The next morning, Cordelia and Myrtle flew back out to California, leaving the other witches behind with explicit instructions to remain at the shack. The fridge had been stocked with enough food to last for a few days so there was no reason for them to leave. The two had left Angel in charge, much to the chagrin of Madison, and she was busy trying to ignore the other two blondes that were currently invading her literal safe space.
Coco had taken to looking around the shack and turning over just about every single piece of furniture, finding even the simplest of things to complain about. She was used to a lavish lifestyle; what was actually considered simple and rustic was decrepit and plain to the woman. Madison was also unhappy about their current accommodations but was smart enough to read the mood of the room and had decided to stop criticizing that which Angel held dear.
"And I mean, who even uses cassettes anymore?" Coco asked, picking up the stack of tapes and carelessly tossing them over in her hands. Suddenly, they flew from her grip, across the room and into Angel's.
She held them close to her chest and glared at the woman, "Ya don't ever touch these! Ever." She nearly yelled.
"What's your problem?" She asked dumbly.
If possible, the teens glare grew even scarier and she growled lowly. Mallory, who was sitting beside her on the bed, rubbed her back in a soothing manner and took the tapes from her grasp. In her anger, she didn't realize how tightly she was holding on to them and Mallory didn't want her accidentally breaking one of her most prized possessions.
"What's my problem?" Angel asked dubiously, "I'll tell ya what my problem is. My problem is that all of my sisters were killed and I was forced to listen to it! My actual sister is halfway across the United States and is most likely under the impression that I'm dead too. I have let you two snobbish brats invade my sanctuary and to top it all off, I have to listen to ya complain about it!" She shouted, shaking from her poorly contained rage.
"Come on, why don't we step outside for a moment?" Mallory suggested gently.
She rose from the bed and dragged Angel along with her due to their conjoined hands. They passed the shell-shocked Coco and the satisfied looking Madison.
"Damn, didn't know you had it in ya, little swamp rat." Madison smirked proudly.
"Don't push it." She hissed, pointing her finger at Madison, "And don't touch anymore shit while I'm gone!" She said while departing the room. Mallory simply gave an apologetic glance to Coco as she shut the door.
When she turned back around she found Angel already pacing back and forth along the wooden porch, her fists clenched at her sides. To say she had been agitated all day would be an understatement. Mallory allowed her to blow off some of the angry energy she had before finally stepping in her path and placing both of her hands on the girl's cheeks, forcing her to look at her. Her breath was still heavy but she allowed her eyes to stare at the girl's features. She wasn't angry, she just looked understanding and sympathetic.
"Feel better yet?" She whispered, rubbing her thumbs under Angel's exposed eyes.
She shook her head no, "I've been relegated to baby-sittin' duty."
"You know it's just for our safety."
"I know but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. Why did Cordelia put me in charge?" She questioned.
"Because she trusts you." Mallory replied easily.
She shook her head again, "She shouldn't with those two. I know Coco doesn't mean to but she just pushes my buttons."
Mallory chuckled but it died out as Angel gently detached herself from her grip and moved to lean against the wall. She slowly slid down it as her eyes gained a faraway look in them.
"I miss 'em." She whispered. Mallory slowly lowered herself next to her girlfriend, "They would know what to do. They always knew what to do." she wistfully sighed as tears began to gather in her blue hues.
Mallory leaned her head on Angel's shoulder, "You've had some pretty great ideas yourself. And you know how to lead and teach. You're just as capable as they were."
She shook her head in denial, blonde waves softly swaying on her head, "They were like my sisters, ya know? I've grown up with them and Zoe was my first true friend I'd had in a long time. They were just as important to me as Misty is... and their loss is just as devastatin' as hers was." She bowed her head and covered her face with her hands as she began to cry, "I just feel so lost without them."
