#when she told agatha billy was not hers

[isagrimorie]

Agatha lying to Rio about not caring for Billy.

[haenels]

daddy rio headcanons:

rio obviously had a little crown matching her own made for nicky

rio calls nicky "mijo", nicky calls rio "mami"

when rio is home, she and nicky spend all their time outside where rio teaches nicky all she knows about nature

when rio brings people to the afterlife, nicky will often excitedly meet her at the end of the bridge, telling her about his day

he's especially good at welcoming other children who are scared—he will take them by their hand and echo all the things rio has told him about life and death being a circle as he brings them to their destination with rio walking two steps behind them, beaming with pride but also ridden with unwarranted guilt that she gets to experience their son's beautiful personality every day and agatha doesn't

as rio brought alice to the afterlife, nicky jumped out at them, wearing a plague doctor mask, trying to scare them and rio said "excuse my son, as you can tell, he got all of my looks but all of agatha's personality"

actually scratch that, rio refuses to acknowledge that nicky is a carbon copy of her, completely blinded by all the parts of agatha she sees in him

rio has never badmouthed agatha to nicky—on the contrary, every time she comes home to nicky without agatha and sees the disappointment in his eyes, she makes sure to tell him that the only reason a witch as magnificent as agatha would even consider death an option is to be reunited with him and that she will try to do a better job bringing her back with her next time

but rios anger with agatha is also directly proportional to the amount of excuses she has made to nicky as to why agatha keeps avoiding death—and with that, nicky—so vehemently

rio sees nicky as the only good thing that has ever come of her. she's so used to people lamenting her existence—even agatha ended up getting hurt by the nature of her existence—so in rio's mind, nicky is the only thing of her making, her being, that has caused unbridled joy and love and happiness and she would put him before anyone else—EVEN agatha

which is why agatha "choosing" billy over nicky at the end of aaa has really good story arc potential for s2 because while rio will absolutely sit back and take everything agatha hurls at her, she would never forgive her son being betrayed (watch your back billy maximoff 🙃)

[wandaslittlelove]

Hii, can you please do agathario where y/n sacrifices herself to stay with rio at the end?

Kiss Of Death

Pairing: Agatha harness x Rio vidal x reader

Warnings: Angst, character death

The wind blew heavily around you as you watched your two lovers fight. Agatha was covered in cuts as Rio stalked closer. It was awful and violent. You were powerless as you watched the two. Afraid of stepping in and potentially hurting one of them although you knew you couldn’t physically hurt Rio. You hated all of this. You wished things could go back to the way they used to be.

When Billy decided to step in you listened as your love said it had to be one of them. Agatha had quickly told Rio to take her and you stepped in quickly.

“No! Take me. Please” The three of them looked at you in shock. Rio takes a step forward but Agatha is quick to pull you behind her.

“Don’t touch her!” Rio tilted her head at Agatha’s words. You were surprised by her words. Agatha hated you so why was she protecting you?

“Agatha-” You started but was cut off.

“No! She won’t take you” Rio stood watching as Agatha glared at her with so much hatred. It made her instinctively take a step back trying to avoid the harsh gaze that she hated so much.

“Agatha look at me” You demanded as you grabbed her face and turned her to look at you. Her eyes held unshed tears as she tried to keep herself together. She couldn’t lose you. She wouldn’t lose you.

“She took him. She can’t take you to” she whispers and she holds onto your waist tightly scared that if she let go you would disappear. She’s spent all this time hating you. For not trying harder to protect Nicky. She blamed you when really it was no one's fault. He was always supposed to die. And she realized that now. But you, you weren’t meant to die yet. It wasn’t your time.

“I love you. I have and always will love you. But you need to let me go with Rio.” Agatha’s grip on you tightened. 

“I love you too. Please stay.” Your hands on her cheek began wiping her tears as they fell. Rio watched the interaction in silence. She wasn’t necessarily a fan of one of you dying but it meant that you would be with her for eternity. That you would never leave her and that’s all she has ever wanted. 

You tilted your head towards Agatha and closed your eyes as your lips met. She pulled you flush against her as she tried to memorize the feeling of your lips on her. Of your warmth. Of the feeling of you pressed against her. While she was distracted you let your magic seep into her, freezing her legs so that she couldn’t move. Slowly you pulled away and looked into her eyes as she realized what you did. 

“I love you. I'm sorry.” You whisper as you slip out of her arms and towards where Rio is standing. When you get to her your hands settle on her face like you did with Agatha only her hands come up to hold your wrists.

“Nena” She whispers as she melts into your touch. It had been so long. So long since she’s felt either of you. Agatha yells and curses at Rio from her where she is frozen and Rio looks up at her. Her eyes fill with sorrow as she tries to move away from you.

“Rio my love. Look at me” you plea and her gaze is immediately back onto you. “You're going to take me. I’ll be yours. But you will leave Agatha and the teen alone. You will not take them until it is their time.”

Rio’s small nod is all the conformation you need and you quickly press your lips against her. Kissing her like your life depends on it as her magic begins to kill you. But none of that mattered. She knew she was killing you and while she wanted to pull away. Wanted to demand that you aren’t going to die. She found herself not being able to. Either by your magic or that selfish part of her wanting you forever she didn’t know. 

[five-milfs-and-a-twink]

How many times do you think Nicholas Scratch asked Rio when he would get to see his mother again?

She told him "soon" thinking she'd find Agatha, or at least someone would finally finish the job.

Only to find Agatha bonding with another child while her own has been waiting for centuries.

Agatha hated Rio for taking her son so much that she refused to go with her, even if it meant finally seeing her son again. She would rather linger with Billy as a pale imitation of life than face the two people who once cared about the most.

Imagine Rio having to tell Nicholas after the events of ep.9 that Agatha wasn't coming back. Knowing that she had driven Agatha away.

Rio's tears at the end weren't just for her.

[theballadofharkness]

Agatha Harkness: Deserving of Love

Pairing: Agatha Harkness x fem!reader

Summary: Billy notices his mentors infatuation with the covens newest member and decides to set a plan in to motion to help convince Agatha that she is worthy of a love that won’t hurt her in the end.

Word Count: 3.8K

A/N: I’m already thinking of planning a part 2 to this so let me know if you’re interested!

Agatha’s lair felt familiar and warm, with candles flickering softly, their scents mingling with the lingering remnants of the day’s spells. Around the table alongside you were Jen, Alice, Lilia, and Billy, all of you tossing ideas back and forth, their magic intertwined with webs of power and intention. But for Agatha, there was a separate focus.

You.

The younger green witch who had recently joined the coven, so sweet and soft, with an unassuming air about you. You were shy, maybe a little reserved, but there was something about you. Agatha couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it made her restless. You weren’t like the others. You weren’t brash or loud, didn’t command attention, but you drew it anyway. Your quiet strength, the way you spoke so calmly about your magic- it made Agatha want to tear down her own walls just to listen to you.

Agatha Harkness had never been the type to pine. At least, not openly. Not until you walked into the coven.

You, with your earthy, wild energy. Your deep connection to nature that you could barely contain. The scent of herbs clung to your skin, your green witchcraft so potent and raw that it left an undeniable mark in the air whenever you were nearby and Agatha couldn’t seem to look away.

She was afraid once she discovered you were a green witch that she’d touch you and think of her. Her last relationship with a green witch, or rather the green witch, had nearly broken her. But you weren’t Rio. While her energy smelt like the damp earth of a freshly dug grave site, you smelt like walking in a forest after a storm. Fresh. New. Creation. Something Agatha couldn't ignore.

She tried, though. She told herself it was ridiculous. There was a reason she hadn't let anyone get close in years. She had her heart broken once- twice, really- and that was enough. Right? Right.

But that didn’t explain the rush of heat that flared through her chest whenever Jen or Alice touched your shoulder or gave you a quick, casual hug. It didn’t explain the sharp pang of jealousy that twisted in her stomach when you smiled at Lilia, a laugh escaping your lips. And it sure as hell didn’t explain why she found herself lingering just a little longer than necessary when you passed by, her gaze following you like a moth to a flame.

It wasn’t like Agatha had forgotten how to flirt. Far from it. Hell her whole demeanour oozed seduction. But, seeing you in the coven- bright, new, so vibrant- had thrown her completely off balance.

“Agatha, you’re staring.” Billy’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. He was leaning against the doorframe of her basement lair, improved upon by the warmth that only a coven could bring to a witches sacred space, his arms crossed, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“I am not,” Agatha snapped, sitting up straighter in her chair. “I’m simply observing.”

Billy raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, observing the hell out of her. You know, it’s kinda obvious.”

She scowled, but there was no denying the truth in his words. Agatha’s gaze had indeed been locked on you, her thoughts racing, wondering if you felt the same magnetic pull that she did.

“Do you have to be so loud?” Agatha hissed, though she didn’t pull her attention away from you. She couldn’t. “And what’s it to you?”

Billy grinned and walked over to her, plopping down onto a couch with his legs kicked out. “Look, Agatha, I’m gonna be real with you. You like her, she clearly likes you. What’s the problem?”

Agatha's face flushed, and she instinctively shifted uncomfortably. “Billy, it’s not that simple. There’s...my history. And-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Billy interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. “We all know the history. You had your heart broken by Wanda.” He sighed at the thought of his half mother, well aware of the effect she had had on his mentor. “Then we all saw your reunion with Rio on the road... But you’ve been alone for a long time. And I’m just saying- she’s into you. I see it. You have to see it too.”

Agatha pinched the bridge of her nose, sinking into the back of her chair. “I’m-”

"Scared?" Billy interrupted, leaning forward with a knowing look. "Yeah, I get it. But you deserve to be happy, Agatha. You deserve to have something good. Something real." He paused.

Agatha didn’t answer him immediately, her mind swirling. She wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to risk feeling that kind of hurt again. Not with someone as sweet as you.

Billy raised an eyebrow, clearly sensing the shift. “Ask her out. Do something about it before someone else does.” Watching the way Agatha shifted uncomfortably, Billy knew he had struck a nerve.

The official start of the meeting began smoothly. Everyone was focused- well, everyone except Agatha. Her gaze kept drifting toward you as you took notes, occasionally glancing up at the others with that serene, gentle expression. You were so... soft. It made Agatha feel clumsy in comparison, like her usual sharpness and control were slipping through her fingers.

"Agatha?" Jen’s voice broke through her thoughts, and Agatha jerked her head up, startled. "You were saying?"

Agatha blinked, fumbling for her words. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out immediately. She cleared her throat. "Right," she said quickly, regaining her composure. "We need to prepare the sigils for the binding ritual. I want everyone to-"

Her hand accidentally nudged the wine glass in front of her, and in the next second, it tipped over, splashing red wine across the table with a loud shatter. Agatha froze, mortified. Her eyes darted to you, had you seen? Of course you had.

“Shit.” Agatha muttered, fumbling with a napkin to try and clean up the mess. The wine had spilled onto the table, and she couldn’t quite seem to stop herself from making everything worse. Her fingers shook slightly as she mopped up the mess, trying to salvage what little dignity she had left in front of the group.

“Don’t worry, Agatha. We’ll clean it up,” Alice said kindly, offering her help, though her smile held an undertone of amusement.

“Right,” Agatha said, straightening herself and doing her best to avoid looking too embarrassed. "I'll just…"

But she couldn't focus. Not with you sitting so close. Not with you watching.

The conversation resumed, but Agatha’s attention had splintered. She kept sneaking glances at you- soft, nervous glances that you never seemed to notice. You were so effortlessly beautiful in a way Agatha couldn’t quite understand. Everything you did seemed so... natural. And Agatha was starting to feel like she had forgotten how to act around someone like you.

As the meeting droned on, Agatha’s frustration grew. She couldn’t seem to find her rhythm, and every time she tried to assert herself, her voice faltered.

Finally, she’d had enough. She pushed herself away from the table, mumbling an excuse, and walked quickly to the kitchen, hoping to put some distance between herself and the group. Her heart was pounding, and her breath came in shallow bursts as she paced back and forth.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered under her breath. She’d been doing this for decades, for centuries. She was the strong one, the powerful one. But with you... she couldn’t seem to keep it together.

Just as she turned to grab a glass of water, Billy walked into the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe, watching her with knowing eyes.

“Oh, for the love of—Billy, what do you want?” Agatha snapped, turning away from him to hide the flush creeping up her neck.

Billy smirked, pushing off the doorframe and stepping toward her. “I want to know how long it took for you to realize you’re in love with her.”

Agatha froze, her heart skipping a beat at the words. She whipped around, eyes wide. “I’m not—What? I’m not in love with her!” she hissed, voice too loud for her own comfort.

Billy raised an eyebrow, clearly unbothered by her outburst. "Oh please, Agatha. We all saw the wine glass fiasco." He grinned.

“I didn’t-” Agatha started, her words faltering as she tried to process what Billy was suggesting. That she could be thrown off her game so easily. “Billy, I’m not some hopeless romantic.” She turned away from him, pacing again. “And I’m certainly not interested in her of all people like that.”

Billy raised both hands, feigning innocence. “Okay, fine. Let’s pretend you’re not madly in love with her for a second. But seriously, Agatha- you deserve someone like her. After everything that happened with Rio... with Wanda- this could be good for you.”

Agatha’s heart clenched at the mention of Wanda’s name. It was always the same, wasn’t it? The people she loved either hurt her, or she hurt them. It never ended well. Never.

Billy’s face softened for a moment, his usual teasing expression replaced with something closer to understanding. “Agatha... You deserve love.” His voice was steady, sincere.

Agatha turned on him, frustration bubbling over. "I don't need your sympathy, Billy.” She pushed away from the counter, her fists clenched at her sides.

She stormed toward the door, suddenly overwhelmed by the weight of the conversation. “Okay, party’s over, ladies,” she called over her shoulder, clearly ready to end the evening on her own terms. “We’re done for tonight.”

Billy sighed, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Agatha retreat. He knew better than to argue further. If he pushed her too much, she’d shut down completely, and he didn’t want that. But deep down, he was convinced she needed this. She needed you.

