Mummy

by The Other Person

Modern K/N. Kel and Dom were together but then he left without leaving a trace before she could tell him that she was pregnant with his child. Kel's parents are dead and she has to support her younger brother Tobe and her son Mitch.

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Tamora Pierce apart from Mitch who belongs to me, etc.

He'd left her with child at age eighteen so now at twenty she had to look after her younger brother and her child. At least she had Neal.

"Kel you home?"

She sighed and readjusted Mitch on her hip. "Yeah Tobe, I'm home"

Her brother walked in and smiled at her and Mitch. "How did you go today?"

Kel shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Tobe followed.

"Maybe you should call Neal"

Kel shook her head. "No, I'm fine, how was school today?"

Tobe lifted himself up to sit on the counter. "Okay, I had a history test today"

Kel shifter Mitch into his high chair and opened the fridge. "How do you think you went?"

He shrugged "I think I did okay"

Kel nodded and handed Mitch a muffin. He grabbed it and giggled. Kel smiled at him.

Tobe watched her with a sad expression. "I wonder if he knows what he's missing"

Kel looked at him. "Please don't" she pleaded.

Tobe's heart squeezed at the knowledge that Kel still loved the guy even though he'd left her when she was pregnant.

"Kel, he doesn't deserve you" He said softly.

She turned away. "Watch Mitch for me Tobe"

He barely nodded before she walked out. He knew she was headed for her bedroom where she would lay on her bed and cry. Tobe smiled at Mitch who was still messily eating his muffin then slid out his mobile and dialled.

Someone answered.

"Hello"

"Hi Neal it's Tobe"

"Tobe, how are you?" He could hear Neal smiling.

Tobe sighed "I'm fine but…"

"What?"

"It's Kel"

"What?" Neal sounded panicked.

"I think you should come over"

"I'll be there in a tick" Neal said then hung up.

Tobe sighed and put his phone away. A few minutes later Neal walked in. Mitch saw him and held up his arms, his mouth full of muffin. Neal smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Hey Mitch"

Mitch clapped his hands. Neal turned to Tobe, his expression serious. Tobe pointed to Kel's room. Neal nodded and walked down the hallway and when he reached her room he felt that he could happily kill his cousin. Kel was crying. He inched open her door and slid in to find Kel curled up on her bed, tears running down her face. He sat beside her.

"Oh Kel"

She looked up at him. "What did I do to make him leave?"

Neal felt a surge of anger at his cousin. He took Kel into his arms. "You didn't do anything Kel, he's just a piece of rotten meat"

She turned into his chest and clung to him, crying into his shirt. He heard her begin to mumble.

"I have to be strong for Tobe and Mitch. I have to be a good mother and a good sister but sometimes it is just so hard. I barely make enough to pay the bills, Tobe's school fees and the groceries and I don't know what I'd do if I lost the house"

Neal hugged her tighter. "I'll pay Tobe's school fees for you Kel, it's the least I can do"

She sighed "I should say no but Tobe needs to get through school"

He nodded "I'm glad that you're seeing sense"
She chuckled wetly. He kissed her forehead and sat there with her until after a few minutes she had drifted off into peaceful sleep. Neal tucked her in and left the room. Tobe was waiting for him with Mitch in the lounge room. He looked up when Neal walked over.

"She's asleep"

Tobe nodded.

"Uncle Neal!"

Neal looked down at Mitch who was shoving a toy dinosaur at him. Neal took it and moved it around to face Mitch. "Rawr"

Mitch giggled and got another dinosaur and then he and Neal proceeded to make them fight. Just then the door was thrust open and Neal looked up in shock to see his cousin standing there. Dom looked at Neal, Tobe then Mitch. His eyes widened when he saw his eyes on the child's face. Neal gave the toy back to Mitch and stood up.

"Tobe, take Mitch to his room"

Tobe began to argue but the look Neal gave him shut him up. When Tobe and Mitch had gone Neal walked up to Dom, his face hard. Kel had been crying in his arms over this man.

"What are you doing here Dom?" He said, his voice cold.

Dom was looking at the door Tobe and Mitch had just left through. "What did I just see?"

Neal scowled "That's Mitch, Kel's son"

Dom whipped his gaze back to Neal, shock on his face. "She has a son?" His voice came out squeaky. Neal nodded and Dom looked away again.

