:=: Maria :=:

Maria glanced across the waiting room, where Sadie and Jenny were sitting with the tall enby. Kara was normally a little quiet and awkward around strangers, but they were doing a good job talking with the two girls, keeping them occupied.

Amanda was currently in the hospital room around the corner, visiting with her boyfriend. Ben had been in the ICU since Monday evening when Amanda had been grabbed. Last night though, his condition had suddenly, miraculously improved. Maria knew someone from the coven must have paid the boy a visit, with a gift of healing magic.

Today was Friday, and with Ben out of intensive care and able to have visitors, Amanda had begged to come to the hospital and see him. She needed to let him know she was ok. Nicole and Kara had come as well, in part because none of them were sure yet if Amanda and Sadie were safe, and also because Maria needed to know what was happening with the girls' mother.

Nicole was seated next to Maria, and the short goth said quietly "Ok Maria. Rather than me relaying everything, She'll just speak with you directly."

Maria gulped a little, but nodded "Thank you Nikki." Despite being part of the coven for just over two years now, she still found it a bit frightening whenever she met the Goddess.

She watched as Nikki's eyes drifted closed for a half second or so. When they opened, the blue in her eyes was a little more pronounced, a little brighter. The Goddess was keeping things subtle, Her eyes weren't quite glowing, but there was perhaps a little extra sparkle in them.

She shifted a little in the hard plastic seat, Her back straightening. She asked softly "You have some questions for Me, Maria?"

"Yes ma'am." Maria replied, keeping her voice low. "About the girl's mother... Did Liz really have to 'die'? Even though the girls know she's not really dead, it's... They're very upset about the situation."

"Yes Maria," the Goddess replied. "Elizabeth was a threat to all of us, and she could no longer be trusted with her children. Her passing made it easier to transfer custody of the girls to you."

Maria sighed softly, but nodded. "They still need to have her back, they want to see her again. Jenny especially, she wants to know when Liz is coming back home." She gulped then added, "I was hoping it'd be before the funeral tomorrow..."

The Goddess shook Her head slightly, "Elizabeth will return home tomorrow afternoon, after the funeral."

"I see." Maria sighed again. "May I ask, what you're going to do to her? Or what have you already done? I know she made a lot of mistakes, but she's still their mother... And I don't think she really meant to hurt them..."

The Goddess replied, "Elizabeth and I have had some long conversations. You are correct that she did not intentionally set out to hurt her children. However, she did put her own desires ahead of the needs of her children. And when that led to conflict, she chose to drive them away or abandon them, and focused instead on her own immediate happiness."

"Unfortunately, that's not uncommon." Maria sighed. "So what's going to happen to Liz?"

"I helped her to understand the effects her actions had on her family." The Goddess stated. "I let her experience Jennifer's confusion and despair, at seeing one sister exiled and then the other abandoned and ignored. Jennifer hadn't realized that she would be next, she clung to the belief that her mother would change her mind and allow the older girls back into her heart. I made sure Elizabeth experienced the sense of hope that Jennifer held in her heart."

She continued, "And then I shared with her Amanda's experience of being taken, and the terror she felt that her kidnappers would soon have Sadie in their grasp as well. Elizabeth saw that when freed from her restraints, Amanda's first thoughts and words were of her twin, as she warned Nicole that Sadie was also in danger. Elizabeth experienced that love and the bond Amanda has for Sadie."

Maria nodded slowly, as the Goddess kept talking quietly.

"And finally, I let Elizabeth experience the pain that Sadie felt, when she realized her sisters were both suffering and in need of a strong, loving parent. And her grief at realizing she'd abdicated her responsibilities as their father. Elizabeth understood that the person Sadie most needed to protect Amanda and Jennifer from, was herself."

There was a short awkward silence as Maria thought all of that through. Finally she asked, "Ok... So what's going to happen to Liz then, after all that?"

The Goddess replied, "I proposed an outcome to Elizabeth that would see her return to her family, and she agreed to it. She will rejoin the girls tomorrow afternoon, but she will have a fresh start. She will not be in a position of responsibility or authority."

"Ok..." Maria nodded slowly. "Will Liz remember what happened to her? What happened to the girls?"

"No," the Goddess shook her head. "Not for some time. Her memories will eventually return, after she has had time to grow and learn."

