loml (you decide what that stands for)

Rio opened her eyes to make sense of where she was. She could feel the forest floor beneath her, and as she rose she could see the marks the piercing foliage made in her bare skin. The sun shone ominously down onto the woods, and there was a faint sound of birds chirping. It must be morning. Before she got up, she noticed she was holding onto something very tightly. Her hand bloomed like a flower in the spring, to reveal an item that made her heart sink to the depths of the earth. It was a locket of dark chocolate, slightly wavy hair. Nicky's hair. But she didn't remember taking Nicky's hair? 

Suddenly, a sharp twang of realisation shot through her as the memories of the previous night flooded back to her. Her painfully leading Nicky into the afterlife. Her just standing there, numb with shock. Her breaking down, weeping and begging the universe for more time, for Agatha. Her silently creeping back to where Agatha was sleeping, and laying down next to her. Her falling asleep to the comforting sound of Agatha's repetitive breathing, apprehensive of what will happen in the morning.

An annoying gust of wind knocked Rio back into her senses, and it blew a few wisps of hair out of her palm.

"No, no come back!" she whispered as she rapidly scavenged the ground like a wild animal. She gave up, and slumped to the floor, exhausted. The empty space next to Rio was screaming at her, as she wondered where the hell Agatha was. A voice coming from behind her perked her up all at once.

"Of course I will show you the way to the road." It was the unmistakeable, confident, slightly mocking tone of her wife. What was Agatha doing? Her son is dead and she is going around talking to random strangers instead of her own spouse? Rio needed an explanation, so she stood up and turned around to see two figures in the next clearing, strolling on the path to the next town. It was obviously Agatha, she could identify the curves of her wife's body and the demeanour of her walk from any distance. But she was walking with a woman. A fucking woman. 

Rio's jealousy turned into sorrow as she really looked at her surroundings. A gentle stream wound through the trees, it's waters gliding over the smooth rocks. And next to the stream, was a grave. She gasped, and slowly approached it, her legs shaking. The mound of freshly dug dirt was circled with an assortment of pebbles and wildflowers. Agatha must've done this. 

--------------

"Rio, my beloved, he's two years old, I heavily doubt your theory." Agatha's hand was pressed against her cheek, her arm resting on the wooden table. 

"I saw him, Agatha. There was a spark, I promise it was there!" Rio protested. "When he was in the bath, he was playing with the water. It was moving to the actions of his hands!"

Agatha sighed. "Are you sure that wasn't just him wriggling around, you know what he's like. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I don't know, but he is far too young to show any signs of magick." 

"He's special, I'm telling you Agatha. We are two very powerful witches, you never know wha-"  

"Then why did nothing happen when I was trying to teach him this morning, huh? You know how he is always mesmerized by my 'purple', so he wanted to learn it. Nothing happened Rio!" Agatha abruptly shouted back at her wife. 

Rio just laughed to herself, stood up, and walked into the sitting room turned Nicky's playroom.

Agatha followed her, frustrated. "What was that for, I wasn't finished speaking!" 

"I just didn't want to fight with you." 

"It wasn't an argument, Rio, it was just a matter of fact. He still has three whole years until they are expected to have powers!" She continued to scream.

Rio's stubborn, emotionless expression didn't change. "You are going to wake him."  She simply uttered. Agatha didn't respond, so Rio did.

"Fine. If that's your opinion, fine. Just why don't you even try to believe me? It's always you that's right, but why not me?! I could have a point here!" 

"I'm not saying you don't have a point, I-"  Agatha attempted to defend herself.

Rio shook her head and rose. "You know, what Agatha, don't try. I have to work." She said as she stepped through a portal to collect more souls. 

When she got back, Agatha was waiting at the kitchen table, touching up a bouquet of green and purple flowers. Rio took off her hooded cloak, hung it on the coatrack, and made her way over to the kitchen. She stood against the doorframe, watching her wife intently.

"Who are those for?" she asked, smiling. 

"Oh, just you, milady." Agatha said nonchalantly. "Sorry about earlier, if you really want to we can take Nicky down to the stream so you can show me what you're talking about." 

Rio's grin grew even more, causing Agatha's heart to start flipping. In her eyes, the most attractive part of Rio was her smile. "Nicky! Come and put your shoes on!" Rio yelled excitedly.

