By the time they got downstairs, it was a little past lunchtime and the 3 girls were finishing up eating... Yoko hadn't told Bianca and Divina about what she had witnessed, as it wasn't her news to tell. She did however cover for them... "How was tunnel exploring?" asked Divina lifting an eyebrow. "Tunnel...?" Enid looked puzzled at her. Yoko started at Enid wide-eyed so she would get the hint. "Oh! Oh!!! Yeah! Interesting! Mhm, yet I feel Wednesday enjoyed it more, isn't that right lo...Wends?"
"There is...much more to explore...but it was a very...interesting feeling..." Wednesday said honestly, taking the hint.
"Wooooah! What's that on your neck Addams?" Bianca spotted quickly.
Wednesday instinctively put her hand to her mark, it was still warm to touch.
"Not there, on the other side..." Bianca said slightly annoyed.
"...Is that...a hickey?" Divina added, narrowing her eyes to get a better look.
Enid looked panicked, her eyes flying from Wednesday to Yoko, pleading.
"Oh..." Wednesday hadn't thought she would have THOSE marks on her.
"Oh, my God! You guys totally got it on!" gasped Divina, smirking.
"...I...no...It's not what it looks like..." Enid stuttered.
"Oh, honey...Have you seen your lips in a mirror?" Bianca side-eyed.
"Dudeeeeeeeeeee, finally!" Divina laughed.
Yoko seeing how mortified Enid looked and how Wednesday was glaring, couldn't hold back anymore. "Guys, let me be the voice of reason here. It's their business and only they have the final say in these...rumors..."
Enid looked at Yoko in relief...
Wednesday was frozen in place, glaring. "If you must know, Enid and I, are soulmates...and she has claimed me as her lifemate marking me, as you can see." She said solemnly as she showed the girls her silver ε ς mark.
Everyone was speechless...they all looked from Wednesday to Enid and back...
Bianca raised an impeccable eyebrow "Who knew you had it in you, E? Choosing an Addams as a lifemate...congratulations brave Puppy!" She fully smiled and hugged Enid tightly. As she let go, she approached Wednesday, patting her on the back. "You better treat her right Addams...She deserves the world after all she's been through..."
Divina hugged Enid as well and whispered, "You found yourself a good one E. I can tell she genuinely loves you." She then smiled at Wednesday, tilting her head.
Yoko was last to speak, "Addams, may I talk to you in private?" She said in a serious tone that none of them had heard before, her stance firm.
"Lead the way." Said Wednesday matching her tone and stance,
They walked out of the kitchen and everyone was left stunned.
Yoko led Wednesday down the hall, to the left and they entered what seemed to be an office. The walls were adorned with ornate, antique tapestries depicting ancient battles and haunting landscapes. A large, mahogany desk sat at the center of the room, covered in ancient books, stacks of papers, and pens. The dim, flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows, while the room was filled with the scent of aged leather and musty books. There was a large sofa towards the side, in front of a bookshelf that went from ceiling to floor in size. A tall, arched window was draped in heavy, velvet curtains that keep out the sunlight. There was a single carnivore plant in a large pot in the corner of the office. "This must have been the plant that attacked Divina." Wednesday thought.
"Have a seat," Yoko ordered, her personality suddenly nowhere near a 17-year-old.
Wednesday nodded and sat where she was told, staring at Yoko with all seriousness as well.
"I would like to talk about Enid's and your current partnership..." She stated.
"What about it?" Wednesday shot back.
Yoko's eyes soften for a bit. "Has Enid ever told you, how we met?"
Wednesday pondered, they hadn't really talked about Yoko much at all, not like that at least. "She has yet to tell me about many things in her life." deadpanned Wednesday.
Yoko chuckled, "I see...Well, let me enlighten you Addams." the icy tone back. "I met Enid...many years ago...I...was hunting for deer with my clan in Muir Woods in San Francisco when I found her, she was about 4 years old, she was crying, calling for her mother..." Yoko smiled at the memory. "Apparently she was playing hide and seek with her brothers and they "forgot" to look for her..." She said with a slight snarl.
"Conveniently..." Wednesday added, scoffing at the thought.
