Hey everyone, I need help finding a certain set of stories from deviantart!
I am looking for a story called Scientific Study of Magic. It has 2 parts, but I can't seem to find it anywhere online. Does anyone have it saved here?
Any and all help is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Found it on Furaffinity after some Googling.

Scientific Study of Magic

The bell to the little shop tinkled merrily, the shuffling patter of quick feet were muffled by the wooden floorboards. Vanessa felt ashamed of herself as she entered. It was a small place that sold incense and love potions with a palm reading table open by appointment. Something for those who wanted to believe in that sort of thing. Witchcraft and magic were nothing more than parlor games to Vanessa. She was there for other reasons. One of them came from the back, a plume of lavender scented smoke billowing from a burning punk behind the counter as a curtain pulled open.


“Vanessa Solero! I never expected to see you here!” the owner of the shop and maker of all for sale within greeted her with a cheery smile. “How can I help you today?”


Age was about the only thing the two had in common. Both in their late twenties, they had taken very different paths in life. Vanessa was a scientist. It was about as accurate as you could get with the term, having studied chemistry, to physics, to engineering all throughout her tenure during college.


“I want to purchase a few of your so called potions, Shiloh,” Vanessa said, a hint of bitterness in her voice.


Shiloh LeFay had never gone to college, and had in fact dropped out of high school her sophomore year, working at and then taking over the little shop once she turned eighteen. She mixed and created every potion, polished every tiger’s eye stone, and even hand dipped every candle for sale. People often came to purchase them as medicinal remedies and they always seemed to work. So much so, that the pharmacy Vanessa worked at was losing business to Shiloh as word spread faster through the city. What really drove her mad though, was that Shiloh claimed she made her potions with magic.


“Did the tonic the little boy picked up for you not work?” Shiloh’s bubbly personality radiated warmth.


Even their appearances were vastly different. Shiloh’s long, chocolate brown hair cascaded down to the small of her back in thick waves. It hung loosely over her shoulders curtaining over the front of a denim vest that stayed unbuttoned, revealing that her tank top left a sliver of her cinnamon colored skin exposed between it and a pair of tattered, grey jeans. She could have easily walked into any agency and been given a job as a model without even applying.


“I didn’t use it. I analyzed it,” Vanessa said flatly.


She had her blonde hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, so tight that Shiloh wondered if it compressed the girl’s skull to a normal size so that she could hide her enormous brain. Rectangular lenses with a thick plastic frame sat on the bridge of her nose. To complete the no nonsense secretary look, she was even wearing a white button down blouse and a pencil skirt. Her thin figure the result of many nights spent studying and forgetting to eat, she was a little more bony than she wanted to be, taking away from her chest and rear first.


Shiloh’s plush, pouty lips smiled sweetly. “You could have just asked. I’d be happy to tell you what’s in all of them.”


“How did you know how to make that combination?” Vanessa blurted, her tone switching to more of a desperate curiosity. “It has amazing healing potential, but no one is using it!”


“Well, the last time the formula was shared with the public, it didn’t work out for the creator so well,” Shiloh laughed a nervous little sigh.


“What happened?”


“She was burned at the stake,” Shiloh nodded somberly, but with the same persistent smile.


“Not this again,” Vanessa groaned. “This is serious. I don’t want to play your magic game again.”


“I’m going to keep at it until you believe me,” Shiloh shook her head. “What will it take to convince you? I am a witch.”


“No, you’re not,” Vanessa gave an exasperated sigh. “All of those herbs are a perfect combination. I even duplicated it myself to see if there was something I missed.”


“You made some on your own?” Shiloh seemed intrigued, her bright, honey gold eyes sparkling at the mention.


“Yes. It still worked, I just can’t figure out why it works. Alone, none of them are all that potent, so how did you know that together they would be?” Vanessa urged.


Shiloh drew her closer with a beckoning finger to whisper to her. Lips grazing Vanessa’s ear ever so slightly sent a flutter through her spine. She had always found the young woman extremely attractive, but she was unprepared for such an unprompted touch.


“Magic.”


The singular word brought back her irritation. “Why do you insist on keeping it a secret? Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been trying to figure this out? You don’t have to make fun of me.”


Shiloh seemed upset at the notion. “I’m not making fun of you. Why won’t you believe that I’m a witch?”


Vanessa felt a lump in her throat. She was angry for being teased, but she couldn’t bear to see the hurt expression on Shiloh’s pretty face. Her emotions tore her back and forth, debating on whether to be upset or apologetic until she ran out the door. She couldn’t bring herself to do either, but leaving like that made her feel rotten anyway. Her high heels, if they could even really be called that, clicked rapidly down the sidewalk as she hurried away. To clear her head, she went back to her college. The pharmacy was something she did more or less to keep busy. Her real home away from home was a research lab that gave her grants to experiment as she pleased. It didn’t matter what she was experimenting with or why anymore. Vanessa usually came up with things that easily paid for her tenure.


“Dr. Solero, are you alright?” the current project leader asked.


“I’m fine,” Vanessa lied. “I just need something to focus on.”


He hesitated a moment. “We actually have to talk about that. The project is done, and an auditor found out that you have vacation and personal time banked from almost ten years ago.”


“So?” Vanessa asked. “I love the work, and I don’t really have anyone to go on vacation with. Who cares if I haven’t used the time off?”


“Well, since you regularly clock about eighty hours a week here, the government,” the researcher sighed. “We have to make you take the time off. If you want, you can use the vacation and personal time at the same time so that you get double pay and burn through it faster.”


Vanessa slumped her shoulders. She knew this would happen eventually, but she had hoped if she ignored the problem, it might go away. Her life was fairly lonely when she wasn’t working. Her ambition to learn had shut out the chance to make friends in college and her family before moving out to her dream school consisted of a deceased mother and a father with dementia that didn't recognize her.


“How long if I do it that way?”


“One year.”


Vanessa balked, “A year?!”


“You can come here and use the lab all you want, but it can only be for personal use. No helping with projects, no research for anything beyond personal interests. If it can be used by the university for anything, you cannot do it here.”


Vanessa felt the pit in her stomach grow. It had proven to be a horrible day, and now that promised to be a horrible year.


********


Shiloh watched Vanessa slowly and meticulously run a device around her palm reading table, paying extra attention to the crystal ball at the center. Like watching a beach goer with their metal detector, she scanned every inch of the shop. Whatever she was looking for, her little device never indicated that it found anything. Not deterred, she clambered around on countertops, politely making sure she didn’t knock anything over, and searched every corner.


“What have you got there?” She finally asked, long after an hour of this silent encounter.


“I’m scanning for radio frequencies. I want to find out how you get so accurate with your tarot sessions,” Vanessa answered in her flat, highly focused tone. She wasn’t being rude intentionally, just absorbed in her work.


“I could tell you, but I know you won’t like the answer,” the peppy smile made the scientist look up.


“I’ll figure you out eventually.”


It had been going on like this a few days a week for the past month now. Without the lab, and the pharmacy needing fewer people, Vanessa was going stir crazy. With nothing to put her mind on, it kept drifting back to the first time she had entered the shop and the quiet whisper in her ear. Magic. That one word uttered so close that she could smell the lavender off of Shiloh’s neck and could feel the soft lips touch her lobe sent shivers down her spine. It had been a playful jest, but accidentally sensual and it still made Vanessa squirm to think about. The word itself brought intense frustration. She had to find Shiloh’s secrets, had to disprove magic on the principle that science could solve anything. Shiloh had to have something that explained her perfect chemistry knowledge and uncanny accuracy with her psychic readings of people. Vanessa was determined to find out, and so she came to the little witchcraft shop with new tests, new scans, whenever she had an idea of what to look for.


“I could just show you,” Shiloh offered. “I think you’d make a great witch yourself. You have such an intimate knowledge of how things work that I’ll bet it’d come really easily to you.”


“I doubt you could show me anything that would convince me that you can use magic,” Vanessa’s tone was matter of fact as she swabbed the deck of tarot cards fanned out on the table.


“Why not?” Shiloh drew out the last word in a pouty whine used by children when throwing a tantrum, and by adults when trying to be cute. “I could do all the different types of readings, I could have you try all the potions, anything.”


“None of that would convince me,” Vanessa said again, but she offered her logic instead of flat out denying magic this time. “I’ve already confirmed your potions work, I just don’t know how you came up with their formula. I can’t trust any readings because you’ve known about me for a while now, so as unethical as it would be, I can’t rule out that you haven’t had me under some sort of surveillance.”