The Goddess added, "When Elizabeth returns tomorrow, she will be confused and vulnerable. She will know her girls, and she will know you. Beyond that, things will take time for her."

Maria sighed a little. "I understand. May I ask, where has she been since Tuesday night?"

"Elizabeth has been with me, in Llis Dôn." The Goddess glanced at the door to Ben's room, "Amanda's time with her friend is almost over. I will take my leave, Maria."

"Thank you for talking with me, ma'am." Maria whispered.

A moment later, Amanda emerged from Ben's room. She had some tears in her eyes, but they looked like happy tears. Maria got up and moved to her niece, to make sure the girl was all right.

:=: Elizabeth :=:

Beth found herself sitting alone at a kitchen table. She looked around quietly. She recognized the kitchen, but she wasn't sure why. She must have been here before, but she couldn't remember when.

It was a large kitchen, and the table was big too. There were six chairs around it. One at either end, and two on each side. She was sitting on one of the chairs to the side.

She glanced down at herself, and noticed she was wearing a pink track-suit and white running shoes. She unzipped the hoodie and saw her purple t-shirt. Beth frowned a little, she wasn't a fan of this outfit. And she could feel her hair was done in a ponytail too. Between the pink clothes and the ponytail, she was worried it all made her look like a little kid again.

Then the sound of some voices nearby distracted her. The voices were coming from another room. There were two doors out of the kitchen. One was open, and she could see through it out to a hall, and beyond that was the front door.

The other door was closed, and the voices seemed to be coming from that direction. Somehow Beth knew that second door led to a living-room.

Beth looked around again, and noticed there were two newspaper clippings on the table across from her. She reached over and pulled them closer so she could read them. The larger of the two was a news report, about a car being fished out of the river. There was even a picture of a little red sports car with mud and muck on it. It was next to the water, with police all around it.

Beth frowned as she read the text. It was dated a few days ago, from Wednesday. It reported that witnesses saw the car go into the river late Tuesday night. The police were called and the car was pulled out, and there was someone inside. The police had identified the person as a local woman, named Elizabeth Watson. The police said she was driving too fast and lost control of the car.

That was weird. Beth's full name was also Elizabeth Watson.

Beth's frown deepened as she looked at the smaller clipping. It was an obituary for the same person. It said Elizabeth Watson left behind three teenage girls. Twins Amanda and Sadie were seventeen, and younger daughter Jennifer was thirteen. The clipping also mentioned the funeral, which was to be held Saturday at noon.

That was today. Beth looked around and spotted the clock on the oven. It was three o'clock now, so the funeral was over.

She could still hear the voices in the living-room, and she recognized them now. It was the three sisters that the obituary mentioned, Jenny, Amanda, and Sadie. They probably just got home from the funeral. There was also a fourth voice, an older voice. Beth knew that was aunt Maria, but she wasn't sure how she knew that.

She moved the two newspaper clippings back to where they'd originally been on the table, and frowned. She still wasn't sure why she was here. She couldn't actually remember how she got here, or where she'd been before she was here.

Beth had a funny feeling that the clippings were about her. She also suspected the kitchen looked familiar because this was her home. But she definitely wasn't dead. And she sure wasn't a grown-up lady with three kids. She'd only just turned thirteen.

She frowned again. She knew she'd just turned thirteen, but she couldn't actually remember having a party, or any cake. She wasn't even sure exactly when her birthday was, what date it was. Then she glanced at the newspaper clippings again, and realized she knew when it was.

It had been on Tuesday, on the nineteenth of September. Her birthday was the same day that other Elizabeth Watson died.

Beth could hear the people in the other room moving now. They were coming this way, coming to see her.

She knew she'd be living here with them, and somehow she knew in a couple days she'd be going to high-school with the other girls. She was in grade nine, same as Jenny.

And somehow, she had a vague feeling like this is the way things were supposed to be.

:=: Maria :=:

Maria watched as the three sisters sat down in the living-room. All three of them settled onto the sofa together, with Jenny in the middle and Amanda and Sadie on either side of her.

All of them were looking sombre. Ashley and Sadie were in matching black dresses, and Jenny was wearing a similar black dress too. Maria was dressed in black as well. They'd all just returned home from the funeral.

She sighed as she stood there looking at her nieces.