And as the others filed out of the room, chatting among themselves, Billy caught one last glance at Agatha before she disappeared into the darkened hallway.

He wasn’t giving up on her. Not this time.

Maybe, just maybe, Agatha could find something real with you. Something normal.

And it would be exactly what she deserved.

~

The soft glow of candles flickered in Agatha’s cozy living room, casting warm shadows on the walls. Señor Scratchy nestled comfortably on her lap, his fur soft against her fingers as she absentmindedly stroked him while reading her book. A glass of red wine rested beside her on the coffee table, the rich aroma filling the room as she sipped it slowly, savoring the calming effect it had on her.

It had been a long day. A long week, really. The coven had been busier than usual, and Agatha had found herself torn between the duties of mentoring Billy and leading a new coven and the strange, unsettling feeling she kept having every time her gaze accidentally landed on you. But tonight? Tonight was hers.

No magic, no coven drama. Just her, her book, and a very soft bunny.

At least, that’s what she had planned.

The sharp sound of a knock at the door made Agatha groan inwardly, setting her book down with a sigh. "Who in the hell…?" She stood up, adjusting her robe and rolling her eyes. Of course, it had to be Billy.

She opened the door to find him standing there, grinning from ear to ear like he had just orchestrated the greatest scheme of his life.

"What are you doing here? Isn’t it a school night?" Agatha raised an eyebrow, folding her arms over her chest. Her posture was effortlessly domineering with a small flicker of suspicion darted in her eyes.

Billy gave her an exaggerated look of disbelief. "Really? That’s your greeting? No ‘Oh Billy, I’m so happy to see you,’ or ‘Come on in, help yourself to a snack!’"

“Very funny," Agatha muttered flatly, rolling her eyes. "I’d ask you to leave, but you’ll just let yourself back in anyway.”

And as expected, Billy simply stepped past her and into the living room, his usual cocky grin plastered across his face. “Well, I have done it before.”

“Can I help you?” Agatha asked, sounding more exasperated than she really felt, though she could already sense something was off.

Billy didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he walked over to the kitchen counter, pulling a large container wrapped in aluminum foil out of his backpack. "My mom made lasagna," he said casually, setting it down on the counter. "I figured you’d need something to eat."

Agatha raised an eyebrow. "Billy, I'm perfectly capable of making dinner. I’m-"

Billy cut her off with a quick, almost theatrical sigh. "Relax, Agatha. It’s not just lasagna. It’s all part of my carefully orchestrated plan to fix your life, so you can stop brooding and move on." He grinned.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Agatha asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him suspiciously.

He smirked, tapping his fingers on the lasagna container. "Well, I told you it’s a carefully orchestrated plan. I also invited her over." He said it casually, like it was the most normal thing in the world to invite the woman she’d been unable to get out of her head for dinner without her knowledge.

Her heart stuttered in her chest, and her throat suddenly went dry. "Her?" Agatha croaked, and before Billy could say another word, Agatha turned her gaze to the door as if she were trying to mentally will it to stay shut.

“Yup. I invited her over,” Billy repeated, unphased by Agatha’s evident panic. “You know, Y/N? The new witch in the coven? The one who is really good with plants? That one.” He eyed her knowingly, his grin widening as he watched her freeze.

Agatha’s stomach dropped, and she was sure she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. Her breath hitched slightly as her pulse quickened. “Billy… What did you do?”

“Nothing too crazy, I promise,” Billy said, hands up in mock surrender. “Just invited her for dinner. I thought a little lasagna, some wine, a casual date-just to help you two get to know each other better.”

"She’ll be here in just under an hour," Billy continued, not missing a beat as he walked over to the oven and started lighting her candles. "You might want to start, you know, getting ready." He looked down at her floral robe.

“Billy, I…” Agatha sputtered, her brain struggling to catch up. “This is ridiculous. I’m not ready for this. I can’t-" She faltered. "What were you thinking?"

Billy set dinner plates out on the table, his eyes serious now, the usual playful glint replaced with a more grounded expression. “You’re my mentor, Agatha. You mean a lot to me. But right now, you’re being stupid.”

Agatha’s chest tightened, and she snapped back, her voice sharp. “Pardon? I’m being stupid?”

Billy didn’t flinch. He stood his ground, unbothered by her sharpness. “Yeah. You’re running from something good. Something real. She obviously likes you back, Agatha. Don’t deny yourself happiness.”

Agatha’s eyes flicked to Senõr Scratchy and then back to Billy, her stomach tightening with unease. "I don’t do relationships. I don’t-" She paused, then scoffed, “I’ve never had a normal one.”

Billy’s face softened, and he sighed, crossing his arms. “I know about your history with Rio, and I know how hard things were with Wanda. But that’s over now, Agatha. You’re not that person anymore.” His voice grew quieter, more sincere. “You deserve a shot at real happiness. You deserve this.”

Agatha turned away, her back to him as she clenched her fists at her sides. The walls she’d built around herself were tall and strong, but inside, everything felt so much more fragile. She didn’t need this. She couldn’t do this. Not again. Not with someone like you.

“You’re not listening to me, Billy,” Agatha muttered, her voice thick with emotion. “There’s nothing normal about me. I don’t do love, not in the way you’re talking about. It doesn’t work. I just... I don’t-” She closed her eyes, the words choking her.

Billy moved closer to her, and for a moment, the room was still. "I’m listening, Agatha. And I’m telling you that you deserve better. You don’t have to keep punishing yourself. You’re worthy of being loved. I see it. I know you’ve been hurt. But this could be different. She’s different from... everything you’ve known before.”

Agatha turned to face him now, her eyes sharp, though the flicker of doubt in them betrayed her hardened exterior. “You don’t get it. I can’t... What if I hurt her?” Or worse, what if she hurts me? She thought sadly, the question hanging in the air, raw and heavy.

“Listen,” Billy continued, a hint of frustration creeping into his tone, “I know you’re scared. But trust me, you deserve to feel loved, Agatha. Please, don’t deny yourself that.”

Before Agatha started to shut down the conversation, she took one last glance toward the door and imagined you arriving. She could feel her pulse quicken, her stomach knotting with that familiar tension.

Maybe she did deserve this after all.

~

The evening air was crisp as you made your way up the cobbled path leading to Agatha's house. You felt your stomach flutter with nerves, your steps slow and hesitant despite the invitation.

Billy had mentioned that Agatha wanted to invite you over for a casual night at her house for a home cooked meal. Nothing formal. Low stakes. Yet, as you clutched the small bouquet of wildflowers you’d picked on the way, the nerves wouldn’t settle. You hadn’t been this unsure of yourself in a long time.

The door opened before you even had the chance to knock, and there she was- Agatha Harkness, standing in the frame with a glass of red wine in hand and a calm, practiced smile on her lips. Her sharp eyes softened when they met yours, though the slightest tension in her posture gave her away.

"Hello, Y/N," she said with a warm yet almost anxious tone. "Come in."

You hesitated at the threshold, suddenly self-conscious of the bouquet in your hands. You didn’t want to overdo it, but you also wanted to show that you cared. Still, standing there in the cool evening air, you felt a wave of nausea wash over you.

“Thank you,” you smiled softly, stepping inside.

Agatha closed the door behind you, her usual confidence slightly shaken in your presence. She motioned to the living room where candles flickered softly, casting their golden glow on the walls. The scent of Italian food filled the air, mingling with the earthy, calming smell of the herbs you’d noticed earlier. Everything was just... so Agatha- familiar, yet daunting.

“Billy said it was meant to be casual but I still wanted to bring you flowers,” you said quietly, trying to ease the tension. You weren’t sure why you felt so nervous. It wasn’t like you didn’t know her. You’d spent time with the coven, worked spells together, and casually chatted with her about your shared craft. But this felt different.

Agatha gave a small, nervous smile, as she took the bouquet and put them in some water, “thank you that’s very thoughtful dear” She shifted awkwardly, suddenly unsure of herself in a way you hadn’t seen before. “I’m sorry about him… he only just told me he’d planned for us to… get to know each other properly.”

You blinked, the words slowly sinking in. “Wait, wait.” You looked at her, eyes wide, your heart sinking to your stomach. “You mean... this isn’t- this isn’t like a... date?” You could feel the heat rushing to your cheeks as your throat tightened. "Oh god, I’m so stupid."

Agatha’s jaw literally dropped. Her eyes widened as she stared at you, and for a split second, you thought she might laugh at the sheer notion of you thinking she’d date you. But instead, she froze, her face shifting from surprise to something that seemed... almost like disbelief.

“Wait... you thought this was a date?” she asked, her voice low, with a touch of amazement.

You shrank back, your face burning hotter. You mentally cursed yourself, wanting to disappear into the ground. “I-I mean... I don’t know, I just... Billy said you wanted to have dinner with me, and I-” You quickly stopped yourself, realizing you were making it worse. "I thought maybe... you were nervous about making the first move so he helped….” You trailed off, your words losing any semblance of clarity.

Agatha’s shock gave way to something else, something softer. Her lips parted as if she were about to say something, but she quickly recovered, clearing her throat. “Well...” Her voice, while still controlled, held a new warmth, and the tension in her posture started to ease. “I’m glad to hear you thought it was a date.”

You blinked up at her in confusion. “Wait, really?”

She gave you a quick, almost nervous smile, trying her best to remain composed. “Yes. In fact, I'm very glad you did.”

Your heart raced as the words finally began to sink in. Was there an actual chance for something between the two of you?

“I... uh,” you started, voice trembling slightly, “I didn’t know how to read it. I guess I’ve never really been great at... this kind of thing.”

Agatha’s eyes softened, her usual composure giving way to something far more vulnerable. “Me neither,” she admitted, and you could hear the faintest laugh in her voice. She ran a hand through her hair, a slight flush creeping into her cheeks. “I’m not exactly... well, I don’t do this often either. But…” She hesitated for a moment before saying in a quieter voice, “But I’d like to. If you want to.”

You looked at her, a soft smile tugging at your lips as your nerves slowly melted away. You nodded, heart skipping a beat. “I... I’d like that.”

Agatha’s expression shifted again, and this time, it was a smile- a real one. A rare one that made your chest tighten with warmth. She took a slow step forward, offering a hand in invitation.

“Well, then, why don’t you come sit?” she said, her voice gentle but inviting. “Let’s have some dinner, and we can... talk. Really talk.”

You nodded, finally stepping past her, your heartbeat quickening again as you sat down on the couch next to Senõr Scratchy, stroking his fur. For once, the space between you didn’t feel so vast, so uncertain. Agatha, the powerful, untouchable Agatha, was here. And she was real.

And maybe, just maybe, there was something good waiting to blossom between the two of you after all.

Dinner, the candles, and the wine all suddenly seemed like the perfect setting for what was unfolding.

For once, it felt like maybe love had a chance to blossom for Agatha Harkness.

[ennn]

Things I Liked About the Agatha All Along Finale - Initial Thoughts

Wooooo boy. Hey look I'm a bleeding heart shipper but I'm old and have been in enough fandoms. Let's process shall we?

Alice! Alice echo-ing what so many fans are saying about her lost potential. Rio actually being kind in reminding Alice her death did have purpose. "You're a protection witch, you protected someone."

The development of Billy's extremely complicated relationship with Agatha. Kid's not loyal to Agatha, he's understanding her, or starting to at least. He sees her being a relationship with Death and he's curious about the story there. He cares enough to connect the dots and see Agatha as a full person. And we see that developed as the finale goes.

"That's it? That's all the time that I get?" The show reminds us that death sometimes just happens – "Sometimes boys die" – I wonder if one of these writers is a Sandman fan because I immediately clocked a parallel to Death of the Endless taking a baby's life in her first comic appearance.

Death of the Endless is of course much kinder than Rio is with her (iconic) reply to that eternal question. "You lived what anyone gets... A lifetime."

That whole convo we got in the preview clip. And then them just sitting down and talking more? Albeit with layers of manipulation but y'know that's them.

Agatha telling Rio that she'll hand over Billy if Rio leaves her alone: essentially making Rio once again choose between her duty and her feelings towards Agatha. The deepest cut Agatha could make – which we see echoed with "If you do this I'll hate you forever." They know each other and the best ways to hurt each other.

I laughed waaaay too much at Agatha ragging on Jen's last vegetable name.

Jen's unbinding ritual was powerful and a fantastic moment for the character. She recognised and embraced her power. Agatha's mask slipping a little at the end as well. Amazing. Sasheer killed it.

The whole scene with Agatha working with Billy to bring Tommy back was beautiful and emotional and well put together and showed the side to Agatha that cements her as a great mentor (when she's not being the biggest murderous asshole).

Agatha using what she learnt from her Alice and Jen – and what Lilia told her – to hold her ground with Rio... okay it lasted like 10 seconds but it was a nice callback! Agatha's such a shameless survivor.

Incredible kissing. We knew Hahn and Plaza would deliver and they did. When it comes to kissing women, these two absolutely go for it.

Rio looking absolutely gutted with having to take Nicky away. Plaza really delivered with Rio's pain in these eps. Agatha calling her "my love", cursing and then begging.

Rio being soft about Nicky despite her job. Nicky willingly going with her with no fear, no hesitation – suggesting that they did bond somehow? Nicky knew she was a friendly face and trusted her. It was really a good death, all things considered. He wasn't sick, he wasn't in pain, he wasn't scared he simply fell asleep and just went.

Rio reminding Nicky to kiss his mom goodbye. She cares so much, as much as a personification of death can. It's funny how some people thought Rio was going to be this manipulative big bad but no, Agatha's the more toxic one in this relationship.

Okay like imagine Agatha finally dying and just straight up BOOKING it before Rio pops up. Rio hates ghosts. The number of times Agatha deliberately pissed her off this finale was amazing.

"I'm sure he'll forgive you for... whatever you did." Aw Billy is a good kid. Just like Nicky was. Agatha needs that reminder, that anchor to not be the Worst.

