good idea. 

When Amity comes in close, Winston shifts so she can be closer to the girl in his arms, knowing she may need it, and offering her a warm, kind smile. He doesn't know her, doesn't know anyone really except Tony and Willow (and Eilonwy and Ian, through some stories Tony has shared of them at work), but he could be the kindness they needed, the steadiness. 

Once he was sure they were ready, they moved toward Tony, Hunter, Edward, and the door out.

HUNTER

Hunter looked for the potions.

It was a job he could do. He knew his potions well. He could focus on that and not the fact that his heart was still racing. (Or the fact that Amity Blight was here, and he didn't know what to make of that, except he didn't want to seem like a failure in front of her, which was a silly feeling, but a feeling nonetheless).

He clung onto Eilonwy's words, her voice really, confident and sparkling through the chaos. When he retrieved the potions and stood up tall, he nodded to Edward, and then followed the group out the door.

He trailed behind, glancing briefly over his shoulder as he clutched the potion bottles, making sure that no tendril stirred, no vine curled, and nothing lurked in the shadows.

WILLOW

Willow might have fought against Eilonwy's directions if she was still standing, though she wasn't sure what else she could do. She didn't want to go back to the dorms and walk through the party bleeding and broken and scared, and she definitely couldn't stay in the greenhouse like she had been. But curled up in Winston's arms with Amity's hand on her shoulder and Eilonwy, Edward, and Hunter in front, Willow couldn't find it in herself to protest.

She wanted to let them hold her up. She wanted to trust them.

So she curled her tail so it was hidden under her skirt and covered her exposed ear and face with her hair so at least those wouldn't be obvious as they walked through the busy streets. She couldn't do anything about the bloody lines gouged into her skin, or the dirt and pixie dust that clung to her fingers and feet.