All Good Things

Chapter 17 - Flames of Passion

!!CONTENT WARNING!! This chapter contains Sexual Content. Please proceed with caution if this is not content you normally read. All characters involved are 21 years of age.

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Victoria

She watched, stunned for a second as the tiny brunette grabbed the handful of letters off the small table and stormed into the sitting room, her steps pounding against the wood floor. Tori pulled herself from her seat, following after Poppy, her brows drawn up together. She had barely made it around the corner, crossing her arms and leaning against the frame as the little flurry of yellow and brown dropped to her knees with a huff and chucked all of the envelopes embossed with the cursive initials of EBR into the hearth.

"You're not curious about what she wrote to you?" Tori took slow steps into the sitting room, coming to stand behind the smaller woman.

"Nope. Not even remotely." Poppy spoke curtly, her words sharp as she fumbled with her wand, her fingers trembling with what Tori assumed was the rage that Eliza had sent so many letters to her grandmother's address.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit-"

"I'm fine." The words were harsh, the sharp edge to them causing Tori to raise her eyebrows. "Incendio." Poppy sighed as the letters caught fire, her rigid posture dropping before she turned around. "I'm sorry, Tori. I just... I've worked so hard to begin undoing everything she did to me, and I refuse to allow her to manipulate me further."

Tori sat carefully at Poppy's side, their knees brushing as she crossed her legs. "Manipulate you? Through the post?" She tilted her head, her dark curls all shifting to one side. "Care to elaborate, love?"

Poppy looked up at her, and the look of defeat in her eyes had Tori ready to draw on her ancient magic for the first time in years. Eliza wasn't even there, and the mere thought of what she'd written had Poppy in a state of anguish. Tori loved this spitfire of a woman, and she'd be damned if anyone made her feel small ever again.

"Eliza has taken to writing these... elaborate love letters in an attempt to bring me back to her. Citing how much she 'loves and misses' me, things that supposedly remind her of me, things like that. Which, I would never consider returning to her after everything, especially now that..." Poppy paused, her chocolate colored eyes flicking up to meet Tori's, holding her gaze. That look of despair had shifted, giving way to one of awe. "Now that I've been shown what it's like to actually be loved. I can't even fathom returning to a woman whose sole purpose in life is to tear me down for control, much less put myself into a loveless marriage."

Tori took Poppy's hand in her own, lacing her long, dark fingers with the smaller tan ones. She smiled softly, bringing the sun-kissed hand to her lips and kissing the back of it, watching as Poppy took in a shuddering breath, returning her gaze to the fireplace.

"I'm finally recovering from her influence, and if I look in those letters, I'm just going to open up old wounds. I don't want to set myself back, but I know she's going to continue to write to me." Poppy dropped her head a bit, her brown bob covering her face. "So forgive me if I get a bit angry when I see them. I just need-"

Tori didn't give her time to finish that thought. Having shifted herself to face the smaller woman, she raised one hand to Poppy's cheek, turning her head so that they were face-to-face. She leaned in, closing the distance between them and pressing a soft kiss to her soft, pink lips and pulling back slightly.

"I'm not going to forgive your anger, because that's one of my favorite emotions in you." Her lips brushed over Poppy's with every word, eliciting a shiver in the smaller woman. "You are full of absolute passion when you're angry, and I adore seeing that fire in your gaze."