Chemistry aside, Agatha and Billy being mentor-pupil makes a ton of sense because these Maximoffs do the most fucked up shit (unintentionally) with their magic and Agatha's got the knowledge, charisma, cynicism, and the morals of a spinning compass to support him.

Alright when are they announcing the sequel / spin-off? I know there's a rumour of it happening. Rio's got 2 abominations and one endlessly aggravating ghost of an ex to deal with now.

[hope-you-brought-kneepads-bitch]

Billy: How’d you know Wanda maximoff?

Agatha: I’m her Ex….best friend

Billy stopping walking: Her Ex?

Agatha: Ex best friend yes

Billy: Why say Ex? Couldn’t you just say you used to be friends?

Agatha:….

Billy:��You were more than friends weren’t you

Agatha: There may have been more but nothing to brag about-

Rio popping out of a tree scaring both of them

Rio: You tied Wanda up in your basement and threw her around making her moan and you smiled when she did

Agatha: Stop scaring people like that! But also that doesn’t mean anything-

Rio: You told me you kissed her and she slipped her tongue in first

Agatha: Okay! That’s enough let’s just move on and not traumatise teen

Rio: was she a better kisser than me?

Agatha: She was shy, hesitant and unable to dominate me, it was boring and slow so no, she wasn’t better than you

Rio: damn right, I’m the best and only kisser you’ll ever have, you’re mine

Billy: That’s a little toxic Miss Death

Rio: I am a toxic entity little teenager, she knows where she belongs

Agatha: Stop scaring him! Just let’s go okay? Maybe there’s a cliff round this corner I can throw myself off of

Rio: And you’ll still see me if you die

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 2 part 2

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

here's another Agatha reflection that I didn't notice yesterday - it's a theme, I tell you

she's essentially doing what she does at the beginning of Wandavision, although with no prep time and no magic for costume changes: a ditzy over the top wife with the made up farway husband

I'd get a couple more candles back there, Lilia. You missed a spot.

But jokes aside, you know what she's doing? She's taking the piss out of agatha. this is Lilia we're talking about, the Seer. her job is literally to See. she knew who and what Agatha was the moment she stepped in, and frankly it's insulting that Agatha would try such cheap tricks on her. this is a little "fuck you agatha" before they get down to business and lilia can tell her to fuck off too

and yes, agatha underestimates lilia from the start, which is the point of lilia's character and the lesson she has to internalize. but the thing is, lilia IS amazing, powerful and wise from the very beginning. this whole scene is Lilia being better, smarter and more powerful than Agatha, she just doesn't have the self-confidence to recognize it

(but WHY beauford?? best name she could have picked)

lilia IS in control. she sets the pace of this encounter. agatha is a step behind, which is rare for her

fuck off, look at that stupid condescending little face

YASSS read her for filth! but let's recap her exact words (so I have an excuse to listen again to Patti's exquisite delivery and voice control)

"You've been under the influence of another. Someone you hurt." Wanda. And we go back to Agatha torturing Wanda and what it's doing to her, the guilt she feels.

"They took your agency. For three years." Agency is one of the main themes of this show and something that will touch Lilia up close too.

"It's not the first time your witch kin betrayed you." Not the other way round! Yes, Agatha has betrayed, she has hurt and killed. But we need to acknowledge that she was betrayed by her kin, her coven, her community first.

"But you survive, in a way few do." Agatha is a survivor. She dragged herself out of a hellpit, and she was maimed and turned into something horrible in the process. But she fucking survived.

"In fact, that's why you're here." Lilia knows EXACTLY what Agatha is planning, she knows that she's here to kill and she knows why. She knew from the start.

agatha's face falling more and more

YES. FUCK YES. THE PERFECT DICTION TROUGH GRITTED TEETH. SHE IS NOT INTERESTED!! GIVE THIS WOMAN ALL THE MONOLOGUES BECAUSE SHE'S GONNA CRUSH THEM

I know, Billy. this is also the way I look at stage goddess patti lupone

SHE IS CRYING AGAIN! DO YOU SEE IT!!! DO YOU SEE THIS SHIT?!!?!? SHE'S CRYING AT BEING SEEN SO CLEARLY, BECAUSE SHE'S ALWAYS HIDING. AND SHE'S CRYING WITH RELIEF, TRIUMPH AND GUILT BECAUSE SHE'S FOUND THIS AMAZING EXTRAORDINARY WONDERFUL WITCH AND SHE HAS TO KILL HER SO SHE WON'T DIE HERSELF TONIGHT

DON'T TOUCH ME, I'M IN A GLASSCASE OF EMOTIONS.

that's a predator right there

nuh-uh babe, she's got your number. you are not going to win this one. (i'm drinking up all the details in her room. look at that old singer sewing machine, that's a 70s or 80s model - everything in the room is at least 40 years old. Is she making herself a quilt? is she cold at night? we know she doesn't have the money to pay her bills)

I KNOW, BILLY!!!

lol, you know when patti told joe locke something like, 'sorry you're stuck here with all these old ladies'?? and he was like, no you don't undeRSTAND

(I mean, Patti has met plenty of gay boys. she understands.)

Lilia jumps for a moment to episode 5 and hears the ghost of Agatha's mom yelling at her. (aw, her chairs are all mismatched.)

Billy is always so polite. and look at Agatha's body language, she's doing the same thing she did when torturing Wanda, kind of hugging herself. both predatory and defensive, because, once again, she is not as comfortable as she seem. she is not being sincere, she is out to manipulate lilia, and she's not happy about it

I live for lilia's rants about the commodification and gentrification of the queer witch community (look at those gorgeous italian plates!)

she actually did bite a kid once

"when I was chased out of every village I passed through for accurately predicting tragedy? NO, I do NOT. BEAT IT, harkness!" I adore her delivery. and also. ouch. ouch. my sweet lilia. so many years, so much pain

When watching this scene for the first time, you identify with Billy and just sit back and enjoy these two extraordinary witches and actresses working together. the first episodes are high on comedy but they all have a serious, upsetting undertone, and it's especially gratifying to see how both actresses work with voice, face and body language to express what they can't say explicitly. Lilia is an incredibly old, wise, experience witch, but also tired, alone, humiliated. She's been jumping through time and she's really frightened about it. And right now? She's quite literally going against the most dangerous serial killer of witches in known history. She can stand her own against Agatha and then some, but she is not confident enough to see it yet.

A question that reads ironic but is delivered without a hint of irony. Why are you dragging a child into this? You of all people. Why are you putting a literal child in danger?

an ironic answer also delivered with no irony. it's threatening, and it's also protective of Billy

agatha gambles: maybe she can get lilia mad enough later and get blasted anyway. maybe she has other means to steal (a kiss, mayhaps?) And Billy better not hear this, she's not gonna kill him or anything but, you know, keeping her options open. just in case.

lilia DOES NOT need to return to her clairvoyant glory. lilia is one of the most if not the most powerful seer. her isolation is self-imposed. agatha is completely out of her depth here.

case in point: agatha does successfully con jen and alice, but she does NOT con lilia. not even close. she had nothing. lilia was in control of the conversation the whole time, seeing through agatha the whole time, and she was always going to say no.

"Three of Pentacles." collaboration, community, singular voices waiting to harmonize. Lilia REACHES THROUGH TIME and MAKES herself join Agatha. How fucking heartwrenching is that???? Agatha never tricked Lilia into doing anything. Lilia is sitting at the tarot table in her Glinda costume, for the first time fully confident and fully aware in her power, and she just - she grabs herself in the past and says, this is your family. this is your coven. you have chosen it. go and reclaim it. that is why Lilia follows them to the Road. not because Agatha is powerful, but because Lilia is.

and present Lilia is just so scared. she knows this is going to kill her.

FUCK I love this show so much!

(and a quick shoutout to @sapphicjew, I'm loving your commentary!)

go to episode 2 part 3

[ncis-nerd]

Slumber Party

part one || part two

Ship: Rio Vidal x Agatha Harkness x Reader || Professor Valkyrie x Reader || Future WandaNatDanverHill x Reader ;)

Warnings: Vulgar Language, Spanking, Slight Dark Themes, Manipulation?, Gulit Tripping?, Power Tripping?, Praise, Innocence, Degradation, Tears, Mentions of Sex, CALCUS, Brief Exhibitionism, Brief Voyeurism.

A/N: My last day of 4 classes back to back is over so that means the people will be fed ;)

Summary: Her lips ghosted your neck, her teeth bit down into that sweet spot. Nat smirked at your pathetic whimpers. “So loud.. and to think I haven't even began yet!” Natasha exclaimed. Wanda and Maria's eyes focused on you but all you could do was close your eyes. This was so hot, everything you ever wanted.

Word Count: 1.7K

When you received an invite in the mail from the "it girls" in your classes, you didn't expect any of this. You were on your way back from your professor Valkyrie's tutoring. You were struggling in her class so you went to her office hours to ask a few questions.

You were her star student so of course she didn't mind staying after class to provide you with some "extra help".

As the class came to an end, all your classmates began to leave. The room was empty, leaving just you and professor Valkyrie left in the classroom.

You were taking out your textbook to ask your professor some questions when you noticed her sitting on her desk. "So what can I help you with, my prized student?" Valkyrie spoke.

"I needed help understanding this concept, I just can't wrap my finger around it" you groaned in frustration.

Yeah, of course. That is one of the more harder topics so it makes sense that you are struggling. If we're being completely honest, I am just shocked you didn't ask for help sooner. I have been watching you in class and have seen the way you have been struggling." Your professor started to make her way over to you.

Professor Valkyrie laid her hand on your shoulder as you showed her a specific problem in your textbook you were struggling with. You noticed her hand lingering a little too long to be friendly, but you made nothing of it. You were probably just overthinking the situation. She's your professor, it would be inappropriate to think otherwise, you told yourself.

"Hey, are you with me?" Professor Valkyrie said, noticing that you had been in your head and quiet for a while. "Yeah, just stressed. I need to ace this test" you spoke.

"I'm positive you'll do well, you're my best student" she winked, making her way to the white board.

"But worse case, you do fail, then we can talk about ways of making that up" your professor spoke, a hint of suggestiveness in her voice. As if there was more to what she was implying.

Was talking about sex? Your eyes widened but you pushed those thoughts aside, you needed to focus.

"So this is what a partial derivative is" she spoke, facing the white board. Your eyes glanced down at her shirt, more specifically the curve in her back. It was so perfect..

As your eyes linger down further, Valkyrie turned around to trace your eyes on her. She smirked silently to herself as she shot you a firm look. You cowered in your seat, embarrassed.

After a while of conversating with your professor, you were able to nail the concept. Or at least that's what you thought as you made your way back to your dorm.

When you returned, you found a paper slipped under your dorm door. You reached down to pick it up. A wave of confusion filled your head, you didn't talk to much people besides your usual friend group that consisted of Peter, MJ, Ned, Kate and Billy. But they have your number so it couldn't be them.

It couldn't be for Kate because it said "Y/N" in bold letters. You began to open it, "Slumber party"..."Natasha, Wanda, Carol and Maria"... The paper read.

Huh? You thought they were all super pretty but way out of your league, so you were shocked. Was it the wrong "Y/N" maybe? It's a big campus, maybe the invite wasn't meant for you.

You have class with Wanda on Thursday, you could ask her about it then. You sighed, tossing the paper on your desk and taking your place on your bed. Your eyes struggled to stay open. You fell asleep, not wanting to think about calculus again.

You heard silent moans as your eyes fluttered open. You rose up to find THE Agatha and Rio fucking on your couch. Rio's eyes burned into yours, darkening as Agatha pounded into her with her fingers.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to join the party" Rio smirked, referring to your presence. "O-oh, I u-um" You stuttered as you looked away from the scene in front of you. Both women, fully naked, screwing each other. On your couch??

"Aren't you gonna join us you little pevert?" Agatha hummed, her eyes now on you as well. "W-What" You gasped at the boldness of her words. Agatha and Rio were the power couple on your campus, everyone knew of them. They were so hot and everyone's dream girlfriend's.

"You heard me, are you just going to stand there and watch or join us?" Agatha remarked as you hesitantly made your way over to the pair.

You couldn't believe this was happening.

As you sank down on the couch between the two women, Rio started to leave love bites on your neck as Agatha palmed at your breasts through your shirt. "Let us take care of you" Agatha groaned. As Rio bit down real hard, you opened your eyes.

You jumped in your bed, it wasn't real.

On Wednesday night as you began to get ready for class, you started to think about your dream from the other day.

That was so strange, you've never had a dream like that before. You wonder what caused it. Could it be the stress about the invitation? But Agatha and Rio wouldn't even be there. Their names weren't on the invite. Whatever, you'll find out what's happening tomorrow, for right now you should get some sleep.

The next thing you know, your alarm for precalc is going off. Shoot! How'd you sleep in this long?! You groaned, hurrying to get to class. Your pj bottoms of teddy bears and clouds you deemed presentable enough to go in public, you were regretting but had no time to class. You grabbed your laptop and bookbag and rushed to class.

“And today we will-” Professor Valkyrie paused, the door swung open.

Out of breath, you stutter “I f-fell asleep!” making your way to an empty seat, which was coincidentally by Wanda. ���Uh huh, as I was saying..” Professor Valkyrie continued.

Professor Valkyrie raised an eyebrow at you, pausing for a moment before continuing her sentence. "Today we will be focusing on partial derivatives and line integrals".

Your mouth opened slightly as you realized that she was going over the subject you had struggled on, but you went to tutoring so you should be fine right? It felt as if she was testing you, to see if you were paying attention to her during tutoring.

You groaned, realizing she was giving the extra hard questions. You were so screwed.

“Hey-” you whispered, facing the redhead who was not very invested in the class. Wanda's eyes fell on you, your attention on her soft pink lips. “Yeah?” Wanda whispered back. “I think you got the wrong dorm, this was at my door when I got back.” You took the invite out of your bookbag.

"No I didn't. We want you y/n.” Wanda smiled. You coughed loudly. What?! They want me?? Wanda giggled at your response “Let me rephrase that- we want to see you at our sleepover!” Wanda spoke. You were confused.. “Why me? You don't even know me..” You looked at Wanda puzzled.

