Chapter Text
When they finally got back to the house, Wednesday realized they’d been gone a lot longer than she had anticipated. Their return had been delayed further as they had stopped at the store on the way back, her parents insisting that they buy something festive to celebrate the occasion. Wednesday herself didn’t really enjoy food all that much at the moment, of course, but in the end she picked out a large box of ice cream with multi-colored sprinkles that she knew Enid would love.
She had barely had time to get out of the car when the front door opened and Enid and Pugsley appeared side by side, eyes wide with anxiety.
Lurking in the shadows behind the youngsters, out of sight from the rest of the family, was Uncle Fester. The 3 hours they’d been gone had been pure torture. His heart was pounding so fast he wasn’t sure what to do. He was worried he might need to electrocute himself to get it to slow down. Not wanting to crowd Wednesday in case the news was bad, he kept a low profile while he analyzed their body language in hopes of guessing how things had gone.
Seeing the worried faces on her girlfriend and her brother, Wednesday didn’t want to torture them longer than possible.
“I believe the words she used was ‘healthy as a horse’”, she said.
Her words were met by stunned silence, and it wasn’t until a smile graced her lips that the message seemed to finally get through. Enid covered her mouth with both hands before she broke free of the position she’d been frozen in, rushed down the steps and threw her arms around Wednesday. Pugsley in the meantime, was squished in a hug between both his parents.
After a while, Wednesday realized that Enid was trembling in her arms, and she heard the soft sound of her sobs.
“Hey, I said it was good news”, she mumbled to her.
Enid just adjusted her arms so that she was hugging her even tighter. A moment later, more arms wrapped around them both as Morticia, Gomez, Pugsley as well as Uncle Fester, emerged from the shadows, joined in. Though the air was charged with every emotion between heaven and hell, all of their hearts were lighter than they had been in a long time.
“Okay, so Eugene, obviously”, Enid listed. “Yoko and Xavier will want to come as well. And can we please invite Bianca? I know the two of you haven’t exactly gotten along in the past, but I promise, she’s not as bad as you think! She’s actually really missed you while you’ve been gone.”
“Fine”, Wednesday said. “If it will make you happy.”
They were out walking on the nature trail close to Wednesday’s house. Determined to get her energy back as fast as possible, she’d decided it was best to start following the doctor’s advice as soon as possible. An hour had passed since she’d held a sobbing Enid in her arms, and those difficult emotions seemed to have left her, leaving room only for happiness. The werewolf was practically skipping beside her. She was so excited, she constantly ended up a couple of steps ahead of Wednesday, and she had to remind herself that her roommate could not keep the same pace at the moment.
“Who else?” Enid asked. “We need more people! This celebration needs to be huge!”
“It does not matter to me who comes”, Wednesday answered.
Enid gave her a frustrated stare.
“Maybe not, but at some point you’ll have to accept that you actually matter to them”, she said. “People really like you, Wednesday. You should let them come and celebrate.”
Wednesday kicked a rock on the ground. She knew she would regret her words before she even spoke them.
“I allow you to invite anyone you want.”
Enid’s eyes gleamed with such excitement, Wednesday was afraid she might explode. She was most definitely going to regret this.
Saturday morning was spent making the last preparations for the party. Gomez had taken the girls shopping for everything they needed the previous day, Morticia and Pugsley had helped with decorations and Uncle Fester had spent all evening in the kitchen.
In the end, 12 of their classmates were coming to the manor: Eugene, Yoko, Xavier, Ajax, Bianca, Rowan, Lucas, Tyler, Divina and Kent as well as Naeema and Lou, who had been Wednesday and Enid’s teammates in the Poe Cup.
Wednesday had objected at first when Enid suggested they invite that many people, where would they all even sleep? But her parents, enthusiastic to have a proper celebration, assured her there was room for everyone. Lurch had taken off early in the morning to pick up the teenagers from Nevermore. Since more people were coming than could fit in the car, they had debated how the remaining 4 people would get there. The solution to their problem had come in an unexpected way, when Principal Weems had volunteered to drive the remaining students there and back.