“I suppose that’s fair,” Shiloh nodded. “What if you looked through my spellbook? You could find something suitable for me to demonstrate for you.”


Vanessa was intrigued. Something she decided would be much harder to falsify. There had to be some things that would be so obvious that it would be impossible to fake too. “May I see?”


“Of course!” Shiloh almost seemed excited. Not what Vanessa had expected.


She retreated to the back for a moment before returning, her stride somehow accentuating her natural beauty effortlessly, like she wasn’t even trying. Vanessa couldn’t believe that someone who insisted they were a witch could be filled with such a good natured purity that would have made her beautiful even without her flawless features. The scientist was a bit jealous, her pale skin not quite the porcelain white that was attractive, but more of a grey of one that hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. She knew that her personality wasn’t really suitable for personal interactions either, her demeanor almost purely professional because of how much time she spent working.


Shiloh returned carrying a large, leatherbound book, the dye on the cover fading to a white where her hands hand touched it the most, and probably many others before her. “Here you go!”


Vanessa took it carefully out of respect. Even if she didn’t believe, it was still very obviously important to Shiloh. As she thumbed through the pages, the self proclaimed witch read over her shoulder, giddy with anticipation. It actually didn’t have all that much by way of spells at first. Mostly things said to hold magical properties at the front, followed by all the potions. The back had what she was looking for. There were a lot of incantations and ensorcelling runes and symbols. Shiloh waited quietly, noticing that Vanessa either wanted to see all of her options, or hadn’t yet decided on what she wanted to see. Finally, she stopped. The witch felt her stomach twist in a knot as a bony finger tentatively pointed.


A summoning circle.


Vanessa wasn’t completely void of fantasy wonder.  She was too practical to believe in magic and creatures, yes, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy the idea. She had even written a thesis for fun about the realism of mystical creatures. Like how a unicorn, minus the supposed magic properties, was actually a very possible animal. A horse with a horn was very believable. Or a fairy, should they exist, and how with the size of their bodies and the energy used to buzz their gossamer wings they would have to eat a lot and frequently to keep up with the metabolism needed to maintain it.


This would be a perfect test for Shiloh. Conjuring something, a living being at that, out of nothing would otherwise be ultimately impossible. If she succeeded, then she would accept that there was such a thing as magic and she would get to meet a fantastical creature as an added bonus.


“Are you sure that’s what you want me to do?” Shiloh asked, uncharacteristically nervous, her smile wilting ever so slowly into a frown.


“What’s wrong?”


Shiloh shifted uncomfortably. “Summoning is really dangerous. Are you sure I couldn’t do something else?”


“An expert like you is afraid to summon something?” Vanessa asked, a bit of her cynicism returning to her voice.


“Have you ever seen a movie or read a book where it works perfectly and everyone lives happily ever after?” what should have been snarky was instead a nervous laugh, laced with a hint of fear.


“Is it really that scary?” Vanessa rolled her eyes. The sliver of hope and interest quickly being replaced with her usual skepticism.


“I’ve never summoned anything,” Shiloh seemed shy showing how afraid she was. “I haven’t even summoned a familiar for myself…”


Vanessa had wanted to scoff and call out the lie to avoid proving to her that she was a witch. She couldn’t though. The fear and concern were real. There was no doubt about that.


“Fine. I’ll stop bothering you…”


“Vanessa…” Shiloh felt her chest tighten.


The scientist hadn’t mocked her like she had expected. She sounded dejected more than anything as she turned toward the door. Shiloh wasn’t really sure what had just happened. If anything, she thought that Vanessa would have been happy, having reason to believe that she was a fraud. She wouldn’t have blamed her. She had chickened out of the one thing that would have convinced her that she truly was capable of magic. None of that would have hurt her. Shiloh was used to skeptics and taunting her when she had failed to convince them of her legitimacy. What did hurt though, was that she felt like if she let Vanessa walk out the door, she would never see her again. She didn’t know why it mattered, but she had become accustomed to having her in the shop a few days a week for the last month. Without her, there were days that no one even came into the shop. Vanessa may have been a non believer, but once Shiloh had gotten used to her, she noticed there was no true ill intent or bad attitude. The scientist was almost always polite, just overly formal. It was endearing once she realized it was just her nature and not a disdain for her and her shop, driven by curiosity and a quest for answers to the unknown.


She raised her hand to ask her to stop, but she couldn’t think of anything more to say. Defeated, she let Vanessa go, feeling more gloomy than she had in years.


*************


Vanessa was not happy with herself. While most would think that she was mad that she had wasted her time frequenting Shiloh’s shop, getting an excuse for her troubles, it was not the case. What had bothered her was the genuine fear she had put into the dusky, exotic woman. Her mind working incredibly fast, and being a lot less self centered than her tenacity let on, she had realized a flaw in her search for the truth. While she didn’t believe that Shiloh was afraid to use her magic because of the dangers, another factor occured to the scientist as soon as she saw those golden eyes widen in terror. If Vanessa disproved the existence of magic inside the shop, she could destroy the woman’s livelihood. Most people were inherently a little skeptical, but had enough curiosity and wonder to bring them in a purchase things anyway. If Vanessa took that away, it would ruin Shiloh’s business. The realization had made her feel sick to her stomach. She’d succumbed to one of the things many scientist had that often led to disaster. The ambition and the belief that she could do something had blinded her to the thoughts of whether or not she should. She had almost let her curiosity ruin another person’s life.


Vanessa reclused herself in her home for the next week. Reduced staffing at the pharmacy and her forced vacation from the lab left her with nothing to do still and she wanted to recalibrate her mind, unable to shake the guilt. She liked Shiloh. She had tolerated her poking around and being disruptive without a single complaint. It didn’t hurt that she was kind and patient either.


She had been trying to come up with life hack ideas from her home belongings to keep boredom at bay when she got a surprise phone call.


“Hello?”


“Hello,” a tentative voice responded on the other end. “Is this Vanessa Solero’s residence?”


Vanessa didn’t immediately recognize the voice through the phone, but she felt a bit of dread. “This is. May I ask who’s calling?”


“This is Shiloh LeFay. I’m really sorry, I had to ask around for your number. I hope you don’t mind…”


Vanessa swallowed hard, unsure of why she would be getting a call from her. “Can… can I help you with something?”


Shiloh took a long pause on the other end. “I… I was thinking about the last time you were in, and I know what you must think of me, but I thought of a way I can make it up to you.”


“No, you don’t have to make anything up to me. I was out of line,” Vanessa insisted.


Shiloh insisted more though.


“Really! I can! Please, just hear me out!” Shiloh started talking very fast. “Conjuring a creature makes a lot of sense for why you’d want to see that as proof since a lot of things witches can do has been covered by science now and I-”


“Shiloh, I can’t keep up with that,” Vanessa politely cut her off.


On the other end, Shiloh cleared her throat and started again more calmly. “I can summon something for you to prove I can do magic. I wasn’t lying about it being dangerous though, so I looked through all my books to find the safest way to do it. I have the answer.”


Vanessa couldn’t help but feel intrigued again. Shiloh still wanted to prove magic was real, despite the fact that she had let her off the hook. “What do you propose?”


Shiloh seemed shy, almost embarrassed when she finally answered. “I can summon it inside myself and let it grow like a child.”


“You want to impregnate yourself with a mystical creature?”


“I know it’s not quite what you had in mind, but it’s a lot safer and I would feel a lot better about doing it that way,” Shiloh said pleadingly. “What do you say? Do I still get a chance?”


Imagining her bright eyes, glittering hopefully as she asked for her chance to prove herself, Vanessa couldn’t deny her. Her mind instantly switched back into research mode. She was going to do this the right way this time.


“I can accept your stipulation, but due to the new variables I would like to run this in a static environment.”


“... Okay?” Shiloh said cheerfully. “What does that mean?”


“Meet me at the university. I’d like to treat this like an experiment to be certain of the results.”


Shiloh sounded relieved. “I can be there tomorrow morning.”


**********


Voice recorded journal. Day one.


The subject, Shiloh Madesa LeFay, has agreed to allow me to observe her attempt to manifest a supernatural being. Due to her request to have it impregnated into her, rather than conjure an already mature being, Subject will be isolated prior to, and after the summoning so that I can monitor her and exclude any chance of her finding some other means to impregnate herself to trick me. She’ll be arriving in about an hour at the university where I have reserved one of the observation suites for the next year.