Professor Valkyrie stared at you for a minute, after your coughing outburst.

After you handed in your paper, you sat at your desk for the remaining time left.

“We've had our eyes on you for a while, y/n. I'm surprised you haven't noticed.” Wanda hums. What did she mean by that? Why were they watching you? You were kind of creeped out but- “Ms Y/N! Ms Maximoff! Got something to share?” Professor Valkyrie glared at you, obviously annoyed. You were late and interrupted class, twice.

More people started to turn in their papers. As everyone left your class, Professor Valkyrie spoke up.

"Y/N, please stay after class for a minute".

Oh you were so, so screwed. You thought to yourself.

"What happened?" Professor Valkyrie frowned, disappointment was present on her face.

"I um-" She cut you off.

"No, I know what happened. You were to busy staring at my ass during tutoring instead of focusing on the equations that I took time out of my day to help you understand. Not only were you late but you were also disruptive of my class, TWICE." Professor Valkyrie spewed.

Your eyes widened as you felt tears fill your face. "W-wait n-no. Th-thats not what" You sniffled, as your words began to slur.

"W-wait n-no- T-thats not" She mocked, as her hand met your face rather harshly. You gasped in shock, feeling the sting on your face from where she slapped you.

"You're going to make it up to me, Y/N. I want you over my desk right now". Valkyrie spoke.

You were so confused but followed her directions, you were bent over her desk, you felt your butt out and exposed.

Valkyrie pulled down your skirt to reveal pink panties with strawberries on them.

She paused for a moment to admire them. "Cute, real cute" She murmured before pulling them down too. "Y'know I may have to confiscate those before you leave" She smiles.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as your tears continued.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay, I'm just going to spank you for being naughty then you'll be my best student again. Okay, sweetheart?" Professor Valkyrie spoke softly.

You nodded, sniffling quietly. You weren't a bad girl, were you? You thought to yourself. "I want you to count and say thank you Professor after each spank. I'll only give you 10 since I don't want to break you just yet" She spoke.

Break you? What did she mean. You nodded regardless. "Y/N, I need to hear you, use your words doll." She mumbled.

"I understand, thank you Professor" you spoke obediently.

"Good girl" your professor praised.

Her hand met your cheeks, leaving a sting.

"One! Thank you Professor!" You winced, you were never one for pain.

"Two! T-thank you Professor!"

"Stuttering already? Don't worry, we'll fix that later on" Valkyrie spoke, making a mental note to break you in sooner rather than later.

Her hand left a harsher slap this time.

"F-five! Th-thank you P-proffesor!" You murmured.

By the eight spank you were a stuttering mess and your ass was burning. Professor Valkyrie was not gentle with her spanks.

"TEN! THANK YOU PROFESSOR!" You cried out.

"Shh, shh you were such a good girl for me" Valkyrie spoke, admiring how red and raw your ass was.

She brought you into her arms as she caressed your face, admiring your glossy eyes.

With a swift movement, Professor Valkyrie picked up your panties and dropped them in her pocket. "For later" she smiled, winking at you.

A/N: There WILL be a part two, it was too long to make one full story, so it will be broken down into two parts. The next part will be the actual Slumber Party.

[tunemyart]

So I've just watched the finale and I'm feeling... Weird. I think part of it is because this show started with everything I like in a story (cool badass ladies, a queer romance, found family, redemption, etc etc) and ended up being... Not all that (most characters die, the romance is doomed, and I guess the redemption mostly happened but wasn't entirely satisfactory to me). Also, I'm someone who as Trauma (tm) with death so, I guess my brain's first reaction is "fuck that I just want them all happy and safe" and it takes me a while to accept when stories take these paths, however well written they might be.

Still, I thought it all went a bit fast in the last 2 eps, with parts of the show ringing just a little bit more hollow than I would have expected? I'm left feeling like the characters of Alice, Mrs Hart and Jen were treated a bit superficially (Lillia's story felt more complete). I also wished we had seen more of Agatha's past because spending centuries just conning witches then killing them is... a bit boring? (maybe we learn more about her in WandaVision, I haven't seen it). And obviously I wished we had seen more of Agatha and Rio. It's like the show couldn't decide if it was about Agatha or about Billy (partly because, I'm guessing it's setting up a 3rd show about him?), and with this short format we ended losing a bit on Agatha's part.

Anyway, curious of what you think of all that because your analysis are always super interesting, and like I said my own brain might be a bit biased towards resistance with this one. And obviously would love to read your fanfic(s) should you write any!

So, I've started and restarted a reply to this a few times, but I think what my answer boils down to is: we're meant to have multilayered responses to this finale. We're meant to sit with it. It's meant to change our experience of the show we've had to this point.

I think the best metaphor for this is the fact the revelation that Rio is Death. Bear with me, because I know this got spoiled for us way early on and we all knew it and were all just waiting for the revelation to drop - but imagine for a second that we didn't know that Rio, Agatha's ex-girlfriend and spooky fun vaguely-a-psychopath as played by the delightful Aubrey Plaza, is death. Your perception of Rio would have been turned on its head. Your perception of Agatha would have been turned on its head. Your perception of the Witches' Road and what we're even doing here with Death walking alongside us as a tourist would have been turned on its head.

Now, we all had an incredibly fun time even with the knowledge that Rio is death before we should have had it. But I think some of the power for what it meant for the story - and our perception of what was really happening - was muted.

Jen, at the beginning of 1.08, says, "She told us who she was from the very beginning."

Sit with that - because the same is true of this story.

---

It turns out that the Road is a metaphor for death. This isn't fully illustrated for us until Nicky, the author of the Ballad, walks down the road with Death's hand in his, and we go, oh. Oh.

Agatha tells us in the beginning that the Road doesn't exist, a rare instance of her giving anyone unbridled truth. And sure - the Road that our coven walked down doesn't exist. The Road that all the witches Agatha lured to the deaths believed in doesn't exist. It's a fiction. But it's significant that Agatha lured them all to the Road and killed them. They wanted to walk the Road. They died. Not "they died instead" - it's a two-fold statement. They wanted to walk the Road and they died. In a gruesome way, Agatha's been taking witches on the Witches' Road since the 1750s.

I don't think the significance of that is lost on Agatha, either, especially where we pick up at the beginning of 1.08. Lilia's dead, and everybody's reeling.

Perhaps Agatha more than anybody.

---

I also want to quickly take a look at Rio's accusation of Agatha regarding Billy.

"The bodies are really piling up." "Did you doubt me?" "Yeah, I did. I thought there'd be a trick in there somewhere. And there was! You were distracting me from him."

Because this is a revelation about Agatha's actions toward not just Rio, but any audience watching her - i.e., us the viewers. She's been distracting us! Not from who Billy is, we know that of course, but with regard to what the Road itself is. Agatha's known the Road isn't real the entire time. She's been protecting Billy from that knowledge. She's been protecting Billy from Rio. She's been protecting the coven itself from disintegrating. And, the biggest con woman move of them all, she's been distracting us - with less and less success as the show goes on - from the fact that she is not even the slightest bit in control.

---

So I definitely want to circle back to what you said about how the show started out with everything you like in a story, because oof, yeah, I felt that. I felt that hard in the finale. Coming off the impact of the incredible storytelling in 1.07, and the queer jokes and campy Wicked cosplay balancing out the sad, I think many of us spent the next week expecting some kind of emotional resolution that probably involved the remaining coven banding together in some more of that found family we've felt them becoming along the way.

Here's where things starts going wrong, right off the bat: they don't. Instead, they splinter. Not only are you aware of just how few of them are left (Jen, Billy, Agatha), but Jen and Agatha can't handle Lilia's death. Jen's distraught. The close up on Agatha running away out of the trial and back onto the Road, alone, shows her looking hunted and wild in her guilt. Everything that follows has its seeds in that moment of rending that began with Lilia's death.

From the beginning, the point has been that Agatha Harkness is a covenless witch. It's something we've seen her revel in - maybe simply because she has no choice but to own it. But the fact is that here, for the first time in centuries, she had a coven. She didn't intend to have one - she intended to kill them all in her basement and not think twice about them again. But events transpired the way they did. They became her coven. And one by one, they all died on the Road.

Rio, of course, has the words to cut right to the quick: "Your coven is shrinking," she teases Agatha cruelly. Agatha looks wild - because she's right. The worst thing is that she killed Alice - and she didn't mean to. She didn't want to. But she did, and in exactly the same way she'd intended to kill her at the beginning, the same way she's been killing witches for hundreds of years. "Your coven is shrinking," and it's Agatha's fault. It's Agatha's coven. It's Agatha's coven.

Hold on to that, too.

---

One of the things that I've been mulling over most is Agatha's character. She's so much fun in the beginning. We're all fucking charmed by her. We also don't have the full context of just how much of a serial killer she is.

So for me, at least, watching 1.08 and not only not getting found family, but getting an Agatha so far away from a "redemption" story that she only just barely is willing to not sacrifice Billy for herself, was kind of a rude awakening. Agatha's a lot more of a villain that I was prepared for. Surprise!

Agatha's so far away from "redemption", in fact, that she's only just barely starting to feel empathy for other witches. She's just starting to be affected by people who aren't #1. And that's a trauma response. And it's so, so, so deeply rooted in her that she's only just starting to be able to conceive of the idea of people who care for her. Of the possibility of being able to live in community. She's not ready for a redemption arc. There was no way that the kind of redemption arc she'd need could fit into nine episodes, because so much of it would for her be predicated on a mental shift that Agatha just hasn't arrived at yet. She's still so angry. She's still so traumatized. She's done almost none of the work. And even at the end, even with the final gesture of sacrificing herself for Billy, that's not a final act of redemption, oh Agatha's now a good person/forgiven/insert word frame of choice.

What this show did in terms of redemption for Agatha was set her up to be in a place where she might want it - where she might want to do and be better for Billy, and someday, for Nicky.

And it's significant that that point comes for Agatha in dying… and after death.

---

This show is about death. The Road is about death. Death is a character on the show.

Like, okay, you're saying. Fine. But what about my gay fun times? What about my queer romance, my found family?

And please know that I'm there with you.

I'm not hugely in touch with what the larger fandom is saying and how they're reacting because I have my little echo chamber here on tumblr and a few friends who have actual social media, but even here I get the sense that we're all kind of :/ for fairly similar reasons. What happened to the show I fell in love with?

And for me, the last few days, I think it's been important to realize that the fact that the show I fell in love with didn't suddenly become a different show. It didn't pull a bait and switch. No twists were in bad faith. Everything has been right here in the text of the show from the very beginning.

And I think it's important to see the story that Jac Schaeffer et al. were actually telling vs. our expectations of what they were telling, or worse, what we wanted them to tell. For just one example, I was convinced we were going to see Alice again - maybe Lorna Wu, too. I wasn't expecting it to be for the sole purpose of recognizing that not only is she dead, but to give Alice herself the space to say that it wasn't fair, that she wasn't ready, that she'd just broken her family's curse, that now she can really do something with her life! Because, ugh, yeah! It's not fair, for all those reasons! But that's also death. Likewise, Sharon's just dead, and worse, her death was pretty much meaningless. Lilia rediscovered herself again, and she chose her death to save everyone else - extremely meaningful. But at the end - she's just dead. We don't see her again. She's gone. She, like the others, walked the Road and away with Death.

I loved these covenless witches. I loved them finding themselves together. I loved them bonding around the campfire and discovering community. I miss them all, so so much. But they told us from the beginning how haunted by death all of them were: Alice and her mom, Lilia and her coven in Sicily, Billy and William Kaplan, Agatha and her son and her ex-lover. And of course, Death herself. Forget haunting these individuals - she came to actually join the temporary coven. Like, fuck. They told us what this show was about.

---

This show is about death, but it's more complicated than that: we'll take our cue from Rio again, who, in being Death, is also the original Green Witch. In short, this show is about Green Craft, "growth and decay in constant flow."

So yes - almost every single witch in the coven dies. Yes, it's permanent. No, the queer romance isn't resolved happily. No, Agatha doesn't have a redemption, satisfying or otherwise. And no, none of it follows what we've come to expect from found family story trajectories.

But the focus shouldn't be solely on the decay. There's a whole cycle of growth coming up after it, even now, and it's being made possible by the death and decay that we just witnessed. And most importantly, it's confirmed that this isn't the end of the story - just the end of "Agatha All Along."

---

I'll finish by actually answering your question - I've been sitting with the finale for a few days, because I also felt weird about it. And I think that's the right word: "Weird." Very spooky season-esque, first of all, but also not tipping all the way right into "bad".

The first thing to acknowledge is that no story is perfect - they were limited by nine episodes by what they had the space to show, and finales are really hard to get just right. The second is that you're allowed to not like any or all of it, especially when something happens that asks you to change your entire understanding of the story thus far, i.e. the Road isn't real, or when you have a particular trauma around death and it turns out that that's what the whole show is about in ways we hadn't fully realized. The third is that it's worth sitting with stories sometimes and seeing how they marinate and develop in your brain and your soul over time. All of these things can and should coexist.

This isn't my first go-round with a series finale that initially made me ???, so I was fortunate in that I felt like I had a cheat sheet. I've still got some marinating to do to see how this continues to change for me. But it's helped me to realize that my ??? reaction is what the story wanted me to have - that the characters are reeling right along with me. Not just Alice in shock about her death, but also Billy at the implications of his creation of the Road regarding his responsiblity for what happened on it. We're meant to feel this way… and then we're meant to reconsider the journey we've been on, the Road we've walked with all of them and the death we've died alongside them, and see it anew for what it really is.

[a-couple-of-notes]

I actually think the little glimpses we get into the witches in Episode 6 are super cool, even if they are short:

Lilia sees William--an innocent boy with a tragic future--and despite clearly trying and failing to prevent tragedy over and over for centuries, her first instinct is to try and protect him with a sigil. She may scoff at witch stereotypes and seem strange and apathetic ("Death comes for us all"), but it says a lot that she wants to protect William, and reaches for this bit of crude, amateur witchcraft to do it.

