They had planned the day in advance, shooed Cam out of the house as they wanted some time for just the two of them. More of a girls’ night than an actual date and Kat couldn’t be more excited.
She wanted Cam to be happy, but she didn’t really like being around Tassos after everything that happened. Between the two of them, she had always preferred Lyri, but she never begrudged Cam his time with Tass. Mostly she spent those days with one of the kids, visiting her other siblings, or with Benji.
So coming down into the kitchen to Lyri being early and setting up plates of take-out, she couldn’t help but beam. It had been far too long since the two of them had some time together without anyone else and she was quick to pull Lyri into a warm hug.
“I missed you,” she murmured, burying her face against the dancer’s neck to breathe in the scent of her perfume.
“I missed you too.”
Lyri was the one to pull back first but only so she could cup Kat’s face in her hands and steal a soft, slow kiss. “I brought all your favorites and a bunch of cheesy movies.”
It was always easy to be around Kat, she just had a way about her. A gentle sort of acceptance of nearly all things. Besides, who else was going to keep her updated on everything that happened up here when she was down south with Jasper?
“Mmm, have I told you lately how you’re practically perfect?” the blonde inquired, a dreamy look on her face as she pressed another kiss to Lyri’s lips.
“Yesterday on the phone,” Lyri laughed, moving away to finish unbagging all of the food. “Have I missed anything good?”
Kat was quiet for a moment, trying to think if there was anything she had neglected to mention. “Creedance went back down south?” The only other thing she could think of was Queenie’s thing, but given that Queenie and Asha were close, she was pretty sure Lyri was already well aware of that. “Anything new on your end of things?”
Hearing that Bells’ son went back down to Tennessee didn’t surprise her but it did mean that Ben owed her twenty on the over/under for how long it would take. “Rafe’s in love.”
“You already told me about that,” Kat pouted, looking for new information.
“No, no, I mean, Rafe sat me down and actually discussed it with me. No more speculation. He actually said he was in love with Malachi.”
Kat’s face lit up at that, overjoyed by the news. She had always worried about Rafe. The boy was always more on the withdrawn side when she came to visit so to know he had opened himself up to someone enough for that was wonderful news.
“Good! I like him and Mal together. They’re cute.” Mal seemed like a complete sweetheart from what she knew and even Ben had said him and Rafe were good for each other. She knew her son was providing Mal with therapy, but everything he had told her about had been the stuff he had seen outside of that. For all Ben’s chaos, he never betrayed the confidence of his patients and she never asked him to.
“Me too. I think they were what each other needed. Eireen, on the other hand, doesn’t seem all that thrilled about it.”
Eiree’s response didn’t shock Lyri, not with the girl’s almost obsessive nature when it came to Rafe. She was hoping that her daughter would let go of it the same way Belladonna had needed to with Blake.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I hope she’s able to find someone that feels the same way about her,” Kat agreed, knowing how hard it could be for some of the more troubled members of the family to get to that point. “How’s Jasper?”
“He asked me if I would ever consider getting married again, so, that’s something that’s been on his mind,” Lyri confided, knowing she had saved that bit for a face to face. It wasn’t the kind of conversation she wanted to have on a phone call, not when the chance to see Kat’s expression was too good to pass up.
Kat’s jaw dropped at that before she smacked her hands on the table in utter disbelief. “He did NOT!”
“He did. He made it very clear it wasn’t a proposal because if he was going to do that, he’d put actual effort into it but he doesn’t believe in surprising people with big life choices. You know how he is, logical down to everything,” she giggled, the love she held for Jasper all too clear.
“Well? What did you tell him about that? I swear to Khaos, Lyri, if you didn’t tell that man you would say yes in a heartbeat if he asked, I might actually cry!”
Her eyes rolled, ever amused by Kat’s more dramatic displays of exaggeration. “We both know that if he ever asked, I would absolutely say yes. I’ve been in love with him for years.”
“Oh thank Khaos,” the blonde muttered, relieved. There had been a moment of worry that, because of Lyri’s divorce and the heartache Tassos had put her through, that she would say no to the one and only person that was able to pull her out of that. No matter what happened in life, Kat would forever be grateful to Jasper for how he looked out for Lyri. He had managed what none of them had been able to do and, to Kat, that spoke volumes about the kind of person Jasper was.
