This was the part he hated the most.

Out of everything about Anathime, and his curse, this was what he hated the most.

That in order to get the town their necessities he would have to... well... he'd have to fuck Lydia. It was the only trade she would accept, one night of passion with Franklin. It was always the worst sex, he'd be bored, just going through the motions to get through it as quickly as possible. Waiting for it to be over while she dug fingernails into his back and left hickeys across his neck, collarbones and chest and all around acting like it was the best sex of her life.

As soon as they were done he was always ready to go back, always ready to get away from her, but Lydia would act like they were lovers. That parting was sweet sorrow and he'd miss her until the next appointment. And this time, this time he was doubly mad.

After that portal shut he had turned on her. Shouted at her. Why had she done that? Kelly hadn't been bothering anyone. She had been helping them. It wasn't even her fault she was there, it was Sylvia's. And she had just blasted her.

As always Lydia was completely nonchalant about the whole situation. As if she hadn't just murdered a girl over nothing other then jealousy.

"She was helping you cheat," she had said as if that explained everything.

But it wasn't okay, and he flat out refused to service her as requested. He tried to stand strong to that threat, he really did, but all she had to do was remind him that if he chose not to they wouldn't get any of their monthly supplies and he knew he was going to have to cave.

And cave he did.

As soon as she was done, he got dressed and then stood by the door waiting for her to open a portal for him. He stood their silently watching as she lazed in bed like she had all the time in the world.

Eventually she turned a lazy smile to him and laughed. "Aww, look at the frown, what's wrong my darling?"

"Send me home," he growled. "I have things to deal with, thanks to you. Send me home."

She stood, completely disregarding the sheets she had wrapped around herself. It dropped to the bed and then she was standing in front of him completely bare. Any other guy would have had some kind of reaction, Franklin couldn't have cared less.

"You don't wanna come back..." "—No."

Gone was the lazy smile, gone was the seductive pose. There is the angry dark witch he knew her to be.

"My... how rude."

"Lydia," he sighed, not wanting to argue anymore.

"Fine, fine, no need to throw a tantrum, I'll send you back to your precious town."

"Well, someone has to care about it."

She walked away from him, leaving him there, and when she came back she was in one of her black silky robes.

"Alright, if you're so adamant on leaving, I'll send you back."

She crossed to a picture he knew he didn't sit for. It was of him, looking regal and king like, in all black with lines of white and gold on his uniform. It was a matching set, she had said. Him for her, and her in his office. She waved her hand and the picture slid away to reveal a mirror, just like the one in his office did.

She waved again and the mirror shimmered and his office came into view. Great he could leave.

He went straight for the mirror to climb through, but she reached out to grab him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek like she was seeing her husband off to work. It took all of Franklin's willpower not to shrug off her hands.

"Did you enjoy yourself, darling?"

"No," he snapped. "You ask that every time and the answer is the same. No. No I did not enjoy myself. I do not enjoy being with you. I will never love you. I do what I have to to protect my town and my people. That is it."

Lydia hit him with a patronizing frown. "You're just mad I destroyed your new toy."

And just like that all the grief he thought he was numb to, all the anger over what had happened came back to him.

"It wasn't her fault she ended up here," Franklin snapped. "She was innocent."

"She was helping you cheat!"

"Let me go, Lydia," he growled. "You disgust me and I'd like to wash away the dirt you left on me as soon as possible."

"So much anger," she whispered trailing a finger down his cheek. "So much bitterness."

That time he shied away from her touch and she shot a smirk at him. "You'll change your mind. Sooner or later, you'll see things my way."

The mirror closed and he practically shoved that picture shut. He hated that smug look on the painting. If he could have he'd burn it.

Instead he pulled a curtain cross it so he wouldn't have to look at it.

He hated this. Hated feeling like this. Like he was filthy. He was, though. Yes he was doing what he had to do, yes this was for the town, but he hated himself. Hated what he just had to do.

He'd be spending hours in the shower now, trying to wash the residue of Lydia off of himself.

He went to sit in his chair, to throw himself down and sink into the misery he felt. He wanted to know if Kelly really was dead, if she was maybe just really hurt or cursed instead. But he knew. If Lydia set out to kill something, she did.

Kelly had no magic. There was no way she could have stopped that curse from hitting her. Had no way to deflect it.

She was dead and it was his fault.

God who would tell Sammy? Who would take care of Sammy?

Him obviously. It would be hard, he wasn't good with kids after all, but Sammy had lost his sister because of him, so it would be up to Franklin to take care of him from now on.

He put a hand to the back of his chair, moved to walk around it and promptly paused.

He wasn't expecting someone in his chair, but there was.

He found himself staring down into Kelly's blue eyes in nothing short of shock. She seemed to have a few stray cuts on her face, she had washed off as much of the make up as she could but she was still in that corpse bride dress.

And she was staring back at him, her eyes narrowed, clearly seething with an anger Franklin was certain he deserved.

"I... you're okay?"

"I am," she said.

Illogically he wanted to tug her up and pull her into his arm. He wanted to hug her, feel every inch of her against him just to be sure that she was really there and not some awful trick Lydia was using to punish him. But it didn't look like she wanted that hug.

In fact she didn't look all that pleased to see him at all.

"It's abundantly clear that you are keeping things from me. Things that seem to be very hazardous to my health if this night has proven anything," she snapped and he nodded cause that was fair. He had been hiding things from her. "I think you should just explain everything... from the beginning."

It made sense, after all. He knew she was right. He knew she wasn't going to leave until she got her answers. He knew he should have been annoyed, but he couldn't feel anything but relief.

He was just so happy that she was alive.