These past couple weeks had been hell for the three girls, and Maria was proud of how they'd stuck together. The funeral had been especially difficult for the sisters, in part because all three knew their mom wasn't really dead. They didn't actually know yet what had happened to their mother, and that uncertainty was hard on them.

On the other hand, Sadie had finally been able to move back home again. She and her sisters were all very happy about that, the girls had missed each other. They'd all been off school since Tuesday, taking the time to grieve and adjust, as well as to just spend time together again, after the week they'd been forced apart.

This last week hadn't been easy on Maria either of course. She'd basically moved in with them when Sadie had come home. Maria had been looking after the three sisters since their mother's 'death'. She knew she'd be getting full custody of the girls soon, and her nieces seemed ok with that too.

The girls had all been told of course, about everything that happened. Not only the events from last Tuesday, but also everything that had led to up to it. They knew that their mother hadn't meant to put them in danger, but when she found out what had happened, Liz hadn't shown any remorse about it. And that she'd been more worried about the man who'd been responsible, than for her own children.

Amanda and Sadie had both been shocked and horrified, but neither had been very surprised. They'd both seen how Liz had been behaving lately. Jenny took it harder, but both her sisters were helping her and supporting her.

After visiting her boyfriend in hospital yesterday, Amanda finally seemed to be feeling a little better. And Ashley had visited Sadie a couple times over the past few days as well. She'd also been at the funeral today with her parents.

Now it was time to start looking ahead, and hopefully getting all their lives back to some kind of normal.

Maria still hadn't sat down yet. With the girls all on the sofa, that just left the big leather chair, and the two wingback chairs. The wingbacks had been Liz's favourite seats, and the leather chair was their father's. It didn't feel right to Maria for her to take either spot. She didn't want to make it seem like she was trying to replace either of their parents, so she just remained standing for now.

She took a deep breath, then finally spoke, addressing the girls in a soft tone.

"Jenny, Amanda, Sadie... I'm really proud of all three of you." Maria gave them a small smile. "The way you've all stuck together and supported each other... It's really touched my heart."

The girls just nodded quietly.

Jenny asked, "When's mom coming back?"

Maria sighed slightly. "Your mother... Elizabeth, will be joining us again very soon. Like we talked about last night though... She's not really going to be your mom any more..."

Sadie put an arm around her younger sister and said, "Things are gonna be different Jenny. Like it was with me. I'm not your dad any more but I'm still here. Liz won't be 'mom' any more, but she's still gonna be with us. Still part of the family."

Maria nodded slowly, then explained, "She's not going to... She won't remember as much as Sadie does. She'll know the three of you of course, she'd never forget you. But please try to keep that in mind ok? When she arrives, she's probably going to be a little confused, and maybe feel a little scared and lost. So at first, please try to stay calm and quiet, and let her get comfortable? And if she seems upset or overwhelmed, try to give her some space, all right?"

The three sisters nodded quietly.

Maria was about to say something else, when she noticed that the door between the living-room and kitchen was closed. She could sense something beyond it, a little hint of magic.

She looked back to her nieces and said softly, "She's here now, girls. I'm going to go and see her first, then you can come in after I've had a minute or two with her, ok?"

The girls nodded again, and Sadie offered, "If you need help, or if she needs help... I've been through a similar adjustment right? I'll do what I can..."

Maria hesitated, then said "Thanks Sadie. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling she's not going to remember anything about your transformation last summer."

"Oh..." Sadie said quietly.

Maria added, "She won't remember anything about magic or witchcraft, so best not to mention any of that at all, ok?"

The girls all nodded again.

"Thank you." Maria then moved towards the door to the kitchen. She could hear the girls following, though she knew they'd hold back a bit and let her talk with Elizabeth alone first.

:=: Sadie :=:

Sadie waited with Amanda and Jenny. They were standing just inside the living-room, but close to the door into the kitchen. As they waited, they could hear aunt Maria speaking quietly with Liz.

Sadie couldn't make out what they were saying, but she knew Liz was younger now. She wasn't sure how young, the voices were almost whispers.

It was going to be another strange adjustment for all of them, and she was feeling anxious about it. A thought crossed her mind and she almost laughed. She realized it was a good thing aunt Maria was living with them now because they'd all need therapy after this mess.