"Exactly...anyway, I walked up to her quietly so as to not startled her, mind you I looked...much younger and less threatening than I do now..." she flashed Wednesday an honest smile. "I asked her the basic questions and she could only answer in a limited way, any child her age would. I played with her for a bit to calm her and eventually, she fell asleep in my arms...I was a bit panicked if I'm being honest...but I wanted to protect her, at least until she found her family."
Wednesday listened attentively to Yoko and Enid's story, a hint of love and anger bubbled inside her.
Yoko continued, "By then it was already getting dark so I took her back to my clan, my father wasn't too happy to see that I brought a child instead of a deer..." She chuckled, "I told them what had happened and we all spread out to try to find her family...yet when we did...I didn't want to let her go..." Yoko frowned at this.
"You should have taken her...She would have been better with you." Wednesday said frustrated.
"Trust me, Addams, it was a very hard decision to make but she did have to grow with her pack, there wasn't much I could do without causing a war amongst us." Yoko rubbed the back of her neck. "Meeting Esther that day alone caused tension with my father. He... threatened her...and he had every right to...the way they neglected and mistreated poor little Enid was...deplorable..." Yoko's eyes were beginning to fill with tears.
Wednesday felt a dangerous urge to commit murder on Enid's family to protect her even though she knew she couldn't...Enid would never forgive her...
"As I said goodbye to the little one, I did promise her I'd protect her as much as I could... You do know what that means right?" Yoko questioned.
"A vampire's promise is eternal..." Wednesday answered solemnly.
"That's right Wends...for life... She's my little pup..." Yoko stated with a sense of protectiveness.
Wednesday knew how the intricacies of supernatural beings worked and how righteous they were, She was no Normie and was willing to oblige to keep and respect such norms. "May I ask, how you both ended up at Nevermore together?"
"Ah! Well, I've watched her grow into the young lady she is today...Stayed close all those years while she was growing up, patched her up after play fights with her brothers, held her hand when she learned how to ride a bike, held on to her while she cried when she found out she couldn't wolf out...year after year... I even told her jokingly that maybe she was part vampire one day..." Yoko had a bittersweet smile playing on her lips. "I always told her about everything and anything from our clans and cultures, she called them her bedtime stories." She let out a light laugh. "She knew about Nevermore...since I told her about my time spent there...I told her that when she was old enough, we'd go together and I'd help her learn everything she needed...and we did, she grew, her brothers were sent there but she was going to be sent to a conversion camp...my mother managed to convince Esther to send her to Nevermore too, telling her that they'd help her with her wolfing out and I promised I'd go with her...to help as well..." She took a deep breath and continued, "I never thought an Addams would be the one who'd actually help her wolf out...nor that she would find a mate in you..."
Wednesday was taken aback and frowned at Yoko slightly offended.
"Not like that Wends! I meant...I heard so many stories about the Addams's that it surprised me! I...I mean no offense, honestly." Yoko said apologetically.
"None taken. I am...I am thankful that you could care for Enid in a way...She deserves a better family, better treatment, she is a majestic being and has a beautiful unbreakable soul..." Wednesday's curse taking its toll once more.
Yoko smiled, "Hence, why I'm glad it is your family she's going into..."
Wednesday stared at her surprised, an eyebrow lifted.
"Don't look so surprised, you'll hurt your expressionless face!" Yoko giggled, "Yes, I've met...many Addams's in my lifetime... You are all very passionate and care for your families. You protect each other more than any vampire clan or werewolf pack out there! I wouldn't want my Pup to go to any other family than yours...You're both lucky to have found each other." Yoko was beyond thankful for Wednesday.
And so, she did the unthinkable...Wednesday stood up and offered Yoko a hug... It was Yoko's turn to be surprised. She stood up and hugged her, an honest, respectful hug. "You better not break her heart Addams, or I'll kill you myself..." She whispered in her ear.
"I would not dream of such atrocity; this I promise you." Wednesday hugged tighter, sealing the promise.
They broke apart feeling a lot had been lifted off their chests. Wednesday feeling honored she had Yoko's approval and Yoko felt she could trust Wednesday with her precious child...
Wednesday smirked, "Yoko, how old are you?"
Yoko laughed fully, "Wouldn't you want to know...I'm 17..." She said giggling, her playful demeanor coming back.
"How long have you been 17?" Wednesday pushed, a dimpled smile showing.
Yoko pondered, "Ummm, around...200 years...give or take..." she shrugged smugly.
"Ah..." Wednesday finally got her answer...