Wednesday had been confused at first.
“Why would she make such an offer?” she had asked her mother. “How is she even aware of the celebration?”
“It came up when we spoke on the phone the other night”, had been her mother’s answer.
This had shocked Wednesday deeply.
“Why were you talking to her?” she had asked, making a face of disgust.
Morticia had chuckled.
“Because she’s my friend”, she’d explained.
Wednesday had frozen in her horrified expression. It was hard to imagine something worse than your parent being close friends with your principal.
“Since when?” she’d breathed.
“Well”, Morticia had sighed. “She’s been reaching out lately. Sometimes, mothers need to be able to open up a little to someone too, you know.”
When Wednesday had thought about how much it had meant for her to be able to get emotional support from Enid, she supposed she couldn’t deny her mother the same thing. But she was still going to be salty about it.
“Couldn’t you have picked anyone else”, she’d grumbled.
Flash forward to present day, she had come to some sort of acceptance about the fact that her principal was coming to her party (after all, it was the reason all 12 of her classmates were going to make it), and as her and Enid prepared the games she had envisioned in the back yard, she thought of ways Principal Weems could be humiliated in them.
Even though it was still January, Wednesday had insisted they be outdoors. The air was a few degrees above freezing, and Wednesday was disappointed to see the sun was out, but she knew her guests would prefer it.
When they were satisfied with their preparations, Wednesday and Enid sat down on the stone pillars on each side of the front steps to wait for their guests to arrive. They both had their pockets filled with the ginger candies that Wednesday used to have while she was undergoing chemo, taking turns attempting to throw them into each other’s mouths. Her parents had stocked up on a lifetime supply of them when they figured out how affective they were, and now that she was done with her treatments, she figured her and Enid could snack on them instead. Miraculously enough, she still liked them, unlike a lot of other things she’d had while she felt her worst.
When the Addams car eventually rolled up in the driveway, it was a somewhat surreal experience to see her classmates get out one after another. Bianca got out first, followed by Lucas, Tyler, Xavier and Rowan, then Kent and Divina and lastly Yoko.
Squinting in the bright daylight, the vampire held her sunglasses in place with one hand as she leaned her head back and took in the tall building in front of her.
“Shit, Wednesday. Your family is loaded”, she said. “I mean, I guess I should have guessed by the hearse and the butler, but still.”
Enid jumped down from the pillar she’d been perched on and ran up to greet her friend with a hug, while Wednesday slowly slipped down and approached her classmates with more hesitance.
“Thanks for the invitation”, Bianca said to Wednesday. “I have to say, I kind thought you’d lost your mind when I got it.”
“I was forced to arrange this celebration”, Wednesday said matter-of-factly, and then, turning towards the rest, she added: “By no means make yourselves at home.”
This was met with a chuckle from several of her guests. They were all starting to see her in another light. When you took away the fear she used to instill, it was easier to see how smart she was, and what a quick-witted sense of humor she had. She was obviously very loyal, too, seeing as she had been kicked out of her old school for getting revenge on her brother’s bullies. And the way she was with Enid… It was pretty clear that there were some definite perks to being in her good books. As creepy as a party at Wednesday’s house would have sounded at the beginning of last semester, they had all been really excited when they got invited.
The first 8 guests had only just started to unload their bags from the trunk when the second car rolled up beside the Addams hearse and the last 4 guests (plus Weems, who Wednesday refused to count as her guest) arrived. Eugene, Ajax, Lou and Naeema all got out, looking equally as stunned by the large mansion before them.
When they started unloading the trunk, Eugene pulled out the unmistakable shape of a beehive. He walked towards Wednesday and placed it by her feet, the buzzing of thousands of bees emitting from it.