The sun was setting as they walked down to the stream, hand in hand. It was the middle of summer, and the heat was very apparent. 

"Mama, I'm hot."  Nicky complained as he stopped for a break, clutching Rio's leg. She swept him up in her arms to carry him.

"I know baby, we're nearly at the stream, look! And I'm not mama, i'm mommy, we talked about this!" she said as she looked at Agatha. "You call me 'mommy', and her 'mama', so we know who you're talking to, okay?" 

"Okay, mommy!" Nicky leapt out of her arms and ran to the stream. 

"Be careful!" Agatha shouted at him, while beaming at Rio. They stopped to look into each other's eyes, and kissed. "I don't know why you were so sceptical about having kids." Agatha laughed.

"I hate all children, they're so annoying, but I never seem to hate him. He is part me, I guess." Rio replied. "Come on, it'll be dark by the time we get there!"  

Agatha couldn't take her eyes off of Rio as she raced after Nicky, and her heart started to swell when she took his chubby little hand. Even while being Death, Rio seemed to make her come alive. 

"Hurry up mama!" Nicky cried out, eager to play with in the water. Agatha arrived and started to help him take his shoes off, then slowly guided him with Rio, who looked nervous.

"What if I was just seeing things?" she said. 

"You never know, at least he's having fun." Agatha replied, but suddenly her eyes widened. 

"Oh my, Rio, look, the water is flying or something!"  Nicky was pretending to shoot the fish with his hands, but the water was obeying him and twisting to his movements. Rio was estatic.

"I told you! Look how he's blasting the fish!" she exclaimed. Agatha didn't reply. "Agatha?"  she turned to look at her. Agatha's eyes were teary and she looked like she might cry.

"My love, are you okay?" 

Agatha didn't stop watching Nicky. "I just, I can't believe how great our kid is."  Rio felt like she could burst with happiness.

--------------------------

A single tear ran down Rio's face as she reminisced on that day. She knelt on the floor and just started sobbing. How was the universe so cruel to take such an amazing child? How could someone who once moved water with a twist of his hand, be reduced to a mound of dirt and some stones? It wasn't fair. 

In the aftermath of her crash out, Rio was missing Agatha. The one person who never failed to comfort her. So she decided to go back to the cottage and wait for Agatha. She knew she had a tendency to delve so deep into something else when her mind was troubled, so figured that maybe she was killing witches again. However time was passing quickly.  Minutes turned into hours and still no sign of her, so Rio went back to the stream to see if maybe she was visiting Nicky.

But she saw something else. Her wife was standing in a circle, with four or five other witches, singing a fucking song. But Rio recognised that song, she could recognise it anywhere. 

-----------------------------

It was game night in the Harkness-Vidal household. Every Sunday, they would get out the chess board that Rio had made for them, and teach Nicky how to play. 

Nicky was exceptionally smart for a three-year old, and so he was winning. "Check!"  his small voice excitedly exclaimed as he knocked a piece passionately off the board and onto the floor.

"Nicky, be careful! Do you know how long it took mommy to make that?" Agatha started to lecture at Nicky. She was just mostly annoyed that a three-year-old was beating her and Rio at chess. "And also, I don't believe it was in the rules to check us with that piece so you should probabl-" 

Something caught her eye mid rant that caused her to stop. The miniature oak horse was levitating back onto the table and fit itself perfectly into it's original place. "What the-" she whispered

"Mama look, the horsey is flying!" Nicky giggled. In the midst of her confusion, Agatha then heard a muffled sound coming from her left. She glanced over to see Rio with one hand covering her mouth, practically crying of laughter. Her eyes met Agatha's, which made her immediately stop and put on a poker face. 

"What are you looking at, my love?"  she said, attempting to cover up the obvious grin. 

"Rio." 

Rio smirked at her wife's frustration. "What? I'm just trying to play the game."  she shrugged and looked at Nicky. "Try again baby." 

Nicky nodded and reached out to move another piece. As his little hand was about to touch it, the hand-crafted pawn shifted slightly out of reach. Every time he attempted to grab it, it moved, causing him to start roaring with laughter. 

