Between Somewhere and Nowhere

Coming Home (Mary)

Mary trembled as she stood in her living room, her eyes scanning over familiar objects that had barely been touched, until her gaze fell on the calendar and saw it had been at least two months since she'd been there even though it felt like merely a handful of days. Pausing on the upside-down cross with a frown, Mary felt herself falling long after Lilith already caught her and helped her gently to the sofa. It was too much, she couldn't process that she'd died but she was somehow alive; that she'd been killed by the original Woman; that a demon wore her face; that her house had been lived in by someone other than her. Her head spun and she lowered it onto the pillow she'd embroidered as Lilith helped her to the sofa.

"You don't need to say anything right now, I'll make us some tea. You also need to eat, Mary. The transition from Limbo back to Earth is hard on the physical body, it needs to readjust to being a molecular machine again rather than the ethereal essence it was in Limbo." Lilith left the room and Mary closed her eyes.

Overwhelmed, she focused on her physical form and felt the breath flaring her nostrils, entering her lungs, where she trapped it for a count of three, then slowly releasing it again through pursed lips. Mary's eyes flew open as she felt Lilith's cool hands pressing against hers, still feeling uncomfortable with the demoness' appearance, the brunette couldn't bring herself to look directly at her. Instead, she stared down into the cup of herbal tea Lilith had made and forced her limbs to move in order to take it from her and bring it to her lips.

"I imagine it's difficult to look at me...this way." Lilith's voice was soft but even that sounded like Mary. "I'm afraid the only other options are my green face or this one..." Mary looked up then and gasped loudly to see the face of her murderer, dropping the cup of tea into her lap and immediately jumping up to get away from the scalding liquid and the woman in front of her.

In one swift motion, Lilith grabbed Mary and hauled her over to the bathroom, where she gently dropped her in the bathtub and immediately ran cold water over the woman's legs as Mary began to sob in earnest. The physical pain felt like enough of a reason to release the tension that the sorrow, heartache, and fear had created in her chest; covering her face, she felt her entire body shaking as she purged her emotions as freely as the water flowed from the showerhead. Lilith cooled her down quietly, reaching down to grab Mary's hand and squeeze it gently; Mary didn't have the energy to pull away, the skin to skin contact welcome as she struggled to process everything that had happened since she'd last seen home.

Feeling like a puppet in the arms of her puppeteer, Mary went through the motions when Lilith gently pulled her to her feet in the bathtub and began peeling off her clothing. Raising her hands to the ceiling as Lilith grabbed the hem of her soaked sweater and raised it up, pulling it off of her body and dropping it to the ground with a thick thud. Silent, she studied the replication of her own eyes as their blue brilliance moved to follow the hands that slowly unbuttoned her green blouse. As the wet fabric peeled from her skin, Mary shivered and Lilith sucked her teeth softly in sympathy, her hands beginning to work faster. Unzipping the tweed skirt, the demoness pulled it down slowly, careful of Mary's sore legs, tugging softly as it pooled around Mary's ankles to encourage the woman to step out of it. Standing in her underwear, Mary crossed her arms over her breasts, feeling both self-conscious and soothed. It was like being undressed by a best friend, familiar and warm, even as disconcerting as it was to look into her own face, Mary was thankful it wasn't the other.

"May I?" Lilith's quiet question sounded so much louder to Mary and she looked towards her, realizing she was motioning to her bra. Nodding, Mary dropped her arms and felt Lilith's fingers lightly slide up Mary's spine and quickly undo the clasp. As it slid down her arms, Mary flung it onto the floor then hooked her thumbs in her underwear and rid herself of that as well before sitting in the tub with her knees up to her chest.