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General Alder walked across the campus—hands clasped behind her back, posture impeccable, braid immaculately in place despite the long flight. She and her biddies had just arrived back from The Hague.
She’d been gone almost a week on the trip—glad to finally be home.
She had diplomatic meetings to attend, all of which were dreadfully boring. She couldn’t even be mad at Devon for falling asleep.
‘He wouldn’t shut up!’ came Devon’s immediate defense.
Sarah and the others chuckled in the link.
‘He had no intonation in his speech! So dull,’ she huffed.
Sarah smirked. ‘I do not blame you, Devon, he was remarkably boring.’
Harley scoffed. ‘Remarkably boring my ass. Nothing remarkable about the man.’
Alder hummed her agreement, still smiling to herself.
‘The real question,’ Corinne began slyly, ‘is how long is our dear General going to go before she seeks out the Bellweather unit?’
Alder shot her a glare as the rest of the biddies cackled.
She sniffed. ‘I have no idea what you mean.’
‘Please,’ Harley snickered. ‘You know exactly what we mean…’
‘The chocolate in your luggage says that it knows too…’ Corinne trailed off knowingly.
Alder remained silent. So what if she brought back some Swiss chocolate for Craven…the girl had a major sweet tooth and she knew she would enjoy it.
‘Yes because all the pretty Knowers get chocolate from THE General of the Armed Forces,’ Devon teased.
Alder fixed her with a side glare. ‘I’m about to not let your nap slide…’
“Already off the plane, Sare, try again,” Harley quipped aloud.
Alder sighed as the biddies all tittered their amusement in the link.
In the wake of the severance, she and Tally had begun spending more time with each other. They had established a friendship over the past months, meeting here and there, then to a regular schedule. She knew Tally would always come by after her training finished at the end of the day on Mondays and Wednesdays. She also knew she would come by on Friday afternoons to spend an hour or two with Sarah in her office, just sitting and talking.
She didn’t tell Tally that she had changed her regular meetings to make sure she was free those hours so that the redhead could visit. Her heart would fill with warmth every time she would see her, and electricity would spark whenever they would brush against each other. She wanted to believe it was residual emotions from the severing—but quickly realized it had nothing to do with their former biddy link, and everything to do with her personal connection she’d cultivated with Tally. The separation was hard on them both—completely disorienting and unmooring for Alder, more than she would ever admit to anyone outside her biddies. Even Izadora was not aware how profoundly losing the link to Tally had impacted her.
But the biddies knew and shared in her pain—taking on most of it so that she could continue to work.
Eventually it grew to be too much, and she learned that their connection wasn’t completely gone, merely muted. But the more time she spent with Tally the more alive she felt—the more their connection thrummed in her chest, forcing her to shield Tally from it as much as possible since she had experienced the worst of the severing in seeing her memories and becoming injured.
‘Looks like we don’t have to look far…’ Tessa spoke in the connection, directing the others to follow her line of sight.
Alder’s gaze drifted, spotting the Bellweather unit crossing the quad. A soft smile played on her lips…and then fell when she realized they were missing a member,
She hadn’t meant to approach them. But her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she found herself leading her biddies toward the two members.
“Cadets,” she greeted once she was close enough.
“General,” Collar and Bellweather replied in tandem.
Alder’s brow furrowed. “You’re down a member.”
Abigail frowned. “Yeah, Tally is in the infirmary.”
Alder hummed. Tally always seemed to have a penchant for getting injured.
“Ah,” she replied. A fond smile graced her face. “Did Craven get surprised by a training dummy again?”
The memory surfaced of Tally’s last infirmary visit. One in which a training dummy caught her by surprise and she had gotten so scared she jumped backwards and smacked her head off some training equipment. Tally had animatedly told her the story when she visited her in the infirmary.
Her biddies all chuckled with her in the link.
Collar and Bellweather grimaced, and Sarah felt her stomach sink.
“What’s happened?”
“She has the flu, actually,” Raelle replied. “She’s out of classes for at least a week.”
“Kind of ridiculous we can heal broken bones but can’t do anything for viruses,” Abigail mused.