“Happy birthday”, he said a little sheepishly, pushing his glasses further up on his nose. “I wanted to keep it as a surprise, but it was kinda hard to disguise... It’s your own colony! You can keep it on your back yard, and while you’re at school you can put it among all the other hives.”
Wednesday saw how eager he was to give her something she might like, and she couldn’t help but feel fondness for him. Looking around, she saw that everyone else seemed to be looking elsewhere at the moment. Quick, before anyone saw, she pulled him into a hug, and then let him go just as quickly.
“Thank you”, she said. “This will come in very handy.”
The guests were all allowed some time to settle in, place their bags in their various guest rooms and wander around a little to discover. But eventually, Wednesday had had enough of their snooping and demanded it was time she got her fun, by torturing them with the games she had planned.
They gathered outside, her parents, brother and Principal Weems joining them too, and everyone was divided into two teams. The only ones not participating were Wednesday herself, and Enid (who she had no intention of torturing), as well as Uncle Fester who was lighting the barbecue to prepare lunch.
A messy 45 minutes followed. From their spot, sitting on top of the steps to the back porch, Wednesday and Enid witnessed their friends dig around live insects for treasures, pop balloons that turned out to be stink bombs and stuff their mouths with a messy goo that tasted like garbage among other things.
Wednesday might usually like to keep her expression indifferent, but during these 45 minutes, the corners of her mouth were drawn into a smile almost non-stop. When Bianca, who really was too competitive for her own good, accidentally ate some mud instead, Enid was lucky enough to get to hear one of those rare laughs she treasured above anything else.
For the finale, the two teams were tied, and though no one outside of the Addams family seemed to have particularly enjoyed the games, most seemed to have gotten into the competitive spirit and were keen on winning this last game. Wednesday brought out a rope, and made the teams get into position for a classic tug of war.
The back yard had turned into a mud field from the games that had taken place, and Divina looked at the ground with skepticism.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen”, she voiced.
Little did she know it was a disaster fully and intentionally planned to happen by the birthday girl herself.
“Take your positions”, Wednesday urged.
Then, Thing pulled the trigger on a start gun and the teams started pulling.
They weren’t allowed to keep playing for long, though. Right when things were most intense, and everyone had their full body weight leaned back, tugging on the rope, a large axe swung up from where it had been planted in the ground and cut the rope in half, making everyone fall over and get covered in mud.
“What the hell, Wednesday!” someone shouted.
“Wait, who won?” Xavier asked.
“These are meaningless party games”, Wednesday responded. “There’s no such thing as winners. Now, I believe Fester has lunch ready. Bonne appetite.”
Her statement was met with many grunts and eyerolls, but the muddy guests started moving towards the barbecue (Principal Weems coat looked completely ruined, which amused Wednesday enormously). Enid stayed by Wednesday’s side, sporting an amused grin.
“What?” Wednesday asked her.
“Meaningless, huh?” she said, smirking so big it made Wednesday nervous. “I definitely saw you smiling earlier.”
“Your point being?”
“That’s not meaningless”, Enid said, wiggling her eyebrows a little. “It’s like the whole point of party games.”
She skipped away before Wednesday got to defend her point, and her father appeared at her side instead.
“Are you enjoying yourself, my little scarecrow?” he asked her.
The joyful gleam in her eyes as she gave him a short nod was the answer he was looking for. He was trying to soak up every second of her being in his presence, while her return to school approached dreadfully fast.
He offered her a bottle of her favorite strawberry juice, which she accepted and drank a little from. He knew that she felt the need to be strong in front of all her friends, but as her parent, he could tell she was tired. The father in him wanted nothing more than to immediately assess exactly how she was doing, and help her feel better in any way that he could.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Is your stomach bothering you?”
“Do you need to lie down and rest a little?”
His questions were left unspoken as he forced himself to let her have this day without his hovering. She was tired, yes. But if cancer hadn’t managed to kill her, neither would one day of fun. He knew this, but it was still going to take some adjustment to get used to a life that didn’t completely revolve around his daughter’s illness.