---

“This is a really neat place,” Shiloh looked around what looked like a small, but comfortable apartment. “What do you do here?”


“These are used for observation in long term experiments on human test subjects. Mostly used for stress testing astronauts in isolated situations,” Vanessa explained, taking Shiloh’s bag.


“You’re not going to leave me here all alone, are you?” Shiloh pouted her lower lip, her normal confidence restored from the day before, allowing her to be playful again.


“I’ll be here too,” Vanessa assured her. “It’s just good science to observe as much as possible. Plus… it’d be cruel to leave you here by yourself.”


The second part was muffled by a shyness. Empathy didn’t come easily to her, but she knew she had to try. Feeble as it was, it was still an attempt to show some compassion, so she hoped Shiloh would let it slide and see it as that.


“So why am I staying here for so long?” Shiloh asked as she ran a hand over the soft fabric of the sofa.


“In principal, I have to make sure you’re not already pregnant before you attempt your magic so that there is no doubt it’s magic that puts a child there,” Vanessa explained.


“Okay, that makes sense,” Shiloh bobbed her head in understanding.


“I’m just going to do a thorough search on your things that you have with you first, and then when it’s time, I’ll supply the materials you need. I’ll be running all outside errands, but otherwise I’ll stay with you the whole time.”


Shiloh didn’t really know why Vanessa wanted to do all these things, but she didn’t argue and didn’t let it bother her. She was glad that the scientist seemed to be back in her normal state of mind again, still feeling guilty at the sudden shift in mood back in her shop. If she had done something, she wanted to make it right. Once it was over, she might have a friend who truly believed in her too. No one ever took her seriously as a witch.


*********************


Day 42


Subject has shown no signs of prior impregnation and all tests support this evidence. I am satisfied that she did not sneak some sort of external method to induce it either. I’m still wary of certain plausible ways, such as a dissolving strip with the proper… ahem… genetic material, but I haven’t found anything, so I believe I am ready to have the subject perform her abilities today. I have to say, it’s kind of exciting. She seems to believe she really has these abilities and in interest of understanding I have been having her tell me about the history of her magic studies. I find it… fascinating. Also, note to self, witches are not shy.

---

Shiloh smiled happily as Vanessa slipped out of the locked office. She had her book open with the pictograms of the summoning circle on it. She waited for Vanessa to sit across from her before taking out a piece of charcoal and etching the circle and symbols on a mat. Once she was satisfied everything was perfect, she set up candles and incense around her, a perfect picturesque scene from a movie, though in a brightly lit laboratory observation room rather than a grim basement full of cobwebs and crumbling walls. Satisfied again, she put down a pot of ink with a feather next to where she was going to sit. Shiloh stood and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the side before reaching for the button on her pants.


“Is that necessary?” Vanessa stopped her, feeling the heat rise in her face.


Shiloh slipped out of her tight fitting jeans. The fabric that hugged her butt cheeks tightly didn’t seem ready to release the supple curves, causing her to alternate pushing down each side of the waist until they popped free, sitting perky atop well toned legs. Matching bra and thong panties that made her look like the centerfold of a classier magazine catering to men were all she was wearing without warning or hesitation.


“I need to paint symbols on my stomach,” Shiloh said. “Some of them need to be a little… low.”


As she said the last word, she teasingly looped her thumbs around the elastic of her underwear waist, watching the red rise in Vanessa’s cheeks as she chanted to her herself her own protective warding.


“It’s a scientific study, you’re here to observe. It’s a scientific study, you’re here to observe…”


Shiloh bit her lower lip playfully, teasing the scientist a little more. She did wonder why Vanessa was so shy around an undressing woman. Most scientists would be able to focus on their work under the same circumstances. Maybe she hadn’t done a lot of experiments with people before. Either way, it was fun to see how deep a shade of red she could make her audience of one.


Something Vanessa had not been ready to share with anyone was that she had always found herself more attracted to women. Even as far back as she could remember she had never once agreed that a boy was cute because there was always a girl around she found cuter. Before dementia, her father was a religious and outspoken man, and so she had hidden it, afraid to share and be condemned for it. Shiloh had always appeared attractive to her, which would have been a lie if anyone of any orientation disagreed, but their differences in lifestyles had made her unappealing. It still didn’t stop her from being gorgeous.


Giving the girl a bit of a break, though not as successfully as she thought, she slipped out of her underwear gracefully, but without adding seductive flare. She unclasped her bra from the front and sat in the center of her circle. Vanessa’s eyes lingered on her breasts as she looked to her book. The generous handfuls of cinnamon colored flesh sat perfectly full and perky even without support from the undergarment.


Shiloh dipped the tip of the feather into the ink pot and slowly started painting her body, explaining as she went. Starting at her flat stomach, she made a circle that held her navel in the center.


“You start with the portal circle, the one on the floor, to allow what you seek to pass between realms.”


Symbols were brushed, divided by lines that made it look like a zodiac chart.


“Each segment is a place for you to request what kind of entity you seek. I have the symbols here for kindness, love, since it’s going to essentially be my child, femininity since I’d like a daughter, beauty, and loyalty. It’s a general term since summoning is usually for servants. It just means that you can’t be harmed by whatever answers the summons.”


“Is that top one blank for a reason?” Vanessa asked, indicating the top part of the circle.


“That’s where you put the symbol for what you want to summon. I figured I should let you pick since you’re the one in need of convincing, so it would be something I couldn’t have prepared for ahead of time,” Shiloh let out a breath, wriggling a little as she pulled the feather away from her body. “All I ask is please, nothing too weird. It’s going to be inside me…”


Vanessa considered it a moment. She was pleased, almost describable as pride, that Shiloh had given thought to how best convince her of magic and that she showed she trusted her enough to make such and impactful decision. Still doubting anything would come from this venture, she still decided to take the choice seriously. Every creature she could think of flashed through her mind in an instant, her brain like a super computer in comparison to many others. Demons, while classic, were out. Shiloh had mentioned several times how dangerous this could be for her. She didn’t really have a huge list of things that could be summoned that would make sense. Ghosts were incorporeal, so they took up no space, couldn’t be seen, couldn’t be measured.


Finally, she came up with an answer. Unsure if it could be summoned, the idea formed around the character of the creature. A djinn, commonly a genie. Mischievous, but kind. Wish granter. All of these could describe Shiloh if you asked anyone who had made a purchase or appointment in her shop.


“Would a djinn be possible?”


“Absolutely!” Shiloh seemed relieved, but it was washed over by a wave of elation. “I never would have thought of that!”


She reached for her book, arching her back to keep her stomach flat so that the markings she’d already made wouldn’t smear. It reminded Vanessa of the poses of women in swimsuit wore while leaning over cars in pinup calendars. At least Shiloh made it look practical. Dipping the feather in the ink again, she filled the top space with a symbol, then worked on the second half.


“This side is to put down what you will give in return to the entity,” Shiloh continued explaining. Vanessa saw the same symbols painted for love and kindness and loyalty, with three she hadn’t seen yet. “So I’m offering love, kindness, protection, knowledge, freedom, which isn’t to say that they can do whatever they want, it’s just that without it a lot of entities can’t do anything without being commanded, and I’m going to put loyalty in the last spot to say that if anything happens I’ll care for her rather than replacing her.”


Vanessa frowned a bit as she mulled over the words, the promises. “These all seem very relative to interpretation. Most of them are emotional words.”


“Well, that’s what most of magic is. Emotions and feelings manifested by willpower,” Shiloh shrugged. “That’s what makes even a perfect summoning dangerous. If their view of the terms differ from yours, it’s grounds to break the contract.”


Vanessa felt that the risk far outweighed the reward, but resigned herself to the fact that she knew very little about the laws of magic. She was only aware of what Shiloh had told her and it all seemed like very… loose interpretations to her.


“So, normally everything I’ve painted on myself would go into the middle of the circle on the floor. Since I’m carrying her, it’s on me and I’ll sit inside the circle,” Shiloh sat cross legged in the center. “It says here, that I need to select a vessel though….”


Vanessa looked over to the book as best she could, not wanting to get up and disturb the setup. “Problem?”


“A lot of this is still in very old world speech, so I’m trying to figure something out,” Shiloh sounded puzzled. “I’ve followed the instructions, but it looks like part of it is repeated.”


“How so?”