Alder was fully concerned now. “Influenza,” she repeated back to them.
Both cadets nodded.
“I see. Carry on,” she instructed before turning on her heel and briskly setting a pace toward the infirmary.
‘Any reason why we are walking so fucking fast?” Harley groused.
‘She has influenza, Harley!’ Sarah snapped, continuing her pace.
She had lived through many diseases in her three hundred years. Many of which were procured in war—all varying degrees. But she had never seen anything quite like the Spanish Flu when it ravaged the population. Millions dead—many of which were witches too. It had decimated their ranks, forcing her to institute a complete quarantine of Fort Salem until the worst of it had passed.
They had even developed a Seed to destroy the efficiency of the virus, making it manageable should anyone get infected. Since then though, with modern medicine, she had been removed from all manner of disease and had yet—
‘Oh my Goddess, you think she has Spanish Flu?’ Harley cried in the connection.
Alder actually halted her walk to turn and glare at her biddy. “It is nothing to be taken lightly, Harley!” she snapped. “It’s incredibly deadly!”
“Sarah,” Harley began through her laughter. “It’s the fucking flu! Not the Spanish flu! It’s still the same virus but it’s nowhere near as deadly as it was. This isn’t 1918.”
Sarah flushed as her biddies all chuckled at her expense.
“That is very endearing,” Tessa began with a gentle smile. “That you would rush to her side because you thought she had Spanish Influenza.”
“Talk about being stuck in the past,” Harley teased.
“I hate you all,” Alder grumbled as her face reddened with embarrassment. She turned on her heel and continued toward the infirmary as her biddies followed diligently behind.
‘What were you saying about the chocolate being no big deal?’ Liza quipped.
Alder rolled her eyes, ignoring the continuous jabs her own biddies were making at her expense.
They finally made it to the infirmary after what felt like an eternity. She gave a nod to Wick—who merely smirked and made herself scarce.
‘Even she knows,’ Analese murmured.
‘Well,’ Liza started, ‘it’s hardly the first time our love sick General has rushed to Tally’s side in the infirmary.’
Alder sighed heavily as she moved into the infirmary—eyes falling on Tally instantly. She frowned, stopping in her tracks.
She was pale, and even from her position near the door Alder could tell that she was diaphoretic. Her hair was sticking to her forehead as she slept—and there was a frown etched on her face as she slumbered.
Alder made the trip in a few strides, sitting down in the chair next to her bedside and sighing as she reached out to place the back of her hand against Tally’s forehead.
She was hot to the touch and Alder reached for the bowl of water and rag that rested on the side table. She carefully soaked it in the water and rung it out, and then draped it over Tally’s forehead.
She smiled softly as the redhead sighed with relief in her sleep.
Alder felt her heart clench as she noticed the slight bags underneath her eyes. ‘She looks so small.’
Her biddies all agreed with her assessment, and she could feel their concern in the link as well.
A door opening nearby drew their attention—loud and creaking. She glared at it before she heard Tally groan, drawing her attention back immediately.
She could hear people moving about elsewhere in the infirmary—as well as just outside of the doors.
She wasn’t sure how Tally was able to sleep with such noise, and surmised she must be truly exhausted to sleep through it.
She thought a moment before making her decision.
Her gaze softened and she sighed before resuming the gentle strokes to her hair.
Her strong Knower…
Wait. Her?
Sarah paused at the realization. She truly did think of Tally as hers. Wanting to protect and care for her—make her flash a dimpled smile and see the light appear in her eyes whenever she managed to make her laugh.
She was hopelessly in love with Tally Craven.
Her biddies were silent—thankfully. She needed a few moments to process such a realization, even more to process that it didn’t scare her. It felt right to say.
Of course, she was aware that she had feelings for the cadet—notably a fondness for her that she knew toed the line of inappropriate. She was a cadet in her army and interpersonal relationships weren’t forbidden but there was an expectation of limiting the crossing in rank.
“There are channels put in place though,” Tessa softly nudged in the link.
Her biddies remained standing in the infirmary, watching the scene before them as Alder’s shoulders tensed slightly.