“I heard that,” Lyri teased, giving Kat’s shoulder a light push before grabbing a plate and beginning to pile food onto it. “Let's eat before it gets cold because I want to spend the rest of the night curled up in that big comfy bed, watching movies with you until we get distracted.”
It had been years, decades really, since Lyri had said goodbye to the first “baby” she ever had. Alopex had been the practice baby, really, proof that she and Tass could love something and nourish it, keep it alive and healthy. The fox had even been the only one there when they had run off and eloped.
The children were all grown and, no matter how much she liked having babies in the house, it was a nice little break. But still, she needed something to baby.
The forest was mostly quiet this late, but she knew what to listen for. Red foxes did have a very distinct sound, after all. It wasn’t until she was deep into the woods that she heard something. Faint at first, small and sad.
The closer Lyri got to the sound, the more her heart broke. Nothing could have quite prepared her for the sight of a kit, blood in his fur, strung up in a trap. As quickly as she could, she cut the poor thing free and cradled him to her chest, doing her best to soothe him before simply disappearing from the forest and bringing the kit home with her.
He was a little underfed, clearly dehydrated, but he was strong and otherwise healthy. Hunting had probably robbed him of his mother and it was absolutely her place to raise the poor fox. The right place at the right time, absolute fate in her eyes.
She took a dance cloth and cleaned his fur up, happy that he had stopped whimpering. Once he was clean, she set about finding him something to eat and giving him water.
“I need a name for you, little guy,” she murmured, crouching the ground and watching him eat.
“What about Todd? Like, from the Fox and Hound,” a voice chimed in, making Lyri jump. Kat smiled a little, waving from the doorway and making her way to Lyri’s side. “I like Todd.”
She was silent, thoughtful for a moment before grinning. “Todd the fox. I like it.”
Eris had always been there for her, soothing her fears, cuddling her to sleep, kissing scrapes and bruises to make them feel better. Their mother was always away and to a child, it was the one that was there, that did all of the things a mom was supposed to do that was mommy.
The first few times Kat had called her mom, Eris had corrected her, but there was no changing the little girl’s mind and Eris just came to accept it. Even when Kat grew, got married and started a life of her own, Eris was still her moms in every way that mattered.
Kat had never expected her life to turn out like this. She had always had a lot of love in her heart to give and Lyri had offered from the day they had met.
It had always been Lyri’s life. Her and Tass bringing home people, but only ever trying to keep them on two occasions, really. Brittia and a pair of pretty brothers, all of which had left, leaving hearts broken.
But it was different this time. There was no settling, there were kids and people wrapped up in each other, curled up in bed for sleep and more, peace and understanding. Love.
And it worked. Worked in a way they had wanted, had built for. Communication coming easily, the struggles seeming worth it at the end of the day, and they were a family.
The first thing Kat could remember was Cam. His smile and words, though what he actually said had been gibberish to a toddler. His name had been hard on a young child’s lips, the r not wanting to come out right and she had pouted until he came up with something easier for her.
Years went by, she learned to walk and talk, flowers and feather tangled in blonde hair as she launched herself at him every time he came home. Expectant hands then reaching out for what ever present he brought.
By the time she hit her teens, she started to realize she loved him. More than that, she was in love with him. So much so that when her mother said she was being arranged a marriage, her heart had shattered because he was all she had wanted.
The joy in her eyes when she realized he was her betrothed was matched only by his own. She would finally be able to call him hers and–
It had only been a few days since she and Cam had been intimate. It had been a perfect moment, a sweet reminder of everything she had missed. But the feeling was distinct, something she had only felt once more.
It was a spark, a tingle in her lower abdomen. Shaking fingers skimmed over her stomach, eyes closing as she felt the life there. Life that she had Cam had created. Feeling that pulse had her smile, a gasp of laughter escaping her as the first sting of tears filled her eyes.
A baby.
Her and Cam were going to have a baby.
Kat’s mind was racing, fingers still playing over the spot she felt the baby the most. That little life. In that moment, she knew there was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect that little spark.
Even better, she couldn’t wait to see the joy on her husband’s face when he found out he was finally going to be a daddy. It had been everything she had wanted with him since the day they took their vows and now...now that dream was going to be a reality.