No wonder Billy/William feels so close to Alice! Yes, when they went on the Road, Alice was the kindest and most willing to engage with him. But she was also the first person on the scene to try and save his life! If you look in the background of the shot, there are no other police cars; Alice is the only one who stopped. (It makes sense she couldn't make it as a cop, honestly--she's too much of a good person.)

Relatedly, I love Lorna's ballad playing in the background of Billy's discovery, further reinforcing this closer connection he feels to Alice. It's not the sacred chant version that he finds written in Latin on the dark web somewhere; it's the version meant for Alice, meant not for magical power in and of itself, but not the power to protect and reach someone. Very cool parallels.

Agatha and Jen get very similar appearances in this episode (more fodder for my continuing insistence that they're two sides of the same coin, with matching sets of defense mechanisms). They don't show up in person; rather, Billy sees them through the perceptions of others and the performances they present of themselves. He sees Jen through her makeup YouTube page (amazing, 10/10) and Agatha through all of Internet/historical rumor. Billy looks up to the "flawless" version of Jen that she curates, but we know that's false. Likewise, he hears a whole bunch of stuff about Agatha, but that's also an inextricable tangle of fact and falsehood.

It's very funny to me that Alice is the only one who stands a chance of recognizing this kid, but also is the only one who would, even if Lilia hadn't put the sigil on him and Jen had met him in person. The others have simply lived too long and become too selfish (I say that nonjudgmentally, I love my selfish witches) to remember some skinny dude from three years ago. Maybe Alice clocked Billy as soon as she saw him, was like I'm glad you survived, and just never told anyone that she arrived on the scene of his near-death car crash that same day the weird magic bubble went down. I mean, that's a strange coincidence, but it probably doesn't matter, right? Meanwhile, Agatha's over there Machiavelli-style poking Teen to figure out what his deal is.

[natashashill]

want me, want me not

pairing: agatha harkness x rio vidal x fem!reader

word count: 2k

warnings: none(?) minor angst, happy ending

a/n: i completely changed some timelines of AAA but hopefully this still works?

summary: based off this req

You suddenly shoot up onto a dusty path trying to get the taste of dirt off your mouth, when you hear a familiar voice call out your name.

Billy floods your vision as he goes to greet you in a hug, while you still process your new surroundings.

“Billy, hi! I’m so glad you’re here but where am I?”

He animatedly tells you about the Witch’s Road and introduces you to the rest of the coven: Jen, Alice, Lilia, Agatha, and Rio.

Lilia struck up a conversation with you and you told her all about yourself and how you knew Billy. She seemed very kind and you were glad to have someone in your corner.

Jen was rather cautious of you, and while she started being polite to you, you could tell she wasn’t willing to talk to you very much. She carried a harsh energy and you were a little nervous to see what would happen if you got on her bad side.

Alice got along quite well with you. She was easy to talk to, and you found yourself engrossed in her stories. You hoped you could connect with her outside this road or whatever you were in.

Agatha was something you couldn’t explain. You were captured by her from the moment Billy introduced you to her, but she wouldn’t even give you the time of day.

That leads you to Rio, who was rather odd. She didn’t outwardly show any displeasure but it was almost as if she didn’t want you around. You weren’t sure what was going on but you decided you weren’t going to pry.

When you were all gathered around the fire sharing stories, you sat next to Lilia while you waited for Agatha to be done checking on Billy. You wanted to go see him but she wouldn’t let anyone come near him while he slept. It seems you kept staring at them because when you momentarily glanced back to the group, Rio caught your graze. You quickly turned away, hiding the small blush appearing on your cheeks.

Rio walked away after that, and you could only assume she was talking with Agatha. You focused your energy back to the group enjoying some of the banter between Jen and Alice. You let yourself fall into the conversation, sharing some stories of what you and Billy have gotten into outside of school. Everything was going great until you could overhear loud murmuring between Agatha and Rio.

You use this opportunity as the group wonders what’s going on to check up on Billy. You just barely reach him, when you see Agatha storming over to you, with Rio grinning as she trails behind.

“What are you doing?”

“I was just checking up on him. I wanted to know how he was.”

Agatha scoffs, “He’d be fine if he gets some rest. It would be best not to disturb him, go back to the group.”

You try not to show how much her words hurt you and start to walk towards the group when you turn back around.

“He was my friend first you know. What do you even know about him. You don’t have to be so rude either, I’ve been nothing but nice to you since I arrived here, and it’s not like I asked to be here.”

With that, you return back to the group sitting next to Lilia. You start to laugh over some of Jen’s stories about her brand, completely unaware to what’s going on between Agatha and Rio.

“You like her, admit it.”

“I do not. Stop getting jealous Rio. She’s just someone who happened to show up. Why would I be interested.

“Really? Just someone? You haven’t taken your eyes off her since she’s arrived and it’s not like she’s subtle about her interest in you either.”

Agatha scoffs and tries to escape this conversation, but Rio grabs her wrist. “She’s your type Agatha. Admit it to yourself, even if you won’t admit it to me.”

“So what about you then? It’s just me that has some sappy feelings for Y/N. Don’t act like you’re above this situation.”

“I don’t know but it’s pissing me off. I hate that we can’t just avoid this situation and never see her but at the same time, I don’t want to see Y/N getting hurt, by us or anyone else.”

Agatha, being Agatha scoffs, “Maybe you have some hidden feelings for her. Why don’t you go run up to her and spill your guts.”

Rio only rolls her eyes and watches Agatha return to the group. She takes a breather for herself and ponders on what Agatha said.

Does she have feelings for you?

Agatha’s words cut deeper than they should have. You were just some pesky girl who shouldn’t be here. Sure, you were pretty but that doesn’t mean anything. She should be annoyed you’re here, right?

She rejoins the group as well to some conversation about scars when she hears Agatha talk about hers. She laughs at the recollection.

“I have a scar,” Rio declares.

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“A long time ago, I loved someone and I had to do something I did not want to do even though it was my job -” Agatha turns away at the pointed look sent at her “and it hurt them. She is my scar.”

You get up and walk away at this point. Your eyes brimming with tears at their declaration. It’s obvious they have feelings for each other and you can’t ignore the fact that of course they like each other, and not you. They couldn’t even spare you a second glance from the moment you got here.

“What’s got you all worked up, hon?”

You turn around to find Agatha walking up to you, her face masked with something you can’t figure out. You quickly wipe off your tears, not looking for another reason to get ridiculed.

“Nothing, I’m just worried about Billy.”

She scoffs at that and even you knew that it was a pathetic lie. You wince before turning around to face her.

“You were just so concerned at the particular second Rio declares that she has feelings for me? Quite a friend you are. Interesting though, because Rio pointed out to me how you might have a slight crush. And-”

Crap. Does she know? Is she here to tell you off about your crush? You need to think of something fast.

“Look, I don’t know what she said but that’s not true. Why would I like someone who’s been a bitch to me. I’m sorry if it’s caused problems between you two, but you can go run along and rejoin as a happy couple-”

“Do not interrupt me again. As I was saying, I think you would like to know that me and Rio haven’t been able to get you off our minds.”

Your jaw drops at that.

They like you?

You stare dumbly at her, trying to figure out if she’s pranking you. You see her start to approach you and soon she’s invading all your senses.

Her face is just inches from you, the unmistakable smell of her perfume enters through your nostrils and short circuits your brain, and her hand comes up to rest on your jaw.

You’re all but staring at her when a familiar voice calls out. You let out a huff and Agatha shoots you a small smile before turning around. Yet, her hand never leaves your face.

“Hey guys! What are you doing?”

Completely forgetting about what’s going on, you run over to Billy. You’ve been worried about him, even if a certain duo of brunettes were driving you crazy. When you turn back to look at Agatha, she’s already gone and you resume with a small frown on your face. You return with Billy and see her involved with Rio, paying absolutely no mind to your return.

The next trial starts and you’re starting to think whatever happened in those woods was just a fleeting moment. You’re practically given the cold shoulder during this trial, and you can’t help but feel hurt by it. The trial is clearly centered around you, and yet somehow you can’t seem to be given any attention by them. Thankfully, the coven manages to solve everything before the time runs out, but it doesn’t change how you feel. You exit first through the tunnel, not willing to spend any additional time around them. Rio and Agatha exchange concerned glances and make a note to check up on you.

You sit against a tree, completely out of breath from your last trial. Billy comes to check up on you, but you play it off as fatigue and he manages to get the rest of the group to give you space.

You let your emotions stew, feeling nothing but bitterness at the two women who had caught your attention.

Why couldn’t you be what they wanted?

Simultaneously, Agatha was rambling to Rio about you. You were a precious, sweet girl. She couldn’t possibly go after you right? Would they be okay with that or is this just some desperate attempt to fill their void. She shouldn’t have gotten that close to you. It only made her desire for you worse and now you know the truth about how they feel. She can’t escape this anymore and you know too much. She should hate you for how you get under her skin but all she wants to do is keep you close to her.

Rio cuts off Agatha’s blabber, having enough with the overthinking. She sends Agatha a small smile, while taking her hand.

“You’re clearly thinking about her, and so have I. Maybe it’s time to take a chance on her, even if it would be easier to hate her.”

Why couldn’t this just be easier for her? That’s all Agatha thinks before storming over to you, frustrated with your isolation.

“What are you doing here by yourself? It’s safer as a group. What if the Salem Seven suddenly appeared? You would have no chance against them alone.”

You frowned at her but made no effort to respond. Of course the first thing she says to you would be a lecture. You can’t take it with her hot and cold efforts. You just want to get off this road.

“Maybe she wants someone to give her some attention Agatha. Oh don’t look at me like that sweetheart, I saw you stare at us throughout the trial like we’ve abandoned from you, I know that look. You want us to give you attention? We’re here. “

You stare blankly at Rio as she manages to capture your thoughts exactly. Had she known from the start? You refuse to let your guard down around them, too hurt to let them in that easily.

Agatha stares between Rio and you, trying to figure out if what Rio had said held a semblance of truth.

Before she can say anything, you speak first.

“So you came here to rub it in then? You came to expose my silly feelings and go back to your lives revolving around each other, is that it? I don’t need that, it’s one thing to not like me, but you don’t need to jerk me around.

Agatha gently interjects, “Like I said before-”

“I don’t believe you. You say that you like me but you don’t show it. It’s always just you two in your own little bubble and I barely exist to you guys outside our talks. How do I know that you aren’t just playing around with me?”

Agatha uses this opportunity to press her lips on yours, shutting you up while trying to show her feelings through this kiss.

“I’m sorry you felt this way. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, I- we just weren’t sure. We didn’t want to get involved in something we weren’t sure about what to do. So we did what we did best, and tried to ice you out. That won’t happen again. I don’t ever want to hurt you, and I- we will do better for you.”

Rio joins her and presses a chaste kiss to your lips before presenting a flower for you. You softly take it while smiling and allow yourself to get caught between them.

notes: nonnie i hope this lives up to your expectations, it took me quite a few tries to make this

[lotsofmilfs]

Shades Of Cool Part 1

Pairing : Agatha Harkness x Fem!Reader

Summary : You and Agatha were close in Salem, but things happen of course, and now you’re reunited due to the Witches Road

Word Count : 7kish

Authors Notes : I took creative liberties with the road !!! but i’m hoping you still like !

Warnings : Angst, Brief mention of suicide, longing, i think that’s it.

You were in Agatha’s trial on the witches road, you had on the same outfit as her, only it was a pink jersey, instead of the purple. Your hair was down instead of up in the hairstyle that Agatha was wearing, and your knee high socks were white with two purple stripes at the top. You don’t even know how you got here, but that was just how strong Billy was. Summoning you for a trial you had no idea you were taking place in.

You’d met Agatha during the Salem Era, both of you young, and close. You hated your own parents, and when Agatha told you about her mother, you planned to run away together. Things never worked out that way though, the closer you got with Agatha, you wanted to bond with her.

Bonding was something ancient, bringing together two witches. It would open their souls, their minds, and their hearts to one another. Agatha was petrified of being that open with someone, the vulnerability was just too much, and even though it hurt, she left you the next day after you poured your heart out, asking for her to break the barrier and become one.

Now it’s been centuries, and you freeze as you stop messing with the game in front of you, hearing a collection of voices from your right.

“Who’s trial is this?” Jen asks as they all look around

“Agatha’s.” Rio smirks. That name. You’ve not heard that name in so long it brings a flush to your cheeks, and your face lifts up, your side profile now visible to the group.

Agatha freezes when she sees your face, she’d remember it anywhere, she had dreams about it. She doesn’t say anything, she couldn’t. How were you even here? She… Thought maybe you’d died years ago. You never approached anyone about the road, and so she assumed.. She looks at you different then when she seen Rio again, there’s no anger or malice in her gaze. Just a deep set of longing. Her feet carry her involuntarily towards you and she breathes out.

“Darling.”

Your head snaps toward the voice, sharp and familiar, dripping with a need that makes your stomach twist in ways you wish it wouldn’t. “Agatha,” you say, her name cutting through the charged silence like a blade. It comes out too soft for your liking, so you harden your voice. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Her lips twitch, almost a smile, but not quite. There’s something in her eyes that makes it clear you’re not the only one thrown off balance. “The feeling’s mutual, darling,” she says, her tone breezy, almost mocking, but there’s a crack in the façade. She’s staring at you like she’s seen a ghost.

Maybe she has.

You’ve got centuries of practice keeping your emotions in check, but something about the way she’s looking at you, the way her breath catches for just a moment, has your carefully maintained armour slipping. You clench your fists to stop them from shaking.

“What have you done now Agatha? Have you stolen someone’s broomstick?”

Her smirk comes back, sharp and self-assured, like she’s trying to regain the upper hand. “If only it were that simple,” she says lightly, but there’s a tension in her jaw. “Let’s just say I’ve been accused of... dabbling.”

“Dabbling?” you echo, incredulous. “That’s likely one way to put it.”

“Careful,” she says, her voice dropping into something silkier, more dangerous. “You might hurt my feelings.”