Mallory wrapped her arms around Angel, pulling her into her chest and allowing the girl to cry. This is what she was waiting for, she knew Angel was only lashing out because she felt so much sorrow that she didn't know how to express it sometimes, instead it took the form of anger and irritability. "Shh, shh, it's gonna be okay. It'll be okay." she soothed, brushing her fingers through wavy blonde locks.
Angel pulled herself away and angrily wiped her face, "He's taken everythin' from us!" She exclaimed, slamming her fist into the floorboards below.
"Hey, stop that." Mallory lightly scolded, taking both of her clenched fists into her lap and preventing the girl from harming herself in any other manner. She rubbed her thumbs over her knuckles, slowly easing them open as the blonde's angry outburst melted away, once again becoming grief.
"He hasn't taken everything. I'm still alive, Cordelia and Myrtle are still alive, and somewhere within the country your sister is still alive, too." Mallory said, leaning down and trying to capture her love's eyes as they were hidden behind a curtain of hair.
"But she's not exactly here, is she?" She muttered somewhat bitterly.
Mallory shook her head, "No, she's not. But you have to admit that she's definitely safer, wherever she is."
"Not for long."
"That's what we're trying to fix." The brunette replied, freeing one of her hands and cupping Angel's cheek.
"Surely she thinks I'm dead." Angel muttered, looking into her girlfriend's tear-filled dark eyes, "A massacre that big at a place as famous as Robichaux." She shook her head lightly and scoffed, "I mean, shit we had heard about the burnin' of Hawthorne on the news and that happened on the other side of the country. I'm sure she's heard what's happened to us by now and we can't get in contact with her." Tears ran down her face.
Mallory wiped them away with a sad smile, "If you two are as in tune as you think you are, surely she knows you're still alive."
"Ya don't know that." Angel retorted through an emotionally charged voice.
"I don't. But just take comfort in the fact that she's far away from here, far away from the danger."
Angel wordlessly nodded and leaned her forehead against Mallory's shoulder. The witch simply held her and soothed her as she continued to pour out her emotions. A few tears fell from her eyes as well, as she listened to her girlfriend's heart-wrenching sobs. There was only so much that could be said in an attempt to comfort her, so she remained silent and instead offered physical comfort.
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Cordelia and Myrtle arrived back at Misty's home with terrible news, and a plan to set in motion. They had revealed that all the warlocks at Hawthorne's had been murdered, John Henry and Behold included. It was evident that it was Michael's doing as he had left a pentagram in the library, made up of all their bodies and limbs. They had also informed the women exactly just how the Anti-christ was planning to bring about the end of the world.
"A thousand nuclear bombs?" Mallory asked incredulously, "How can we stop that?" She looked at all the witches packed into the small space.
"We can't." Cordelia responded remorsefully, "Michael's already too powerful. He can counteract anything we hope to try."
"God, I finally find my place in the world, and now it's all gonna end. I am not ready to die." Coco said pacing around before stopping and looking at everyone, "Oh, not to make it all about me."
"Actually, it is all about you now. Your father will be purchasing tickets for you and your family to inhabit one of the Cooperative's Outposts." Myrtle revealed.
Madison scoffed from her seat, "Coco is the plan? The calorie counter's gonna save humanity?"
Cordelia crouched down in front of the three girls who were sitting on the couch, "No. Mallory is. Coco is going to secure her place in the bunker. We have one chance to use Tempus Infinituum. And we can't risk trying it until Mallory is ready." Said witch sent a scared glance over at her girlfriend.
"The only place we know you'll survive is under Michael's nose. In one of his bunkers." Myrtle said.
"He can smell a witch a mile away like some kind of evil truffle pig." Angel responded, shaking her head, "He'll kill her before she can do anythin'." She sent a worried glance over at the brunette. Mallory squeezed her hand tightly.
"That's why we're going to place both of them under an identity spell." Cordelia informed, "You'll forget your witches. You'll forget everything you knew about yourselves. The spell will give you new identities, new personalities." The Supreme looked over at Coco, "Your job will be to demean Mallory. Make her doubt herself in order to suppress her natural powers, so that no one can detect her magic." She grabbed Mallory's hand and made her stand from her seat.
