"Amelia, stay where I can see you!" Cordelia called to her ten-year-old, who had taken off before Cordelia could even put the car in park. "Amelia!" She reiterated, taking a seat on one of the park benches.

"I heard you!" Amelia called, and Cordelia swore she saw her child roll her eyes. She raised an eyebrow as she dug through her bag for her cell phone. Almost as if it were timed, Cordelia's phone rang. Hank's contact showed up on the screen, causing Cordelia to visibly shudder.

"Yes, Hank?" She answered, double checking that Amelia was still on the swing set. She turned half around, not wanting her daughter to see her face if the conversation with Hank started getting heated. Amelia always seemed to react badly to her parents fighting since the divorce, and she vehemently sided with her father. She'd made it very clear at the custody trial which parent she wanted to be with, but Cordelia was ultimately granted full custody because of the demand and the constant travel that came with her ex-husband's job. Amelia gave her the silent treatment for a month.

On the other side of the park, Amelia sat cross legged under a large oak tree. She watched as a butterfly approached her, it's wings a pale shade of yellow. It landed on her finger, and she lifted her hand to inspect it. "Amelia," a voice whispered from the trees behind her, causing her to jump. Out of reflex, she almost took off running toward her mother, but when she turned her head to see who it was that called her name, she locked eyes with a familiar face. A wide smile spread as she sprinted toward them with open arms, leading her deeper into the woods.

*. * *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. * *. * *. *

"Yeah, well, have your lawyer call mine. Fuck you too, Hank." Cordelia hung up the phone and had to bite her lip to keep herself from screaming. Her ex knew exactly what to say and what to do to get under her skin, and he succeeded every time. She threw her phone in her bag and turned around to check on her daughter. Panic gripped her throat as she threw her bag over her shoulder, sprinting toward the playground. "Amelia?" She called, drawing attention from the other parents and children at the park. A search party quickly formed, and next thing Cordelia knew half of the New Orleans Police Department and their neighborhood was searching the city high and low for any sign of Amelia.

Cordelia, after hours of searching, couldn't hold herself together anymore. She broke down in the arms of one of her students, Misty Day. The swamp witch happily held the other woman, gently rubbing her back and letting her cry. She, as well as the other girls of Ms. Robichaux's knew that once the older woman released some of that pain, she would be back on the hunt for her daughter with more determination than ever. Unfortunately, her ex husband did not—nor did he seem to care.

"Why the fuck aren't you looking for her?" He nearly yelled in Cordelia's face. Misty's arms tightened protectively around Cordelia, earning a violent glare from Hank. "Maybe if you'd been paying attention to her for once, this wouldn't be happening!" Everything started happening so fast. Madison, moving so fast that Cordelia couldn't catch her, stalked up to Hank and threw a right hook that collided with his jaw. He grabbed his face in pure shock, and before they knew it, Madison was in handcuffs being loaded into a police car. Hank stood with an ice pack on his jaw and the seething glares from the rest of the coven.

"Don't worry, Cordelia. Queenie and I are going to post her bail and we'll bring her to the house," Zoe reassured the older woman. Cordelia wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her close and taking a deep breath. "It's going to be okay," Zoe whispered into Cordelia's hair, causing a sob to escape her lips.

"No pit stops please," Cordelia begged, wrapping her arms around Queenie and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Straight there and straight back. Call me when you leave the jail so I can hear that she's okay." The girls turned and headed toward the car. Cordelia kept her eyes on the girls until they were safe in the car.

"Mrs. Foxx," an officer called, waving Cordelia over to him.

"Cordelia, please." She visibly cringed, hearing someone call her Mrs. Foxx for the first time in months. "Anything?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with a glimmer of hope that quickly fizzled out as the officer's expression dropped. "So what do we do now?"

"Go home," He said casually, earning a glare from both Cordelia and Misty. "Look, we got half the parish out lookin' for her. Plus, someone needs to be at your home in case she finds her way there." Cordelia's eyes widened—her brain had been so clouded with panic that she hadn't even thought about that. She turned and took off toward her car, Misty close behind her. Cordelia's hands shook as she dug out the keys and unlocked the doors. She and Misty climbed in, and she hit the gas, peeling off down the street, toward the academy. They jumped out of the car and ran up the stairs to the front door. Cordelia's hands were trembling violently, causing her to drop the keys. "Fuck!" She yelled out in frustration.

Misty watched the other woman with sympathetic and concerned eyes as she grabbed the keys off the ground. She unlocked the door, and Cordelia rushed inside and up the stairs. "Amelia?! Baby, are you here?" She cried desperately, throwing open door after door in an attempt to find her daughter.

"I'll check the greenhouse," Misty offered, running down the stairs. Cordelia continued her search in vain, tearing apart every room and closet before collapsing onto her daughter's bed. She grabbed the one thing that Cordelia had given the girl that she actually loved—her faded, tie dye baby blanket.

Cordelia hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until she woken the next morning by the sound of a door slamming downstairs. She checked her phone, and jumped out of bed when she realized it was dead. She sprinted to the kitchen, and shakily plugged the phone in. She let it drop to the counter, putting her head in her hands as she waited impatiently for her phone to power on.