Shiloh dipped the feather again and painted another circle directly over where her uterus would be and filled it with a symbol indicated by the book. “It says to mark the intended vessel, but most of the time the person having something summoned within them is called the vessel, so it’s like it’s asking me to do it twice, but with a single symbol the second time.”


“Is that strange? Are you sure you’ve got it right?” Vanessa asked sternly, hoping this wasn’t another attempt to back out.


“Yeah, like I said, a lot of phrasing in here still has ‘Ye olden magics’ in it. I’m sure I’ve got it,” Shiloh smiled dismissively. “So, you want to include yourself in the experiment?”


Vanessa gave her a quizzical look, unsure how to answer.


“There’s an optional step to mark yourself and others with a binding circle. It makes it so that as long as I have my contract, any with the same binding circle can benefit from it. It also prevents another witch or warlock from being able to steal her from me.”


Vanessa shrugged, eyeing the feather glistening with fresh ink. “I suppose so. What do I need to do?”


“Just tell me where you’d want a tattoo!” Shiloh grinned.


Vanessa rolled her eyes, but decided to humor her. She held out her left arm and pointed to the inside of her wrist, just below the palm. It didn’t really matter to her all that much. It was just ink, she had tested it, so it would wash off.


Shiloh painted a thin circle, surprisingly perfect without any excess ink making the line thicker or thinner in any section. With all the grace and precision of a calligraphy stroke, Shiloh added a symbol within it and then painted a matching one on her right wrist.


“Now I have to paint channeling runes to amplify my magic, then when I’m finished, I call to the entities and see if I can find one that will take the contract.”


It was a long, tedious process. Vanessa didn’t mind as she herself was quite used to tasks that took a long time and she had all the patience of a Buddhist monk. By the time she had finished, not much of Shiloh’s body was left untouched. Her arms and legs had the most of them, much of which were in Arabic due to the origin of djinn to make it more enticing. Her cheeks, chin, and forehead all had a single symbol each, and even with amazing flexibility, she even out several on her back. About every other character she wrote, she had to stop and wriggle a bit, as if shaking off a bug or snake while trying not to touch it.


“Is everything okay? You’re squirming a lot during this,” Vanessa asked when the feather was finally put down, the witch’s work finished.


“I’ll let you in on a deep secret that I have never told anyone in my entire life…” Shiloh took on a very dark and serious tone. Vanessa drew closer, and like before she found herself being tricked as Shiloh’s pearly white teeth shone through a sudden grin. “I am extremely ticklish.”


Vanessa rolled her eyes, but found herself smiling this time. She had been so busy monitoring Shiloh the last six weeks that their actual interactions had been sparse. Shiloh seemed to be a lot more social of a person than Vanessa, so when it was obvious that the girl that claimed to be a witch was getting lonely, she felt guilty and did her best to at least make small talk. She quickly found that she was very glad she had though. Shiloh was easy to talk to. Easier than anyone before. At least when she wasn’t talking about business. She was genuinely interested in everything Vanessa had to say, even if she didn’t understand it all. Like she enjoyed the journey of discovering who the scientist was beyond her academics. She was always cheerful and never seemed bored. A welcome change to Vanessa, who could watch people’s eyes glaze over as she tried to explain her research to people who asked what she did.


“I’m going to need complete concentration now, so please don’t talk too much. Once I start chanting, I can’t stop until the summons is answered. It could cause the rift to stay open and let anything through. Barring that, I’d have to start completely over,” Shiloh explained.


Vanessa nodded, and Shiloh began to chant. While she wasn’t fluent in many languages, Vanessa was still able to recognize many of them, having met other scientists from all over the world. She could not recognize whatever language Shiloh was speaking in though. It went on for a long time. The witch had to have been at it for over an hour, but she never stopped, never faltered, never even changed her pace or volume. Two hours passed, then three. Shiloh kept at it the whole time without fail. Vanessa was about to call it off, thinking that the charade had gone on long enough when she noticed that the smoke from the incense was circling. There was no breeze or a fan in the room. By her estimate, it was directly over the circle on the mat, but she didn’t have a way to measure without disturbing Shiloh. The candles started to flicker, dimming until they almost drowned themselves in their own wax. Suddenly, they flared, the flames standing tall and somehow burning brighter than before. Vanessa had no explanation. She had been allowed to test and examine the candles before the ritual was set. There was no logical way to describe what was happening before her very eyes. It lasted several minutes, the faint trails of smoke creating a more obvious swirl above the dusky skinned witch as her chanting suddenly picked up a little more intensity. The candles reached an almost blinding brightness as Shiloh’s voice got got louder. In an instant, she stopped, throwing her head back and drawing a sharp breath. The candles and the punks all immediately extinguished, the trailing smoke dissipated almost instantly, leaving the room clear of the haze that had been gathering in the small room.


“I did it,” Shiloh said weakly. “It worked.”


Vanessa rushed to her side, noticing that she had started trembling. “Are you okay?”


“I’ll be okay. I could really go for something to eat though. That took a lot out of me,” Shiloh smiled, accepting Vanessa’s arm.


She nodded, guiding the witch to the couch before gathering up her clothes. As she helped dress Shiloh, the poor girl looking like she was about to fall asleep sitting up, she noticed that the ink was flaking off of her body. It was strange to say the least. Not a single stain was left underneath on the darker skin of Shiloh. She would have to test the ink and candles again, but that was a secondary thought to getting Shiloh something to eat and then resting.


Shiloh herself was a little surprised that Vanessa wasn’t asking more questions about what had happened or how she could know it was successful. She graciously accepted the help though, chipping flecks of dried ink off her face as she rubbed her eyes. The ritual had been exhausting and she wanted nothing more than a snack and a nap. Vanessa mostly got her covered enough to walk her through the observation apartment without having her exposed if people happened to look in on them of look through the cameras. She insisted Shiloh take a warm bath while she prepared something for her to eat. Vanessa was not a great cook, but she was learning quickly, applying chemistry knowledge to make up for technical skills with some degree of success. Returning with a simple plate,she found Shiloh dozing in a bubble filled bath. Her head was safely above the surface, the bubbles tickling the tip of her nose. Vanessa had to admit she looked really cute that way, but begrudgingly woke her with a soft shake.


“That’s dangerous,” Vanessa said gently. “I’ve made you a sandwich. It’s nothing special, but you have me a little worried.”


Shiloh smiled as she sat up, bubbles censoring her bust and Vanessa wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed. “Thank you. I’m sorry, it just took way longer than I expected.”


“Real or not, that was an impressive display of dedication. I can see why you’d be tired,” Vanessa nodded.


Shiloh took it as the compliment she knew that was supposed to be, but used it as an opportunity to voice a concern. “So… how much longer do we have to stay here now?”


Vanessa felt a pang of guilt. Shiloh was definitely a free spirit and she had been very tolerant up to this point. She had obviously been getting homesick as well. Vanessa didn’t mind their current situation, but it was a well practiced lifestyle for her. For Shiloh’s sake, she wanted to get them out of there as soon as possible. The enclosed space and constant scrutiny had taken a bit of the spring out of her step and Vanessa wanted to bring it back.


“I suppose as soon as I can confirm that you’re pregnant we won’t have to stay here anymore. I really appreciate you humoring me and letting me observe like I’m running an experiment.”


Shiloh wearily smiled, patting the scientist’s shoulder, “Thank you for humoring me. I’ve never felt the need to prove myself to someone so badly before.”


Vanessa cocked her head to one side. “Why do you feel that around me?”


Shiloh shrugged, already swallowing down the last bite of the sandwich. “Don’t know. It’s not out of spite though. I understand why you’re so sceptical and I don’t hold it against you. I guess I kind of want to impress you for some reason.”


“R-really?” Vanessa stammered, feeling a little taken aback by it. “You don’t have to impress me…”


“I know. I still want to though.”


Shiloh stretched before hauling herself upright, water washing down her body and rinsing away all the bubbles on the lower portion of her body. Not a single mark from the ritual was left on her body, all of it having washed off during the bath except for the secondary circle and its symbol. It was directly under her belly button, just below where a belt line would be, looking like a provocative tattoo. As she dried off, Vanessa caught a glimpse of a darker mark left of the inside of Shiloh’s right wrist as well, but the rest of her body was as pristine as it had ever been.


“I’m really sorry, but I need to sleep. I’m about to keel over,” Shiloh excused herself.


