No Light, No Light — Florence + The Machine
One could smell the desperation coming from this room, even outside the building. How many tears had been shed in there? How many people had been shrunk to half their size? Of all the rooms, why would she want to have this conversation here?
Nick could smell his own sweat despite having showered twice today already as he was standing in front of the Directrix' office, where he had been summoned to formally ask for Sabrina's hand. Zelda Spellman's voice berating some poor kid was all too prominent, even through the thick wooden door.
He could see her silhouette move around the table through the milky glass, rephrasing the words he had prepared for the hundredth time only this morning. He could not allow himself to mess up. If he got past Zelda Spellman, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore — and the prospect of having Hilda there gave him hope.
He wasn't ready at all when the door flung open and Melvin practically crawled out the office; face flushed red, his gaze tied to the ground.
"Good luck, Nick," he murmured, brushing past him and it sent chills down Nick's spine.
Swallowing hard, he waited to be called in when Hilda came ushering towards him. He felt a sudden wave of relief at seeing the sweeter one of the Spellman-Sisters.
"Hi, Nick, love... Listen, I've got a little situation with Sabrina... planning the dress... you know how it is with girls and their clothes. So I'll just pop home quickly, do you mind? You've got my blessing, don't worry and I'm sure you can soften my sister as well."
Hilda didn't even give him the time to say something and was gone before he could blink. Left alone with the prospect of facing the feared Spellman Matriarch on his own, he gulped. He looked down to his hands, red now from wringing them together. The overwhelming weight of this situation came crashing down on him when Zelda's low voice rang in his ears.
He was tempted to cross himself before entering but remembered that was the wrong religion, so a simple eulogy would have to suffice. Crossing the threshold, he quickly noticed the room smelled more of cigarette than it usually did, which could only mean the Directrix wasn't in a good mood at all. More sweat began to tickle his brow, as he thought about her mood and the fact the four fires in the corners of the room were all lit.
She was sitting behind her desk, not even looking up at him as if this was going to be part of her daily business. She was skimming some papers, her elbow on the table with a cigarette in hand, large amounts of smoke forming around them.
"Mr Scratch."
"Mrs Spellman... How... How's it going?" he asked clumsily, the suspicion creeping up on him that this wasn't the right approach at all.
Zelda's expression didn't move, it was carved in stone, for the simple purpose of keeping him on edge.
"It is going as it should, Mr Scratch," Zelda replied, not without mockery.
He was standing awkwardly behind the chair opposite her, not daring to sit without permission and therefore shifting from one foot to the other restlessly. With a sigh, Zelda put the piece of paper down and tended to her cigarette, now scanning Nick for the first time before nodding to the chair. He could've sworn to have seen a hint of a sly smile.
"Sit, will you?"
And like the good puppy he was, Nick sat down in the chair under the watchful eyes of Zelda Spellman, feeling like a small child under her gaze.
"If I may ask, wasn't Madam Spellman supposed to be here as well?" He needed at least one person who he could be sure wasn't about to chop his head off. "Shall we wait for her?"
"No, it's her problem if she can't keep track of time. Speaking of which, where is my sister?"
The corners of Zelda's mouth quirked down, making her displeasure obvious.
"Oh, yes. She just told me she couldn't attend because Sabrina has some sort of dress emergency," Nick spluttered.
Zelda rolled her eyes, "What did I do to deserve these women in my life, huh?" She scoffed, not expecting an answer.
Nick didn't give one and just clawed the chair, picking at a frayed piece of fabric there, reminding himself why he was doing this and that it'd be worth it.
"So, you know why you're here, I assume?"
Nick gave a quick nod, pressing his thighs together to sit as straight as possible, "Of course, Ma'am."
"And?" Zelda quipped, her impatience with him becoming more obvious.
She cocked an eyebrow at him, narrowing her eyes and lazily twirling the cigarette holder between her fingers.
"Oh, yes, um, wasn't sure you wanted me to speak yet..." he stuttered, feeling heat creep up to his face.
"Well if you don't want to then be so kind and send the boy who wants to marry my niece in, " Zelda said plainly, pretending to pick up the papers again and dismiss him.