Agatha watched her wife with such intent as Rio relocated Nicky's pawn with just a wave of her hand, while she beamed with satisfaction. Her frown slowly evolved into a smile, amused by Rio's humorous diversion and Nicky's reaction. 

"Do you find yourself funny darling?"  Agatha mockingly asked. 

"Yes."  Rio simply replied, focused on where to place the piece next, out out of her son's reach. She then jumped with surprise as she felt a hand travelling up her thigh. "Not now, my love."

Agatha didn't say anything. Rio turned to look at her, waving her hand around to keep the bit going with Nicky. Agatha gazed in the mysterious hazel eyes in front of her, hand now on Rio's neck, and smiled. Her fingers crawled up and started to trace around her cheek. By now they were both staring intensely at each other, forgetting about what was going on next to them.  

"Why not?" 

Before they knew it, their lips were pressed together, Agatha stroking Rio's slightly knotted, dark hair. They edged their chairs closer, creating an awkward shuffling sound in the silence. Rio stopped playing with the chess pieces, and shot her wavering hand onto Agatha's face, like muscle memory. She then quickly pulled back. 

"You taste like God." she uttered, then forced herself back onto Agatha, like magnetic forces couldn't separate them for even a second. Rio however noticed the kiss becoming less passionate from Agatha's side.

"What's the matter? You getting tired?" 

"No, Rio, its just-"  

Rio pushed her finger onto Agatha's lips, silencing her. "I'll fix that." she was about to embrace her again, when Agatha moved her head and pointed at the empty chair beside them.

"Rio, we literally scared Nicky away."  

Rio laughed to herself and stood up, beckoning Agatha to do the same. The pair apprehensively walked over to their son's bedroom, and walked through the door with chipped paint. Nicky was sitting on his bed, sulking and facing the wall. 

Rio tapped his shoulder and softly spoke. "Nicky? You okay?"  he didn't move. "Me and mama are very sorry that we, um, that we ignored you." she tried to explain without disclosing any details. Agatha just stood in the doorframe, allowing her wife to talk. 

Nicky turned around to look at Rio, a glint of betrayal in his eyes. "I don't wanna talk to you. I wanna talk to mama."  he sternly announced. Rio was taken aback, but granted his request. Toddlers were quite frankly unpredictable, who knows the reason why. 

"He's all yours." Rio muttered at Agatha as she walked by, smirking. She lingered outside the room, listening to their conversation.

"I'm so angry at mommy." 

"Why, my sweet? Did she do something to offend you?" 

"What does offend mean?" 

"It doesn't matter, just cut to the point." 

"When you and mommy were kissing, she used her green to move the chess thingys." 

"I know baby, did you not find that funny?" 

"I did for a bit, but then one of them hit me!"  Rio's eyes widened as she overheard. 

"It hit you? I'm sorry about that, I think mommy was just, er, distracted!"  At the sound of that, Rio scoffed, but a little too loudly. 

"Mommy, I know you're out there!" Nicky shouted bitterly. Nervously, Rio crept back in. At the sight of her, Nicky leapt up and began to punch, kick and tackle Rio, wiping the smirk off her face and turning it into an expression of both anger and bewilderment.

"Nicky! What is the meaning of this?" she snapped at him, defending herself from the rabid animal tugging at her forest green dress. 

Nicky continued to hit her. "Revenge!"  he cried out. Rio's eyebrows shot up with shock and slight amusement, as she looked over at Agatha, who was equally as surprised.  

'He sure is yours.'  she mouthed at Rio, then walked towards the two. 

"Nicky!"  Agatha yelled at him. "Stop fighting mommy! Remember this is not how we show angry emotions!"  She pulled them apart. At the sound of Agatha's displeased voice, Nicky abruptly stopped.

"Sorry mama." 

Agatha pulled a stubborn expression and pointed at Rio. "Why are you apologising to me? What do you say to mommy?" 

Nicky sighed and mumbled under his breath. "Sorry mommy."

Rio smiled. "Louder, I can't hear you." 

"Sorry mommy!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Agatha and Rio to burst out with laughter, causing him to also. All three lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, in hysterics. In the aftermath of the situation, Nicky started to hum something. 

