It was a new world, this world without The Church of Night. Where witches and warlocks were now stowed away in every nook and cranny of the funeral home, the academy no longer safe for them to inhabit, and Faustus – that insufferable, egotistical man – gone. Vanished in the night with the twins. And Prudence was gone to find him, to kill him, and then she would be left even more alone to fend for herself. And then there was Sabrina. Sabrina with her powers restored and her father's supposed doctrine to spread to all and Zelda hadn't the faintest idea – after all of these years – as to what it was she was to do now that there may not be a Dark Lord to bring her concerns to.

These were the things that worried her at night, that kept her tossing and turning.

It was nearing the witching hour and she was in her bathrobe in the kitchen, smoking a cigarette and leafing through the Unholy Bible in search of answers – though in her lifetime she had read it cover-to-cover and knew that there would be nothing. Nothing at all of Sabrina, her own niece, taking on the Dark Lord.

Everything was flipped on its head and now. Had they come into the time where men were absent from control and females had come into power? That, too, had not been in the Unholy Bible.

Her finger skimmed down the page, her eyes weary from lack of sleep, from having to feign total control over the falling apart situation. She was the strong one, she was the one in control, she was the head of the household and she would protect it at all costs.

Only how did they move forward?

Her finger stopped moving halfway down the page.

Lilith

The name brought her pause. Lilith was now in hell, dealing with Satan only knew what. Had the Dark Lord freed himself? Awoken? Had she killed Nicholas in order to protect everyone? Was she truly the reigning deity of the underworld now?

Zelda closed her eyes. If Satan was no longer to be trusted, then could Lilith be?

The idea thrilled her.

For all of her existence she had exalted men, had allowed them to take and use her body for their whims. Had she truly ever liked the ways in which they had touched her? Faustus had been so perverse with her body. There had been so many, many men before him. Since her early years beginning with Ezra during her first Lupercalia. The way he'd touched her beneath the moon and then had ravished her the following eve. It made her body ache, but she had been taught to accept his authority, accept what it was he was doing to her and to not ask questions.

She did not come from a time in which women so readily or easily went against what men demanded and decreed.

But now things were changing.

"Oh, Lilith. What am I supposed to do now?" Zelda blew out a cloud of smoke, rubbing her forehead.

Her eyes slid closed and she recalled the face of Mary Wardwell. How idiotic was Zelda to have not realized, to have not pieced together the fact that Sabrina's beloved teacher was no longer herself? Zelda had never noticed the unassuming teacher before these last few months of horrors. But now those vivid blue eyes jumped out at her, gave her some odd sense of comfort in her world of turmoil.

Though Mary Wardwell was not Lilith. Ms. Wardwell was a spinster who lived alone and knew nothing of these last few months, for she had been living dormant inside Lilith. Lilith was not Ms. Wardwell.

She felt something at her elbow and quickly looked up to find Hilda at her side. "Might want to tap off your ash there."

"Oh," Zelda realized her cigarette was nearly to its end.

"What are you doing up, love?" Hilda looked at her with concerned eyes. She resented those eyes.

"Hilda, darling," she glanced about as if expecting one of the young witches or warlocks to be peeking around the corner, catching her in a moment of weakness. "It's all so uncertain now."

Hilda nodded, "tea?"

Zelda nodded in agreement and stubbed out her cigarette, lighting up another. Hilda gave her a look but she pretended not to see it. "With Faustus gone and the Dark Lord…well…I'm all there is left and I…"

"Zelda, you're not alone." Hilda settled beside her, covering her hand with her own.

"No," Zelda wiped angrily at the corner of her eye. "No, I'm not."

"She hasn't spoken to you?"

"Who?" Zelda watched as Hilda got up to get the gently humming tea pot off the stove.

"Lilith. I thought perhaps…"

"No. I haven't heard a word nor gotten a sign. I hope…" Zelda paused to accept her cup of steaming tea from Hilda.

Hilda nodded, knowing what it was that Zelda worried for. "It will sort itself out in time. You needn't worry yourself ragged over it now."

Zelda exhaled a cloud of smoke, feeling as if every last inch of her body was releasing with the gentle herbal blend that Hilda had given to her. She knew Hilda was right. There was no use in worrying about it now.

"That's a good girl. You should get on to bed, have some shut eye and it will all be better in the morning." Hilda whispered to her sister.

"What'd you put in this tea?" Zelda felt her eyes drooping.

"Don't you worry, Zel."