Finally Maria called from the kitchen, "Ok girls, you can come in now."

Sadie followed Jenny and Amanda into the kitchen, and all three sort of stopped in their tracks and stared a bit.

Maria was sitting at the end of the kitchen table where their mom used to sit. There was a young blonde girl sitting in the chair to Maria's right.

Elizabeth was a lot younger than Sadie had expected. She looked a little younger than Jenny now, only about twelve or thirteen. Sadie realized that had to have been intentional. Making Liz the youngest in the family ensured she'd have no authority, no say or control over anything or anyone.

Sadie didn't mean to stare but it was really hard to take her eyes off the girl's face. She wasn't exactly like a younger Liz, but the resemblance was unmistakable. And anyone seeing her and Jenny together would assume they were sisters. They had the same fair skin, light blonde hair, and blue eyes.

The young Liz was looking a bit confused, a bit uneasy, as she stared back at Sadie and her sisters.

Maria said softly, "Jenny, Amanda, Sadie? This is Beth. She's going to be staying here with all of us."

=:= Amanda =:=

"Wait what's that doing in there?!" Sadie asked, sounding exasperated.

Aunt Maria looked and sounded flustered as she admitted, "I don't even know what that is, Sadie."

The brunette teen sighed, "You've never cooked a turkey before, have you aunt Maria?"

Amanda was doing her best not to collapse in a fit of giggles. It was thanksgiving, and aunt Maria wanted to organize a proper turkey dinner, but things weren't going very well at the moment.

She and her sisters had figured out fairly quickly that their aunt had only a passing familiarity with kitchens and cooking. It was almost three weeks since their aunt had moved in with them, and so far most of the meals had been prepared by either herself or Sadie. The nights where it was their aunt's turn to cook were the nights that they wound up ordering in pizza or Chinese food.

Despite her inexperience, aunt Maria wanted to make thanksgiving a big fancy family meal. She said it would be a good experience, that it would help make things feel a little more normal for all of them.

Now Sadie was poking at the turkey with a butcher knife and a large fork as she said, "Ok I'm just gonna..."

"No don't!" aunt Maria exclaimed.

Amanda was biting her tongue trying not to laugh out loud as she watched her sister and aunt struggling to deal with the half-cooked bird. Finally she couldn't take it any more, and spoke up. "Ok I think you two have had your turn. At this rate you're gonna give us all food poisoning."

She stepped forward, shooing them both aside. "Aunt Maria, why don't you go keep Jenny and Beth company. Sadie you stay here, I'll need your help."

Her shoulders slumped in defeat, aunt Maria just nodded. "Thanks Amanda. Call me if there's anything I can do to help."

Sadie looked defeated too as she stepped aside. "It's all yours, sis."

"It was a good try, you two." Amanda told them, trying to be diplomatic. "For xmas, maybe all three of us can work on the turkey together, so everyone knows what to do." As aunt Maria left the kitchen, Amanda got to work fixing the mess while Sadie watched.

"You know I know how to do this, right sis?" Sadie asked quietly.

Amanda smirked, "Maybe, but watching you and aunt Maria bickering and stuff was like..." Her voice trailed off, as she realized Sadie might not appreciate what she'd been about to say.

Her sister already guessed where she was going though, and asked "We were arguing like brother and sister?"

"Sorry sis." Amanda blushed a little as she continued sorting out the turkey.

Sadie gave her a little smile, "It's ok Amanda. You're right." As she watched, she smirked and whispered "Still, who'd have believed a witch could be so bad at cooking! I always thought witches were supposed to be like, kitchen geniuses or something."

Amanda glanced behind them to make sure Beth wasn't around to hear. Then she whispered back, "There weren't any recipes in that big old book. I don't think our kind of witchcraft involves much cooking."

Just over a week ago at the last the full moon, aunt Maria had taken Amanda, Sadie, and Ashley back to her friends' home on the vineyard. The three teens had been initiated and made part of the coven, and now they were all learning magic together. Aunt Maria said it was because there was still some concern that the twins might be in danger from the people who'd kidnapped Amanda and almost killed Ben.

So Amanda and her sister were learning some defensive spells, and being part of the coven meant it would be easier for the other witches to find them and help them if there was any trouble. There hadn't been any threats against Ashley, but she was included since she already knew about the coven and magic.

