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Agatha Harkness was old, she knew that, and it seemed like everyone around her knew it as well. She’s not even saying old like 83, she's old like 830. She didn’t let age stop her though, she was still the best godmother and great godmother that Billy could probably ask for (if you asked her of course).
She was stretched out, a photo album on her lap, reminiscing about her life. There were just so many photos. Tommy had married an avid scrap-booker, and the coven had never seen the end of the tacky books. Agatha secretly loved them.
She was partial to the photos that Billy had taken of her, early in his obsession. He had a knack for photography, or maybe he was just gay, either made for good photos.
Billy tended to agree. After he had married his high-school sweetheart, Eddie, aka the Hulkling, it hadn’t taken them long to adopt. If it was fate that the little girl’s name was Lily, he didn’t care. Lilia deserved being recognized.
Lily’s photos were Agatha’s second favorites. If she wasn’t being a narcissist, she was doting on her great goddaughter.
(If there had been any photos of Rio, she wasn’t a big fan of people knowing what her ‘human’ form looked like, those would have been Agatha’s favorite)
Agatha had taken to the new additions to the coven, what was left of it, surprisingly well. And after years of feuding, Jen finally returned home to the rest of her sisters in the craft.
Lily took to Agatha and Jen like a bean plant clings to a fence. That’s what Rio had said. Her and her plant references. The girl was impossible to detach from any limb that she latched onto. Which made for some really weird family dinners.
Agatha didn’t mind, despite finding most children, other than Nicky, insufferable.
Rio said that aging was making her soft. And if she curled up closer to her wife that night on the couch, well, only she would know.
Her and Rio’s relationship had been rocky at first, after the Road. The kiss, while failing to kill the brunette, did take a lot out of her. This was because her wife couldn’t let her go, so Agatha, in the midst of a martyr moment, was held on the brink of death for a few minutes.
Rio made it up to her that night, and Agatha knows that’s when she fell in love with her wife all over again. There’s something about being able to bring THE Lady Death to her knees that really does it for her.
For Billy, the two witches became his mentors, and his godmothers. Especially since his mom and the brunette had been ex…best friends.
That’s how it was for years, just peaceful, horrifying adventures trying to find his long lost twin. Tommy, was all too happy to have been saved from drowning, a story that had definitely not been passed down to the kids.
The two brothers were inseparable, along with their band of misfits, the Young Avengers. They wreaked havoc on ‘the bad guys’. Agatha said the only havoc was the name.
Rio and Agatha renewed their vows outside their old cabin in 2148, and then they rechristened the cabin because Rio said “it had been too long since this thing saw some action.” If there were taunts about Agatha’s skills decreasing over the years, they were quickly proven false.
They’ve gotten a whole lot less toxic over the years. Maybe aging has made Agatha soft. Rio appreciates it, because now, when she gives the spirit with all her love, she gets the same in return.
Whenever Billy tries to find her, which is still far too often for her liking, it's usually with Rio. Her wife found a way to delegate duties to her “minions” so that she could spend more time with Agatha.
Sometimes Agatha thinks that the ravenette knows something that she herself doesn’t. They never used to spend this much time together. Does she care? No. Never.
Nicky is still a sore subject, and she thinks it always will be. But, the pain isn’t directed at Rio anymore. The pain stems from losing a child, rather than where he went after.
Rio had spent months trying to bring it up, and Agatha had denied her every time. She was content to live in the bliss that was now, and not the fact that her wife hadn’t done everything in her power to save their son.
When they finally had the conversation, there were a lot of tears. Surprisingly, most of them were from Rio.
In the end, it was Agatha’s fault. She couldn’t control her powers, and without realizing she had siphoned her son’s only chance at life away. Rio hadn’t wanted to tell her, hadn’t wanted her to put the blame on herself. She much preferred being hated than seeing her wife hate herself.
Rio HAD done everything in her power, but in the end it just wasn’t enough for Nicholas to live. He was supposed to be born still, but she had saved him.
Maybe, it was both of their faults. The fact he was supposed to be still born was Agatha’s powers’ fault, but the sickness he had after birth was from Lady Death.