Vanessa followed to make sure she didn’t do just that as Shiloh made her way to her borrowed bedroom. She crawled onto the mattress without dressing or pulling a blanket over herself and was out in moments. The scientist tucked her in, easily propping a pillow under the weary witch’s head without waking her before exiting. As she closed the door behind her, she was suddenly aware that her wrist itched. Vanessa could compartmentalize her focus, so now that she was no longer concerned for Shiloh at the moment, she was made very aware that the skin of her inner left wrist was very irritated.


Looking at it, the little circle with the symbol inside was still on her skin. Looking closely at it, there wasn’t any red from any sort of reaction, but the gloss was gone now, as if the ink had somehow made it under her skin. She licked her thumb and tried to smudge it. The lines stayed pristine and clear. She went to the sink and tried scrubbing. She scraped and scrubbed until her skin turned pink and raw, but the mark would not clean off. She felt the hair on the back of her neck raise. She could feel a hint of doubt creeping into her mind, but she shoved it away. She’d test the ink again right now, and get herself tested for allergies. There were still reasons this could have happened she assured herself.

---

Day 67


It’s been almost four weeks since the ritual. The symbol drawn on my hand still hasn’t faded. I’ve done several tests and there are no traces of ink on or in my skin. I… I can’t explain it. I’m not sure what to say.


On the other hand, Ms. LeFay has been complaining of morning sickness the last couple days. I’ve been doing my best to take care of her, but biology and medicine beyond pharmaceuticals are not my strengths. Scientifically, I’m waiting for the third instance to perform an ultrasound. It wouldn’t be prudent to test without consistent evidence.


Things are… getting more complicated. I keep reviewing everything and I still can’t find a way that she could have snuck anything in here, but I’m really starting to believe that she managed to somehow. She’s either even more clever than I initially suspected, or she really is a witch. I say that because as far as I can tell, it should have been impossible. I keep telling myself that she’s faking sickness, but I find that Ms. LeFay is not deceitful in any other aspect of our conversations. It’s hard to picture her lying about being a witch when she doesn’t about anything else.

---

Vanessa stepped out of her office, hearing a dry heave echoing inside porcelain. She knocked on the door to the bathroom, knowing that Shiloh wouldn’t have minded her barging in under any circumstance.


“Come in,” her voice was still sweet, if a little muted.


Opening the door, Vanessa sat next to Shiloh, rubbing the witch’s back. She was wearing a t-shirt that she had been using as pajamas at the scientist’s request, as well as the bikini panties. Shiloh still assumed that Vanessa was still shy about looking at a nude person. Vanessa on the other hand, was having a very difficult time not staring at her every morning when she took her trip to the bathroom from her bedroom and back again after her shower. She pulled Shiloh’s hair to the side, keeping it out of her face while continuing to rub her back. The witch had her cheek resting on the seat of the toilet, moaning pitifully as Vanessa gingerly tried to comfort her.


“Are you going to be okay?” Vanessa asked.


The dusky beauty sat up, her tired, golden eyes still shining brightly, “It’s about to pass. Thank you for asking though.”


Vanessa felt like she should start a conversation to take Shiloh’s mind off of her illness, but was never very good at starting a topic others shared interest in. She settled on asking something more about Shiloh. “So, what made you decide that proving to me that you could do magic was worth becoming a single mother?”


It was a little more blunt than she had intended, but it was still an honest question she’d been having since the first day of morning sickness.


“I dunno. I like kids,” Shiloh seemed uncomfortable answering. “Suppose that having one to make a point isn’t a good enough answer for you though.”


“Well it certainly doesn’t make sense. You don’t seem like the kind of person who would do something like this without thinking about the future of the child,” Vanessa noted.


Shiloh chewed her lip. Disheveled and tired, she still looked beautiful and Vanessa had to shift her thoughts back into focus when the witch did start talking. “I’m just tired of being mysterious all the time. The people that do believe are either afraid or just want something from me. Silly things like palm readings. Like I have all the answers, so they don’t have to do the work anymore. If they don’t believe, they mock me or call me crazy or a scam artist. My family is long gone, so I don’t have anyone. I thought if I showed someone the truth, let them know the real me, and that person was the kind of person that would accept me for what I am, then I might have a friend to be myself with. I thought that might be you. If I could convince you, you’re not superficial enough to use magic for petty little charms and then I’d also be able to share my home with someone. Who better to give your love to than a child?”


Vanessa took a moment to process and swallow what she’d just heard. For her, it was a long time. Long enough to where Shiloh even noticed that she was having a hard time coming up with an answer. It was something she never would have thought about. Shiloh was always so cheerful and happy. It never occurred to her that she might be lonely. It made her think about herself. Vanessa didn’t have anyone either, and she didn’t have friends to speak of. Even her colleagues really only seemed interested in talking to her when she had a new breakthrough.


“You know, the only reason I work so hard all the time is because it’s the only way I can hold a conversation that people are genuinely interested in,” Vanessa finally said. “So here we both are. Doing what we love and yet still alone.”


“That was almost poetic,” Shiloh smiled, offering a hug. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”


Vanessa accepted it, feeling a cold pit growing in her stomach. “When this is over, I’m going to be alone again. Now that I’ve thought about it, I’ll still be alone when I can go back to work. At least you’ll have someone.”


Shiloh gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You know, in a way, she’s yours too. I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for you.”


Vanessa instinctively looked at Shiloh’s stomach, a flood of thoughts and emotions washing over her so quickly she couldn’t sort them out. She hadn’t thought about that. She didn’t know if she should feel guilty for the dusky girl’s condition, or responsible like a future parent. Shiloh could sense the turmoil her comment had made and gave the scientist a few minutes of peace, unsure if she’d made things better or worse for the young woman. The indecision brought back the nausea enough to keep her seated as the two girls pondered what the other might be thinking.


———-


Day 84


“I still can’t believe I made such a huge oversight. Even if I was so sure magic wasn’t real, I still shouldn’t have put Shiloh in such a situation. It’s going to affect her life forever. It doesn’t matter how she did it, that fact is, she is pregnant because I pushed her so hard. I kept her here for another couple weeks so that I can study up on the medical necessities of pregnant women. Today is the last day we’ll be here in the lab, but I’m going to perform another ultrasound today. My goal is to at least give her as much free medical care as I can because of my giant blunder. I hope she can forgive me one day…”


——————


Vanessa felt her breath catch, watching Shiloh raise her shirt to reveal a slight bump pushing out above her waistband. As more of a chemist and mathematician, biology wasn’t her strongest subject, but she took a tube of gel and warmed it, before applying it to the cinnamon skin. She found herself oddly excited. Because biology wasn’t her area of expertise, it allowed her to continue to see a child as a miracle, summoned by magic or conventionally conceived. Shakily, she placed the device against Shiloh’s skin, following the slight curve, trying to get a decent picture on display.


“That’s a really good picture!” Shiloh gasped excitedly. “On TV these things always look so grainy!”


“W-we have state of the art equipment here,” Vanessa’s voice wavered as she glided the wand around and found a good view, finding a very clear image as she aimed it just under the witch’s belly button. “And here’s your daughter.”


Shiloh cupped the tiny bulge with one hand and touched the screen with the other. She welled up as she watched, whispering mostly to herself, “I can’t believe it worked.”


Vanessa was getting more accustomed to the range of emotions Shiloh had and could hear the tiniest amount of pride mixed in with pure joy. Not the slightest amount of gloating or snide in her voice. Just a mother proud she was creating life. Any of the scientists she had known would have gladly flaunted any achievement they made, or rubbed her face in any theory of hers they disproved, but not her. Vanessa felt her heart flutter at the look Shiloh gave her little bump. Nothing but love and happiness.


“Well, I can’t deny it anymore,” Vanessa sighed almost sadly. “You definitely made yourself pregnant.”


“You don’t sound happy,” Shiloh looked concerned.


“Well, I was just thinking I shouldn’t keep you here anymore,” Vanessa admitted. “The books all say that stress is best avoided when expecting, and one of the best ways to ensure that is to let you go home where you’re more comfortable.”


Shiloh smiled with a slight chuckle. “That sounds like a roundabout way of saying you’re going to miss me.”


Vanessa could only manage a nod. She had really liked spending time with her and getting to know her. While it had seemed like a reason to bury herself in work, the tests and measurements weren’t what she was going to miss. Shiloh had been a genuine friend, not a cordial colleague. She was having a hard time coming to grips with the feeling that it was something she had been sorely missing in her life and now their reason to be around each other had come to a conclusion.