It was a conversation Kat didn’t even know how to start as she sat on her daughter’s front porch. Abi looked worried and it was enough to make Kat falter.
“Mom, are you okay?” Abi was hesitant in asking, reaching out to her mother with concern.
Kat turned to face her, taking her hands and trying to smile. She was sort of glad that her daughter hadn’t noticed the old ring on her finger, hadn’t noticed that the rings from Silas were gone away.
“Abi, baby, there’s some things you don’t know. Things I didn’t really tell a lot of people. For a lot of reasons.
I was married before I met your daddy. Before he was even born. It was a traditional wedding for our kind, the sort that’s binding and can only be dissolved by, well, Hera. And then he left, my husband did, work got in the way and it was a long time before I saw him again. As in, recently.”
Abi went to speak, but Kat lifted a hand and shook her head, silencing her before continuing.
“During the time he was gone, I was sent up here to start training for my duties and I met your dad and then I met...I met a boy named Miller on the roof of some building. He was human and so cute and sweet. I had forgotten that weird fluttery feeling that people give you some times. And when things started with him, that’s when I found out your dad had feelings for me.
After a bit of working and talking, we decided to all three of us try being together and it was nice. We were happy. And then Miller left, got turned into a vampire because he said he never wanted to leave us, you know? Like Cabhan did to stay with Thrasos. But he ended up hating himself and then he just left.
Your dad...he wasn’t around a lot when Miller left. He was always working. But, he...he promised to stay home more, to help me through it because I was breaking fast. I was hurting so bad. But then he just went to sleep. He left me alone to deal with it all and I...I went home.
I was there for two months before coming back and I still wasn’t happy. Even after he woke up, I wasn’t happy. He wanted a family and I thought maybe, maybe that would help. And then I found out I was going to have you and, for a while, I was happy. All your life, Abi, you have been the only thing in my life that has made me happy.
Until Cam came back to me. Abi...I left your father. I’m really sorry, but I couldn’t stay in a relationship where I was so unhappy. I-I had to have Lyri go and get the rest of my stuff. I’m sort of staying with Cam and Lyri and Tass and Evander...”
Abi was silent, the concern bled into shock and the shock began to turn to something harder. “Where’s daddy staying? You left him alone? How could you do that to him?”
“He stormed out before I left... I don’t...I don’t think he’s there anymore either. I think...I think he left, Abi.”
The younger girl stood, pushing her mother’s hands away and glaring. “You made him leave. You and him made dad leave? And you come here to tell me..what, exactly? That you never loved my father and I was just something to get over heartbreak?”
“Abi, stop. It’s not like that!” she rushed, standing and trying hard not to start crying already. “Abi, you’re my baby, the best thing to ever happen to me. Don’t you ever think anything else.”
“No. No, you don’t get to tell me what to think. I hate you! I never want to see you again, do you understand? I fucking hate you! Get the hell out of my life!” she screamed, pushing Kat hard enough to make her stumble before storming inside and locking the door after she slammed it, leaving her mother to sob on the porch.
@indietrashbullshit @goddessofstrife @didyoujustflipoffcthulhu @louisianalostones tagging you 4 for reasons
It had been weighing on her for years, before Cam came back into her life, before Abi was born, even. She wasn’t happy. She hadn’t been happy since Miller left them and she had been left on her own to cope with the pain. She already had her things packed, the stuff that had been solely hers, and ready to go, all taken care of while he was working or out or whatever it was that always had his attention more than she had had in years.
Kat knew she had to tell him the entire story, everything she had kept hidden from the moment she met him. Breaking someone’s heart was not something she could do easily, and it hurt her just to think about it.
Putting the rings he had given her in his hand had been bad. But it was worse to see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes. To know that their marriage had never been valid, not when she was already so bound to another. But Kat had to be honest, she couldn’t keep living a lie.
He was upset, yelling, crying, begging, pleading. They had a a family, they had Abi. She was his everything and he couldn’t do this without her. The words cut through her as she sat on the couch with silent tears streaking her cheeks as she watched him move around.
In the end though, she had made up her mind. She was leaving. He could have the apartment, she couldn’t handle being there and she would have someone else come and collect the rest of her stuff. There was no sense in drawing it out.
She was sorry, she really was, but this just wasn’t good for her and she had to follow her own heart.