The pneumonia was never cured. That first day by the river, and their darling boy’s first breaths sealed his fate.
In the end, all roads lead to his mother, and from what Rio tells her wife, he’s enjoying the pain-free afterlife.
Death had always been on Agatha’s mind, especially after she tied her soul to her. But, after her terribly horrible early life, she couldn’t imagine it coming for her.
Some 300 years later, as she lays in bed, the brunette can’t help but think of Death. Rio would be home soon, and that made her happy and sad. She had a terrible feeling in her chest.
She decided to hum a song, as that usually made her feel better. But, it wasn’t her normal Windy Road verse. Instead, it was a song that Lily had asked her to sing before bed once long ago.
It was called Puff the Magic Dragon, and it had made the little girl cry. She didn’t understand why at the time, but now she thinks she does.
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff
She understands now, that she is little Jackie Paper, and Rio is Puff. The Rascal dragon who the little boy loves so much. Something so much greater than herself, so much more powerful.
When Rio was courting her, she would bring Agatha all sorts of little gifts. Anything from beautiful flowers, to weird rocks (She usually ate the rocks when Agatha wasn’t looking).
Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff’s gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name
They had travelled everywhere, twice. The first had been when they were young. Rio would whisk her wife off to some foreign land, and they would spend days exploring.
Her wife’s deathly aura had also turned a few heads. In some cultures, she was worshiped like she deserved to be. In others, she was feared. Both worked for the two women, as it either gave them free souvenirs or free bodies (Agatha was big on protecting her wife’s honor).
The second time they had travelled the world was when they reconciled. It had really been an extended honeymoon that took over three decades, but who’s counting.
Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant’s rings make way for other toys
One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
Agatha knew witches didn’t live forever. It was something she had forced upon many others, but never once thought about for herself. Rio was her immortal dragon, and in that life-span she could’ve been human.
She was getting older, this was a fact. She could see it in the way that Rio forgot to age her body, in the way she still looked no older than a human forty.
Her hair was beginning to go white, thankfully it didn’t reach the gray stage that reminded her of Evanora. Her wrinkles were starting to be more prominent.
Agatha thinks that she could forget about aging if it were just her and Rio. The green witch always looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing in any universe. And if you asked Rio, she would say that Agatha was (truly she had seen it all, and Agatha was a beauty like no other).
Others, however, treated her like she was ancient (she was). Even Billy had taken to treating her like she was fragile. She wasn’t some brain dead grandmother at the old folk’s home in Florida. But, she was getting weaker.
She felt it in her bones, joints, and muscles. She just didn’t heal like she used to. She hadn’t told Rio, but she had fallen the other day. Just trying to get out of bed, and her knees had collapsed.
She felt it now. She was tired, she wanted to wait until Rio got home, but it was just so hard keeping her eyes open. She fell asleep on Rio’s pillow, breathing in the scent of soil and flowers, the scent of her only love.
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave
Rio felt it right before it happened. The pull on her soul tie, and the pull of a death soon approaching. She teleported into her bedroom before the first tug ceased, and saw her sleeping wife.
She didn’t dare wake the woman by calling her name, she knew that would only cause more pain. Besides, she would see her soon, and they would all be a family again.
The green witch picked up her wife’s limp hand, squeezing it as she felt the soul bond sear in agony. She watched as the only woman Death could ever love’s last breath left her chest.
Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
She had always thought that Nicky’s reaping would be the hardest, but nothing could compare to the woman she had dedicated 800 years of her immortal omnipotent life to.
As she pulled her wife’s soul from her body, she saw her transparent form smirk.
“Hey there gorgeous! Come here often?”
Rio smiled, “Only for you mi amor.” She flicked green magic at the door to their room, the portal to the afterlife appearing in seconds.
Rio thought Agatha looked even more beautiful bathed in the green light of the gateway.
The lovers joined hands, stepping through the portal into the next life. The shout of “Mama! Mamí!” from a young boy making both women smile.
They finally had everything they needed.