She couldn't be honest, could she? Why did this woman have to make everything so damn difficult?
"No, no. It's me, I-"
"I don't have all day, Mr Scratch. So will you make your case now or not?"
She placed the papers down, tilting her head slightly to the side whilst taking a long drag from her cigarette.
"Of course," he cleared his throat, "Mrs Spellman, as you know, your niece, Sabrina, and I share a very deep bond and we... Well, we've overcome every obstacle life has thrown at us, even death..."
He felt he would pass out from the pressure of this moment, knowing he couldn't screw this up.
"Good thing you mentioned it. You know I'm all for culture and theater but this Shakespearean exit of yours was a bit over the top, don't you think?"
Her eyes narrowed as she looked directly at him, awaiting his answer.
Nick scratched his neck, sweat breaking out on his forehead and he felt as if Zelda was staring right at the drops forming there. He knew his answer had to be the right one or this would be over before he'd even got to the point.
"I can see that, Mrs Spellman but-"
"And how can I be sure you won't indulge in such grotesque notions again?"
She didn't bother to look at him when she spoke, just tapped the falling ash from her cigarette and took another slow drag.
"I won't, I can assure you. What I was trying to say. Since you're Sabrina's..."
And that was the tricky part he had been trying to avoid. He was fumbling now, the steely stare from Zelda making him look down at his shoes.
Technically, she was her aunt and he wasn't in the position to say anything else, yet he knew Zelda saw herself very much as Sabrina's mother. So what should he go for?
"Since you're the most important female figure in Sabrina's life... You've raised her to be the powerful witch and woman she is... It is of the utmost importance for me to have your blessing."
Zelda pushed herself up from her seat, stubbing the cigarette in the ashtray and picking up the pointing stick on her desk, sliding her fingers along it as if to admire the firm piece of wood.
Nick's next words died in his throat, eyes widening in fear, wondering if caning was still common practice in the Academy these days. She would do it, he figured, if she wanted to, she would, without a doubt.
He was just about to chicken out and leave the office running for his life when Lilith appeared in a swirl of smoke right next to Zelda. She tutted and took the cane from her wife gently, giving her a mischievous smirk while twirling it between her own fingers.
"My, my, Zelda. Isn't that more of a thing between us?"
Zelda gave a guttural growl that told Lilith loud and clear her wife was absolutely not in the mood for messing around today. So she moved on to Nick, having pity for the poor boy who just wanted to court the lady of his heart, like she had done a few years ago.
"Mr Scratch, you look a delight today! I see, you started without me?" Lilith concluded, scanning the room for another missing person. "And where's dear Hilda?"
"Unlike you, my sister had an actual reason to be late."
"Why, hell doesn't run itself. I'm very sorry. Do you need to punish me now, Directrix Spellman?" Lilith asked in a higher pitch than usual, pouting and batting her eyes.
She knew she was pushing her luck but teasing Zelda was just too much fun. The glares and eye-rolls were worth it all the way and she could even see a hint of embarrassment flash in front of Nick.
Lilith gently pushed Zelda back into the chair and was met with no resistance since Zelda was doing everything to get her demoness to stop.
"Excuse my wife, Mr Scratch. She doesn't know much about manners," Zelda mocked, then put on her business face again. "What were you saying?"
"High Priestess Spellman, you've taught me yourself. I've learned from the best you could say," he declared, playing on her pride, "Now, I know a Spellman woman of the caliber of yourself is above my league. But I can assure you, I am going to weigh it out with devotion. I am going to worship Sabrina and every Spellman woman until my last breath."
Zelda chuckled softly, "Why, doesn't that sound appetising, Lilith?" She turned her head upwards to look at her wife who gave an annoyed click of her tongue.
"You can worship all you want, but this particular church is mine , Mr Scratch," she warned, gesturing towards Zelda.
"I wasn't-"
Lilith giggled and dropped her little jest, "I know," and moved on to massage Zelda's neck subtly, standing behind her.