"We've modeled your new personality after Madison." Myrtle added, giving a sly look at the mentioned blonde.
"No. No, there must be another way." Coco replied, shaking her head furiously.
"Consider it an upgrade." Madison said, looking at her painted nails.
"Will my family still remember that I'm a witch?" Coco asked.
"Your family won't be joining you." Myrtle informed.
"We have to eliminate all variables that might expose you." The Supreme explained gently.
"But can't we just put them under an identity spell, too?" She asked.
"Until the apocalypse comes, yes." Cordelia nodded, "But it would be too risky to have them in the bunker with you."
"We'll make sure they're out of the country, and too far away from the Outposts to make it to safety in time." Myrtle casually explained, as if she wasn't talking about the deaths of innocent people.
"My parents are good people and my brother is kind. They deserve it so much more than I do." Coco said emotionally.
"I don't think I can be responsible for the lives of seven billion people." Mallory voiced, nervously glancing at everyone around her.
"Yes, ya can. And when the time comes, you will." Angel encouraged with a small smile.
"How will I know when that time is if I'm under a spell?" Mallory questioned.
"Your powers will emerge when they are ready." Cordelia informed.
"After you cast the spell... will we remember you?" The brunette looked over at her girlfriend who had a sad look on her face. She stood from her place and joined Mallory's side in the middle of the room.
Angel shook her head, "Not until the spell is broken." She whispered dismally.
"And by then, we all might be piles of ash." Madison piped up.
"So this is goodbye." Mallory whispered, looking at Angel and Cordelia who were both having trouble holding in their emotions.
"Gather around, witches." Myrtle said. Everyone stood in a tight circle, joining hands. Mallory tightly intertwined her fingers with her girlfriend's. "And so it falls to us to save mankind from itself. And yes, some of us will die, but you two will live. So the Coven will live on. So the world will live on." Myrtle said, gazing at all the women around her.
"You ready?" Cordelia asked.
"No," Coco shook her head and began sniffling. Everyone who wasn't going to be under the influence of the spell stepped out of the circle. Coco looked over at the star witch, taking her hands in hers, "How could I be mean to you? You've taught me everything I know. You saved my life. You are my best friend Mallory, and I am so sorry for whatever comes out of my mouth on the other side."
"It's okay. I know you won't mean it." Mallory whispered, causing Coco to tearfully chuckle, "And spell or no spell, I'd never let anything happen to you. If the world's gonna end, at least we'll be together." The two embraced one another.
"Okay, please sit." Cordelia said, taking the container of appropriate powder from Myrtle's grasp.
Mallory looked up at Angel who was standing to the left of her. The blonde gave her a sad smile, "Not exactly how I imagined our breakup." She whispered jokingly.
Mallory gave a tearful laugh and reached out her hand. Angel took it in her grasp and leaned down to place a small kiss on the back of it, "Don't cheat on me with Coco, yeah?" She joked again.
"I could never do that to you." Mallory replied seriously.
"I know." The blonde nodded and smiled, "I love you, Mal. Ya can do this."
"I love you, too, Angel." The witch choked out, tears continuing to fall from her eyes. Angel took a step back and they held each other's grasp until the tips of their fingers brushed apart.
Cordelia crouched down in front of the two and blew a handful of the powder on their faces. As she stood she began the incantation, her hands hovering over the heads of the witches, "Memoria unda temporis est, memoria unda temporis est, memoria unda temporis est."
As the spell was completed, Cordelia lost her strength and nearly collapsed but Madison and Angel were able to catch her and guide her to the couch. All three tearfully gazed at the women as their eyes became glazed over and their faces blank. They could all see the moment the spell took effect and Angel buried her head into the Supreme's shoulder, trying to hide her tears.
Now, it was time to let them live their new lives until the arrival of the apocalypse.