Alder sighed. Tessa was correct, there were channels in place. Alder had always been a stickler for the rules but it also forced her to deny herself much in her hundreds of years. Then again, she had never wanted another like she wanted Tally. It was enough for her to consider tossing caution to the wind.
Assuming that Tally would want her in return.
Tally blinked her eyes open—groaning lightly as her head started to throb immediately.
She hated being sick—and she hadn’t had the flu since she was a child. It was definitely worse than she remembered. She’d felt like death warmed over one morning when she had awoken, unable to move without nearly collapsing from weakness and body aches.
Her sisters had rushed her to the infirmary—supporting her with their bodies for the whole walk. Wick had examined her, declaring it was the flu and immediately ordered bed rest.
That was four days ago. She thought at least. She had been in and out of consciousness for those days, only staying awake long enough to eat something here and there and sip some water.
She slowly became aware of the scent of sandalwood and cloves—a smell she only ever experienced around the General. She was warm and cozy, and the bed seemed far too comfortable to be the infirmary bed.
She blinked her eyes open fully—quickly realizing she wasn’t in the infirmary at all.
She was tucked in bed—a beautiful quilt across her body, and a warm presence next to her. Tally turned her head, smiling instantly when she saw General Alder asleep in a chair directly next to the bed, her head resting on her arms which rested on the bed near Tally.
She glanced around as the realization she was in the General’s room sank in.
She had no idea when she got here, or how…or why.
She smiled to herself and allowed her eyes to flutter shut, basking in the moment until she began to drift back off.
It was in this half state of sleep that she felt the General shift. She felt the touch of a hand against her forehead—smoothing the hair away from her face before being replaced with a cool washcloth. She sighed in relief and sank into the mattress further.
The same smell floated by her, and she smiled to herself as a soft murmur of ‘general’ left her lips.
Alder had begrudgingly left Tally’s bedside once she had a meeting to attend to. One that she could not put off.
She glanced over Tally once more.
She didn’t appear to be as pale as she was earlier in the day. She had encouraged the girl to drink some liquid advil—something the biddies insisted she have Colonel Wick give her. Tally needed to rest, and a consistent fever was not going to help her achieve that.
So she’d coaxed her when she had awoken not long ago—disoriented and not fully present to even know she was no longer in the infirmary and in Alder’s personal quarters instead. She’d had her sip some water as well before the girl fell back asleep.
“We’ll check on her,” Harley assured as Alder entered her office.
Alder hummed her thanks as she sank into her chair. “Who is this meeting even with? Today has been too long.”
“Thanks to that awful bore earlier,” Analese mused. “He completely ruined our momentum for the day.”
“Amazing how someone with the speech speed of a snail can completely ruin your rhythm,” Corinne quipped.
Alder couldn’t resist chuckling aloud.
“Your meeting is with Petra,” Devon supplied, answering Alder’s original inquiry.
Alder sighed heavily. “Of course it is.” She cracked her neck as her warding tripped just outside of her office. “Right on time of course,” she muttered to herself as she nodded for Analese to open the door.
“General Alder, welcome back,” Petra greeted as she entered the office. “How was The Hague?”
“Filled with pompousness and agenda,” Alder retorted as she gestured for Petra to take a seat across from her desk. “The usual. Though, I do believe General Sharma is convinced we need to work together to combat this witchplague finally.”
Petra nodded, pleased with that update. “Speaking of the witchplague...” she dove into her report.
Alder listened intently. The news was grim to say the least, and she felt her shoulders growing heavy with tension as Petra continued her report. She had only been pulled from the briefing by the single assurance of Harley that Tally was sleeping soundly—and she found herself relaxing despite the harrowing news. At least one infected witch was faring better right now.
The meeting concluded and Alder released a sigh when Petra exited her office—quick and sure steps before the door softly clicked shut.
“How did she look?” Alder asked Harley aloud as she stood and moved to her bart cart to pour herself a whiskey.
“Like death but better,” Harley replied honestly.