Your laugh comes out more bitter than you intend. “Oh, I’m sure they’re well-protected under all that... dabbling.”

The others in the group exchange uneasy glances. Rio, ever the instigator, pipes up again, clearly loving the drama. “So... you two know each other?”

Neither of you answers, too locked in a silent, electric standoff. It’s Agatha who finally breaks the moment, turning to address the group, her voice dripping with the kind of theatrical charm only she can pull off. “Let’s just say we have history.” Her eyes flick back to you, and her tone turns pointed. “Though some of us are better at leaving the past where it belongs.”

Your lips part, sharp words ready to fire back, but you stop yourself. This isn’t the time, and you won’t let her get the better of you. Not again.

Instead, you tilt your head, levelling her with a look. “So, this trial. What’s the serious charge? Not just the accusations.”

Agatha hesitates, just for a moment. “They think I stole something.” Her tone is measured, but there’s a flicker of guilt—or defiance, maybe—in her eyes. “Power. Something I didn’t earn.”

You cross your arms. “And did you?”

Her jaw tightens, and for a second, she looks like she might actually tell you the truth. Then she shrugs, her smirk slipping back into place. “Does it matter?”

“It does if you want to walk out of here alive.”

The air between you is thick with unspoken history, the weight of centuries hanging over every word. Agatha steps closer, lowering her voice so only you can hear. “You’ve always been good at seeing through me, haven’t you?”

You swallow hard, hating the way her words make your chest tighten. “Don’t flatter yourself,” you say, stepping back just enough to reestablish your ground. “I just know your type.”

She chuckles, soft and low. “Oh, sweetheart. You’ve always known me. That’s what made you dangerous.”

Her words hit a nerve, and you hate that she knows it. She’s always been good at that—finding your cracks and slipping through them like smoke. But this time, you won’t let her.

Before you can respond, Rio claps their hands, breaking the tension. “This is all very riveting, but shouldn’t we, I don’t know, do something? Trials, consequences, accusations—ringing any bells?”

Agatha’s gaze snaps to Rio, her smile vanishing in an instant. “Stay out of it,” she says sharply, her voice like ice.

But as much as you want to stay angry, to keep your walls firmly in place, there’s something in her eyes when she looks back at you—a flicker of vulnerability, of something real—that shakes you.

“Why am I here, Agatha?” you ask quietly.

She hesitates, her confidence faltering for just a moment. “I didn’t bring you here,” she says. “But... maybe the road thought I needed a reminder.”

“A reminder of what?”

Her gaze softens, and for a second, it’s like you’re back in Salem, two young witches on the brink of something extraordinary. She opens her mouth, but the words don’t come.

Instead, she steps back, her expression hardening again. “You’ll see soon enough,” she says, her tone deliberately flippant. “Just try not to get in my way, darling.”

You narrow your eyes, but there’s no time to respond.

The ground beneath your feet rumbles—a low, ominous vibration that sends chills up your spine. The witches’ road is alive, its energies twisting and pulling, urging the trial forward. Around you, the air grows thick with power, sharp and unrelenting, and the others in the group exchange uneasy glances.

Agatha stands still, her gaze fixed on you, as though the trial itself is secondary to the unfinished business crackling between you. But her expression hardens when the light around you shifts—a brilliant blue glow forming a circle in the center of the road.

"Right on cue," Agatha mutters under her breath. She turns to the group, her sharp tone carrying authority, even here. "Stay behind me. All of you."

"Why would we do that?" Rio asks with a smirk, stepping closer to the circle. "You’re the one on trial, remember?"

Before Agatha can snap back, the blue glow bursts upward, spiralling into a towering column of light. From its core, shapes begin to emerge—silhouettes, shifting and indistinct at first, but then solidifying into forms you recognise all too well. Witches, cloaked and severe, their eyes glowing with unnatural light. The Coven.

“Agatha Harkness,” one of them speaks, their voice cold and resonant. “You stand accused of theft, treachery, and the violation of sacred laws.”

Agatha lifts her chin, the picture of defiance, but you catch the way her fingers twitch at her sides, the slight clenching of her jaw. “Well, don’t hold back,” she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Tell me how you really feel.”

The Coven doesn’t react, their collective gaze shifting past her—to you. The intensity of their focus sends a shiver through you, but you don’t flinch. You know better than to show weakness here.

“Who dares to stand beside the accused?” another witch asks, their glowing eyes narrowing.

“She doesn’t belong here,” Agatha says quickly, stepping in front of you. “This trial has nothing to do with her.”

“Is that so?” The lead witch tilts her head, studying you with unnerving precision. “And yet, the road brought her here. Why?”

You meet the witch’s gaze, refusing to let the weight of her scrutiny drag you down. “I’d like to know that myself,” you say coolly. “But whatever this is, I’m not here to play spectator.”

Agatha casts you a sharp look, her eyes flashing with something between irritation and concern. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she hisses.

“Then enlighten me,” you snap back, your patience wearing thin. “Or is keeping secrets still your favourite game?”

“Enough,” the lead witch commands, her voice cutting through the tension. The others fall silent, their glowing eyes shifting back to Agatha. “The accused will answer for her actions.”

“Gladly,” Agatha says, folding her arms. “But let’s be clear—I didn’t steal anything. I earned that power.”

The lead witch’s gaze sharpens. “You twisted ancient magic for your own gain, defied the natural order, and corrupted forces beyond your comprehension. Not to mention murdered hundreds. You are a danger to all witches.”

“Funny,” Agatha retorts, her voice venomous. “I seem to recall you trying to kill me for simply being too powerful. Guess some things never change.”

The Coven bristles, their forms glowing brighter, but before they can respond, the road itself shifts again. The ground beneath you ripples, and for a moment, you’re weightless—floating in the charged air. When you land, the circle of light has expanded, now encompassing you, Agatha, and the Coven.

You glare at her, your frustration boiling over. “What exactly did you do, Agatha?”

Her eyes flicker to you, something almost apologetic flashing across her face before she buries it under her usual mask. “It’s complicated.”

“It always is with you,” you bite back.

Agatha opens her mouth to respond, but the lead witch cuts her off. “The accused is bound to the truth. Let us see if her lies can survive the light.”

At her words, the blue glow intensifies, and the trial begins in earnest. The road reacts violently, pulling memories and illusions from the air—scenes of Agatha’s past swirling like a storm around you. Her betrayal of the Salem Coven. Her hunger for forbidden power. Her darkest moments laid bare.

But then the images shift—scenes you recognise. A younger Agatha, laughing beside you in the moonlight. The two of you whispering secrets, planning your escape. The night she left you, her face a mask of regret as she vanished into the darkness.

Your breath catches, and Agatha’s head snaps toward you, her expression unreadable.

The Coven doesn’t miss the exchange. “Ah,” the lead witch says, a cruel smile curling her lips. “Perhaps the accused’s greatest crime is not against magic, but against the heart.”

Agatha’s face hardens, but there’s a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes as she turns to you. “Don’t let them twist this,” she says, her voice low and urgent. “You know me better than anyone.”

You take a step closer, your anger warring with the pull of old, buried feelings. “Do I? Because the Agatha I knew wouldn’t have dragged me into her mess.”

“I didn’t!” she snaps, the crack in her composure widening. “But if I had... maybe I should’ve. Maybe you’re the only one who can—” She cuts herself off, looking away.

The Coven watches, their glowing eyes unrelenting. “Speak your truth, Agatha Harkness,” the lead witch commands. “If you can.”

You don’t know what’s worse—the thought that she’s hiding something from you, or the thought that she’s telling the truth and you’re still tied to her, even now. Either way, you’re not letting this end without answers.

“Start talking,” you say, your voice sharp but steady. “Because if you want me to trust you, Agatha, you’d better earn it.”

Agatha remains silent, though her eyes are pleading. The road trembles beneath you, the Coven's chanting growing louder, more insistent. The blue light twists and contorts, creating shadows that dance around you and Agatha. You’re too close to her now, her presence almost overwhelming in its familiarity. After all this time, she’s still the same—still sharp, guarded, impossible. And yet, beneath it all, she’s still her

You steal a glance at her, and for a moment, you see a crack in her defenses. The weight of the trial, the memories, the raw, unspoken tension between you—it’s all there, etched across her face. But she’s too proud to acknowledge it, even now.

“You’re scared,” you say, your voice low enough that only she can hear.

Agatha’s gaze snaps to yours, her eyes narrowing. “Of them?” she asks, gesturing toward the Coven with a sardonic smirk. “Please.”

You hold her gaze, refusing to let her deflect. “Not of them. Of me. Of us.”

Her smirk falters, just for a moment, and you know you’ve hit a nerve. She takes a step back, but you follow, unwilling to let her retreat this time.

“I’m not scared,” she says, but her voice lacks its usual bite.

“Liar,” you counter, your tone soft but unrelenting. “You’ve always been terrified of letting anyone in. Of letting me in.”

Agatha opens her mouth to respond, but the Coven’s chanting suddenly shifts, the words growing sharper, more pointed. The blue light swirls between the two of you, pulling at the air, at your magic, at your connection . The Coven has sensed it—the bond that could’ve been, the bond you once wanted more than anything.

“You thought about it,” you say, stepping closer. “All those years ago. You wanted it, too.”

“Stop,” she snaps, her voice cracking slightly, her control slipping.

“You left because you couldn’t handle it,” you press on. “Because you were too afraid to open yourself up. To share everything—your power, your heart, your soul.”

“I said stop,” she hisses, but she doesn’t move away.

The blue light flares between you, the energy shifting, bending, until it forms a thread, a thin, shimmering line connecting the two of you. The sight of it makes your breath catch in your throat. It’s the bond, raw and unfinished, still lingering after all this time.

Agatha stares at it, her face pale, her usual confidence nowhere to be found. “It’s not real,” she says, her voice almost desperate. “It’s just the trial, just a trick.”

“You don’t believe that,” you say quietly.

The thread pulses, glowing brighter, and you can feel it now- the pull of her soul, of her essence, intertwining with your own. It’s intoxicating and terrifying all at once, and you can see the same war playing out in Agatha’s eyes.

The Coven speaks again, their voices cold and cutting. “The bond remains unfinished. A betrayal of magic, a betrayal of trust. It is a wound that festers, unresolved.”

Agatha clenches her fists, her gaze snapping to the lead witch. “This has nothing to do with them,” she says, her voice shaking with anger. “You’re trying to twist this into something it’s not.”

The lead witch tilts her head, her glowing eyes boring into Agatha. “The trial reveals truth. Nothing more, nothing less.” Her gaze shifts to you, and her next words are deliberate, cruel. “Perhaps the accused should explain why she ran. Why she rejected the bond when it was freely offered.”

Agatha flinches, and you feel the thread between you tremble. For a moment, you think she’s going to lash out, to fight, but instead, she turns to you, her expression raw and unguarded in a way you’ve never seen before.

“I didn’t run because I didn’t want it,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I ran because I wanted it too much.”

Her words hit you like a tidal wave, and for a moment, you can’t breathe.

“I knew what bonding meant,” she continues, her eyes locking onto yours. “It would’ve made us... tied in ways I couldn’t undo. And I couldn’t let myself—” She cuts herself off, shaking her head. “I thought I was protecting you. Protecting-“ she cuts herself off and then, “But maybe... maybe I was just protecting myself.”

The thread glows brighter, the magic between you surging, and you can feel it now—her fear, her regret, her longing. It’s all there, laid bare, and for the first time, you see her for who she truly is.

“You didn’t need to protect me,” you say, your voice steady. “I was ready, Agatha. I’ve always been ready. But you never gave us a chance.”

Her lips part, but before she can respond, the Coven’s chanting rises to a fever pitch. The thread between you stretches and trembles, the energy reaching a breaking point.

“You must choose,” the lead witch says, her voice cutting through the chaos. “Complete the bond, or sever it forever. There is no more middle ground.”

Agatha’s eyes widen, panic flashing across her face. She looks at you, her composure crumbling, and for the first time, she seems truly vulnerable.

“Don’t let them force this,” she says, her voice trembling. “Not like this.”

The glow of the thread between you pulses, trembling like a fragile lifeline. The Coven’s chanting grows louder, demanding resolution, pushing you both to a precipice. Agatha’s eyes dart between the shimmering connection and your face. You can see the fear in her eyes, the weight of her indecision pressing down like a storm.

“Choose, Agatha Harkness,” the lead witch demands. “Complete the bond, or sever it forever.”

Agatha’s hand hovers over yours, trembling. The vulnerability on her face is something you’ve never seen before, and it twists something deep inside you. For a moment, you think she might do it—reach out and let the bond fully take hold. But then her jaw sets, her gaze hardening.

“No,” she says sharply, yanking her hand back. The thread snaps violently, the energy spiralling outward like a scream. The sudden emptiness is immediate and gut-wrenching, leaving you gasping as if something vital has been ripped away.

Agatha steps back, her face pale, her hands clenched into fists. “I can’t,” she whispers, her voice brittle. “I won’t.”

The lead witch smiles coldly. “So be it.”

The thread between you vanishes, and the road trembles again, this time more violently. The energy shifts, the air growing heavy with the finality of her decision. You feel the hollow space where the bond once was, an ache that settles deep in your chest. It’s unbearable, and when you meet Agatha’s eyes, you see that she feels it too.

Her face twists with something you’ve rarely seen from her: regret.

“Wait,” she breathes, but the Coven’s chanting drowns her out. The blue light around you sharpens, cutting like a blade, and you can feel the road enforcing her choice, solidifying the severance.

“Agatha,” you say, your voice raw, stepping toward her. “Don’t do this. Don’t—”

“I already have,” she interrupts, her voice breaking as she turns away from you. “It’s done.”

But even as she says it, her steps falter. Her hand rises to her chest, where the bond once pulsed with life. Her expression crumples, the emptiness hitting her like a physical blow. She gasps, clutching at the air as if she could pull it back, undo the severance.

The lead witch tilts her head, her voice cutting like a knife. “Feeling the emptiness already, Agatha Harkness? Such is the price of fear.”