Instead of voicing his concern, he reached out and cupped her cheek, using the sleeve on his other arm to rub off a little speck of mud that had splashed onto her face.
“You certainly gave your guests a memorable experience”, he complimented her.
“I wasn’t going to let them leave here unscathed”, Wednesday answered, and then shoved the bottle back into his hand.
Filled with pride, he watched as she walked down the steps to help Pugsley clean up a little after the party games.
On the other side of the yard, a few of her classmates had witness the exchange between father and daughter from the line to the barbecue, unable to hear what they were saying, but not missing the way that her father was allowed in her space without getting a single limb chopped off. They were stunned to say the least.
“Can you believe the way she acts around her family?” Bianca said.
They watched as the Addams siblings carried away a small table between them, and saw Wednesday chuckle a little when Pugsley almost dropped it on his own foot.
“She just looks so… normal”, the siren continued.
“I know”, Xavier answered. “It’s crazy to realize she’s actually someone’s kid.”
“I can’t believe I used to be scared of her”, Lucas added.
The day slowly turned into night, and to Wednesday's chagrin, everyone had a blast. They retreated inside when the afternoon came, and people mostly hung around the large living room. When Uncle Fester suddenly brought out a birthday cake and everyone started singing happy birthday, they finally recognized the murderous look in Wednesday's eyes. She was also forced to open gifts from all her guests. The mix of awkwardness and gratitude she felt left her feeling uneasy in a way she wasn't entirely sure if she enjoyed or not.
Her mood did brighten significantly when Kent and Divina started daring each other to try the head crusher torture device that they found in a corner. And though they stopped before they caused any significant damage, they both pulled a few magnificent screams from the other as they took turns torturing each other.
Eugene disappeared halfway through the night, and when Wednesday finally spotted him through the window, he was out on the back porch with Pugsley, showing him a few tricks as he controlled the bees in Wednesday's new hive. Pugsley looked absolutely mesmerized, and Wednesday felt inexplicably warm seeing how well they got along.
Wednesday's parents obediently stayed away. Gomez retreated to the office to read, while Morticia spent the evening chatting with Weems in the kitchen over multiple glasses of wine. Uncle Fester, on the other hand, the guests seemed to find both cool and disturbing, and Wednesday felt no shame showing him off. He was allowed to cater to them throughout the evening, bringing snacks and making sure the background music was spooky enough.
Weirdly enough, his cuisine proved perfect for this specific mix of people. The sirens loved the fried frogs, the vampires absolutely indulged in the deer hearts and Ajax particularly enjoyed his rock cakes.
The atmosphere was great and the party would continue well past midnight but, of course, the birthday girl herself wouldn't be able to stay up that long. She made it almost until 10 before she got up to leave, Enid moving to follow her.
"You know... you're not required to go to sleep already, if you wish to stay up with the others", Wednesday told her.
"You think I'd miss an opportunity to cuddle you to sleep?" Enid said. "No way."
That evening, Wednesday fell asleep in Enid's arms, surrounded by her packed bags and trunks, spending one final night in her childhood bed before her return to Nevermore the following day.
It was truly astonishing, how much could change in a matter of months. As the car rolled up in front of Nevermore, Morticia’s thoughts travelled back to the last time they had dropped Wednesday off. It was only a few months ago, but it felt like an entire lifetime. That time, they had had no idea that she was actually very sick, that the horror they would soon become acquainted with was already growing inside her. They had been blissfully unaware of the fact that she would only be staying at the school for a few weeks, and that the months that ensued would be the worst of their lives.
If it had been hard to let her go then, it was nothing compared to how much it pained her to this time. After living in constant fear of losing her for so long, she wasn’t ready for her baby to move out of the house. She was only 16, after all. If one thing had become clear to her while watching her daughter’s struggle it was that, no matter how tough of a front she put up, she was still a kid. And she did need her family.
