𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Sixty One ~

Dusk looked at the sliding doors and then back to Victoria. The guilt was really getting to her, and she feared that if she didn't apologize now, there was a chance Vic could be gone again before another opportunity arose. Deciding the wedding could wait, she walked to where Victoria was standing, clearing her throat to get her attention.

"Hey, Vic." The redhead looked up to see Dusk standing right in front of her. Her eyes began to narrow the longer the silence carried on. "I thought you said you would never speak to me again," she reminded her former friend. The tone of her voice could send chills through someone's spine. "I know. But I've done some thinking and I've said some things that I regret," Dusk admitted.

"You're just now coming to this realization? Do you realize how much it hurt to hear you say those things? You NEVER gave me a chance to explain myself!" Victoria hissed, her tone capturing the attention of some of the guests. "Your right. I should've done that. But I didn't, and instead, I put my anger above our friendship." The redhead rolled her eyes, nodding at the information she already knew.

Flashbacks from their time in the 60s replayed in the raven's mind, from lunch table conversations to sneaking off during her shift to indulge in liquor. Dusk cared about Victoria, and before the farm incident, the last thing she wanted to do was hurt her. It didn't matter what it would take for Vic to forgive her, but Dusk would do anything. 

"I shouldn't have assumed the worst out of you. You're the one person in this hellhole of a world that understands me, and you didn't deserve my wrath. If anybody deserved it, The Handler did..." As she continued, Victoria slowly looked up, her brown-eyes gaze connecting with Dusks. "...I'm sorry. If you need some time to think, I understand. But I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me,"

It was silent as the two women stared at each other more. Victoria was a bit unsure, having already been through too much. If Dusk was lying and ended up stabbing her in the heart again, she would fall down an even deeper depression hole that she might not ever escape from. The long silence began to worry Dusk. As she started to walk away, she was suddenly jerked back by her wrist and pulled into a hug.

"Don't ever do that to me again," the redhead warned before hugging her friend tighter. Letting out a breath of relief, Dusk hugged back, blinking away her tears. "I missed you so much," she whispered. "I missed you too," After a few long minutes, the girls pulled apart, happy the air had cleared. "You look good in orange, by the way. But why are you so glammed up?"

"Ran into an old foe who I thought was dead. He may have been able to escape death in the old timeline, but I'm not gonna let him get off scot-free here," Victoria chuckled at the remembrance of Dusk getting even. It seemed to remind her of when Dusk seared Buck's neck to protect her cult leader of a boyfriend. "Damn right," she nodded. Looking slightly over her shoulder, Dusk glanced at the time reading, 2:30 pm. The wedding wouldn't be for another few hours, so she had a little time to kill.

"Well, since you've got somewhere to be, I'll leave you to it," Victoria said, heading towards the elevators. "Vic, wait!" the flame-powered girl called out, making her turn around, her hand resting on the railing.

"Would you like to crash a wedding with me?"

~~~~~~~

A few hours earlier...