Agatha spins back to face them, her mask of confidence shattering completely. “Bring it back,” she says, her voice hoarse. “I’ll do it. I’ll—”

“Impossible,” the lead witch says coolly. “You made your choice.”

“No!” Agatha snaps, desperation lacing her words. She looks at you, her eyes wide and pleading. “I—I didn’t mean it. I can fix it. Just—” She turns back to the Coven. “Just let me fix it.”

The lead witch’s gaze is unforgiving. “The road answers only once. To sever a bond is to sever it forever. That is the law.”

Agatha shakes her head violently. “No. That’s not—no!” Her voice cracks, and for a moment, she looks like she might collapse under the weight of her mistake.

You step forward, your own pain mingling with hers. “There has to be a way,” you say, your voice steady despite the ache in your chest. “You can’t leave it like this.”

The Coven is silent for a long moment, their glowing eyes unreadable. Finally, the lead witch speaks. “There is one way, but it requires both souls to agree. And the cost will not be light.”

Agatha’s gaze snaps to you, her eyes searching yours. For the first time, there’s no deflection, no bravado just raw, unfiltered need. “Please,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “Please.”

You take a breath, the pain of the severed bond still fresh and raw. You should walk away. You should let her feel the consequences of her choice. But you can’t. You’ve never been able to. And now hearing her beg? You fear you’d do anything she asked.

“Fine,” you say, stepping forward. “What do we have to do?”

The lead witch smiles faintly, as if this is what she wanted all along. “Rekindling a severed bond requires sacrifice. Magic, power... a piece of the soul itself. Are you willing?”

You don’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Agatha looks at you, her eyes filled with both gratitude and guilt. “You shouldn’t have to do this,” she says softly. “Not after what I—”

“Then don’t make me regret it,” you interrupt, your voice firm.

She swallows hard, nodding. “I won’t.”

The Coven begins chanting again, the air growing thick with magic. The blue light spirals around you and Agatha, pulling you closer together. This time, the bond doesn’t form gently—it crashes into you, fierce and unrelenting, flooding every part of you with her essence. You feel her fear, her regret, her longing—all of it laid bare. And she feels you, your unwavering determination, your pain, your love.

The connection is deeper than it was before, forged not just from desire but from sacrifice. When the light fades, you’re left standing face to face, your souls intertwined in a way that can never be undone.

Agatha exhales shakily, as if the bond settling between you is more weight than she expected. Her gaze flickers over your face, searching for something—maybe forgiveness, maybe reassurance. You give her neither, not yet. She’s made too many mistakes for things to be that simple. But you can’t deny the way the bond thrums, anchoring you to her in a way that’s both exhilarating and terrifying.

The road quakes beneath you again, the energy of the trial still humming in the air. The Coven watches silently, their glowing eyes unreadable, as if they’re waiting for the next move.

Agatha takes a tentative step closer, her voice low. “How does it feel?” she asks, her words almost hesitant. “Having me in your head again.”

You let the question hang for a moment, savouring the way it makes her squirm. “Heavy,” you finally say, your tone sharper than you intended. “But that’s no surprise, is it? You’ve always been a lot to handle.”

Her lips quirk into a faint smirk, the familiar spark of defiance flaring in her eyes. “And yet, here you are. Handling me.”

You roll your eyes, but you don’t move away. The bond hums in agreement, pulling you closer even as you try to keep your distance. “Don’t push your luck, Agatha,” you warn. “This doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.”

Her smirk fades, replaced by something quieter, more vulnerable. “I know,” she says softly. “But it’s a start.”

Before you can respond, the lead witch steps forward, her presence as cold and imposing as ever. “The bond is reforged,” she announces, her voice echoing through the space. “But it does not absolve you, Agatha Harkness. This trial is far from over.”

Agatha straightens, her bravado snapping back into place like armour. “Of course it isn’t,” she says, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Wouldn’t want to make things too easy.”

The lead witch doesn’t react to the quip, her gaze sharp and unyielding. “The bond may strengthen you, but it also binds you. Your fates are now intertwined. Should one of you fall, the other will follow.”

You glance at Agatha, and for the first time, you see genuine fear flicker across her face. “What does that mean?” you ask, your voice steady but firm.

“It means,” the lead witch says, “that the bond is both your greatest power and your greatest vulnerability. Use it wisely—or perish together.”

The words hang heavy in the air, and you feel the weight of them settle into your chest. Agatha glances at you, and you can tell she’s thinking the same thing: what have we just done?

“Fine,” Agatha says finally, her voice tight. “What’s next? Another test? Another round of judgment?”

The lead witch’s lips curl into a faint smile, but there’s no warmth in it. “You think this is a game, Harkness. But the road has already given you its answer. The only question now is whether you’re strong enough to face what comes next.”

The ground beneath you shifts again, and you feel the magic of the road pulling you deeper into its grip. Agatha reaches for you instinctively, her hand brushing against yours. The bond flares at the contact, filling you with a rush of her emotions.

Fear. Regret. Determination. And something else, buried deep, that feels almost like hope.

One again the road surges to life around you, swallowing the quiet moment between you and Agatha. The blue glow deepens, swirling with flecks of violet and gold, and the air feels like it’s being pulled apart. You grip her hand tighter, instinctively bracing yourself, and she doesn’t pull away.

The lead witch raises a hand, silencing the murmuring Coven. Her gaze fixes on the two of you like a blade about to strike. “The reforged bond is only the beginning. What lies ahead will test the strength of your connection—and the truth of your intentions.”

Agatha scoffs, though the sound is weaker than usual. “Another vague warning? How original.”

The lead witch’s smile is razor-thin. “The road reveals what is hidden. It will force you to confront the past you thought buried—and the consequences of choices you’ve both made.”

You glance at Agatha, whose jaw tightens. She’s always been so good at hiding what she’s feeling, but the bond makes that impossible for her now, you wonder if she knew that.

Before you can press her, the ground beneath you crumbles. The Coven’s chanting rises into a deafening crescendo as the two of you are plunged into a swirling abyss of light and shadow. Xx

When the world solidifies again, you’re standing in a dimly lit forest. The air is heavy with the scent of earth and moss, and the moon hangs low in the sky, casting everything in an eerie silver light. The road is gone, as is the Coven. It’s just you and Agatha now.

You turn to her, your heart still racing. “Where are we?”

Agatha looks around, her expression unreadable. “This… this is Salem,” she says quietly. “But not the Salem we knew. It’s different.”

The forest feels alive, the trees whispering secrets you can’t quite make out. The bond hums in your chest, tugging at something deeper, and you know without needing to ask: this place isn’t real. It’s a manifestation. A memory.

“Why would the road bring us here?” you ask, though the answer is already forming in the back of your mind.

Agatha’s lips press into a thin line. “Because it’s cruel,” she mutters. “And it knows where to hurt.”

A sound echoes through the forest—laughter, high and clear, cutting through the silence like a blade. Your stomach twists as you recognise it.

It’s her.

Your younger self steps into the clearing, a vision pulled straight from your memories. She’s vibrant, her eyes bright with hope, her laughter filling the air. And beside her, laughing just as freely, is Agatha.

The sight punches the air from your lungs. You can feel the echoes of that time through the bond—the joy, the connection, the longing that neither of you dared to name.

Agatha stares at the scene, her face pale. “Why are they showing us this?” she whispers.

“You know why,” you say, your voice low. “Because this is where it all started.”

The memory shifts, darkening at the edges. The laughter fades, replaced by tense whispers. The younger version of you steps closer to Agatha, her expression vulnerable, open.

“I don’t want to run,” your younger self says, her voice trembling. “I want to stay. I want to bond with you, Agatha. I—”

“Stop,” the real Agatha mutters, her voice tight.

But the memory plays on. Younger Agatha’s face twists, fear flashing in her eyes. She steps back, shaking her head. “No,” she says, her voice sharp and final. “We can’t. I won’t.”

“Why?” your younger self pleads.

“Because you deserve better than me!” Memory Agatha snaps, her voice cracking, before you hear her internal voice, one that’s truly broken and screaming out in fear “Because I’ll ruin you. Don’t you see that? I ruin everything I touch.”

The words hit like a physical blow, and you see the real Agatha flinch beside you. The memory fades, leaving the clearing silent once more.

You turn to her, your chest tight with emotion. “That’s why you left?” you ask, your voice raw. “Because you thought you’d ruin me?”

Agatha doesn’t meet your eyes. “It doesn’t matter,” she says quietly. “I did ruin you, didn’t I? I left, and you—”

“Don’t,” you interrupt, your voice sharper than you intended. “Don’t turn this into a pity party, Agatha. You don’t get to decide what I deserved. That was my choice to make.”

Her head snaps up, her eyes flashing with something between anger and pain. “And look where your choice got us,” she spits. “Centuries apart, and now we’re tied together because of this damned road. Is that what you wanted? To be stuck with me forever?”

The bond flares at her words, the tension between you sparking like a live wire. You take a step closer, your voice steady but furious. “What I wanted,” you say, “was for you to trust me. To trust that we could’ve been something more. But you ran because you were too scared to face that.”

Agatha glares at you, but her shoulders sag, the fight draining out of her. “You think I don’t regret it?” she says, her voice breaking. “I’ve regretted it every single day. But I thought... I thought it was better this way. Safer. For both of us.”

“Safer?” you echo bitterly. “Do I look like someone who needed to be saved from you?”

The air between you crackles with magic, the bond pulling tighter as your emotions clash and collide. You can feel her guilt, her longing, her fear—and beneath it all, her love. It’s raw and messy and imperfect, but it’s there, undeniable.

You’re about to say something before the forest grows darker, shadows stretching long and deep as the memory shifts again. You brace yourself, but nothing could prepare you for what the road dredges up next.

The scene crystallises around you: a small, dimly lit room with a single cracked mirror leaning against the wall. The air feels stifling, heavy with pain and desperation. It’s familiar—achingly so. This is where you went the night after Agatha left.

Agatha stands frozen beside you, her breath catching as she takes in the sight of you from centuries ago. Your younger self sits hunched on the floor, trembling, clutching a flickering ball of magic in your hands. The light glows faintly pink, pulsing in time with your heartbeat, but it’s unstable, wavering with every shaky breath you take.

“No,” Agatha whispers, stepping toward the memory as if she can change it. “No, no, no—what are you doing?”

But the memory unfolds without mercy.

Your younger self mutters under her breath, an incantation so jagged and broken it sounds like a dirge. The magic in your hands sparks violently, surging outward before collapsing back in on itself.

“Take it away,” your memory-self says, her voice cracking. “Take it all away. I don’t want it anymore.”

You remember the feeling all too well—the suffocating pain, the emptiness that threatened to swallow you whole. The bond you’d started to forge with Agatha had been severed, but not cleanly. It had left jagged edges, a wound that pulsed with every beat of your heart. You’d thought if you could rid yourself of your magic, you’d be free of her—free of the ache she left behind.

“Stop,” Agatha says aloud, her voice trembling. She reaches for the image of you, but her hand passes through it like smoke. She turns to you, her eyes wide and desperate. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you—”

“Because you weren’t there,”, the hurt in your voice cutting through the air like a blade. “You left, Agatha. I was alone.”

The younger you falters, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t do this,” she sobs, gripping the magic tighter. “I can’t feel her anymore. I can’t—”

The incantation grows louder, your magic swirling around you like a storm. It’s unstable, laced with anger and grief, threatening to implode. And for a moment, it feels like it will work—like you’ll succeed in ripping away the part of you that still clings to her.

But the spell breaks, shattering like glass, and the magic snaps back into you with a force that knocks your younger self to the ground. You cry out, curling into yourself as the bond—though faint and fractured—reasserts itself. It’s agony, the connection too stubborn to let go completely, no matter how much you tried to destroy it.

The memory fades, leaving the clearing eerily silent. Agatha stands rooted in place, her face pale and stricken. You can feel the weight of her guilt through the bond, heavier than ever, pressing into you like a physical thing.

“You tried to... take your magic away?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. “Because of me?”

“Yes,” you say, your tone flat. “And I failed. Just like I failed to let you go.”

Her lips part, but no words come out. She looks at you like she’s seeing you for the first time, the full scope of what she did to you finally crashing down on her. “I didn’t know,” she says weakly. “I didn’t—”

“Of course you didn’t,” you cut her off. “You ran, Agatha. You made your choice, and you didn’t look back.”

Her shoulders slump, her walls crumbling entirely. “I thought I was protecting you,” she says, her voice trembling. “I thought... if I stayed, I’d only hurt you more.”

“Well, congratulations,” you say bitterly. “You hurt me anyway.”

The bond flares between you, sharp and raw with the weight of her regret and your lingering anger. Agatha flinches, her hand rising to her chest as if she can feel the ache directly.

“I was a coward,” she admits, her voice breaking. “I was so afraid of what the bond meant—what it would do to me. To us. I thought if I left, it would be easier for both of us.” She meets your eyes, and for once, there’s no deflection, no sarcasm. Just honesty. “I didn’t know it would be worse.”

You take a shaky breath, the pain of the memory still fresh. “I didn’t want it to hurt anymore,” you say quietly. “But it never stopped. Not for centuries.”

Agatha steps closer, her hand hovering near yours. “I don’t know how to make it right,” she says, her voice soft and unsteady. “But if you’ll let me, I’ll try. I’ll spend the rest of eternity trying.”

You study her face, the vulnerability in her expression. The bond hums between you, not as sharp as before, but still raw and unsteady. You don’t trust her—not completely. But for the first time in centuries, you feel something else beneath the anger: the faintest flicker of hope.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” you say, your voice softer than before.

Agatha’s lips quirk into a faint, rueful smile. “I won’t,” she says. “Not this time.”

You take a deep breath, and you nod as you both start to walk, looking away from her, your eyes taking in the trees around you both, the silence that is only broken by crickets and your feet on fallen leaves every now and again.