Zelda kept quiet, keeping her eyes on him while her muscles gave in to Lilith's touch. Lilith smiled softly, noticing her strategy of lulling Zelda in was working (she had already put a lot of effort into it last night).
"As far as I'm concerned, Nicholas, you can marry our dear Sabrina," Lilith confirmed, giving him encouraging looks.
"I am more than happy to hear that, Madam Spellman," he smiled at Lilith before turning his attention back to Zelda, "And what about you, Mrs Spellman?"
"Come on Zelda, just let the man marry his girl," Lilith urged, kneading a little harder to make her point.
"Alright," Zelda mumbled, "I give you my permission to marry my niece."
"Thank you Mrs Spellman!" Nick jumped half up, fighting the urge to fling his arms around Zelda's neck. "Thank you! Sabrina will be made up! I need to tell her!"
" Though ," Zelda raised her voice, "I would strongly advise you to spare us the teenage melodramatics in the future. Unless... you want me to give you a private tour of our Cain Pit."
"We won't bother you, Mrs Spellman, take it as a promise."
Nick considered for a moment, feeling the tightness exit his chest, giving him room to breathe. He sensed Zelda had become calmer in Lilith's presence and was feeling a little bolder, so he leant forward in his chair.
"Directrix? There might be something I could do for you to express my gratitude..."
Lilith's eyes flashed at him dangerously, but he signed for her not to be concerned. The demoness remained wary though and bit the inside of her cheek.
Nick urged Zelda to lean in closer, so he could whisper in her ear. Again, a move that had Lilith clenching her fist.
"As you may know, Directrix, I'm a rather good conjurer and I've held the devil inside my body for a significant amount of time... So... I could show you a trick or two... If you ever needed to... tame ... your demoness?"
Zelda blushed, but chuckled heartily at the offer her son-in-law had made. She gathered her papers to cover it.
"How could I say no, Mr Scratch. Thank you. Now, if you would excuse us. My wife and I have a few things to... discuss."
Lilith bit her lip seeing how her wife's gaze brushed the cane she had taken out of her hands just a few minutes ago, then wandered up her figure, making sure to linger on the best parts for an appropriate amount of time.
"Um... I'll just..."
Zelda and Lilith didn't even consider him, just waving him goodbye absently as he hurried out.
~
"Is it supposed to be this tight?" Sabrina asked, scrunching her nose, tugging at the dress.
"Well it has to stay in place all day, lamb," Hilda pointed out, kneeling on the floor to work on the skirt.
She took the thread between her teeth to rip it off and tied a knot. Meanwhile Sabrina took in her appearance in the long mirror, turning a little, fumbling here and there and Hilda got the sense she wasn't entirely satisfied.
"Is there anything wrong, love?"
"No, yes, I don't know," Sabrina whined and shrugged, "Something's not quite right. I can't put my finger on it..."
Hilda came to stand and circled Sabrina, trying to find the cause of her niece's discomfort.
"Does it itch? Did I forget a needle? Or is it, like, the whole thing?" she investigated, furrowing her brows slightly.
"I'm sorry Auntie, I wish- I want Aunt Zee," Sabrina declared, "She has a sense for these things..."
"Shall I try to find her and see if dear Lilith was able to soften her a little?"
"Telling from the noises we heard in recent nights, there's either been multiple murders in this house or she should be in a much better mood."
Hilda blushed and hummed, disappearing through the door to knock on the couple's bedroom door. They had started working on the dress early today, even before breakfast because Sabrina had been bursting with excitement about her wedding dress.
"Zelds? Lilith?" She peeked around the corner and found Zelda sitting at the vanity, finishing her hair, the curling iron hissing.
"Good morning, sister."
"Morning love, um...," Hilda stepped into the room tiptoeing, "Sabrina couldn't wait to get started with the dress, so we've already been busy, but she... She wants your opinion on it..."
Zelda pushed herself around with a hand on the edge of the vanity and cocked her eyebrow.
"All of a sudden? Up until now she's assigned everyone a task. Everyone but me. She wants Lilith to do her hair and make-up, you the dress, but I? It's like she doesn't even want me to be part of it."