"There's a road that's wild and wicked, winding through the woods."  he mindlessly sung, fidgeting with a toy on the ground. 

"Where all that's wrong is right, and all that's bad is good." Agatha slowly began to join in, tickling Nicky in the stomach. They chanted the lyrics together, Agatha helping him with the words he couldn't remember. 

Nicky's adorable voice gradually got louder, you could hear the smile in his voice. "Through many miles of twicks and twials, we'll, we'll, um, we'll..." he tried to summon the correct verse but his brain couldn't gather it. 

"Wander high and low!" Agatha finished for him. "Tame your fears, a door appears, the time has come to go!"  her and Nicky both nudged Rio, gesturing for her to join in for the chorus. 

"Come on Rio, you know you want to." Agatha said. 

"No, I've already told you, I'm not a song person." Rio insisted.

However, Nicky looked up at her with his big brown eyes, ones identical to Rio's, and pleaded. "Please mommy, I'm sorry for earlier, please can you sing with us?"

Rio couldn't resist his endearing little voice, and so very reluctantly joined in. "Down, down, down the road, down the windy road." she started. Even though she never participated, Rio could always hear Agatha and Nicky singing their song, and so over time had grown to know the words as well. 

"Down, down, down the road, down the windy road." The family all harmonised together, beaming at each other with complete happiness and contentment. 

--------------------------

"Follow me my friend, to glory at the end." The coven of witches stopped dramatically, a look of anticipation on all their faces, except Agatha's. Rio knew what was about to happen, it was the usual Agatha Harkness trick. But why was she using this song to lure them? The song that her and her dead son wrote. The song that was so very personal to both her and Rio, now being exploited to anyone.

Agatha scoffed. "You call yourself witches? Pathetic!" There it was, a reason to get attacked. The women all cursed her and began to violently blast her, where Agatha didn't even flinch. She embraced the surge of power, turning everything a bright shade of her signature purple. Among the jealous, angry, sad feelings Rio was feeling, she couldn't help but notice how absolutely magnificent Agatha looked doing what she does best, stealing magic. 

With one fell swoop of her hand, the witches dropped to the floor, dead. She brushed her hands together, satisfied, and began to walk back to the cottage. Rio was already halfway there by then, and she was deciding whether she should make a run for it or wait for Agatha's explanation. She chose the latter, and so for a couple minutes traversed around the house, overthinking what will happen. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Agatha walked in. Despite her anxious anticipating, Rio couldn't think of anything to say at the sight of her. 

"What the fuck Agatha!" she settled on a screaming match. "Do you even know that our son died?" she shouted, choking back tears. Agatha just looked at her with a unsettled expression. 

"Oh, like you can talk." she emotionlessly muttered. 

Rio's face contorted. It's like the Agatha she once knew was gone. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?" 

No response from Agatha. 

"Okay, let me spell it out for you." Rio started again. "Our son, is dead, after you led him out into the cold night, while he was sick. I had to take him to the fucking afterlife, Agatha. Then, you woke up and decided to just bury him and get on with your day." her vision was blurry with tears. "And you know what the worst part was? You didn't even let me bury him with you." 

This time Agatha had something to say. 

"At least you got to say an actual goodbye to him." her voice started as a mumble, but slowly grew into a shout. "And where the hell were you when he was about to die? Do you know how hard it was to watch him deteriorate, and go to sleep knowing he would never wake up, without you there? Where were you!" 

Rio was then reminded of the previous night, her shitty meeting with Thanos to take her mind off the fact her son was dying. "I was in Titan. I was called for a meeting with the prince." 

Agatha shook her head with disapproval. "You met with a fucking man while he was dying?! God Rio, could you be any more selfish?" 

Rio threw her hands out heatedly. "Look, I regret it now, I just had to get out of there!" 

"Get out of there? That's seriously the reason? You just couldn't wait to get away from you sick son and wife couldn't you?" 

"Agatha, I knew! Do you understand how hard it was that for the six years that he was here, I knew he would die. I knew he was going to slip out of our reaches and there was nothing I could do!" 

Agatha's face dropped. "You knew?" her voice cracked with disbelief and sorrow. "You knew and you didn't tell me? After all these years, you knew?" 

