~ ℒℴ𝓋ℯ 𝒾𝓈 ℬ𝓁𝒾𝓃𝒹 | ℂ𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕒 𝔾𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕖 ~

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ | ʀᴇᴜɴɪᴛɪɴɢ

"Can I see the girls today? I'm feeling better, really." You said, sitting up in bed and looking at Cordelia with a pout. The older witch bit her lip and thought for a moment, before finally sighing and mumbling "Yes. But...would you like to change first?" You sucked in a breath and glanced down to your attire and quickly nodded, standing up on your own even as Cordelia tried to help you. You needed to do this yourself, or you weren't gonna get better. But you did look to her and say "Can you come with me? In case...-" You trailed off but the woman nodded and smiled, following you out of the room and to yours, closing the respective doors behind her.

When she turned around you'd already made it to your closet and were trying to find something loose that wouldn't be too hard to get on. You finally settled on something and picked it up, glancing behind you and mumbling "Can you...um...help a little bit please?" Cordelia nodded and took a few steps forward, watching as you stayed facing away, pulling your loose shorts on under your dress before pulling it over your head. She swallowed roughly when your smooth, slightly freckled was revealed, completely bare. You slid your arms through the straps of your bra before gesturing for her to come closer with a "I don't bite, please help." A deep breath later the blonde nodded once, closing the remaining distance between the two of you and grasping the closure of your bra and clipping it together, pulling her hands back a second too late when her knuckle brushed your spine.

You sniffed and, as quickly as you could, pulled your sweater over your head, pulling your hair out of the back and turning around, clearing your throat awkwardly. You noticed how close you were to Cordelia and automatically took a step back, clearing your throat again. The older woman sniffed and muttered "You wanna go out?" And you nodded, swallowing and nodding towards the door as you started to walk towards it. Cordelia took the hint and quickly caught up to you, unconsciously grasping your hand, which you appreciated even if she didn't realize she was doing it. The two of you exited your room and hesitantly went downstairs, ending up in the living room. The first person you saw was Zoe and you bit your lip, waiting for the brunette to notice you.

She must have heard you and Cordelia's footsteps as she looked up from her book, seeing Cordelia first and then making eye contact with you. The girl froze and her face dropped in shock. She didn't move until you gave her a weak smile and mumbled "Hey Zo." at which point she launched herself off the couch and at you, pulling you roughly into her arms as she yelped "Y/n!" You huffed a laugh as you wrapped your arms around her. She pulled away a few seconds later and searched your face, still holding onto your biceps. "You're back. What happened?!" she exclaimed and you chuckled, shrugging and replying "I died," casually. Zoe hissed out a breath and hugged you again, gentler this time.

Eventually you managed to part from the young brunette in order to go into the kitchen, suddenly very hungry. Cordelia, still by your side, gave a short goodbye to Zoe before following you swiftly, entering the room and glancing at you, watching you move around surprisingly easily. Though you had been back for a few days, so she supposed you would be stubborn enough to push your body to recover faster. So, sitting down at the table, Cordelia allowed you to get your things, at which time you came to her, sitting across from the woman, setting your things down on the table; a large glass of water, and some stuff for a sandwich. As you began making said sandwich, you said "Did I ever thank you, by the way? You know, for like...reviving me?" You glanced up at her momentarily, and Cordelia smiled, shrugging, so you said "Well thank you. I, um, appreciate the gesture."

Again the blonde smiled, giggling quietly and mumbling "Well it just wasn't the same without you, you know. It was very...quiet." You sighed; "I suppose I do get very loud, don't I?" you replied, making the older witch chuckle. You finished making your sandwich, putting the rest of the stuff to the side and taking a bite of the food. You couldn't help the low moan that it pulled from your throat, having missed this kind of thing while you were dead. You didn't notice how the sound made Cordelia's breathing speed up and her cheeks flush for a moment, since she managed to regulate herself before you could. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat and said "So I know that you're probably very....traumatized. But do you remember anything, from when you were..." Cordelia couldn't say it without tearing up, just imagining the pain you must have felt when it happened. But you seemed to understand and shook your head, saying "No, only bits and pieces. I remember going out with......Fiona? Yeah, we went out drinking, and she brought me home, but it's really fuzzy from there on out. I'm sorry, Delia."  Hearing you call her 'Delia' made the headmistress shiver, missing the sound of it coming from your mouth. She'd, of course, had other people call her that, her mother, Hank, and a few others, but something about the way you said it....

"Alright. It's fine, you don't need to apologize, I think that that's enough information anyway." Cordelia finally said, snapping out of her momentary stupor to smile gently at you. You mirrored the expression, watching the woman stand and place her mug in the sink before returning to your side, pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead and making you whimper slightly, leaning into her touch before finally just standing and throwing yourself into her arms. She managed to catch you, not without stumbling first, and wrapped her arms around you as tightly as she could as you did the same to her. You pressed your face into the crook of her neck as she did the same on you, fingers holding her shirt in a vice grip. Unwillingly, you felt tears beginning to gather in your eyes as you inhaled the familiar scent that was just Cordelia, and you whimpered "I missed you," against her skin, and she repeated the sentiment, saying "I missed you too. It was so quiet, even Madison was less active and annoying." You chuckled quietly, whispering "I'm back now. Thank you for bringing me back Delia, it was so dark and cold. I-I couldn't feel you anymore, even when you found me and you showed up I still couldn't feel you."

Your tears started to fall more rapidly as you spoke, remembering that horrible feeling of eternal loneliness, emptiness, with nothing around you. Just silence, dark, suffocating silence. And you couldn't feel her, you couldn't sense her presence anymore. But you felt yourself being tugged off of Cordelia as she placed her hands on either side of your face, making sure you were looking at her. And once you were, she said "I will never let you go back there. I will never let you get hurt again, you understand? Never." Her voice was firm and she spoke with finality, and you knew she was serious. So you nodded and she once again pulled you back to her, cradling your head and holding it close to her chest as she pressed her nose into your hair, needing to feel you. You returned your arms to her waist, holding her tightly like you would never let her go. And really, if you had your way, you wouldn't let her go. But you knew she had duties so you did eventually pull away, wiping your tears roughly with your sleeve and sniffing gently, trying to collect yourself as Cordelia did the same. Once you were sort of back to normal, she just wiped her thumb under your eye and collected a single tear that you had missed, smiling down at you with a fond gleam in her eyes, that made you melt and want to hold her again.

But you held yourself back, clearing your throat and murmuring "Thank you, again. I really, uh, a-appreciate it, Delia." Cordelia nodded and hummed, replying "Of course, sweetheart. I'd do anything to keep you safe. Keep all of my girls safe." Your heart swelled just a little at that admission; not that you thought she wouldn't, but hearing her say it made you feel nice. But you did eventually have to say "So...what happens when Fiona comes back? Am I gonna hide away for a while?" Cordelia bit her lip, worrying it between her teeth as she figured what to do. She had a growing suspicion that it was, in fact, her mother that had killed you. It all lined up, after all. Though she couldn't say for sure, she knew that you shouldn't be seen alive by the Supreme quite yet. So she nodded and said "Yes. I think that Fiona shouldn't see you quite yet. If that's alright?" You were quick to agree, and with that you returned to your room, suddenly very tired, so Cordelia gave you one last kiss on your temple before ushering you out of the kitchen. As you cuddled into your cold sheets, the older woman stared down at you for a moment, brushing her fingers through your hair before smiling and leaving your room as quietly as she could and heading to her office to figure some stuff out.

This would take a while, and neither of you were prepared for what exactly this would mean.