"That's-"
"No, it's alright, maybe I deserve it after how I reacted when she told us."
Zelda had put the curling iron down and was walking across the room without a destination while talking, pretending to look for something and occasionally putting things in order. Hilda's eyes followed her, sinking into herself as Zelda was pulling her walls up once again.
"What harsh words do I hear?" Lilith had made it out of the bathroom, crossing her arms. "Zee, are you jealous? Of dear old me?"
Zelda rolled her eyes but somehow Lilith could not chuckle at her wife this time, sensing she was drifting.
"Jealous? I'm her-," Zelda paused and swallowed the word before she continued, "I'm her aunt. I should be involved in the preparations, that's all I'm saying."
Hilda glanced over at Lilith, unsure what to do next and preferring to leave it to the Queen of Hell. The demoness sighed and softened her demeanour, moving to stop Zelda's pacing and held her in place by her hips.
"You're entirely right. And if I've overheard correctly, she's asking for your help now. So get over yourself and go with Hilda."
Lilith held her gaze firmly, the same way she did her hips, getting the message across without going too hard on her witch. After a moment of consideration and a shy glance at Hilda, Zelda nodded and removed herself from Lilith's grasp to follow Hilda.
"Aunt Zee!" Sabrina squealed, relieved Zelda was coming to rescue, "We need someone with taste here."
"Oy!" Hilda complained, pretending to be offended and Zelda even chuckled at that.
Seeing Sabrina in her wedding dress.... Her heart sank to her knees and she had to swallow, but her lips curved into a soft smile.
"Now Sabrina, how can I be of assistance? What's the problem?" She asked as if it were nothing, letting her fingers slide over the fabric, remembering how her own wedding dress had felt on her skin, between her fingers.
"That's the thing, we don't know. It's as if something's missing or..."
"Mh, I see. Let me have a look," Zelda announced, taking a few steps back and placing her hand on her chin, eyes narrowing.
She scanned the whole outfit thoroughly; up and down, down and up, left to right and vice versa. Sabrina and Hilda tried to read her expressions; the raising eyebrows, the concentrated lip-biting and tuts, but failed at the task.
Once Zelda had rounded her niece, she came back to stand in front of Sabrina and took scissors and other utensils, changing something here and there until she seemed satisfied. It was so quick that no one could really follow what she was doing but as she stepped back, they realised, and their mouths took on an "o" shape.
"Zelds, um... Don't you think that's a wee bit too much of a cleavage?" Hilda voiced her concerns first but Sabrina was beaming at her reflection in the mirror.
"You're the best, Aunt Zee! It's perfect! So perfect!"
Sabrina leant forward, wanting to fling her arms around her aunt's neck, but stopped herself to keep the dress safe since it wasn't entirely sewn together yet.
"Poppycock, Hilda. Sabrina's a young woman and she should show off her features like the proud witch she is," Zelda declared, closing her eyes with confidence, nose high.
That was Lilith's cue to enter the conversation, moving behind Sabrina to gather her hair with her hands and lift it up to demonstrate her idea for a hairdo.
"Completely agree with Mrs Spellman. And I think pinning her hair up like this would round it off quite nicely, what do you think?"
Noises of agreement resounded, only Zelda had gone quiet as she was suddenly reminded of this little ache inside her that she had not been assigned any task. The pride she had felt just a minute ago faded and her mind was taken over by these thoughts. She considered apologising to her niece and show her support, but there was still her pride posing as an obstacle she had to overcome in order to do so.
Lilith noticed the shift immediately and was determined to fix this issue, wanting her wife to enjoy this as much as she did. There was nothing a mother wanted more than to walk her daughter down the aisle, plan the wedding, and give a wonderful speech — And what was Zelda if not Sabrina's mother?
"Sabrina, dear, what was it again you wanted your aunt to help you with?" Lilith asked, subtly hinting Sabrina she had missed something.
"Huh? Um, oh, yes! I completely forgot!" The girl blushed, realising the extent of her slip-up, since she hadn't meant to leave Zelda out. "Auntie... I was wondering if you... Would conduct the ceremony for us? As High Priestess?"