Rio just nodded, her face wet with tears. "Any child of Death is cursed." 

"You must be joking Rio." Agatha sat down on the rickety chair beside her. "Then why did he live for six years?" 

"I could offer only time, the only circumstance I've ever extended an unrightful life. However I wasn't certain of the amount of time. It was when he started coughing up that blood that I knew. I had to take my mind off it and hopefully work something out. But I was too late." Rio regretfully sunk her head. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Agatha cried.

 "I couldn't Agatha! I could never look you in the eye and tell you our fucking son would die! I spent countless nights imagining your face, imagining how you would find a way to leave me. I hate myself for this. Just please at least try to understand!" Rio shouted, the weight of the situation pulling her apart. 

For the first time that day, Agatha looked sympathetic. Her voice lowered. "Rio, do you remember before.." She barely managed to choke up the name, not either one of them had been brave enough to say it yet. "...Before Nicky. When we did the wedding ceremony, just the two of us. Do you remember what we vowed?" 

"Yes." 

"We promised to never keep secrets, to share everything." Agatha continued.

"I know" Rio smiled as she reminisced on that day, arguably one of her best. 

----------------------

Rio opened her eyes and turned around to look at Agatha. Her movement twisted the bedsheets, making Agatha let out a muffled groan.

"Aggie..." Rio started. 

Agatha didn't move. "Go to sleep Rio."  She annoyedly mumbled.

"Aggie I know we decided that we would get married in the meadow, but I think that the clearing by the stream is a better choice. I mean its more secluded, it's smaller, and in my opinion more prettier. And there's still flowers there!" 

Agatha sat up to say "No." , then laid back down.

Rio was determined to change her mind. "Please Agatha, I promise you it will be better!"  

"Go to sleep Rio." 

Rio sighed, she would revisit this in the morning. "Fine." 

The next morning, Rio had gotten up especially early to cook Agatha breakfast. The birds were chirping and the smell of bacon was wafting through the crack in the bedroom door, stirring Agatha. She threw on her nightdress, and trudged to the kitchen. 

"My love, what is all this?"  

Rio smiled. She was perfectly dressed, hair and makeup done, and had been eagerly waiting for her wife since the crack of dawn.

"I just figured I would treat my fiancé." she wiggled her finger around with the ring on. 

"Hmm." 

The sight of Rio all dressed up and perky made Agatha suspicious, she was definitely up to something. 

"Where did you get the bacon?" 

"You don't need to know that. Here." Rio swiftly slid the plate over to Agatha, who was still not convinced.

"Rio." 

"Yes."

"We are not getting married by the stream." 

Rio's mask dropped. "Why?"  She looked like a child who had just been deprived of their toy. 

"Because I said so. Thank you for the breakfast." Agatha sickeningly said and took her plate over to the table. 

"Your welcome." Rio mumbled back, feeling defeated. However she wouldn't give up. She spent the next two days meticulously crafting, painting, and drawing, her creativity and passion on full blast. Finally, the day had come. 

"Aggie, you ready to see your engagement gift?

Agatha stood outside the bedroom, an old rag covering her eyes.

"Yes." 

Rio guided her in, and stood her in front of the painting.

"Okay, on the count of three, take the cloth off. One, two three!" 

Agatha unveiled her face to see a large painting in front of her. It was the forest near the cottage, but with Rio's flair. The flowers were actual flowers from the meadow, stuck in place, and the brushstrokes, however different they are, all seemed to blend seamlessly together into the most beautiful landscape Agatha had ever seen. And in the middle, if you looked closely, you could see two figures dressed in white dancing. 

Her breath was taken away. "Rio, its.. its wonderful."  

Rio stood with her hands behind her back, swaying like a proud little girl. "You like it?" 

"I love it." Agatha couldn't believe Rio had done this. Why would she do this? Until she noticed something very familiar about the picture.

"Rio, is this the place you've been begging to get married in?" 

"Maybe. I mean, you thought it was beautiful, you just said it yourself!" 

Agatha laughed and crossed her arms. "My love, anything you create I find fascinating." 

Rio's eyes widened like a puppy. "So..." 

"I'll think about it." Agatha took one last look at the painting, and sauntered out. 