Alder frowned at that. She didn’t expect Tally to suddenly be healed just from being moved from the infirmary by any means—but she was worried about the length of time she’d been ill for. Colonel Wick hadn’t mentioned how long she had been sick. It could be a day or six, and Alder had no idea.
She tilted her head to the side and hummed softly, activating her farspeech. “Colonel Wick.”
The noise crackled as a connection was established. “Yes, General Alder?”
“Cadet Craven, how long has she been ill for?”
“Four days, General. She was only brought to the infirmary two days ago,” Wick replied.
Alder hummed. “Thank you, Colonel.” She closed the connection and sighed.
“Last time I had the flu I was down and out for ten days,” Harley shared.
Alder looked at her, more worried now.
Harley chuckled mostly to herself. “Shit myself twice. It was awful.”
Corinne snorted so loudly that it had caught Alder off guard. Tessa snickered; Liza guffawed; Analese’s eyes bulged; Devon bit her lip to keep from laughing; Erin laughed so loudly that she announced she might pee herself.
“Harley,” Alder chided, biting back a laugh of her own.
“It was awful,” she continued. “I was so weak I could barely move.”
“Wait, the girl from Freya Coven that shit all over the infirmary...was that you?” Tessa asked, suddenly recalling an incident
Harley was the most recent biddy she had taken.
The others all lit up—as did Alder as she recalled the report crossing her desk.
She couldn’t help it. She laughed.
Full-bellied, boisterously, freely—an honest to Goddess laugh that seemed like Work and shook the room.
The biddies all succumbed to her amusement as well—cackling and braying like donkeys as the memory surfaced for them all.
Harley grumbled as they continued to laugh. “Bitches.”
None heard the door click open that led to Alder’s office from her private quarters.
“General?”
Tally’s voice startled them all—silencing the laughter instantly.
“Tally,” Alder spoke, surprised but still quickly moving to her to stabilize her. She looked weak on her feet. “You shouldn’t be up moving. My sincerest apologies if we woke you.”
Tally wasn’t sure if it was the fever or real—but the way Alder was staring at her was so...tender. It made her stomach twist pleasantly. It still sent her reeling whenever she called her Tally—she couldn’t help but beam at Sarah with tired eyes.
“You did, but I’m kind of hungry and confused why I was in your room and not the infirmary?” Tally asked, voice growing rough.
Devon quickly brought her a glass of water for her to sip as Alder led her to the couch in front of the fire and sat her down on it.
“What have you been able to stomach?” Alder asked as she took a seat next to Tally.
“Mainly soup. Light stuff,” she replied before taking another sip of the cool liquid. It soothed her dry throat and felt wonderful.
Alder nodded before silently requesting one of the biddies obtain some soup. She made a request, watching as Tessa made her way to the door.
“I know just the thing,” Tessa had said before leaving the room.
Tally watched her curiously for a moment before Alder drew her attention.
“As for why you are here...I ran into your unit when I returned from The Hague, and when I inquired where you were they told me you were sick with influenza and in the infirmary...” she trailed off a moment, nervous—but it disappeared as she cleared her throat and took a sip of whiskey. “I was concerned,” she settled on.
Her eyes finally drifted from her glass to meet Tally’s gaze—one that was watching her with curiosity and affection.
“I went to the infirmary and you were sleeping quite fitfully. There was so much noise,” she pressed on. “I thought you might rest better outside of such an environment.”
“Like your room?” Tally asked, smiling.
They had grown close, that Tally knew. They’d spent many hours together talking and sharing—learning more about each other in the wake of the severance. It had been nice to connect with Alder that way, as a friend. But she couldn’t deny the longing she also held for her—even though she knew it couldn’t be. She had accepted she was hopelessly in love with Sarah Alder—and that the General would never want her the way she wanted her.
Alder’s gaze drifted to the fireplace. “Yes. Someone should be there to monitor you and as I have seven women at my disposal, it seemed prudent.”
Tally’s face immediately ached as her smile stretched her muscles, but in the best way.
Alder could feel it, unable to resist looking back at Tally to see those dimples she loved so much. Despite looking ill, her smile and eyes shone brightly—enough so that Alder felt her heart skip a beat. She found herself smiling slightly in return.