“You can always come visit me like before. Honestly, people started thinking you worked with me,” Shiloh offered. “It’d be pretty empty without you there once in a while now.”


Vanessa nodded again, unsure what to say. It didn’t feel the same. Like the last three months would just go away like an awkward piece of the past, destined to be a memory that didn’t fit with the rest of the ones they shared. Back to obsessive scientist, and a woman claiming to be a witch.


The two of them packed up and cleaned the rooms in silence. Shiloh had also become accustomed to Vanessa’s moods and knew that when she was lost in thought the only way to get her attention was to wait for her to see her thought process all the way through. They said their goodbyes in the university parking lot, Shiloh pulling the still silent scientist in for a tight hug before they went their separate ways.


Vanessa spent the next week trying to move on with her life, but with months left before she could return to work, and nowhere to really go, her thoughts kept drifting back to the nights she’d spent staying up with Shiloh. She couldn’t really think of reasons to visit the shop. She had long realized the dangers of disproving magic at the risk of ruining the kind young woman’s livelihood, and even then, Shiloh had stumped her on how she could have possible gotten herself pregnant through all of her checks and tests. The sudden realization hit her like a wrecking ball. She still wasn’t convinced Shiloh had summoned a creature, she had just overlooked it when she felt responsible for changing her life.


Her fingers pounded the keys on her phone harder than they needed to as she dialed the magic shop. Vanessa could feel her whole body pulse with her heartbeat and she almost felt like she’d pass out with excitement as she tried to concoct a believable reason to reinstate their friendship.


“Hello?”


“Shiloh! There was a flaw in the conclusion of my experiment!”


“Oh hi, Vanessa!” the witch’s cheery voice chirped back.


“Yes hello!” Vanessa said back unintentionally stiffly. “I made an error!”


“What’s wrong?” the genuine concern and interest made Vanessa shake even more.


“I realized that I am still not fully convinced you didn’t find a way around my preventative measures and tricked me into believing you summoned an extra dimensional creature,” Vanessa said at a barely comprehensible speed.


“You really think I’m that smart?” Shiloh almost sounded flattered more than anything else.


“I do, yes. I had chemists try to replicate your potions, but for some odd reason, I was the only one out of the ten that could duplicate your results,” Vanessa stammered. “Regardless, that’s not relevant to this though. I have decided the flaw in the experiment is that I chose something human in appearance, so barring unnecessary, dangerous surgery, there is no way to know if your daughter is human or djinn since she doesn’t seem to be a variant with extra limbs.”


“There are djinn like that?”


“In my research, I saw many depicted with four arms, yes,” Vanessa nodded, though pointlessly since she was in the phone. “I have concluded that I will have to be present at the birth to determine she is in fact a djinn you convinced. As a good scientist in full attention of an ongoing experiment, I must insist I continue to observe you until that day as well.”


“Sweetie, you’re doing that thing where you talk really fast with big words again,” Shiloh said calmly. “Are you trying to say you need to be around me until I have the baby?”


“Err… yes… sorry,” Vanessa held her breath as she waited for her response.


“Well, you did say that it’s best if I stay in places I’m comfortable,” Shiloh mused to herself a moment. “I suppose you’ll have to stay at my place then.”


“Really?” Vanessa released her breath. “You’d be okay with that?”


“Oh course! I really liked hanging out with you!”


Vanessa almost forgot to say goodbye before she hung up and made a mad dash to pack her things.


———————-

Shiloh was surprised that Vanessa didn’t show up until late that evening. Besides a bag full of her own clothing though, she had apparently stopped at the university and borrowed a bunch of the equipment. Vanessa stayed up the entire night, buzzing with energy. She decided to use the excessive energy to set up the equipment, only realizing it was morning when Shiloh walked out of her bedroom only in her thong panties. The small triangle of fabric in the front was pushed down by the slightly more pronounced curve of the witch’s belly. Had it not been her insistence while they stayed at the observation accommodations, Shiloh would have wandered around every morning just as she was now. With nothing but the small patch of cloth over her most sensitive area. Because of this, Vanessa hadn’t noticed before that Shiloh’s already impressive chest was fuller, swollen to the point where her breasts looked like they ached for relief.


“C-cold this morning?” Vanessa asked when she caught herself staring too long, her attention drifting to the darkened areolas on the perfect, ripe breasts.


“Nope!” the witch said, just as perky as her figure. “So what’s all this?”


Vanessa tried her best to look her in the eye, but her gaze kept wandering to the naturally fit body with its beautifully natural curves. She was most surprised that her eyes kept falling to the slight pooch out of the pregnant bump. There was no scientific inquiry running through her mind when she admired it. Just a sense that she was looking at something beautiful.
“I… borrowed the equipment from the lab so that I can do your checkups. Medical bills are expensive and as you said, you wouldn’t have gone through this if it weren’t for me, so…”


“That’s so sweet!” Shiloh cradled her head, hugging her face deep into her bare, laden chest. “You’re really doing all of this for me?”


Vanessa couldn’t say a word. Her voice didn’t seem to work and her face was on fire. She didn’t push away, but stayed for as long as Shiloh held her there. “Just… don’t tell them I took it…”


Shiloh laughed. It was a musical sound that Vanessa loved to hear. It had an infectious cheer to it. She got dressed and went downstairs to open her shop. A few of her more loyal clientele were ecstatic that she had come back after her months of absence. Vanessa had paid all of Shiloh’s bills while they had been at the university, so most people just believed the witch had taken a vacation.


She watched Shiloh work, cleaning and organizing here and there to help out, but her rapt attention was focused on the witch the whole day. She watched the ease with which she talked to her customers. The glowing smile that greeted everyone warmed the whole room and she would often brag to the more curious about the new curve of her growing belly. Some of the women would congratulate her and feel the bump. Shiloh didn’t disclose any of the actual details, just saying that she had taken some time off and gotten herself pregnant while away, so no questions were brought up about who or what had gotten her that way. Vanessa felt her stomach turn in a slight knot every time a hand was placed on Shiloh and her beginning of a belly. Several times she caught herself frowning when she passed by a reflective surface.


Excusing herself, she went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She ran through every possible explanation in her head. She wasn’t afraid for her, or angry at the customers. She had been fairly certain she’d done everything possible to clear her conscience of any guilt for Shiloh’s situation. Finally, she realized what it was when she compared the feeling to others of her past. She was jealous. She wanted to be able to touch Shiloh, and not just from the excuse of it being part of the experiment and her observation. She wanted to coo and talk about due dates and baby names, to feel the warm, soft skin under her hand and feel the little kicks. And she didn’t want to share.


Vanessa doused herself with another splash and let the water run off her face. She had to get ahold of herself and fast. She still felt that there was going to end up being some resentment from the witch toward her and as she placed her glasses back on her dripping face, some tears mixed with the water.


“I’m just me. A dull, ugly know-it-all who mocked everything about her. She’s probably not even interested in girls. What chance would you ever have, Vanessa?”


Though her own, the words stung, but she couldn’t deny it was how she always felt. It just hurt more because she had never met anyone that could make her heart race like Shiloh had. It had taken her a while, but she finally knew it. She was in love with the witch. Trying to figure out when and how, the young scientist didn’t realize how long she’d been in the bathroom when there was a knock on the door.


“Nessa? Are you okay?”


The musical voice giving her her very first nickname ever was almost enough to make Vanessa’s heart explode. She could feel hope welling in her chest as her tears welled up in her eyes again. “I-I’m fine! I-I’ll be out in a minute!”


Concern was heavy in the voice on the other side of the door. “Are you sure? I thought I heard crying.”


Vanessa groaned, but couldn’t lie to her. “... Yeah… a little…”


She jumped in surprise as the door flew open. Shiloh wrapped her arms around the shorter blonde before she could say anything in protest, cradling Vanessa’s head and stroking her head soothingly. “What’s wrong? You can tell me. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but it always helps to let your feelings out.”


“I… I can’t,” Vanessa sniffed, wiping her eyes. “It’s just not something I’m used to…”


“I understand,” Shiloh kissed the top of her head, guiding her out of the bathroom and up the stairs to the living area. “Come on, I’ll make you some tea to calm you down.”


Vanessa’s head was swimming as she let Shiloh take her by the hand and walked her to the soft couch overlooking the terrace garden. The witch bustled around in the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea for them both before plopping down next to her. Vanessa didn’t miss the motion of her friend adjusting her waistband as it dug in a little to her growing tummy.