"Is he yours?" he breathed.

Neal gaped "You are so thick of course he's not mine!"

Dom blushed "Who's?"

Neal scowled "Why do you want to know?"

Dom looked at his feet "I – I – I –" he stuttered "I never meant to hurt her"

Neal sighed "Well you did" He glared "I want to know why you're here before you step a foot closer into Kel's house"

"I just want to talk to her"

Neal was furious "Why? So you can hurt her again now that she's getting her life together"

Dom shook his head. "No, I want to tell her something"

Neal crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. "You'll have to tell me first"

Dom sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "When I was with her I could see her changing and I knew if I stayed that I'd ruin her"

Neal froze "You thought you'd ruin her?"

Dom nodded.

Neal spoke "Dom when she was with you she was more social, she didn't hide behind that bloody mask of hers all the time and Kel was too strong to be ruined by a boy but you know, when you left like that you did ruin her"

Dom went still. "What do you mean?"

Neal closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down. "You didn't even say goodbye, you left her with a baby inside of her and never called, never visited, never even said why you left. Now she thinks she's worthless, she has to support Mitch and Tobe by herself though I help when I can. I'm scared she's going to give up one day"

Dom was frozen to the spot. "I have a son?"

Neal glared at him "No Kel has a son, you're a horrible father"

Dom flinched "I didn't know, she didn't tell me"

"That's because she was too scared to tell you and then you were gone"

Dom glared "Why didn't you call me?"

Neal sighed "I did, you were busy every time I called and I had to call while Kel wasn't around because she didn't want to saddle you with her troubles" He said the last part bitterly. Dom was about to speak when Mitch ran out.

"Mitch! Come back here" Tobe ran out after him. Mitch ran up to Neal and raised his arms. Neal laughed and swung Mitch up onto his hip. Dom eyes were fixed onto Mitch. Mitch looked so much like Kel. Tobe was glaring at Dom so Dom attempted a smile.

"Hey Tobe"

Tobe shook his head and then all of them froze as they heard movement in Kel's room. After a few seconds a rumpled Kel was standing in the doorway. She walked over to Neal and accepted a happy Mitch from him. She kissed his nose.

"Were you good for Mummy?" He voice was soft.

Mitch nodded "I played with Uncle Tobe for ages"

"Good boy"

Mitch smiled up at her. Dom's eyes were round as he watched them. Kel looked up and met his gaze.

"Hello Dom" she said, her voice even.

He blinked "Hi Kel" His eyes flickered now between her face and Mitch's face. Kel gazed down at her son with love shining from her eyes and when she looked back at Dom it dulled. He hated to see that but understood. He still remembered when she had looked up at him with glowing eyes and a smile on her lips, no longer would he see that. He looked away from her gaze.

"I'm sorry Kel, I didn't know" He whispered.

Kel bounced Mitch in her arms, he giggled and Kel smiled. "I don't need you to apologise for him, I want you to apologise to him" Her eyes blazed up at him. "He won't have any baby photos of him with his father, he doesn't even know who you are Dom!" She closed her eyes, calming herself. "I may be disappointed in you Dom and I might have said that I never want to see you again but I won't do that to him. A son needs a father and I can't deny him that" She said is in a whisper so Mitch couldn't hear her. She looked down at Mitch as he yawned and smiled softly.

"Beddybies Mitch"

He looked up at her and blinked "But I'm not tired Mummy"

Dom's heart clenched when he heard that small word come from Mitch's mouth. Kel suited it so well but it was too soon, she was too young and she'd struggled and he hadn't been there for her and for Mitch. He looked down in shame.

"Come on Mitch" She carried him into his small room which was decorated in a medieval landscape. By the time she'd tucked him in and kissed his head he'd fallen asleep. She left the room and went back to join Neal, Dom and Tobe. Tobe stopped her at the door by putting a hand on her arm. She looked at him.

"What are you going to do?" He asked his voice quiet.

Kel squared her shoulders. "I'll do what I have to" She walked up to stand beside Neal who grasped her hand. She smiled up at him gratefully, a small smile yet it showed so much. She turned to Dom.

"Why are you in my home Dom?"