“I must be pretty special then,” Tally teased lightly as a little blush crossed pale cheeks.
“Immensely,” Alder replied swiftly before she could think better of it.
She silently chastised herself—until she watched the soft, vulnerable look cross Tally’s face.
Alder tilted her head slightly and fixed Tally with a gentle gaze. “Do you doubt that?”
Tally shrugged, looking away from Alder to glance everywhere but her as she replied, “It’s just hard to believe that a simple cadet like me would be special like that.”
Alder blanched, disbelief evident on her face.
“Your mouth is open,” Corinne commented softly in the link.
Alder shut it. “Tally,” she pressed, waiting for her to look at her. “I do not only believe you are special because of what you did for me in the Tarim. I believe you are special because that merely showcased the type of person you are. Selfless, unwavering, resolute...these are traits that cannot be taught and ones you have in spades.”
Tally blinked at her, but Alder wasn’t finished.
“You are loving, giving, loyal, protective in all areas of your life. You are special for all that—and you are special to me because of those reasons...and those are but a few.” Alder held her gaze. “Believe it, because of all the witches here on this base I would be the last one to lie to you about such a thing. There is nothing ‘simple’ about you.”
And Tally believed her. She’d never had someone speak with such determination and seriousness about her before...not like this. Better yet, it wasn’t about her abilities as a Knower or her sacrificing her years for Alder. It was just about her; about Tally.
“You are also the only person I’ve allowed in my inner sanctum,” Alder supplied with a satisfied smile, knowing that Tally heard her loud and clear. “The only person I have deemed worthy in hundreds of years.”
Tally’s eyes bulged at that. “The...the only one? I mean...surely you’ve had...” she trailed off as embarrassment and jealousy flushed her.
Alder chuckled, understanding the unspoken. “The only one. Of course there have been lovers, but that was long ago and usually took place in the field on missions, for the power boost.”
Tally could feel the tips of her ears heat up. “So...no one but you...and now me, have slept in your bed?”
“Well shit, Sare, I think you broke her,” Harley snickered in the link.
The others all joined in and Alder fought to suppress her amused smile.
“Yes,” she replied easily. “So, if that hasn’t convinced you of being special.” She stood and walked to her desk, opening a drawer and holding up one box of assorted Swiss chocolates, and a chocolate bar. “These are for you when you’ve recovered.”
Tally’s eyes widened as a smile crossed her lips. Happiness rushed through her, heating her from her head to her toes.
“I do not make it a habit of bringing just anyone Swiss chocolate,” Alder told her fondly.
Just then, Tessa returned with a bowl of steaming soup for Tally. She took the tray to the table and sat it down, looking at Tally and nodding in silent instruction for her to come and eat.
“If you can keep the soup down I could be convinced to give you a piece of chocolate,” Alder commented with a smirk.
Tally couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thank you, General.”
Alder shot her a pointed look.
“Sarah,” Tally corrected bashfully.
Since their meetings had become a regular endeavor, Alder had given Tally permission to call her by her name—something that Tally still struggled with. She sat down at the table and took a bite of the soup, moaning happily. It wasn’t anything fancy; mainly a simple chicken broth with potatoes and some vegetables—light enough that her stomach should be okay but filling enough that she would get the nutrients and benefits of it.
“This is really good,” Tally said, smiling appreciatively at Tessa.
“It’s her family recipe,” Tessa replied with a gentle gaze.
Tally looked at Sarah—a breath leaving her quickly when she managed to catch the light pink tint on her cheeks, and the glare she shot at Tessa.
“Your family recipe?” Tally asked. Her voice sounded small to her own ears.
Alder turned and looked at her—gaze softening—and Tally wondered how she never noticed the way Sarah looked at her.
It’s just because you’re sick. Like she said, she was concerned and you’re...friends.
Alder cleared her throat. “My mother would make that for my sister and I whenever we were ill. It warms the stomach but if you’re struggling to keep food down it’s perfect as it isn't too heavy.”
“That’s really sweet,” Tally replied honestly. “Thank you.”
“Of course, Tally.” Alder smiled then and took a swig from her whiskey.