*

The day had come. It was a late night in July, and the two soon-to-be wives were getting ready in the same room. They were having a completely untraditional wedding, so why would they partake in the traditions? The door was open and the comforting aura of late summer mixed with the smell of wildflowers was flowing. 

"Rio please do not wear that insufferable eye makeup." Agatha pleaded as she adjusted her dress. As much as she loved the dark, mysterious look of a smoked eye on Rio, it did not match her 'vision' for the wedding. 

Rio sighed. "Anything for you, mi amor." She had given up trying to change anything about today, Agatha would never give in. Besides, deep down, Rio knew she would get married in  a ditch wearing a rag if it still meant getting married to Agatha.

"Oh, Agatha, here, just something I made for our dresses." Rio tied a vibrant purple ribbon around Agatha's waist, carefully constructing a bow at the side. 

Agatha smiled. "Our trademark. Let me do yours for you." She took the matching green ribbon out of Rio's hands, and began to mirror what she did. Rio tensed at her girlfriend's electric touch.

"Gracias." her spanish really came out when she was happiest, much to Agatha's liking. In fact, she was so turned on by it that she pulled her into a kiss, fumbling the bow she was mid-tying. 

Rio pulled away and giggled. "Agatha! Later."  

"Fine. No pre-game." 

Agatha re-tied the bow on her girlfriend's dress, and stood back to take a look at her, like an artist who just finished their masterpiece. "Perfect."  she whispered, taking it all in. Rio just stayed situated, allowing Agatha to admire her. No one had ever looked at her this way before.

"Should we make our way to the meadow? I mean you said you set everything up, there's no time like the present!" Rio asked, eager.

Agatha smiled that smile she does when she's about to do something brilliant. "Okay, my love. Lets go."

The pair took each other's hands, and guided themselves out of the cottage they shared. The air was cooling, but still tantalisingly warm on their bare shoulders.

Agatha, like always, was leading the way. Just as they reached the partition between the forest and meadow, she handed Rio a handkerchief to wrap around her eyes. She claimed her set up was a 'surprise'. Rio was intrigued, and so let Agatha escort her.

When Rio opened her eyes, she was not where she expected to be. Instead of the meadow, she found herself in the familiar clearing in the woods by the stream. There was a hum of enchantment in the air, this could only be Agatha's doing. The trees were adorned with lilac flowers, and green vines hung from above, like nature's ribbons, the colours harmonizing with each other. And right there in the middle, was a circle of beautifully lit candles surrounding a tree stump.

"Agatha, I-" 

Agatha beamed with pride. "I knew you would like it."

Rio's breath seemed to be knocked out of her, along with her speech. "You didn't have to, I mean- Its beautiful."

"Hush, my love. The meadow was going to trigger my hay fever anyway. Lets get started." 

Rio smiled. Agatha didn't explicitly say 'I love you' very often, but it was things like this that she didn't need those words for. They walked over to the tree stump, which had two tiny boxes on top of it.

"Okay so I know we weren't going be be traditional, but I thought I would be crafty and make us rings. Open them." Agatha declared. Just when Rio thought she couldn't love this woman even more, she hated crafting, that was Rio's thing! Agatha had done it just for her.

Rio obliged and opened the box. Inside was a ring, made of green and purple string woven together. 

"I see the theme you were going for." she chuckled. 

Agatha took hers out and slid it onto Rio's finger. "They represent us. Intertwined, two souls becoming one."  

"Thank you, my love." The green witch nervously pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. "Now seems like the perfect time to read you something I wrote. Um, okay." she cleared her throat and swiftly swallowed any tears.

"If today was five years ago, you would find an empty skeleton sitting on a throne, monitoring the veil between the living and the dead. That creature felt no emotions, hated by everyone and equally hated everyone. If today was four years ago, you would find the same outcasted skeleton, but no longer empty. Instead she was filled by pining, a longing she couldn't understand. She didn't like this feeling, she didn't like feeling. If today was three years ago, you would find a woman, skeleton buried freshly under the surface, navigating a new feeling, unsure of what lay ahead of her. If today was two years ago, you would find a woman with someone, her steady love, who introduced her to a new labyrinth of feelings. If today was one year ago, you would find the same woman with her same person by her side, the empty shell crumbled and long gone. Today, you find a woman with a heart who finally understands that feeling was love. Appreciation. Gratitude. I love you Agatha Harkness, you showed me how to feel, and for that I am eternally yours."  