It caused Zelda to snap out of her spiralling thoughts, her mouth opening and closing before she confirmed, "Of course I will."
Sabrina nodded and looked down at her hands fumbling in front of her middle, worrying her lip. She didn't want to hurt Hilda as she loved her just as much as her other Aunt, but there was something she really felt was Zelda's part.
"Aunties... There's something else..."
Lilith stopped her experimental braiding, smiling to herself having her assumptions on what it was Sabrina wanted to say. She placed her hands on her shoulders, brushing her thumbs over them encouragingly.
"First of all, I love you both to bits and I couldn't have asked for better mothers, but Auntie Zee..."
Zelda tensed, fearing Sabrina might say she didn't want her to be involved otherwise because of her behaviour, because she thought she would cause trouble. Her eyelids fluttered and Lilith's chest clenched seeing the horror wash over her wife's features.
Sabrina took a deep breath and got the words out. "Aunt Zelda, I want you to walk me down the aisle. Would you do that?"
Zelda sucked in a breath, a small whimper escaping her as she pressed her lips together to contain her emotions. She closed the distance between them and brought her hand up to Sabrina's cheek, caressing it with her knuckles and looking her in the eyes as if to find reassurance there that her niece was being serious.
"There's nothing I'd rather do," she breathed full of emotion and pride, and cupped the base of Sabrina's skull to pull her in and press a kiss to her forehead.
In response, Sabrina wrapped her arm around her and squeezed her aunt for a moment before she released her again for Lilith to place her hand in the small of Zelda's back, rubbing there gently while her witch wiped underneath her eyes.
Hilda was beaming from ear to ear and clapped her hands, hurrying to her niece's side and her sister to express how overjoyed she was. She didn't mind at all, knowing how important this was to her sister. They always had this silent agreement that Zelda would be the one to do it, should Sabrina marry. She was entirely content with being responsible for the wedding cake and the dress.
"Now," Lilith interrupted before they were getting too sentimental, "I've set the table downstairs, I think we could all do with something in our stomachs before we get down to the big planning." She winked at Zelda. "Shall we?"
Descending the stairs, they were chatting vividly, Sabrina back in her casual clothes with Lilith and Zelda following behind Hilda and Sabrina, their fingers discretely entwined between them.
Crossing the parlour towards the kitchen, Sabrina went on, "Yes, and then I want balloons, and um... Hellfire! Lilith could you do that?"
"'Course little flame," Lilith confirmed and Sabrina smiled her toothy smile.
"And for the cake I wa-"
Sabrina abruptly stopped in her tracks and had everyone stumble against her back as she didn't move and just kept staring into the kitchen. The other's recovered from the collision and moved on to see what had caused the sudden stop only to be taken aback just as much as Sabrina.
"Bonjour mes chéries, how lovely to see you again," a dark humming voice greeted.
Everyone's mouth was agape, discovering it belonged to no one else than Baron Samedi sat at their kitchen table, a cigar tucked between his lips and stirring in a cup of coffee with his index finger. He then brought it to his lips and decadently sucked it clean, giving a wink to the stunned Spellmans.
Zelda eyed the Baron in disbelief as did Lilith, except her eyes were flitting between her wife and the infamous deity.
"Zelda cherié," he hummed, "Are you good to go?"
"Go where?!" Zelda got worked up, pushing past the others to stand protectively in front of Sabrina and the rest of the family.
"Well, home of course, mon coeur!" He laughed self-indulgently, leaning back in the chair, his dirt-covered hand stretched out on the table.
"I think not!" Lilith made clear, taking a step forward as well, her stomach turning.
"But we had a deal, Zelda," he reminded as if speaking to a teenager, "And we keep our promises where I come from..."
"And where I come from, we don't masquerade ourselves as something we're not," Zelda growled back, clenching her fist and staring the mighty Voodoo God into the ground.
"Ah, je vois." He stood up, taking all the time in the world and approached the group of people in the doorframe. "You prefer my other form, do you not? Let me do something about it."