Finally Amanda had the turkey sorted out and most of the stuffing shoved back into place. She put the lid back on the roasting pan, and looked to her twin. "Ok Sadie, I need your help getting it back in the oven please. This thing's heavy!"

A few hours later, the kitchen was crowded as all five of them were busy getting everything ready.

Sadie was carving the turkey, laying the meat out on a serving platter. Amanda was making the mashed potatoes. There was squash in the oven, and some dinner rolls were warming up in there as well. Jenny was making a salad, and even Beth was there, standing infront of the stove.

Amanda had showed her how to make the gravy, and now the shy young blonde was stirring it and watching as it thickened. Aunt Maria had been given the job of setting the dining room table and getting the drinks ready.

It was a little bit of chaos, but everyone was cooperating and working together. It felt like without anyone specifically saying it, they'd all decided to team up and make thanksgiving dinner a success. Amanda had taken the lead and was giving instructions, but everyone was doing their part and nobody argued or made a fuss.

"Um... Amanda?" Beth asked quietly. "Does this look right?"

Amanda had a look then nodded, "That's perfect, Beth. Just turn the heat off, and keep stirring it for now please." She watched as the young blonde nodded and followed her instructions.

That was something they were all still slowly getting used to. It was just over two weeks since Beth had returned to them. Amanda thought at first it was going to be sort of like when dad had become Sadie, but this turned out to be completely different.

Sadie knew who she'd been and even though she mostly looked and acted like Amanda's twin sister, there was still enough of dad in there too, that Amanda felt like she knew her and was comfortable around her. With Beth, the poor girl seemed constantly lost and confused. It was hard to guess what stuff she already knew or remembered, and what she didn't.

They were all doing their best to make her feel welcome though, and bit by bit, Beth had been slowly opening up and growing more comfortable with them. Just having her helping with the cooking, standing in a busy crowded kitchen today was a big step forward. Even if it felt a little weird to Amanda to be teaching Beth how to make the gravy. It wasn't that long ago when mom had taught Amanda how to do that.

Soon enough, the side dishes were all ready and the turkey was fully carved. Everyone helped carry the food out into the dining room, then they all got seated.

Maria was at the head of the table, where dad used to sit. Mom's seat on the other end was empty. Sadie sat on aunt Maria's left, and Amanda sat next to her twin. Across from Sadie, Jenny was sitting to aunt Maria's right, and Beth was next to her, across from Amanda.

The food was passed around the table, everyone loaded up their plates, and soon they were all eating. The meal started out a little quiet, but before long there was talking, and then a little joking. Jenny teased Sadie about her part in the narrowly-averted turkey disaster, and Sadie teased back that making a salad barely counted as 'cooking'. Both her sisters were smiling of course, it was all in good fun.

Amanda couldn't help comparing today to past holidays. Last thanksgiving mom was sitting at the head of the table, Sadie and Amanda in their usual spots, and aunt Maria had sat next to Jenny. Mom had been quiet and stressed. She wasn't especially friendly to Sadie, and she'd been even colder toward aunt Maria. There'd always been the usual bouts of family arguing, but it was a little nastier last year. That wasn't a very fun thanksgiving, actually.

The year before, mom and dad were sitting at their spots at opposite ends of the table, aunt Maria had been sitting by herself on one side of the table, and Jenny sat next to Amanda on the other side. Though that was when everyone still thought Jenny was a boy and she still used her old name. That thanksgiving had been a bit nicer, though Amanda realized mom was still uptight even back then. And of course there had still been the usual arguments.

Amanda's thoughts returned to the present as Beth quietly said to aunt Maria, "I learned to make gravy today... I'm sure you can learn to cook too, aunt Maria. Amanda and Sadie can teach you." Then the young blonde smiled slightly, letting them all know she was teasing as well.

Aunt Maria smiled and blushed while the girls all giggled a little. Suddenly Amanda felt like this was going to be the best thanksgiving in a long time. Everyone seemed happy, the food was pretty good, and there'd be pumpkin pie and ice-cream for dessert later.

Things had been weird and sometimes difficult for over a year, and last month was hell, but it felt like things were going to be better now. Amanda smiled as she looked around the table at her strange family, and decided they were going to be all right.

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