Whispers at Witching Hour

Chapter 91

Musical inspiration: Friedberg Sadness (Mashup) – Lana del Rey / Anna F.

After Lilith's outburst, Zelda did not feel like celebrating at all. So, she had told Hilda to stay with Lilith and baby Adam while she would attend Marie, picking her up from the ground and walking her out. Not purely because she worried so much about Marie – she did, but she knew Marie would have been fine with Hilda – but also because she needed time to process what had just happened.

Tears were pricking in her eyes after having been caught completely off-guard with the proposal, then the following wave of happiness and then Lilith's frightening outburst. It all happened so quickly; she did not know what to think at all. When she left with Marie, she only heard a snarl coming from Lilith, followed by some soothing words from Hilda.

She sat Marie down in one of the classrooms and lit a cigarette first thing, turning her back to the voodoo priestess to take a few drags. When she turned around again, she was shocked to see Marie crumbling. It was the first time she had ever seen her with a hanging head, without the gentle smile, holding on to the edges of the bench for support.

Zelda inhaled sharply through her nose and crossed her arms in front of her chest, feeling helpless when Marie's facial muscles clenched into silent sobs shaking her body.

"Marie?", Zelda gasped out with a thin, insecure voice.

After a few moments without anything coming back from Marie, Zelda bent forward to put a hand on the voodoo priestess' shoulder, squeezing gently to get her attention. She looked up and blinked her tears away. Zelda's eyebrows drew together, and her hand moved up for her thumb to brush over Marie's cheek.

"Zelda, don't do this."

She withdrew her hand quickly, hurt by the rejection and unsure how she was supposed to handle this. Marie was her best friend, her only friend and she needed her just as much as she needed Lilith. But hearing her call her by her name instead of her usual "chérie" spoke for itself.

"Marie, talk to me. Are you in pain? I know Lilith went too far and I don't yet understand how this could've happened..."

Zelda massaged the root of her nose with her thumb and middle finger, sensing a headache ahead.

"It's not even Lilith, Zelda. It's you."

~

After taking some time out, walking in the woods, smoking countless cigarettes, Zelda returned to her bedroom where Hilda was practically babysitting Lilith, who was crying rivers when she entered, the baby pressed to her chest.

Zelda had barely managed to get a grip on herself, had examined the ring on her finger, twisted it around, touched the ruby repeatedly. Way calmer now, but still on edge, she crossed the threshold. Upon noticing her, Lilith's sobs intensified, and she shot up from the bed and hurried to her witch, her words completely distorted from her frantic crying.

"I-I thought you... you wouldn't come b-back!"

Zelda's comprehension had slowed down. Lilith was burying her face in her bosom, smearing her already smudged make up everywhere long before she mechanically placed her arms around the demoness. Hilda turned in her seat, her shoulders had given in to gravity. The sisters made eye-contact, both carrying the same confused, tired, and helpless expression, while Lilith was a crying mess in Zelda's arms.

Hilda was holding the cuddly toy Zelda had made for Lilith and Adam in her hands on her lap. Zelda suspected she had tried to cheer the demoness up with it, because that was just the kind of thing Hilda did when she saw someone being upset. She thanked her sister silently and Hilda took it as a hint to leave them alone since it was already late, and she was beyond tired after dealing with baffled Sabrina inquiring her and calming Lilith down for the larger part of noon.

Passing her, Hilda gave Zelda's shoulder a squeeze while she prepared to guide her demoness back to the bed. Lilith resisted quite a bit when Zelda tried to pull her away, her face falling back into her like a magnet. Eventually, she managed to get her to the bed, having her crawl under the sheets with her clothes on, simply because Zelda did not have enough energy left to help her change.

After making Lilith comfortable in the pillows with a surprisingly quiet baby Adam in her arms and planting a small kiss on her forehead, she slipped into a nightgown, disappeared in the bathroom briefly and joined her girlfriend – fiancé – in bed.

Lilith had stopped crying by now, wiping her eyes with the tissue Zelda had given her, a few post-crying sobs escaping her throat from time to time. Zelda wordlessly took the tissue from her and finished wiping the mascara stains away with care, then disposed of it.

Resting her head in her hand, on her side, watching baby Adam in Lilith's left arm between them, she snaked her arm around the demoness' abdomen, brushing her side with her thumb. The boy was an angel – at least from what she was seeing now, maybe he had been crying the whole time while she was away and was now all sleepy. His eyes were almost closed; no doubt he would doze off within the next few minutes.

"So, what was that all about?", Zelda asked, keeping her eyes on Adam.

"I don't know Zee, I'm truly sorry, please believe me. Something... happened, as if a switch had been flipped and I just... snapped."

"You could've killed Marie."

"I know...", Lilith bit her lip, looking down to the side, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I swear."

Zelda let out a long, deep sigh and fumbled with the duvet, pulling it up a little for her own comfort. Lilith's feet were cold against the bare skin of her shins, so she took them between her calves while entwining their fingers.

"Well, I guess it can be blamed on hormones, considering you've just given birth today. By the way, what were you thinking?", Zelda cocked an eyebrow, glancing at her from the corners of her eyes, "And then nothing about this birth was normal, so... I guess you're pardoned, darling."

Lilith lolled her head back into the cushion, Zelda copied her motion subconsciously and the demoness scooted closer under the sheets. The redhead knew her demoness was only waiting for her to wrap her arms around her aching body, so she did without being asked to and Lilith's cheek crashed against her collarbone. They were a right bundle with little Adam in between, their whole new family in one place and safe for the foreseeable future.

"I love you so much, Zelda. Please don't ever leave me."

Zelda rested her chin on Lilith's head, pulling her closer. "It's not like I have a choice anymore, is it, fiancé?"

She felt Lilith smile against her cleavage and started rubbing soothing circles on her back. Zelda could only imagine how traumatic this birth must have been for her. Considering everything, it really was no wonder she cracked. Her gaze landed on the cuddly toy; she picked it up out of an impulse and brushed it against Lilith's cheek, then let it give little kisses to her, making her giggle adorably.

"My sweet devil", Zelda hummed in Lilith's hair.