The waterworks were out for both of them by now. They tried to smile their sobs away, but nothing could mask the true nature of love. 

"Glad to know my assistance was worthwhile." Agatha choked out. "Rio Vidal, I when I met you all that time ago we made a silent but known vow to always make each other feel appreciated, when no one else did. I want that promise to now be heard. God, I want everyone to know how much I fucking love you and will always defend you. So, I vow to always love you for who you are, to share everything with you, to never make you feel like you are nothing, only if you return the favor."

----------------------

"I promised I would do the same, that I would forever and always make you feel loved." 

"That's right, so why did you keep this from me?" Agatha inquired. 

"I thought.." Rio wiped away her tears. "I thought keeping it from you would make you feel better. That you could spend time with him without any stress. And to be honest, it worked for me as well. You can't forget I was his mother too. I'm sorry Agatha." In truth, Rio wasn't sorry. Why should she apologize for trying to help? 

Agatha rested her head in her hands and gasped back her cries. "Can you do something? Any thing to bring him back? Please my love." she looked in Rio's eyes and pleaded. 

Rio looked away to the ground. "What's gone is gone. I have already done everything I can. He was never supposed to live." 

Agatha looked like she was on the verge of dropping an emotional grenade.

"You know, I haven't actually grasped the situation until now. When I woke up to find him gone, it felt like my whole world had shattered. Then I turned around to see you, you and your brown eyes that were identical to his. I just had to get out of there, you know the feeling, to distract and convince myself that it was all a nightmare. So I took some of his hair, for me and you, and buried him in the same spot we got married. I wasn't thinking, I just did it. Seeing you now just reminds me of him all over again." 

Rio smiled bittersweetly. "So you feel like you need to escape again." 

Agatha nodded. 

"Go, my love. I understand if being here is too hard for you. I will always be here waiting." 

Agatha slowly rose from her chair, and placed a kiss on Rio's forehead. "I love you." she whispered, and walked out. And deep inside, Rio knew that was the end. 

Rio couldn't move. The hollow void in her chest grew, the essence of life recoiling from her heart- if it could even be called that. She had just willingly let her wife walk away, the only soul that brought warmth to her cold existence. How selfish of Death itself to crave love. The last 24 hours had been the worst in her eternity, filled with grief. But this? This was a deeper loss. A piece of Rio taken away, a fracture in the world she thought she finally understood. She had lost everything, even herself. 

Rio dropped to her knees, and lay crumpled on the floor, shaking from her sobs. She felt like the cliché, 'killing two birds with one stone' , and she was the stone. A soft, warm brush against her cheek made her lift her head. A white rabbit twitched it's nose at Rio, fur wet with the tears it collected from it's owner. 

-----------------------------------

It had been a long day of collecting bodies for Rio. An earthquake in Europe kept her occupied away from her family, and she had finally made it back to the cottage. It was a stormy, gloomy day, the kind where the wind howled and the clouds hung depressingly low. As she lifted her slightly wet hood and and changed into her human form, the sight of Agatha anxiously pacing the kitchen caught her eye. 

"Agatha." 

Agatha looked startled, but her  body untensed at the sight of her wife. "Rio, something terrible happened today."

Rio panicked internally. "Is Nicky okay?" She was not ready for the day she had been silently anticipating, when her curse would finally take over him. 

"Well, yes and no."  Agatha replied, questioning her own answer. 

"Just, is he alive?" Rio abruptly cautioned. 

Agatha's eyebrows raised. "Yes.. of course he's alive. My love are you okay?" 

"I'm fine, what happened." 

"It's Mister Scratchy, he passed." Agatha sighed. "Nicky is distraught. I'm not sure what to do." Mister Scratchy was a rabbit Nicky had found while playing in the meadow. He took him home, and reluctantly, the wives agreed to keep him.

Relieved, Rio led herself to Nicky's room. "I'll talk to him." 

Agatha nodded as her wife gently opened the door and tiptoed in. Nicky was lying on his bed, eyes red from when he was crying.