"Dee?" Misty's tired voice called as she entered the kitchen, causing Cordelia to jump and spin around. "Shit—sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya."

"Where are they?" Cordelia asked frantically, trying once again to power her phone on.

Misty's face dropped. "Zoe, Queenie and Madi never came home last night."

"What?!" Cordelia shrieked in both panic and anger. "Why the hell didn't you wake me?!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Misty stuttered, desperately trying to explain herself. "I didn't know 'til just a few minutes ago when I checked their beds. I looked all over for 'em but no one else is here 'cept Spalding and Delphine. I shoulda explained myself better; p-please don't be upset with me." Misty's pleading gaze made Cordelia's heart flutter for a moment and her stomach drop with guilt. She put a gentle hand on the side of the cajun girl's face to assure her that she was forgiven.

Her phone finally powered on, and she desperately checked for any calls from her girls or the police. There was one missed call from one of the detectives Cordelia had spoken to last night. She quickly hit the call button, shaking her foot impatiently as the other line continued to ring.

"Detective Riggins," the man answered.

"Cordelia Goode—did anyone find her?" She asked, her voice thick with worry. "And did anyone show up there last night and post bail for Madison Montgomery?"

"We received an anonymous tip around 2 A.M. Some lady claims she saw a kid that matched your daughter's description being carried by a man in downtown Baton Rouge. They said they couldn't be completely sure because her face was buried in the man's neck like she was sleeping. His description doesn't match your ex-husbands description, and Mr. Foxx gave us a solid alibi." Cordelia's heart continued to sink as he continued. "We're expanding the search to downtown Baton Rouge."

Cordelia's throat tightened. "And Madison?"

"Uhh…" Cordelia could hear the man shuffling papers until he found what he was looking for. "Yeah, yeah. Looks like she was bailed out by a Zoe Benson at 11:47 last night." Cordelia's heart dropped. That was only twenty minutes after the girls left to go to the police station. So, where the hell did they go from there? "Did they not make it back home?" Detective Riggins asked, mild concern in his tone.

"No. No they didn't," Cordelia answered, and Misty's eyes widened in concern. "Did they speak to anyone before they left? Or did anyone hear them say where they were going?"

"I'll ask around and I'll give you a call back," His voice softened, and Cordelia could tell he'd uphold his promise. "Maybe they just went back to lookin' for your daughter. I'll be in touch."

The line disconnected, and Cordelia felt like she might hit the floor. Her baby and her girls were nowhere to be seen, and she knew she was on the verge of falling apart. She'd never been so desperate and worried in her entire life, and Misty empathized. She'd grown close with Amelia, trying her hardest to push the girl to have the relationship with her mother that Cordelia so desperately wanted. Amelia was warm toward Misty, but always kept a guard up, careful not to say too much to the swamp witch.

"We should go look for her," Cordelia broke the silence, and Misty nodded in agreement. She grabbed her shawl and the two women were out the door.

*. * *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. * *. * *. *

The women searched for hours for Amelia, Zoe, Queenie and Madison. Hours turned into days, then days turned into a week. Eight days. "It has been eight days since ten-year-old Amelia Foxx disappeared from a park in New Orleans. Her disappearance was then followed by the disappearance of Zoe Benson, Queenie Thomas, and movie star Madison Montgomery. All of these girls are residents of Miss Robichaux's boarding school near the French Quarter. If anyone has any information…" The TV shut off, and Cordelia was ripped from her trance by Misty putting a plate of food in front of her.

"I'm not hungry," Cordelia put her head in her hands, letting out a frustrated shriek. "Where the hell could they be?! And why is it taking so long for someone to find them?!" Tears streamed down Cordelia's face as she stood from the counter and began pacing back and forth.

Fiona, who had shown up hours after Amelia was discovered missing, stalked into the kitchen, her heels clicking loudly on the linoleum. "I called in reinforcements." She lit a cigarette between her lips and exhaled, turning her head back to the doorway.

Cordelia narrowed her eyes at Fiona before shifting her gaze to the woman walking in behind her. Marie Laveau waved her freshly manicured fingers at the daughter of her sworn enemy.

*. * *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. * *. * *. *

"Dee, this is crazy. Ya can't offer ya soul to the Voodoo Demon in exchange for ya' kid!" Misty gripped Cordelia's arms, shaking her gently like she was trying to shake the sense into the other woman.

Fiona took a long drag of her cigarette, trying to emphasize how uninterested in this conversation she was. "I doubt he'll take her soul—what's she gonna do? Bore him for the rest of eternity?"

"Misty, this is not up for discussion. If Papa Legba can show me where she is or bring her back to me, I'll give him anything he asks for. She isn't your kid, Misty, so back the hell off." Cordelia snapped. She regretted saying it, but still set her jaw and crossed her arms. Pain flashed across the cajun's expression for only a second before it was replaced by anger.

"Go 'head, Dee. But I won't be here for it. I'm goin' look for Amelia." Misty turned her back on Cordelia, who instantly felt overwhelmingly guilty for hurting Misty.