Zelda had to give in to her sister's herbal knowledge for she felt she was about to fall over in her seat. She put out her cigarette and swayed her way to their bedroom, making it just in time to collapse onto her bed, falling into a sound, deep sleep with images of Mary Wardwell, Lilith, Ms. Wardwell, Lilith…. Lilith…Mary…what was she doing…Lilith was no longer Ms. Wardwell…Ms. Wardwell was no longer Lilith…what was it she was trying to tell her?

Hilda needed more food for the witches and warlocks and with her hands full cooking it was up to Zelda to run to town and for the first time in a while she felt as if she were actually useful to her new charges. The way they looked to her sometimes frightened her, though she would never admit it.

In her quest for the ingredients Hilda had requested her to find, she walked past the town's movie theatre and nearly ran right into Mary Wardwell.

"Oh," Zelda reached for the other woman, at first not recognizing her at all – what with her hair piled atop her head and such muted make-up and naked fingernails. Gone was all flourish of Lilith and what was left was this meek, schoolmarm.

"Z-Zelda. Zelda Spellman?" Ms. Wardwell stuttered, her arm still bracing Zelda from their collision.

"Ms. Wardwell, I apologize."

"No need for that, I wasn't watching where I was going." Ms. Wardwell shrugged, realizing her hand was on Zelda's arm, and promptly removed it. "How…how have you been? I feel as if so much has changed in such a short span of time. Have you noticed that as well?"

"Well," Zelda shrugged, not certain how to explain to the woman before her that she had been possessed, possibly dead inside of Lilith for over a year. What was there to say? "Yes, I suppose things have changed. Though don't they always?"

Ms. Wardwell's eyebrow rose and she consented. "Yes, I suppose that is true."

"What is it that you were just seeing?"

"Oh, a silly old movie." Ms. Wardwell shrugged.

Zelda glanced up to the marquee. Bell, Book and Candle. Interesting choice. Zelda remembered fondly when that ridiculous movie came out. She willed Kim Novak to stay away from Jimmy Stewart, but it was ridiculous Hollywood and she'd given up her powers. What woman in her right mind would do such a ridiculous thing?

She happened a glance at Ms. Wardwell and noticed a blush creeping over her cheeks.

"I, uh, should be going. Musn't keep my sister waiting for her groceries." Zelda held up her list.

"Oh, yes. Of course. I wouldn't want to keep you." Ms. Wardwell smiled sheepishly.

Zelda felt her own brow furrow and she looked at the woman, so tightly wound. So very unlike Lilith had been. Yet, this woman held traces of Lilith's potential, and those eyes held a certain wisdom. "You know, perhaps I haven't been as involved in Sabrina's school activities as I should have been. I feel as if I should have been in touch with you more often."

Ms. Wardwell shrugged. "It's no...problem." Her voice was so much softer than it had been when she was Lilith. Zelda knew the range of those powerful tones and she wanted to evoke them from her again. "Really, Sabrina is a charming young woman and I enjoy her immensely."

"And she idolizes you." Zelda smiled.

Ms. Wardwell looked as if she were blushing again. "Well, that's very good."

Zelda nodded, uncertain as to why she was trapped in this moment with Mary Wardwell, just hovering there, as if expecting something to transpire. Though Ms. Wardwell didn't seem uneasy – only by the compliments Zelda paid her. Perhaps Zelda was enchanted by the idea that perhaps Lilith could speak to her through Ms. Wardwell. Was she waiting for some kind of a sign from Lilith, some message bestowed upon her through Ms. Wardwell?

But she was being foolish. Lilith was returned to her rightful home in the underworld and Lilith was not alive inside of Ms. Wardwell anymore.

"I should be going." Zelda wiped at her forehead.

"You know…" Ms. Wardwell's voice almost sounded like Lilith's which stopped Zelda in her tracks.

"Yes?" Zelda froze, unable to step away.

"We don't know one another that well, though I've always thought - perhaps I'm being presumptuous - but I thought…I thought perhaps we might have things in common."

Zelda smiled. "Yes, I think so."

"Would you…well, might you like to come by some evening for dinner?" Ms. Wardwell sounded uncomfortable, these words foreign on her tongue. And Zelda found it endearing that she should dare to put herself out on a limb to invite her to dinner. For they were both women of a certain age (Zelda even more so than Ms. Wardwell) and she sensed such a hidden strength in the other woman and so why shouldn't they forge some kind of acquittance with one another.

"Why yes, yes of course. I would certainly enjoy that."

"You would…yes, well…okay then. I'll phone you with the details."

"I look forward to it."

They exchanged several glances, Zelda noticing such a change in Ms. Wardwell – the way in which her lips twitched upwards as they parted.

So, they would be having dinner together.

Was this Lilith's will?