Tally finished the rest of her soup, sighing happily when she cleaned the bowl. She was extra tired now. It had only been maybe an hour since she had woken—but she could feel herself crashing again.
“Come, let’s return you to bed,” Alder urged as she held her hand out for Tally to take.
When Tally’s hand gently rested in Alder’s—the redhead blushed lightly at the current of electricity that went through her; it tingled from her hand to her shoulder—pleasantly and like a warm vibration. She wondered if Alder could feel it as well.
Alder led her back to her bedroom, assisting Tally in crawling under the sheets and then pulling the covers up for her.
“Do you need anything?” Alder asked softly, blue eyes shining with concern as she took a seat on the edge of the bed near Tally.
“You’ve already done so much,” Tally murmured as she settled in. Being surrounded in Alder’s scent was making her relax already.
“Nonsense,” came the swift reply. “If you need something, please tell me.”
“When’s your next meeting?” Tally asked sleepily—eyes barely able to stay open.
Alder was silent for a moment as the biddies replied. “I have thirty minutes.”
“Stay?” Tally asked softly.
Alder swallowed and merely nodded as she didn’t trust her voice. She was overcome with emotion that Tally wanted her to stay with her as she fell asleep—her, the witch that the majority of the population was terrified of or hated—yet Tally, who was undoubtedly the sweetest witch she had ever met in her long life, wanted her to stay because she felt...
Safe, Alder thought to herself. She made Tally feel safe, and that was one of the greatest accomplishments she could name in this moment.
Tally woke with a start—groaning as she realized she was drenched in sweat. She grimaced before even opening her eyes. As sleep started to leave her she became very aware that she wasn’t in her bed. Instead she was in General Alder’s...and her fever broke.
“Goddess damnit,” she muttered to herself. She felt awful now that she had saturated Alder’s sheets.
She needed a shower desperately. She blinked her eyes open—noting the time on the alarm clock next to her head on the nightstand.
0600.
Her brow creased. If she was in Alder’s bed...where was Alder?
Tally shucked the covers off her body and scanned the room—not seeing the General anywhere. She padded from the room and down the hall to the door that led to Alder’s office, opening the door softly and peering inside.
Alder was sitting at her desk, signing off on some document when Tally stepped through the doorway.
Alder glanced up—surprised to see Tally up already. Her eyes scanned her quickly as her mouth opened to say something—and then she realized Tally was soaked.
Her t-shirt was drenched and clung tightly to her chest—nipples poking against the shirt from the damp of the material and warmth of the office. Her shorts seemed tighter than they would normally be, and Alder surmised those were probably soaked as well.
A flash of heat went through her and she stamped it out quickly as she rose from the desk.
“Are you alright?” she asked as she approached Tally, focusing on the concern for the cadet’s well-being instead of her own desires.
Tally shivered and Alder stepped closer, reaching out and pulling the younger woman to her to warm her.
“I’m so sweaty,” Tally groaned—fully embarrassed that Alder was basically hugging her while she was drenched in her own sweat. Fantastic, Tally.
“It’s of no consequence to me,” Alder replied seriously. She began to lead Tally back to her quarters. “Come, I’ll draw you a bath so you can clean up.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m pleased to see that your fever broke.” Alder opened the door to her room and turned on the light. Her eyes glanced at her bed—sheets obviously soaked.
“Me too,” Tally replied as Alder led her to the bathroom.
“Sit.” She pointed at the toilet lid.
Tally could see how Sarah splurged in this area of her life. Her tub was huge and tucked in the back corner with full jets. There was a rain shower off to the side of that—but what caught Tally’s eye was the solid green wall filled with moss. Her eyes widened as she noticed it.
Alder moved about the bathroom, plugging the tub and beginning to fill it with warm water before she moved to one of her shelves and grabbed some bubble bath before returning to empty a few dollops in the tub. When she turned around, Tally was gone—standing over at her moss wall with an extended hand that lightly traced over the tops.
“Do you like moss?” Alder inquired as she returned the bubble bath to the shelf.