They all spilled out of the cars, and the other teens thanked the Addamses for their hospitality before hurrying off. Meanwhile, the whole Addams family, as well as Enid, started making their way towards their dorm in Ophelia Hall, Lurch and Uncle Fester helping to carry her many trunks.
When they reached the dorm, the trunks were placed in a big pile right in the middle of it. Outside the large window, grey clouds filled the sky, and sleet was starting to come down, Wednesday’s favorite weather.
“What a beautiful day", Morticia murmured.
“Can we help you unpack?” Gomez asked his daughter.
“No, Enid and I will do it later on”, was her answer.
Looking around the dorm, Wednesday felt it already felt much more like home with her trunks in place, compared to how empty it had been before Christmas. While this filled her with pleasure, it filled her family with dread as their inevitable farewell came closer and closer.
Just then, Principal Weems appeared in the doorway.
“Looks like you’re ready to get settled again”, she smiled. “I’m so happy to have you back, Wednesday.”
“You’ll take that back soon enough”, Wednesday answered her, but in her eyes there was an almost playful glimmer, that caused the principal’s smile to brighten.
Weems turned to the rest of the family.
“Before you all go, you’re welcome to have lunch”, she said. “Most of the students have already finished eating, but they haven’t cleared everything away yet.”
“Thank you”, Gomez said. “We were going to find something on the road, but this sounds much better.”
It was true, mostly because it allowed him to be with his daughter a little longer.
They left the trunks unopened and all moved towards the cafeteria instead. Wednesday kept her posture straight, unsure of how to respond to all the “welcome back”s and “good to see you!”s that she was met with along the way. She may have found a new appreciation for the people that really mattered to her, but that didn’t mean she cared much for some random teenagers that happened to attend the same school as her.
The only people still eating in the cafeteria were the guests from Wednesday’s party, having arrived moments earlier. A couple of them waved at the Addams bunch, but the family (and Enid, of course, they all considered her family) chose to sit down at another table.
The conversations around the table flowed so normally, it was like they had never left their own dining table back home. Uncle Fester was showing Pugsley how he cooked his own steak using electricity. Gomez and Morticia were both asking the teens a million questions about school, with Enid answering most of them and Wednesday practically none. She was never going to admit it out loud, but she was starting to realize she actually would miss this. Miss spending time around her family like this.
She looked across the table and caught Pugsley staring at her, looking a little down. Raising her eyebrows at him, she urged him to talk.
“You’ll come visit us, right?” was the question on his mind.
He looked like he was actually trying to look unbothered, but his poker face had never been his strongest asset, and he was clearly upset.
“Possibly”, she answered, not wanting to give away how much she would miss him.
Though her family would have liked to draw it out a little longer, the moment eventually came when they had to say goodbye. Their hearts got heavier with each step as they moved towards the grand foyer where they would part ways.
Pugsley hugged Wednesday first. In contrast to when she was being dropped of last semester, her arms snaked around his waist and she returned the hug. In a voice low enough so that no one else would hear she mumbled:
“Yes, I will visit you… And you may use my crossbow while I’m gone.”
She then let him go, before she lost whatever scraps she still had left of her reputation.
Her uncle then swooped in and embraced her tightly.
“If you need anything, you know I can get here fast”, he said. “I’ve decided to refrain from crime for a while, to make sure I’m available. You can call me anytime.”
Wednesday pushed him back to be able to look him in the eye in disbelief. Uncle Fester, following the law, for her? His vow was as remarkable as someone offering to chop off a limb for her.
“You have my humble gratitude”, she said.
Fester stepped out of the way, and soon both her parents were standing in front of her side by side.
“Our little rain cloud”, Gomez said, his voice filled with emotion.
The parents took a slow step forward and gently brough her closer, silently cradling her between them for longer than they had ever hoped she would let them.