"I wanted to talk to you"

She stared at him "And you choose now? The best time would've been over two years ago Dom but no, you didn't talk you just walked away"

He flinched. "I didn't mean to hurt you I just wanted to do the best for you"

Her eyebrows rose "The best for me?" Her voice was incredulous.

He nodded slowly "Kel you were a different person when you were around me, I could see you changing, you weren't the same Kel"

"Oh, so I wasn't good enough for you anymore?"

He shook his head "That's not it at all, I didn't want to ruin you and I could see that I was"

Neal squeezed her hand. She could feel how tense he was. She felt so sorry for him. If she hadn't gone to him when Dom left he wouldn't have to choose between them.

"Dom why didn't you just tell me then, you made everything so much worse and you deprived yourself of the first years of your son's life"

Dom looked down. "So will he know me as his Dad?"

Kel sighed "It's up to you and him"

He looked up "So you won't take him away from me. Won't turn him against me?"

Neal growled "You'd deserve it"

Kel squeezed his hand and he looked down at her, she just looked up into his eyes. Neal looked away anger on his face, but also despair. Dom felt guilty for having caused so much pain to the two people he loved the most.

He spoke up "I'll help you take care of him, I'll pay medical bills and the like"

Kel looked down "I don't know"

He grabbed her other hand and felt the muscles in it tense. "Please Kel, let me"

"I guess" her voice was stiff as she tugged her hand away from him. She still loved Dom, it was hard not to but she didn't trust him any more. She sighed. "Please go away Dom, I can't deal with you anymore today" She turned away from him. Neal let go of her hand and pulled his cousin out the door when it seemed he wasn't going to leave by himself. Neal closed the door behind them and they stood outside. Neal ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know what to say Dom, I don't know whether I hate you or if I'm just disappointed but I do know one thing" He looked up to meet Dom's eyes. "She still loves you and it's breaking her heart, she doesn't know what to do. Dom, she cried herself to sleep in my arms over you, I'll never be able to forget that"

Dom looked away and Neal scowled at him.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Dom spoke softly "Does she still see all her friends?"

"Every now and then. Why?" Neal replied, confused.

Dom shrugged "I applied for my old job here"

Neal's eyes widened as he got Dom's meaning. "Raoul, Wolset, Emmet, Lofren, they all know what you did" His voice held a faint taunt.

Dom groaned "I'll never get it"

Neal crossed his arms and leant against the wall. "You never know"

Dom sighed "I should be going now but I want to ask you something first"

Neal nodded briskly. Dom breathed in.

"Do you love Kel?"

Neal raised an eyebrow "Of course I love her"

Dom shook his head "That's not what I meant"

Neal tilted his head in confusion but then his face dawned with understanding. "Oh"

Dom looked intently at him. "Well do you?"

Neal looked away "I always have Dom"

Dom's face showed his true shock. "But… why didn't you say anything?"
Neal scowled "I could see how much she loved you, you were the only other person who she actually let her guard down with"

"Who was the other person?"

Neal smiled bitterly "Me"

It was Dom's turn to look away. "I'm sorry Neal that you had to wait so long"

Neal sighed "I'll wait for as long as it takes"

Dom hadn't known that his cousin had been in love with Kel, he felt admiration for him. How had he hidden it?

"How?" He breathed.

"I just took one day at a time and waited for you to leave her" He glared at Dom "But I never thought you would actually leave, just break up with her" He sighed. "I watched as Kel struggled to raise Mitch and how she would break down when she prayed for you to come back and you didn't. I was there for her when you should have been. Mitch actually asked if I was his Dad once. I had to tell him no" Neal closed his eyes. "Do you know how hard that conversation was? I had to tell a two year old that his Dad wasn't here and I was just filling in for the time being" He smiled half heartedly. "He nodded and said 'because you love Mummy'" He shook his head "Kids have incredible insight you know"

Dom didn't know what to say. He still loved Kel and Kel loved him but she would never be his again, she was also the mother of his son. Neal had known Kel for as long as he could remember and as he had just found out, loved her with all his heart. He wondered how Kel felt about Neal.

"Neal…"

"What Dom?"

Dom sighed "I just want to wish you good luck"

Neal nodded, silent. Dom turned and left.

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