𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄━︎━︎ Marvel ✓︎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞

CHAPTER TWELVE:
❝︎Not Alone❞︎

RAELYNN MADE HER WAY DOWN THE HALL WITH NATASHA BY HER SIDE. Her nerves were choking her. They were filling her body, sliding up to her throat and circling around her like a boa constructor did when it was slowly killing its prey. How could she look Willow in the eyes after almost killing her? She couldn't. That was the problem. She wouldn't be able to walk into that hospital room and smile like nothing had happened. Like the woman standing in front of Willow hadn't just murdered a few agents and then Willow herself. She couldn't do it.

There was something incredibly wrong with the idea of that even happening. Natasha had said it herself, if someone had tried to murder her she wouldn't ever look their way again. So how could Willow look at her and smile like nothing ever happened? She was hoping that when she entered the room that maybe Willow would yell at her, be angry with her, a normal reaction. And yet, when she came face to face with the door that led to Willow's room, she entered and was frustrated to watch Willow do just the opposite of what she had hoped.

Willow stared at Raelynn for a few moments, watching as the blood examined her cuts and bruises that were usually healed by now because the alien inside her didn't want her host to be damaged. But these were wounds even an alien could not heal, and though that was a little concerning to Willow, she opted to look past it and instead focus all of her attention on Raelynn who looked like she wanted to crawl in a ditch and never be seen again.

"I'm okay, Nat." Willow spoke, dragging her eyes away from Raelynn to look towards her over protective girlfriend who was standing there with tense shoulders and anxiety radiating from her in waves. Willow understood that Natasha only wanted to protect her and to make sure that she was safe, but there was no danger in this room. Because to her Raelynn wasn't a danger. She was simply a woman with a curse that she didn't really have the option to control. It was uncontrollable demon, much like the demon living inside of Willow herself. She understood Raelynn. She's been in this situation before, and Natasha was the one to help her out of it, so now it was Willow's chance to help Raelynn out of her own scenario.

"Raelynn," Willow offered her a gentle smile. "Sit, won't you?" Willow forced herself to sit up in her hospital bed, trying so hard not to wince as pain vibrated through out her entire body from the slight movement. She watched Raelynn hesitate and she playfully rolled her eyes. "Come on. I don't bite. Well, at least, this version of me doesn't." She smirked at the startled look that fell across the blonde's face before watching as she hesitantly sat down in the chair that was placed at Willow's bedside―︎the chair having mostly been occupied by a worried Natasha.

Raelynn watched Willow for a few moments, her eyes narrowing slightly as Willow watched her with curiosity. Willow cocked her head slightly whilst Raelynn just shook hers. Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, not understanding how Willow was so calm in her presence. "I don't get it," Raelynn whispered.

"What's there to get?" Willow quizzed, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the woman. Raelynn bit the inside of her cheek, pursing her lips for a moment before she was shaking her head again and standing up with a scoff of disbelief leaving her mouth. Willow watched her.

"How are you doing that?"

"Doing what? Sitting? Well, it's something we're taught to do when we're like really really little, I'd be concerned if you didn't know how to sit by now."

"No, not sitting!" She snapped. "How―︎how are you even looking at me right now?"

"With my eyes, how else?"

"Cut the jokes, Willow! How are you look at me like I'm your best friend in the whole wide world. I. . ." She struggled to say her next words, jaw clenching as she forced herself to spit them out because they needed to be said. "I almost killed you, Willow. Yet, you're sitting here, looking at me like nothing ever happened. Like me almost killing you was a figment of my imagination. How can you do that?" She paused, guilt washing over her. "I'm ashamed of myself. How are you not looking at me with nothing but fear in your eyes? It just. . . it doesn't make any sense to me." She looked up to meet Willow's eyes, watching with frustration as Willow just smiled again.

"You shouldn't be." Willow told her. "Ashamed, I mean. You shouldn't feel guilty. Because, if we're being honest here, you and I are almost alike. I'm sure you know this by now, but I am not alone. Never have been. Probably never will be. Neither are you. Except the difference between our situations is that I believe that there is a way to actually control that creature living inside your head. It only comes out when you sleep, correct? So what if, when you're asleep, we go in, find what causes it to spawn in the first place, and help it breathe."

"Go in? You mean inside of my head?"

"Yes," Willow nodded. "Only if you want us to, of course. I think you met her only once before when you first came, so I don't know if you remember her. But there is a woman here. Her name is Bethany, prefers her nickname, Beth."

"Yeah, I remember her." Raelynn nodded. "I haven't really seen her around."

"That's because she and Wanda just really got together and they've been attached at the hip since. I have yet to see one without the other since they've gotten together. It's disgustingly cute if I'm being honest with you." She sighed, shaking her head. "Anyways, Beth has the ability to enter people's dreams. I think that if we can get her in there, we can calm down this creature. We can keep people from getting hurt."

Raelynn weighed over her words for a few moments before realization hit her. "You mean. . . you mean, no more deaths?"

Willow smiled as she nodded. "No more deaths."

After a second Raelynn nodded her head in agreement. "Okay. Yeah, let's do it."