Agatha Alistair.

Delaney woke up to the constant banging of the front door. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she grunted as she felt her whole body ache. She looked around only to find out she had slept in Malcolm's office. She massaged the back of her neck, as she got up and stretched her back.

The knock on the door turned to an impatient bang, and she made her way down the stairs. "I'm coming!" she shouted, annoyed.

"Do you want to knock down the door–" her words trailed off and her brows furrowed. "Collins?" Surprise was evident in her eyes as she stared at the man in front of her. His gaze faltered and she realised her chest was exposed. She sighed as she clutched the blouse tightly, then her annoyance returned.

"What do you want?" she asked curtly.

Collins was quiet, observing her disheveled appearance. Her hair was all over her face, her clothes unkempt and scrunched up. Having being together with the woman since childhood, he knew her like the back of his hand and he could tell she had been drinking.

"Delaney," his voice was heavy as he reached out to take her hand but she avoided it, glaring at him with hostility.

"Don't you have a family to look after? Does your wife know you came to find me?" her voice was as cold as ice and he clenched his jaw at the mention of his wife.

"I just want us to talk." he squeezed the words between gritted teeth.

"You and I have nothing to talk about... brother-in-law," she said sarcastically, and he snapped. He grabbed her hand forcefully and pushed her inside the house, using his leg to lock the door. Delaney was caught by surprise, and wasn't able to react in time. She had mixed feelings, staring up at the tall figure pushing her against the wall.

This man who was now her brother-in-law was once the only hope she had in life. He was the promise of better days and she had once thought she would get a happy ending. At the age of twenty three, she thought she would be married and living away from her abusive step-mother. But who knew fate had different plans.

"Delaney," his deep, masculine voice interrupted her thoughts and she snapped back to her senses. "Let go of me." she said calmly.

"Sorry I... " he stepped away but still held her gaze. Delaney walked around him, fixing her buttons.

Staring at her back, Collins cleared his throat and hesitated before asking, "Who was that man accompanying you?" Delaney's back stiffened as she remembered her last encounter with Xander. Shaking off the disturbing feeling, she tried to focus on the question and her lips turned up slightly.

"Is that why you are here?" she asked, turning around to face him. "It is none of your business. I can be accompanied by whomever I want."

Collins' hands balled into fists. Her hazel eyes with blue flecks stared at him like a stranger and he felt his hands tremble lightly.

"Delaney listen. I really didn't mean to hurt you. You know I would never betray you, I love you. Your sister plotted against us and you know it." he stated in one breath. Delaney folded her arms across her chest. This was not the first time she heard those words and every time she looked into hid eyes, all she could see was sincerity, but so what? Even if Angela and Elsie plotted against them, nothing could be done. He was now someone's husband and a father to be.

"I know nothing Collins," she said in a cold voice. Her eyes were like a deep, bottomless pit. They were emotionless and it was hard to tell what she was feeling or thinking. "You made your choice, go on and take care of your family. You have a child on the way now," a sad smile appeared on her stoic face, piercing Collins' heart and breaking it to a thousand pieces.

"Leave." her voice was stern and she held out the door for him. Collins stared at her in dissapointment, but he still tried to reach out for her. "Delaney–"

"Stop Collins!" she cut him off, "I don't want to know your reasons. It won't fix anything so just leave," she said, her eyes lowered.

Collins eyes were fixed on her face, trying to gauge any slight hesitation but he sighed when she didn't raise her head. He walked out quietly, and he heard the door slammed shut behind him.

Delaney didn't move, even after she heard footsteps fading away. She shut her eyes tightly, her hand moving to comb back her hair. 'You have to let go Delaney. There's nothing you can do.' she comforted herself, even patting her chest in a comforting manner.

*****

Mrs Wade waited until dusk fell, to leave her house. She took a black shawl and covered her face, then carried a lantern on her way out. Walking across the alleys of Gatria, she was very cautious and kept glancing behind her to see if she was being followed.

She reached her destination, at a house located at the end of a dark alley. The building consisted of many small houses but they were all quiet. She reached out with one hand and knocked on the wooden door. A middle aged woman appeared, dressed in a long blue dress. Her waist length raven black hair glowed under the moonlight and her bronze skin was radiant, giving the woman a youthful look.

"Agatha?" she called in surprise. Confusion, surprise and joy swirled in her eyes and her lips stretched to a smile, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Will you let me in?" Agatha Wade's face remained stern, as she asked.

"Yes, yes come in. Why are you here at this time?" the woman asked, stepping away to let her in. The house was just as she remembered. She remained at the door, as the woman walked around her. Her eyes scanned the small room and tears welled up in her eyes.

The room was dimly lit by camdles, which illuminated the surroundings. There were different types of plants, poisonous, medical ones, edible ones. The floor was covered with a brown mat, and the only furniture in the room was a wooden table and a single chair at the corner.

Agatha placed her lantern on the table then went to sit on the mat, legs crossed. The woman sat across her in the same manner, leaving some space between them.

"Lydia, I need your help." Agatha said, her voice sounding anxious.

Lydia sneered, "You won't even pretend to be polite. Alright then, what can I do for you, Agatha?" Lydia's words were hostile, and she didn't try to cover it up. Agatha didn't refute her either. She knew her anger was justified but that was not what brought her there.

"It's about Delaney." she said and she saw Lydia's features darken. It was a slight change but it didn't escape Agatha's skeptical gaze.

"Didn't I ask you to bring her here? But what did you do, you decided to take the matter in your own hands and now what?" her voice hardened as she reprimanded Agatha.

Agatha Wade was her senior. Before she got married, they had lived together harmoniously. She had always looked up to her. Her name was Agatha Alistair but when people started turning against them and calling them names, Agatha abandoned them and decided to marry an aristocrat. A man who could protect her when the people of Gatria decided to condemn the witches.

Since then, she had never set foot in that house. Enemity started to form, between them and other witches but Lydia always had a soft spot for her. All the other witches had been caught and killed but she managed to survive. Their sisterly bond was crushed and she had no choice but to leave behind their practices.

"Lydia, you cannot stay angry forever. I had no choice, you know that." her voice was barely a whisper as tears choked her.

"You had no choice? We all had no choice. Maybe if we had stayed together, the rest could have survived. Now look where we are Agatha. Delaney would be safe with us if you had decided to look back even for a minute." Her voice became loud and she took a deep breath to suppress the anger rising within her.

The room turned quiet, as the two women stared at each other silently. Agatha's lips pressed to a thin line. "Delaney would not be safe with you. We cannot protect her."

"Then why are you here?"

Agatha's hands gripped the hem of her dress and her eyes moved around anxiously. "What is it?" Lydia asked, noticing her behaviour.

"I... I need you to summon Anastasia." Time seemed to freeze that instant and Lydia stared at her incredulously.

"What?!" she felt like she might have misheard her. "What did you say?" she asked again.

"I need you... to summon Anastasia. We need her."