Between Somewhere and Nowhere

In Another Dimension

Mary felt like a schoolgirl with a crush; ever since they'd returned to the cottage, she stole glances at Lilith at every opportunity, she felt her breath catch and cheeks burn every time she walked in the room, and when they were near she ached to reach out and interlace their fingers. She may have made the first move but now her stomach was in knots, unsure of how to take her feelings any farther, confused about whether she wanted to. Mary had been thinking of one of the last things Diana had said to her in Limbo: You will have to accept that you are dead and the life you had is over. Only then will you be able to move towards the life you now lead.

As limited as she was on this extra plane of existence, unable to leave for fear of being found by the Dark Lord, Mary realized that she was freer than she's ever been. In death, she could discover life. This was the after life, this was her Heaven, the opportunity to make different choices and experience something else. No one had taken the chances Lilith took in pulling Mary from Limbo and creating dimension for her to exist upon with the intention of keeping her safe. How romantic.

Busying herself in the kitchen, making their after dinner tea, Mary felt Lilith's hand on the small of her back as the witch moved passed her to get the milk from the fridge. Her touch lingered then slid off as she placed the milk carton on the counter and moved to get a small serving pitcher to place it in. Mary's palms pressed against the counter as she both fought to breathe and chided herself for acting so powerless. Turning to press her back against the counter, Mary reached out and grabbed Lilith as she was passing by, stopping her.

"Yes, Mary?" Lilith's brow arched, sending a pang of uncertainty through Mary.

"Uhh..." Mary's hands dropped to her sides and she picked at an errant thread on her skirt nervously. "Do you want some cookies with your tea?"

"You're out of cookies but I did attempt to make a coffee cake out of boredom when you were recovering from Limbo and plotting to kill me..." Lilith grinned and spun away to the living room. "...it's under some plastic wrap in the cupboard."

Watching Lilith's sway as she walked away, Mary released her breath and rolled her eyes at herself, turning to find the coffee cake. Yanking the plastic off of it she watched as it collapsed upon itself, with a frown Mary stuck a fork in it and took a tentative bite. Gagging, Mary released her bite back on top of the cake and turned to see Lilith laughing, her head thrown back in glee.

"It seems like you mistook the salt for the sugar...and maybe left out the eggs?" Mary opened the trash and swept the entire thing, plate and all, into it before taking a large gulp of water and spitting it back into the sink to get rid of the salt on her tongue.

Lilith shrugged, "I said I attempted to make coffee cake, I never said you should attempt to eat it. I eat for show only - I have no idea how to bake or cook for that matter."

Mary had to smile at that, the idea of Lilith attempting to bake charmed her as much as the end product revolted her. Sauntering into the living room, she handed Lilith her cup of tea and sat down with hers. Shifting to face Lilith on the small settee, Mary was keenly aware of their knees touching, and she took a sip before speaking; "Thank you for taking me to Eden. That was very generous of you, it's been a place I've always wanted to see."

Lilith nodded silently, pouring some milk into her black tea before responding, "I thought it might help you understand a bit more about me...." Lilith frowned, "...honestly it was a bit of an eye opener for me as well."

Mary reached out bravely and placed a hand on Lilith's knee, "What happened to you was horrible. You barely had a chance at life before you were thrust into a role you didn't deserve. They made an example out of you but you didn't do anything worth being made an example of. You had free will, a mind of your own, and disagreed with the path offered to you. That was no reason to turn you towards evil."