"Oh boo hoo hoo," Fiona scoffed. Now come on, Delia. Papa Legba isn't going to summon hisself."

*. * *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. *. * *. * *. *

"Wellll, well well. What do we have here?" Papa Legba's deep voice sounded, his accent thick and his tone curious. "Fiona, charmed, as always."

"Let's skip the introductions, Papa. We got a proposition for you," Fiona reached her lighter over and Papa leaned in, relighting his cigar. He exhaled and raised an eyebrow curiously at the Supreme. "We need you to find my grandchild, and the rest of those girls."

"And what's in it for me?" Papa speculated, not at all surprised by Fiona cockiness. "You know, I don't do anything fa' free."

"What's your asking price?" Fiona leaned in, ready to negotiate terms. She kept herself level—she had to, for Delia's sake—but inside, she was just as worried and panicked as her daughter. She looked over at the girl for a second, and tears falling from her closed eyes while she held Amelia's blanket over her heart. For a half a second, her heart ached for her child and the pain she was dealing with. She recovered quickly, turning her attention back to Papa before he noticed.

Cordelia kept her hands in her lap, gripping Amelia's blanket with her eyes closed. She whispered the same incantation over and over, trying to get a vision or a sign of where her child was.

"What I always want. A soul," Papa shrugged.

"Take mine," Cordelia interrupted, without a hint of hesitation. She could care less that her daughter wanted nothing to do with her most times. All she cared about was that she was alive, safe, and happy. At that moment, Cordelia didn't know if Amelia was any of those things and it nearly paralyzed her with fear.

"No can do, princess." Papa locked eyes with Cordelia, and she felt her entire body get cold. "Your fate is already sealed. Your soul isn't yours to give."

"What does that mean—that my soul isn't mine to give? That someone sold my fucking soul?" Cordelia looked from Papa to Fiona, trying to scan her face for any sign of an answer. Papa Legba motioned to Fiona, who looked at him with disbelief. "What the fuck does that mean, Fiona?" Cordelia demanded after minutes of silence.

"I sold your goddamn soul before I knew you would ever even exist," Fiona rolled her eyes in exasperation; like it was inconveniencing her to drop this ball on Cordelia. "Five years before you were born I made a deal. And the price of that deal was the soul of my first born. It's not like I planned on even having a first born."

"You really are a wicked old bitch, aren't you?" Cordelia felt anger rise in her chest as she turned to face Fiona. She looked at her mother, and as hard as she tried not to, she couldn't stop seeing her child's eyes in Fiona's. Everyone said since the day Amelia was born that she looked like she'd come directly out of Fiona. All this did was piss Cordelia off, and give her more reasons to keep her daughter away from her grandmother. She didn't want to subject her child to the same abuse and torment she'd received at the hand of the Supreme, but—Fiona did something that surprised the entire Coven. With the exception of her habit of taking Amelia without notifying anyone, Fiona was a remarkable grandmother. She never missed a birthday or Christmas gift. Cordelia didn't feel jealous or cause any resistance because she was truly happy that her baby was special enough to bring out a side of Fiona that had never existed. One that was kind, warm, and loving—but only to her granddaughter. Cordelia bit her lip, going over her priorities in her mind for a millisecond before ultimately deciding that her first priority was finding her girls and bringing them home safe and alive. She turned back to face Papa. "Who's soul?" She asked, a determined fire in her eyes.

"You have two choices. One choice will be good for you, and bad for the girl. The other one will be good for the girl, but bad for you." He folded his hands across his lap and Cordelia furrowed her brow in confusion. "Patience, princess. I was getting to it. Your first choice would be...your ex husband. It's good for you because he's out of de way, but your girl will never be de same. Your second option is... your girl. It will be good fa her because she will live in de eternal afterlife wit' me and my favorite helper..."

"How the fuck would giving up my daughters soul be good for me?" She yelled, starting at Papa with wide eyes.

"Your memory of her will be erased. It's like she never existed. No memories, no grief. Simple as that." He shrugged casually, earning a scoff from Cordelia. "You disagree?"

"Of course I disagree," Cordelia set her jaw.

Fiona scoffed, "Delia, please. It sounds like a no brainer."

Cordelia, in the heat of the moment, jumped to the conclusion that Fiona was suggesting Cordelia sell her daughters soul. "I know my child doesn't love me the way she's supposed to, but that doesn't change how I feel about her. I could never—and would never sell my child's soul. What kind of self-absorbed bitch would do such a thing?"

Fiona put her hands up, taking a half step back. "I don't blame you for assuming I'm thinking the worst, but I say sacrifice Hank's worthless, twisted soul. People like that shouldn't get to repent. If Papa takes him to Hell, he won't get the chance."

"What do you mean?" Cordelia didn't bother apologizing, turning her attention back to Papa. "That my girl won't ever be the same?"

"Ah ah ah. You don't get to know that. All you get to know is that if this is the route you choose, you have to be prepared for the consequences of your actions."

Cordelia hesitated briefly, silence filling the room and making the tension thick. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made eye contact with Papa Legba.

"Take him," Cordelia didn't think about it for a second longer. "Take that mother fucker's soul."