He snapped his fingers and the untidy male appearance of Baron Samedi turned into the familiar alluring Mambo Marie Zelda had tried so hard to forget. The trust she had put in her — And then the betrayal.
"C'est mieux?" Marie asked with a wide grin that still had an aspect of the male form, as she now recognised.
Lilith felt her blood coil with rage and something else she'd never felt before at the Baron's sudden transformation, the words going straight to her head.
"What is this? You wanna play games? I can play games!" she challenged him, voice increasing in volume while simultaneously losing steadiness.
She stepped closer, right into his — or her — personal space, and summoned all the authority into her demeanor she could manage. It was an undisguised threat.
Marie was rather unimpressed, calming the situation with a soft, "My, my, no need to-"
But Lilith was quicker, ready to go at it. "Just in case you forgot: I happen to be the Queen of Hell and I do not tolerate some stray Voodoo God laying hands on my wife."
"Wife?" She quirked an eyebrow, tutting. "Oh, why wasn't I invited to the wedding?" The woman shifted, placing her palm on her chest. "I am deeply hurt. And after all I've done for Zelda!"
Lilith narrowed her eyes with no intention to move away, only inching her face closer until her breath was fanning Marie's face.
"Excuse me? I happen to still be present, ladies, so would you please refrain from speaking as if I weren't?" Zelda complained, scrunching her nose.
"Lilith, cherié, would you be so kind to allow my dear Zelda to shed light onto this matter?"
Lilith let off and took a few steps back to allow Zelda to enter the forming circle, but not without putting her arm around her wife possessively. Just to make sure the practically glowing woman knew who the redheaded witch belonged to.
"While it is sweet of you to defend my honor, Lilith," she took a drag from her cigarette and exhaled the fume, "I can handle this."
"Then do explain Zelda," Lilith urged, putting a little pressure on her back.
"There isn't much to explain. You know I called Baron Samedi for help to resurrect Sabrina."
"But you never mentioned that he wanted to take you to the underworld in return."
"Well, that is because it was never the agreement, was it now, Marie?"
The accusatory tone had a certain effect on Marie, almost as if she didn't know what or why she should be at fault at all.
"Non, non. Don't make me the villain here. You told me you wanted Sabrina back, cherié," she recalled, then quoting, "'Whatever the price.'"
Zelda's eyes flashed at her, outraged by the audacity to twist her words like that so they would suit Marie's agenda.
"Yet it was never discussed that I was the price!"
Marie established eye-contact with Sabrina, making sure Zelda would see it. The girl was unusually quiet, Zelda noticed, and although she was thanking Hecate every day to have the teenage drama back in her house, at this moment, she was grateful for her silence.
Marie continued, "Is the price I chose not worth your niece's life, ma cherié? I can always take her back..." she offered, looking into the round innocently.
Hilda instinctively shoved herself in front of Sabrina, shielding her from Marie's gaze and muttering protection spells under her breath.
"No!" Zelda exclaimed decidedly, losing her countenance at the mention of reversing the deal.
Lilith had reacted quickly and was summoning a circle of hellfire around Marie, which's flames were raging higher and higher.
Marie tutted in displeasure, yet the flames didn't seem to directly hurt the deity either, "Lilith, dearest, that is not very nice of you."
"I'm only going to say this once: Leave," Lilith warned, letting the flames pulse to get her point across.
Marie raised her hands as if she were capitulating, yet her expression kept a certain cheek.
"I see, you have a lot to discuss. And I am not one to deny a loving couple their goodbyes, so I'm leaving... For now."
Marie chewed on the cigar, approaching Zelda while keeping Lilith at a distance with her gaze and came to stand in front of her, only there removing the cigar and vanishing it.
She caressed her cheek down to her chin, brushing her thumb on the little indent there before she tiptoed to place a gentle but purposeful kiss to her forehead, giving her the sweetest smile as she parted from her.
"Au revoir, ma vie."
And then the soft curves of Marie returned to the sharp edges of Baron Samedi, his form vanishing into thin air.
"Shall I pop the kettle on?" Hilda proposed absently, still in shock like everyone else.
______________
Edited 28/07/22