Rio nudged his shoulder and sat on the bed. "Hey buddy, I heard what happened. You okay?" 

Nicky's matching brown eyes stared up at her. He just whimpered, which made Rio's heart break for him.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?

"Me mama were playing outside in the rain, and she was teaching me how to use my orange magic. She blasted a birdie, and I tried to copy her, but instead of the birdie, I blasted Mister Scratchy!" 

Rio was surprised, Nicky had never actually caused any damage before with his powers. 

"I hate that I did that mommy, I hate my powers!" he shouted. Rio was taken aback. 

She looked her son in the eyes, and sternly started to speak. "Don't you dare feel guilty about your talent. You did something at five years old that some witches have been trying to do for centuries. That's what makes you special. It's what makes you a witch. Our little witch." she turned to look back at Agatha who was smiling proudly. 

"I guess." Nicky muttered. "I'm just going to go to sleep now." 

"Okay baby, good night." 

*

The following morning, the wives were stood outside the cottage, performing a summoning spell.

"May the rabbit be the exact same as the one recently departed." 

"And not annoying." 

They eagerly waited for something to happen, impatient. 

"I told you this was a stupid idea." Agatha scoffed. "We can't just magic up a rabbit!" 

"Okay, maybe this doesn't work. It was worth a shot." Rio confessed. "Lets go back in." 

When they returned, they found Nicky sitting on the couch, staring into nothing with his innocent eyes. Agatha rested next to him and stroked his hair.

"I miss him mama. He was my best friend." he sombrely said. 

"I know, my sweet." Agatha softly reassured him. Suddenly, he perked up and looked at Rio. 

"Mommy, can y"ou bring him back with your magic? You always say you work with dead people." he asked sincerely.

Rio anguished for him and his pure ask. "No baby, I can't I'm sorry."

That only made him start crying again. "I can't believe he's actually gone." he grieved. A sound coming from the hallway made Rio leave suddenly, while Agatha stayed to comfort him. A minute later, she walked in, cradling a silky white rabbit. The two witches exchanged excited looks. However, Nicky was the happiest.

"Mister Scratchy! he exclaimed, rushing over to hold him. 

"That's not Mister Scratchy Nicky, that's actually his brother, Senor Scratchy." Rio corrected. Nicky was visibly a bit disappointed, but still grateful. He carefully took the bunny out of his mother's arms and began to start playing with him. 

"I told you it would work." Rio whispered passive aggressively at her wife.

-------------------------------

"Senor Scratchy." Rio let out a light chuckle in her despair. "Nicky really did love you." 

The rabbit's ears pricked up at his name, and tilted it's head to the side, eyes glinting with an almost human sadness. Rio hesitated, then scooped him up, holding on like it would stop the gnawing ache in her chest. He stared up at her, his gaze filled with a longing that made her throat tighten. It was as if he were silently asking where Nicky had gone.

"He's gone!" her voice cracked with sorrow. "He's dead! Stop looking at me like that you stupid rabbit! Just stop!" he words broke into uncontrolled sobs "I've lost everything.. He's gone.. She's gone." 

Scared, the rabbit leapt off and ran away. Rio followed him and used her magic to spell him. It incapsulated his life, making him live forever. How she wished it could work on humans. Then, she grabbed a piece of paper from the kitchen, and wrote a note. 

My love, I know I said I would always wait here for you here, and while it will always be mentally true, it's not physically. The burden of what I've done is too much, I can't stay here. I left Senor Scratchy, he's got Eterna Vitae. You know where to find me. 

I love   Te veo

Rio

She placed the note on the mantle, and with a sweep of her dark, velvet cloak, she turned and walked away. Away from her home. Away from her life. Away from her heart. 

*

Four years had passed since she last set foot in this place—a cold, desolate castle that mirrored her own hollow existence. Its silence was apparent, the walls drenched in sorrow. It was fitting, really, for someone who embodied those very same words: desolate, lonely, empty.

The loves of her life were gone, and with them, the person she had been. Rio Vidal had faded like the last petal on a flower in the wind. In her place, Lady Death now ruled, perched upon her throne in solitude, monitoring the shifting veil that separated the living from the dead. She was once again the Queen of Endings.