As they stood there, Morticia’s mind flashed back to when Wednesday had been at her very worst. The days when she wouldn’t get out of bed, wouldn’t eat, would barely speak to them… Those days, she would have given anything for Wednesday to be healthy enough to go back to school. She should be able to rejoice now that they were finally here, and she was happy. God, she would do absolutely anything to never have to see her kid so sick again. Besides: the next time they saw each other was only to weeks away as Wednesday was coming back for her port removal. But this reasoning did little to erase the heaviness in her heart. Letting her go was painful in a whole new way. She knew a breakdown was inevitable. She just hoped she’d be able to keep it together until the ride home.
Putting just enough space between them to be able to meet her daughter’s eyes, Morticia kept one hand on her shoulder, noticing Gomez was doing the same on the opposite side.
“You know Mrs. Thornhill is responsible for looking out for you girls in Ophelia Hall”, she said, making sure the girl was listening to what she was saying. “She’ll be the person that you can turn to for anything. You have to tell her anything of importance regarding your health. Or, if it’s something you’re not comfortable sharing with her, you call me, okay? It’s one of my conditions for letting you go. If I find out you’ve been keeping things from us that could put your wellbeing in jeopardy I’ll bring you right home again, do you understand?”
Wednesday stared at her in annoyance, but did not make any protests.
“I’ll make sure she does”, Enid beamed from next to them.
Morticia turned towards her.
“Oh Enid, what would we ever do without you”, she said with affection, letting go of Wednesday in order to give the other teen a hug. “You’ll take care of yourself too, right? Or I might just have to come back here and look after you both.”
“Yes”, Enid answered with a chuckle.
Gomez, who still had his arm draped over Wednesday’s shoulder, looked down at her with affection.
“Don’t forget to have fun”, he said.
Then, he went to give Enid a hug goodbye as well, while Morticia snuck one last hug from her daughter, cradling the back of her head and gently kissing her temple.
“Bye, my darling. I’ll see you next Friday.”
Wednesday and Enid stayed in the open doorway while Wednesday’s family walked out towards the car, having to use all their mental strength to pull themselves away. Pugsley turned around to wave once more before he got in the car and the door closed behind all of them. Enid waved back, and continued to wave until the car was out of sight. When she lowered her hand, it was to grab hold of Wednesday’s.
“What do you wanna do now?” she asked.
In lieu of answering, Wednesday just looked a little pensive as she pulled Enid towards the stairs. They slowly made their way back towards their dorm. Enid watched Wednesday closely, who’s gaze wandered in every direction, seemingly trying to take in every detail. When the door closed behind them and they were finally alone, a calmness settled in the air that Wednesday hadn’t felt in a long time.
She made her way around her many trunks and approached the window, where drops of water were trickling down outside. Her mood was so elated, she turned around and offered Enid a smile. A full, beaming smile.
If Enid had thought she’d gotten used to her heart doing somersaults in Wednesday’s presence, she’d been wrong. Wednesday, here in their shared space, illuminated by the daylight outside the large window, smiling at her like that… Enid felt herself fall in love over and over again.
Her butterflies caused a spring in her step as she approached the breathtaking girl by the window. Unable to take her eyes off of her, she looked at her in a way that made it clear that she would give her the world.
“I love you so much, I don’t even know how it’s possible”, she breathed.
Wednesday, not sure what to do with herself after hearing such a powerful confession, had to swallow down a lump in her throat before she opened her mouth.
“I also… tolerate your presence”, she said.
Enid’s eyes were still glued to her, and while her eyes were filled with every bit as much affection as before, it was clear that she was waiting for something. Wednesday felt the room spin, getting sucked into those hypnotic eyes, and she was hit by how strong her need for Enid had become. Those eyes… she imagined for a second what it would feel like if she ever had to live without them and her heart immediately sped up in panic, making sure she understood the message it was trying to convey: I will break into pieces if that ever happens!
She realized that her previous words were lacking, a very feeble description of how she truly felt. So, with her eyes still deeply immersed in Enid’s, she dared to let her cold and black heart speak its truth.
“And I love you.”