𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 || 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

Chapter 12 ~ The Witchy-Woos

Episode: Season 15 - Golden Time Pt. 2

I gaped at the rows and rows of musty, old books before me lined up on the numerous shelves hidden behind the secret door Eileen had found. Never would have believed mamaw Rowena would have had all this.

"She kept journals," Sam stated, more to himself than us as he began to flip through some of the books, "Her spell work. All of it. Right up until the end,"

He faked a smile then and I frowned. All these years hadn't changed our relationship that much - I still knew when something was bothering him.

"You miss her." I said softly, glancing up at my best friend whose hazel-brown gaze had misted over slightly as he fingered the worn, yellowing pages.

"And you don't?" Eileen asked, not unkindly but out of curiosity.

I shrugged, plucking a journal off the shelf myself and thumbing through it, "I didn't know her. I heard about her though - just never got the chance to meet her..."

"I'm sorry," she signed and I shot her a sad smile, grateful for her kindness to a total stranger.

I could see why Sam liked her so much - she had a good heart.

"She would've liked you, you know," Sam pointed out then, referring to Rowena as I turned to glance over at him, "You have her fire,"

I laughed and shook my head, ebony waves of hair falling across my shoulders as I did.

"I'm sorry I...that I killed her..." Sam whispered suddenly, turning the mood somber, "It was her idea. She, uh...sacrificed herself to save us. To-to save the world. You ever feel like you're the punch line to some cosmic joke?"

"Are you kidding?" Eileen said, passing her hand through Sam's.

"Rowena got it. I mean, she didn't know all the details, but she knew the game was rigged. So this - magic. This is how she kept control."

It was then that Sam found it - old papers to a spell. More specifically? One to bring back the dead. And that would've been great. In fact, we thought we were home-free...until we got kidnapped by witches. Oh, yes, you heard right. A witch got kidnapped by another witch. I'm ashamed enough, let's not discuss it.

"Who are you?" Sam asked when he came to, the ropes that bound him probably chafing as much as mine were from beside him.

The woman who I assumed was the head witch barely gave him a glance as she went about her business, prepping for a spell.

"Rowena MacLeod is dead," the woman stated instead, ignoring his question, "We came for what she left behind, and just when we thought we wouldn't get it You come along. Hm. Lucky us,"

Silence passed for a beat then before I broke it.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like the Blue Fairy?" I blurted before tilting my head to the right slightly, "Or maybe even Prince Ben's mom?"

"What? Sam whispered to me dumbly, clearly not getting my references.

I sighed inwardly. Some things never change.

"The apartment is hexed," the woman ignored us, stating this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Which clearly wasn't evident to the witch that walked in before us," I pointed out, earning a glare from the woman.

"It's potent magic. Anyone who steps inside dies," she went on.

"I rest my case,"

Another glare and I decided to drop the subject.

"Except, apparently, you," she stated, eyes landing on me, "Mm-hm. Surprised? Yeah, me too. I only know Rowena by reputation. Respect, but - to imagine her leaving all her earthly treasures to you,"

My brown eyes widened in shock upon hearing that.

"Wait...what?" I asked quietly in disbelief, "She...she left me...everything?"

"You are her progeny, are you not?" she arched an eyebrow.

I zoned out then as Sam began to negotiate our release in the promise of helping her bring the witch - apparently her daughter - back. My witchy grandma actually made me her heir? She'd never even met me! But dad...maybe he'd told her about me before...

Unfortunately though, Sam's bargaining didn't work out that well. Not as well as hoped anyhow. In the end, we found ourselves gathering up Rowena's spell ingredients for Witchy-Woo. Poor Sammy, he even tried to negotiate with her other daughter - the one who looked like the lovechild of Ezra Miller and Malese Jow - but even that proved futile. Nope, looks like we were stuck with this lot. But as I trudged beside Sam with a box of my own magic artifacts, lost in thought, I barely registered the towering giant stop dead in his tracks.

And as I glanced up, my eyes widened in shock. No, it couldn't be...

Emerald-green orbs locked on mine then, making me suck in a sharp breath.

He came.