“I love it. Nature’s carpet,” Tally replied, flashing a dimpled smile over her shoulder. “I’m in love with this bathroom. I didn’t realize you had all this.”
Alder hummed as she grabbed a towel for Tally and sat it on the ledge of the tub. “Well, you’re also the first to be in here as well.”
Tally simply beamed at that. It warmed her pleasantly with the feeling of honor. Sarah trusted her in her space—welcomed her into it.
“Thank you, Sarah,” Tally breathed, smiling brighter as she said Alder’s name.
The General softened as her heartbeat quickened in her chest.
She realized the silence that stretched between them had lasted for a good minute at least—their gazes having never left the other; together in a world of their own.
Alder cleared her throat and turned to shut off the water. “I’ll leave you to it. Feel free to use the jets. There are a few options.” She moved to the door, pausing when she heard Tally speak.
“Sarah, I really appreciate this...truly,” Tally said.
Sarah turned and offered Tally a gentle gaze. “Anytime, Tally.”
When she left the bathroom and shut the door with a soft click, she released a breath. She moved to her bed, stripping the sheets with militaristic precision and tossing them in the hamper to be dealt with later. She re-made the bed with fresh sheets, smoothing out the creases as she thought about Tally.
The Knower may not share in her feelings, but at least she could do these small things for her.
When she finished changing the sheets she moved to grab a spare t-shirt and shorts from her drawer to lay out for Tally to change into.
She moved to the door. “Tally, I left a set of clothing out for you on the bed when you’re finished. I’ll be in my office.”
She heard the sweet ‘Thank you, Sarah’ come from the bathroom—a smile blossoming on her face. She was in so much trouble.
When Alder went back into her office, she found only Harley in the room. She sent a silent question—a prodding along the link to her biddy.
“We’ve decided that you and Tally should spend the day together,” Harley supplied in answer.
Alder blinked at her. “Harley, she still needs her rest.”
Harley smirked. “Uh huh. Which is why you are also going to take a rest day.”
“I don’t take rest days.”
“You do today, champ.”
Alder frowned. “I have—”
“Nothing to do. We’ve taken care of everything. All the meetings today are minor in importance. Nothing that we can’t handle for you. We’re just going to tell everyone that you’re engaged in other business and have sent us in your stead. Luckily for us, there are only three meetings. One of which is with Petra...”
Alder couldn’t help but smirk.
“Thought you’d like that,” Harley quipped with a grin that was all teeth. “The other is with the Witchfather regarding the upcoming Beltane preparations. We’re seasoned enough to handle that. The last is with Izadora regarding the witch plague update. I don’t think she’s made too much progress. Everything else is paperwork that can either wait or we can complete. So you two lovebirds can have a day to yourselves.”
“You all have thought of everything I see,” Alder retorted, arching an eyebrow as well. “What makes you think that Tally will want to spend her rest day with me? And what on earth are we to do?”
Harley grinned and Sarah couldn’t help the wave of nerves that passed through her at that.
“Sarah?”
Alder and Harley both turned—once again having failed to hear the door to her office. Tally stood in the doorway, clad in Sarah’s grey, worn, ARMY t-shirt and a pair of black shorts.
Her heart rate skyrocketed.
“Both of you, back in the room. I’ll tell you when you can return,” Harley ordered as she pushed Sarah toward Tally and then collected the redhead in the other hand, leading them back to Alder’s room. She gave them a shove and shut the door behind them.
Alder sighed heavily and looked at Tally apologetically.
“Um,” Tally started as a blush crept up her cheeks, “Sarah, what was that about?”
“My traitorous biddies decided that I need a rest day, and since you also require rest...” she trailed off, suddenly nervous. She hoped her face remained impassive. “That we spend the day resting together.” Her eyes flickered to Tally, hoping that she wouldn’t see unease on her face at the prospect.
Instead, Tally’s eyes widened as her dimples appeared—prominent and deep. “Spend the day relaxing with you? That sounds great.”
Alder released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Her heartbeat quickened again at the sight of a beaming Tally Craven.
“You don’t mind?”
Tally shook her head, suddenly seeming nervous as she stepped forward to be closer. “Not at all. You’re kind of my favorite person to spend time with.”