“Let’s not worry about it until you’re ready to talk to me, okay?” Shiloh snuggled up close to to her and wrapped a blanket around them both, rubbing the scientist’s shoulders. “We’ll just watch TV and get fat on ice cream the rest of the night.”


Vanessa smiled, finally finding her voice, but couldn’t stop herself from saying anything other than scientific knowledge. “A single night of binging on ice cream won’t lead to significant weight gain.”


Shiloh giggled and nudged her playfully. “There you are! I was worried something happened to my friend Nessa and you were some sort of sad doppelganger.”


The two of them laughed together, making good don Shiloh’s offer to watch movies and eat a quart of ice cream between the two of them once their tea was finished. Heart pounding in her ears, Vanessa slowly lowered her head onto Shiloh’s shoulder, pretending to fall asleep as their third movie was playing. Her body sighed contentedly without her even thinking. She knew in her heart that their relationship wouldn’t go any further, but pretending they were together was good enough for her. Vanessa didn’t believe she deserved any better after what she’d put the witch through, so she was just happy she could be close for five more months.


Over the next month, Vanessa noticed an coincidence that she couldn’t shake. The bigger Shiloh’s baby bump grew, the greater her desire to be close to her was. She was becoming so jealous of all the women who would come in and place a hand on Shiloh that she often found a trembling hand hovering in front of her, waiting for her turn, but always turning beet red and shying away before Shiloh noticed. Even though the cinnamon skinned girl did finally switch to maternity pants, the edge of the symbol she had painted on her body months ago peaking just over the edge of the waistband, she never bought new shirts. She seemed to enjoy watching day to day just how much the hem had crept up her expanding tummy. The exposed slope was driving Vanessa wild, stirring even more new feelings deep inside herself that she had never felt before. So much of her sexuality had been repressed to the point that she couldn’t help but feel ashamed of herself as she stared at the bronze beauty. She laid awake all night, feeling a heat between her legs that had her rubbing her thighs together. It brought back her father’s voice, quoting bible verses about the impure being sent to hell, and his own personal rants about how the gays were a plague upon the righteous. The anxiety had her chewing her nails for the first time since she had moved out and kept her up all night.


“You look terrible, sweetie!” a naked Shiloh gasped as she came out into the living room when the sun rose. Unfortunately, as much as Vanessa loved seeing her like this in the morning, it was not helping her get over her dread in that moment. “Couldn’t you sleep? I’ve really been worried about you since you’ve started staying with me.”


Vanessa felt another wave of guilt crash down on her chest as she blearily sat up. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping lately.”


Shiloh started massaging her shoulders and the back of her neck. “So tense! You know what the problem is? You have got to stop sleeping on the couch. I shouldn’t have let you stay out here so long.”


“Where else am I going to sleep?” Vanessa grumbled, trying her best not to be grouchy at the witch.


“You can sleep in the bed with me,” Shiloh beamed.


“N-No!” Vanessa panicked. “That’s really not necessary! I’ll be fine out here!”


“Oh come on! We’re both girls, it’ll be fun!” Shiloh pleaded. “Please? Come on, you can’t stay on the couch.”


“Really… you need your space,” Vanessa nodded to the bowl of tummy. “You’re already sharing your body, I can’t make you give up space on the bed.”


“There’s plenty of room! Here, I’ll show you,” she pulled a reluctant Vanessa to her feet and brought her to the bedroom, the one room in the house she hadn’t been to yet, and pushed her down onto the bed. She crawled on all fours, her belly swaying with every motion, pert breasts following with a little more wobble and jiggled as she laid on her side next to her. “See? Isn’t it soft and comfy? Won’t this be nice?”


“I-I…” Vanessa choked, the heat in her face capable of frying an egg. “I don’t know…”


Shiloh draped an arm across the scientist’s chest, her golden eyes sparkling as they begged Vanessa to stay, at least that’s what she wanted to see. “Please? I can buy pajamas.”


Vanessa gulped, afraid if she opened her mouth, her heart would come right out. “N-no, you d-don’t have to do that… Y-your house, y-your rules…”


Shiloh smiled, pulling her in for a hug, the swollen belly pressing into Vanessa’s side. “Well then the new rule is that everyone under this roof has to sleep in a bed, but I only have the one. Do you agree to the terms?”


Vanessa trembled as she tried to nod, her words lost again. Feeling like the tin man, even nodding was extremely difficult, but she managed to do so. Shiloh squeezed her tighter, a heavy breast spilling over the slender girl’s shoulder and resting warmly on her. Her whole body went rigid until she heard Shiloh humming in her ear. The melody was so soothing and relaxing that she felt herself go slack, eyelids growing heavy as though her body forgot all the worries storming in her mind. When she woke, it was well past noon, but she felt freshed, as though it were the best sleep she’d ever had in her life. Shiloh was in the kitchen singing to herself as she cooked. Vanessa wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that she was clothed again.


“You’re up! Just in time for lunch!”


Vanessa felt like she was in love again, not just attracted to her as she watched the witch dance around the kitchen. So sweet and happy all the time. Shiloh stopped mid pirouette and squealed in delight, rushing over to Vanessa and pressing a hand on the warm slope of tender tummy poking out from her shirt. Vanessa felt her knees go weak as a shimmer of movement brushed against her palm.


“This is the first time she’s moved!” Shiloh exclaimed. “I’m so glad I got to share that with you! I’ll be she was waiting for you to be able to.”


When she looked at Vanessa’s face, she noticed that she had zoned out the same way she always did when she was making big calculations in her head. The big difference this time was that her eyes were sparkling as they darted back and forth. She smiled and went to move, but Vanessa jerked her arm, keeping her hand firmly pressed against the taut belly. Her smile grew even bigger and she pulled up her shirt, letting the full dome with its squirming occupant come into full view. Vanessa moved so slowly that the witch guessed that she wasn’t fully aware of her own actions as she brought up her other hand to cup just under the belly button about ready to pop outward. Vanessa rested her head on the top of the perfect bump, carefully not to press into the swollen breasts and listened. Shiloh stood there quietly, her radiant glow lighting up the whole room as she allowed Vanessa to stay as long as she wanted. Eventually she sat back upright and Shiloh placed lunch in the scientist’s lap. She ate slowly and mechanically, her mind still racing toward whatever problem she was trying to solve.


She eventually came to late in the evening, her mouth dry as she tried to find the right way to say what she had figured out. “Shiloh, I need to speak with you.”


“Uh oh,” she giggled. “You’ve gone extra formal again.”


“I’ve been thinking about it a lot… not just today… but you had said that you wouldn’t have gone through with this if it weren’t for me,” Vanessa’s voice wavered. “I guess that made me think that I really need to step up and take responsibility…”


“You sound like a high school kid who got his girlfriend pregnant,” Shiloh laughed. “But it was my choice. I promise. I called you with the idea, remember?”


“B-but I harassed you for weeks! It’s my fault!” Vanessa stammered.


“Fault? You’re talking like this is a bad thing. I really couldn’t be happier!” Shiloh smiled. “What’s gotten into you? Really?”


The warm, glittering eyes glowing gold and comforting. It was enough to open the shell she had encased herself in for almost two decades. “I-I, I think I’m in love with you… I think I have been for a while now...I don’t know… this is something I don’t understand…”


“You really love me?” Shiloh gushed. “Nessa, these aren’t things you’re supposed to understand, you’re just supposed to feel!”


“Is this another witch thing? You’re always talking about being in touch with your emotions, but I grew up hiding mine…”


“You don’t have to hide your feelings from me! Oh my gosh!” Shiloh fluttered her hands. “Okay, now I couldn’t be happier!”


“Please… don’t tease me,” Vanessa hung her head. “I don’t think I could-!”


Two hands grasped either side of her head, tilting her face so that she could see Shiloh’s before plush lips pressed against hers, a warm, passionate, yet gentle kiss that lasted a long time. Long enough for Vanessa to melt and begin kissing back. So much comfort, so much warm, she felt for the first time that all was right with her attractions. There was no shame, no fear, for once in her life, she felt right. When Shiloh finally pulled away, Vanessa couldn’t help but feel sad that the kiss had ended.


“I have felt the same for so long now, I just didn’t know what you wanted,” Shiloh’s face was streaked with tears of joy.


“Y-you, like me like that too? B-but the odds…”


Shiloh shook her head. “Witches aren’t attracted to looks, they’re attracted to emotions. We don’t get hung up on looks or gender because there are so many things out there. Men, women, monsters, spirits, we only give our hearts to those that would do the same.”