The mist clings to you both like a second skin as the silence stretches, weighted and tense. The bond hums faintly between you, but there’s a strange hollowness to it, a missing note that makes your chest ache. It takes you a while to place it, but the realisation creeps up on you slowly, like a shadow in the corner of your mind.

You glance at Agatha. She’s walking beside you, her shoulders squared in that way that screams she’s unbreakable a lie she’s always told herself. But there’s something missing. Something that isn’t just her sharp-edged confidence.

You stop walking. “Agatha,” you say, your voice cautious but firm. “Your magic.”

She freezes, her back going rigid. Slowly, she turns to face you, her expression carefully neutral, but the bond betrays her. You feel her shame and frustration ripple through it, sharp and unsteady.

“What about it?” she asks, her voice brittle.

“It’s not there,” you say, your tone softer now. “Not the way it used to be. What happened to it?”

She looks away, her jaw clenching. “It’s not important.”

“It is to me,” you counter, stepping closer. “You’ve been hiding this from me, Agatha. Why? What happened?”

Her silence stretches too long, and for a moment, you think she won’t answer. Then, finally, she exhales sharply, her eyes dark with something raw and vulnerable.

“Wanda happened,” she says bitterly. “Westview, she stripped me of everything. My magic, my power—she left me with nothing but a body and a few clever words.”

Your heart stutters. “She took everything?”

“Yes,” Agatha snaps, her voice laced with frustration. “I can’t even light a damn candle without the bond. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be this?” She gestures at herself angrily. “This hollow shell of what I used to be?”

Her words hang between you, her anger bleeding into the bond. But underneath it, you feel the deeper truth: the helplessness, the fear, the grief of losing something so integral to who she is.

“Agatha,” you start, but she cuts you off, her voice sharp and bitter.

“Don’t,” she says. “Don’t give me some speech about how I’m more than my magic or how I’ll be fine. You don’t understand what it’s like—how empty it feels.”

Your chest tightens, the weight of her pain pressing against you through the bond. And suddenly, you do understand. The absence of her magic isn’t just a loss of power—it’s a loss of self, a wound that’s been festering since Westview.

“I wasn’t going to say that,” you say quietly. “But you’re right. I don’t understand what it’s like to lose magic. I don’t understand how it feels for you. But I can feel it, Agatha. Through the bond. And it hurts.”

Her eyes snap to yours, her expression faltering.

“I feel the emptiness, the hollowness,” you continue. “And I don’t want to feel it anymore. I don’t want you to feel it anymore.”

Her laugh is short and bitter. “Well, unless you’re planning on storming Westview I don’t see what you can do about it.”

You hesitate, the reckless idea forming in your mind. The bond between you hums faintly, and you realise there might be a way to fix this—or at least try.

“I can’t get Wanda to undo it,” you say slowly. “But I can give you something else. My magic.”

Agatha freezes, her expression unreadable. “What?”

“You heard me,” you say. “I can share my magic with you. Just enough to—”

“No,” she says sharply, taking a step back. “Absolutely not. That’s reckless and stupid, even for you.”

“You need magic to be whole again, Agatha,” you argue. “And we have the bond. It’s not just a connection—it’s a tether. If anyone can do this, it’s us.”

“You don’t know that,” she snaps, her voice trembling. “You could hurt yourself. Or me. Or worse, you could sever the bond completely. Have you thought about that?”

“I have,” you say, your voice steady. “And after realising what you’re feeling through our bond I’m willing to take that risk.”

Her anger falters, replaced by something softer—something closer to fear. “Why?” she asks, her voice quieter now. “Why would you do that for me?”

You step closer, your gaze locking with hers. “Because I feel you, Agatha. I’ve felt you for centuries, even when I didn’t want to. And I can’t stand feeling you like this anymore. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

Her eyes shine with unshed tears, and for a moment, she looks like she might argue again. But then she nods, her hands trembling at her sides.

“Fine,” she whispers. “But if this goes wrong we’re both dead…”

“It won’t,” you say firmly. “Trust me.”

You reach for her hand, your fingers brushing hers lightly. The bond flares at the contact, and Agatha inhales sharply, her magic—or what’s left of it—stirring faintly in response.

You close your eyes, focusing on the bond and the magic coursing through you. You channel it carefully, letting it flow toward her like a steady stream. It’s not painless—the act feels like giving away pieces of yourself, leaving raw edges behind. But through the bond, you feel her presence grow stronger, her magic flickering to life like an ember reignited.

Agatha gasps softly, her grip on your hand tightening as the magic flows between you. When you finally stop, your knees feel weak, and the bond hums with a new warmth—a sense of balance that wasn’t there before.

You open your eyes to find her staring at you, her expression unreadable.

“How do you feel?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

She hesitates, then says, “Stronger.”

A faint smile tugs at her lips, and before you can react, she steps closer, her cheek brushing against yours. The touch is soft, fleeting, but it sends a warmth through the bond that makes your breath catch. Her hand cups the back of your head and her other hand holds your lower back.

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice thick with emotion.

You wrap your arms around her, exhaustion tugging at you. “Don’t make me regret it.”

She pulls back just enough to meet your eyes, her gaze steady. “I won’t.”

[lilia-calderus-pet-goat]

Found-Family headcanons for a³'s coven of chaos, part 4: (because they all deserved more time with each other)

(warning: drinking)

(part 3, here) - (part 2, here) - (part 1, here)

Everyone loves to give Señor Scratchy treats, even when Agatha insists they shouldn't.

Señor Scratchy especially loves Billy, Lilia and Sharon. He does likes to cuddle everyone, though. Except Jen, who he's always trying to bite, (???) because he wouldn't be Agatha's familiar if he didn't.

One day Jen jokes that she will turn him into a purse if he rages against her again—and everyone defensively yells at her at the same time. “Okay! Okay! Jeez! I was joking!”

Sharon cuts fruit for everyone every time they hang out together and forces them to eat it before doing anything else.

Jen usually pays for everything. It's the price of her constantly bragging about her, “real job.”

Agatha always teases her about it. One time, Lilia felt bad—and so she “went to the bathroom” and payed for everyone herself.

Billy himself got his first bad alcohol experience at age seventeen at his first big teen party, which Eddie took him to.

He got very fucking wasted very quickly because turns out he's not great at holding his alcohol. So—he begged Eddie not to call his parents, because, “they've bEeN through enOUGH I'M A HORRIBLE SON AND NOT EVEN reALLY THeirS--”

So, Eddie sighed and called Agatha to get him instead. And yes, your girl did drive ALL the way to Eastview—and spent the whole night sleepless, sobering him up to save him from the hungover. She was just glaring at Rio all night long, telling her to go make coffee and no funny business, while holding his head over the toilet. She was surprisingly gentle and comforting during the experience—because she does have her moments—like when Lilia had her traumatic hallucination in Jen's trial and Agatha gently went, “okay” instead of mocking her. That's the vibe.

BUT he still got the scolding of his life the next day. The whole neighbourhood heard Agatha yelling.

During the argument Agatha yelled that, “I'm not your mother!” and he shot back, “I know that, do YOU know that??” Which caused her to avoid him for a few days.

Later, Rio told him how much it actually affected her and why—and Billy felt really bad about it. On mother's day, he gave Agatha a gift basket of stuff he made himself, (with his bio-mom's help.) Agatha said it was tacky and unnecessary—but she actually teared up a bit. She opened the window and yelled at Wanda's abandoned lot to make an insensitive joke about how, “suck it, Wanda, you rank last in the mom list—” as to not show too much vulnerability. But Billy is used to her by now—and he knows that she appreciated it.

Alice always feels sad on mother's day. She visits her mother's grave site and tells her how bad her life is. This year, Billy went with her. And for the first time, Alice only had good things to tell her. About how she broke the curse—and she can finally do something with her life now. About how she got a new job, and a coven.

Also, to cope, Alice got a gift for Lilia and one for Sharon. They may not be her actual mothers—but she appreciates them both endlessly and their support means the world to her. She got them both protective crystals.

You know who ELSE got Sharon a gift??

Well, Sharon doesn't either. She just received an anonymous bouquet of Azaleas and she had no idea who sent it to her.

It was Agatha, but she'd die before admitting it. She's the last person you'd suspect, since she still calls her Mrs. Hart despite how triggering it is, or pretends she doesn't remember her existence at all. In reality, she's grown fond of the Westview residents despite her best efforts not to. She doesn't particularly respect them and she does view them as “lesser,” but she doesn't wish them harm. They did take care of her for three years—and the Agnes role does have bits and pieces of Agatha in it.

Billy finds out through Rio and accidentally tells Alice. Alice tells Jen, Jen tells Lilia, (because she's not about to hide Agatha's embarrassing secret.) and Lilia tells Sharon.

Sharon is surprised but also extremely moved, considering she doesn't have any living family. She wants to thank Agatha, so she gets the idea to throw her a surprise party. (Since she herself hasn't been to a party since Mr. Davis passed away and she really wants to attend one!!)

She gets help from the coven but also invites all the main Westview residents that we know and love. Rio proposes the idea of writing, 'Agnes of Westview' on the cake, to get back at Agatha for always calling them by their Wanda-branded names. Sharon doesn't want to, but everyone else finds it hilarious, so they do it.

Agatha pretends to be extremely annoyed.

She isn't. She just never expected this to happen to her. For people to want to be there—and to see her as someone at least capable of good—someone who deserves a second chance.

They eat and drink together, having a blast. Billy isn't allowed to drink, but Agatha sneaks him a glass. Just ONE glass. You know, to teach him responsibility, as if she's the queen of it. “It's about knowing when to stop, teen.” “oh is it? tell us more”

Sharon is the opposite of a light-weight. She chugs down those shots like they're nothing—and if you ask her, she'll dismissively wave and say she's “lived a life.” Still, she doesn't seem to know her limits, and she gets carried away. At least she prepared some bomb ass charcuterie for everyone!!

Jen is a classy drinker, picky with her alcohol. She knows her limits and always drinks just enough to “make the company tolerable,” since, “no sane person could ever find you idiots amusing without a few shots.”

Lilia becomes incredibly talkative when she drinks and she loses whatever filter she may have otherwise had. Not to say that usually she has too much of a filter, but drunk, she literally becomes Patti Lupone. Jen finds it endearing and listens intently, Alice finds it sort of amusing but also a bit shocking, Rio matches her freak and Agatha just finds it fucking terrifying.

You'd expect Rio to be wilding, but she already does that sober. No, instead, she becomes very clingy and very affectionate—just whipped over Agatha. And she's kind of a light-weight too, which surprises everyone at first. It's because her real form is literally skeletal and her human form is probably maintained magically—so there's less actual real body mass to dilute the alcohol. So, death can tear through the fabric of reality, but metabolising alcohol is just too difficult.

Alice can hold her alcohol very well. She was once the definition of a teenage dirtbag, so she has experience in the field. Now she's pretty sensible. She's also the most clear-headed, even when she's drunk enough to stumble around.

Agatha herself is a slow drinker because she wants to make fun of everyone else for being less sober than her. She's developed a fair bit of tolerance over the years, but when it finally hits it really hits.

During a particularly rough case of drunkenness her and Jen sung karaoke together. Not during Agatha's party, though. Neither of them can quite recall the incident, or so they claim. Unfortunately for them, Alice recorded the whole thing. Rio made it her ringtone, as did Lilia.

Jen forces Lilia to get a skin-care routine. “Doll, I actively choose to look like this because I don't have the time or energy to maintain a youthful appearance. What makes you think I'll spend money on these products that capitaliSe in womeN's InsEcuriTiEs—I'm a divination fraud, you're a beauty guru fraud, we're both senior citizens, I don't care for this—”

And Jen is like, “okay ouch but nO this is nOt what I've been selling. This is new. We're not talking about just a luxury—the skin is the largest organ of the body and is exposed to various environmental stressors like pollution, UV rays, and temperature changes, as well as internal factors like stress and diet. I'm giFting these products to you I mAde them in a cAuLdron.”

Lilia is so flabbergasted by the clarity of Jen's explanation that she agrees. However, she constantly forgets to actually apply it.

Fortunately, Jen never forgets. And Lilia is probably the only person that Jen tolerates to constantly give reminders to.

[acertifiedwitch]

When Agatha and Billy find Tommy I kinda want him to remember everything that happened inside of the hex. He would remember spending time with the Version of Billy in the hex and he’d remember Wanda and Vision as his parents, it would be so good.

Because then we’d have one twin who managed to save himself, but does not have any memories of being Billy nor of Wanda, Vision and Tommy. He can just sense Tommy being around and missing a part of him. Not having these memories Billy has canonically found a new family for himself (Agatha, Williams Parents, Eddie) and he doesn’t see Wanda and Vision as parental figures because he does not remember their love. He only knows what he was told about Wanda and that’s all been awful.

Meanwhile Tommy would only have that. Everything that’d have ever happened to him would be what happened in the hex so he would cling to it. He would beg Billy to remember as well and he would probably hate Agatha for what she did to his mom (at least at first) and not understand how Billy could see her as a mentor / aunt / parental figure.

My point being: Billy wouldn’t see Wanda and Vision as his parents and Tommy would. Thus: The Angst. The Conflict. Tommy trying to get Billy to remember just to realize that the Billy HE remembers ISNT THE CURRENT BILLY.

And BILLY having gone through ABSOLUTE HORRORS to get Tommy back only to be COMPARED to a version of himself that he doesn’t remember over and over AND OVER

OH GOD I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS HEADCANON ALL DAY SOMEONE HELP ME

[born-in-neverland03]

I just want to remember you...

That she never told her she would see her again after that... she just left.

Because she didn't knew if she would. It was Billy or Agatha. And if Agatha would gave her Billy the deal would've been that she never sees her face again. Not even in death. So Rio would never collect her soul. She would never really have her again. If everything would've worked out for Agatha that would've meant Billy were ready to go with Rio without Agatha even been there (but we all know it didn't). And after that, it would imply that she would never have seen her again. Not even when she dies bc she promised her not to be there.

So there was no "te veo" because this could've really been the last time that Rio saw her and she doesn't wanted her last words to Agatha being a lie.