A wave of happiness crashed over Sarah—love flooding her body and the connection that still remained between her and Tally. She watched the realization slide over Tally’s face—the redhead sucking in a breath and flushing as her eyes widened slightly.
Alder cleared her throat.
“I felt you,” Tally stated. Her eyes began to glisten.
Sarah quickly closed the distance and reached up to cup Tally’s face. “Tally,” she whispered, voice incredibly soft.
Tally’s hands rose to lay over top of Sarah’s, holding them in place. “Please tell me that I’m not misunderstanding what I just felt...”
Sarah knew what she was asking of course. Tally felt her love—deep and vast as it echoed through their connection.
“You haven’t misunderstood.” Alder stroked her cheeks. “I meant what I said, Tally, you are incredibly special...I would not allow you such liberties, nor so much of my time and attention if I didn’t wholly, irrevocably, love you.”
A choked sob left Tally as a bright smile graced her face. “Oh, Sarah, I love you too. So much.”
Alder could’ve sworn that her heart came to a full stop before it beat anew. Tally loved her, like she loved Tally.
“I really, really, want to kiss you if you don’t mind a peck for a sickly cadet?” Tally requested shyly—hope shining in brown orbs.
Alder could deny her nothing. She leaned forward, capturing Tally’s lips in a soft, sweet kiss. She didn’t seek to deepen it—merely enjoying the gentleness of each other’s caresses. She could feel their magic combine—a pleasant tingle up her spine before it traveled back down to her toes. She hummed against Tally’s lips as the redhead’s hands wrapped around her neck, holding her in place.
When they needed air, they parted—eyes shining before their foreheads touched, noses rubbing against the other.
“I’m really glad I had the flu,” Tally confided.
Alder chuckled, lightly bumping Tally’s nose with her own. She pressed another sweet kiss to pink lips.
“You can come back!” Harley called in the link, forcing Sarah to part from Tally’s lips.
“Harley said we may return. I don’t know about you, but I am curious to see what she’s done,” Sarah murmured.
Tally positively beamed and threaded her fingers with Alder’s leading her back to the office.
When they entered, Tally and Sarah’s eyes widened slightly.
The biddies had warmed the room with a fire and strung up twinkle lights to give the office a cozier atmosphere. They had also managed to set up a projector with a screen, complete with blankets and floor pillows that she recognized as theirs from Beltane.
“You two have your own little movie theater and cozy seats. I expect full relaxation,” Harley ordered with a grin as the other biddies began filing out of the room. “You kids have fun.”
“I’m over three hundred years old, Harley, I am not a kid,” Alder snarked, arching an eyebrow.
Harley merely rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. No funny business. Tally still needs to recover,” she added before a smug grin crossed her face. “We knew she reciprocated your feelings. You had nothing to worry about.”
Alder couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at her lips. “Thank you, Harls.”
“Anytime, General Lovebird,” Harley quipped before she left the office, leaving the two women alone.
Tally turned and faced her, a bright smile on her face. “This was really sweet of them.”
“They’ve been waiting for me to get the courage to tell you how I felt. And by waiting, I mean teasing me relentlessly.”
Tally chuckled as she led Sarah over to the pile of pillows. “So what movie are we watching first?”
Tally was sound asleep, lying snuggled up against the General as she lounged against the floor cushions—her hand carding through Tally’s red strands.
She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so relaxed and at ease. She turned her head, pressing a gentle kiss against the cadets forehead—sighing happily when Tally made a small noise of pleasure.
They had only made it through one movie before Tally’s eyes had grown heavy and she fell asleep, curling into the General. Her soft puffs of air hit Alder’s jaw and neck, lightly tickling her and bringing her a sense of peace she hadn’t felt since she was a girl.
She knew in this soft moment, that she would protect and love Tally with everything she was and ever would be—ever grateful to the Goddess for blessing her with Tally’s love.
"My darling Tally," Sarah murmured against her temple, breathing in the smell of her own shampoo on Tally's hair.
Tally snuggled closer. "Yours."
Hers.