“So… you could be attracted to anyone… so when someone else comes…” Vanessa felt her heart sink.


“Don’t think of it like that! Of everyone in this world and the next, I chose you,” Shiloh booped Vanessa’s nose. “That makes you extraordinary!”


Vanessa’s breath caught and she sat there in stunned silence, tears beginning to streak down her own face. She threw her arms around Shiloh, sobbing with happiness and relief. A gentle hand stroked her hair as they sat, the floodgate finally open for the young scientist until she found the only words she could think to say.


“Thank you!”


************************


The weeks and months that followed had brought a new version of Vanessa that both she and Shiloh saw as a happier, more relaxed version of herself. She finally allowed the witch to take her out and shop for more comfortable, casual clothes, which actually helped her feel prettier, more confident in herself as a woman. She was less uptight about correcting people with her knowledge, and had in fact stopped showing her skepticism whenever Shiloh called herself a witch. Smiling, she realized that she didn’t care. She loved the dusky beauty. She also loved watching her grow, the smooth dome of her pregnant belly finally big enough to be fully exposed at all times, the little nub of her bellybutton poking outward now.


Given free range to tease as much as she wanted now, and knowing how fascinated with her tummy the scientist was, Shiloh wasted no time doing everything she could to show just how much she loved Vanessa.


“Excuse my reach,” Shiloh leaned over her girlfriend’s shoulder, her belly pressing into her back and pushing a breast against her cheek. “Oh my! Am I a little close? Do you need more room? Gosh, you must think I’m such a cow with such a big belly and fat boobs.”


It had taken her many tries to find the courage to say what she thought, but she finally managed to play with her this time. “Oh, I don’t mind. You’ve plenty of room. T-there’s no need to worry about  squishing me.”


“Oh? Good, because I need to get to the top shelf, so it’s okay if I do this?” she leaned further in, her pregnant body practically laying on top of her.


She wiggled around a bit, rubbing her maternal tummy and breasts up against Vanessa, the warm skin making the young scientist wish she could turn around and kiss her. The two giggled as they playfully bumped against each other, off in their own little world. As they laid in bed that night, Vanessa was laying her head down and watching the pregnant swell rise and fall with each breath Shiloh took, the witch getting more easily worn out each day, but never being anything less than cheerful.


“Whatcha doing?” she smiled sleepily when she woke up.


“Observing,” Vanessa sighed happily. “She dances when I tickle your bellybutton.”


“Aww! Show me!” Shiloh beamed, propping herself up.


Vanessa poked a delicate finger on the cute little snooze button and wiggled it. Shiloh giggled and squirmed a but, but as she watched, the surface of her belly rippled with little kicks.


“That’s right… Vanessa blushed as she steeled herself to be as playful as her girlfriend. “You once said you were extremely ticklish.”


Shiloh’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare!”


Vanessa didn’t listen, skimming every exposed surface with her fingertips. Shiloh wriggled helplessly, a smile plastered on her face as she laughed merrily. Such antics only came in short bursts from Vanessa, but they were gradually becoming more frequent as they grew ever closer to each other.


“Haha! Stop! It’s too much!” Shiloh pleaded without really trying to halt Vanessa’s torment on her, until suddenly. “Oh!’


The sharp change made the scientist stop immediately and sit bolt upright. “What’s wrong?”


Shiloh’s face furrowed in discomfort as she clutched her middle. “I think it’s time… ughn!”


She could see the computer switch flip on inside Vanessa as she sprang into action. Her first task had her reaching for the phone.


“No, don’t! A hospital won’t understand!”


“This isn’t the time! No witch talk, you need professionals!” Vanessa insisted, hitting the first button.


“Please!” Shiloh begged, her eyes filled with fear and some hurt. “If the hospital sees her, they’ll take her away and they might hurt her! Once they finish whatever they might do, then it’ll be me! They may even bring back burning people at the stake!”


Vanessa’s mind wanted to scream at her, to tell her she wasn’t a witch. To call the ambulance and bring her to the hospital. It was for her own good, not to be right, not out of disbelief, but deep rooted logic. One look at the scared eyes and Shiloh’s face made her heart say something else though. She hung up the phone.


“I know what to do in the case of emergency. I’ll get everything ready,” she ran to the kitchen, stopping a moment and looking at Shiloh as her belly began to heave and she whole body started to sheen with sweat. “I’ve never done this before though. I hope I’m enough.”


Her brow furrowed in pain, Shiloh watched Vanessa mechanically set up everything at an alarming pace, like she had run drills with herself to be as prepared as possible.


“You really studied up for this, didn’t you?”


“Of course,” Vanessa nodded, not breaking her pace. “I care about you, so I have to be able to take care of you.”


When she was set up, she held Shiloh’s hand, going through her breathing exercises checking all of her borrowed equipment without skipping a beat. Shiloh felt her heart go full as she watched her. Vanessa had learned all of this just for her, and she was as prepared as any medical doctor.


“Are you pushing?”


“Ugnnnnn! I’m trying! I know it’s time! I do! But nothing is happening!”


Shiloh began to cry. She was scared, in pain, but nothing seemed to be happening. It had been hours, the shop having stayed closed, did not hush her cries from those that came by wondering why the door was locked.


“We need to call the hospital!” Vanessa half stated, half begged.


“D-don’t you trust me? You really don’t believe I’m a witch still, do you?”


“It’s not about that! I’m scared! I don’t know what to do! But I have to help you! I have to save you! This is my fault, my responsibility!” Vanessa began to cry too, her mask of cool dropping under the pressure. “Trust and logic are fighting each other and I’m helpless here!”


Shiloh nodded hard, unable to voice an apology or any further understanding as she clutched Vanessa’s hand. The way she did so, rolled Vanessa’s wrist into her view, almost perfectly lining up with the matching one on Shiloh’s wrist, she saw the tattoo from the ritual. The first thing she had been completely unable to explain since meeting the young witch. Her mind flashed back to that day and she came to the realization that there was one more mark that had remained permanent since that day. She glanced at the lower portion of Shiloh’s quaking tummy and saw the symbol of the vessel still stained on her just above her waistline.


Mind racing, she didn’t believe she was about to do the thought that popped into her head. In a strange way, she allowed herself to see logic in her deduction. She placed her free hand directly over the symbol, gently rubbing back and forth. She laid her head down on the trembling belly and Shiloh could feel her breath as Vanessa whispered to her belly.


“Please… I wish for you to come out so that we can be a family…”


Shiloh gasped, arching her back as the room filled with a glittering purple smoke. Vanessa’s eyes widened as she felt the belly begin to shrink beneath her touch. Neither of them could see anything, holding tightly onto each other as they could only guess what would happen next. Eventually, Vanessa could feel that Shiloh’s tummy was flat, yet firm as if she had never even been pregnant before the smoke started pulling into itself, swirling together until it condensed into the form of an infant. The two girls gaped as it hovered above them before it began to shift, aging into a young girl that looked to be around ten years old, clothed in traditional Arabic and Hijab, the small amount of skin they could see a royal purple matching the smoke that had filled the room.


“Granted… mother.”


****************************


“Are you sure I can’t help Mother Nessie?”


Shiloh smiled at her daughter, the young girl looking outwardly normal, her skin color masked by her magic. “You know she loves you, but she loves you so much that she can’t divide her attention when you’re around. If you went and helped her with her project, she’d never finish. You always pester her to play instead.”


“I’m not a little girl!” the djinn huffed. “I can be any age I want! I can be responsible and help!”


“You’ve only been here in this world for three months, sweetie. You tend to stick with being a child,” Shiloh chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll be done soon.”


As if on cue, Vanessa burst into the room, her body draped in a towel to cover herself and black flakes falling from her skin. “I did it! I actually did it!”


“What, mama? What did she do?” the little girl tugged on Shiloh’s sleeve.


“... I-I brought you a sister! We’ll get to meet her in nine months of so!” Vanessa said proudly, pulling the towel tighter around her body.


“You managed such a complicated ritual so quickly,” Shiloh kissed her. “I’m so proud of you! What did you end up with?”


“I don’t know… I just found this section in the book labeled “Allies”, so I used this one,” Vanessa pointed in the spellbook. “I’m right to gather these are entities that have helped your family before?”


“Yes… but dear, this girl, well…” Shiloh giggled. “She a succubus. I’m surprised she wanted to be reborn instead of regularly summoned though. She’s… going to be a handful.”