A/N: Okay, this fic is born when I was watching 'charmed', and i got the inspiration from that specific episode. My OC[s] , Erica and Eric, are in fact my oldest, and my first ocs in the Magi Fandom. I created them for roleplaying purposes, although I changed a bit about them in this fic. Please read and review! Tell me what do you think about this fic. :D
*Note; This is set in an Modern AU , when Alibaba marries Morgiana, has kids but they are separated.
It was sunday, a holiday; a time where people usually enjoyed their weekends. But not for Alibaba Saluja. No. The forty year old male stuck in a police station just because what his daughter did. Guess what she did?
That's right, she stole again.
Erica Saluja is well known as a trouble maker, a teenager who is 'wild'. Alibaba doesn't know what he did wrong when he raised her by his own as a single father. He knows that deep down, his daughter hates him because his divorce issues with her mother. This is not the first time that she did something to upsets him. After he bailed her out from the jail, Alibaba just looked at her briefly before he sighed. He has no words to say to Erica anymore. Too many words that he said to her over the past sixteen years.
"About time!" he heard Erica's words as she stretched her arms. And as always , he didn't say anything to her. And doesn't punish her either. In her eyes, he is this cold, and heartless father who barely even talk to her. But that's the point, Alibaba isn't quite himself after he got separated from Morgiana. He used to be a blunt and out going guy. But it seems that changes over the years.
This is the last time he would stay silent about everything. If Erica did something like this again, he is going to - No, he believed that he would going to snap if Erica did something like this again.
This is the last straw.
Erica in the other hand, doesn't feel that she achieved her goal yet. Her ultimate goal is to make her father to look at her, and give a damn about her. She wanted him to yell or even hit her when she did something like this. But no, she got nothing. Erica was born and raised in New York, her parents split up when she was just a toddler. She can barely remember her mother, or what she looked like. She only knew her from the photographs. Not only that, she lost her father figure in such a young age, it made her to hate her father for it, though she craving for Alibaba's love.
The morning came, and as always ; Erica still come to school despite skipping a view classes. But not this time, she actually goes into class and be there. The girl stares boredly at the white board in front of her.
"Psst, Erica," she heard one of her 'gang' friend's voice which made her to turn and look at him. "Watch this!"
The boy, Dawson; chew some gum before he throw it to the teacher. At first the teacher, Mrs. Brown ; doesn't even notice that somebody threw a gum at her. Erica giggled, loud enough for the half of the class to hear. It amuses her, and yes, she finds it interesting and funny. So she took another gum , chew it and throw it to Mrs. Brown as well. Only that this time she actually notice it and turn to Erica.
"Miss Saluja!" she scolded. "Just what on earth are you doing?!"
Oh crap.
Erica rolled her brown eyes as she shrugged.
"Throwing gums, duh! Is it that hard to see, Mrs. Brown?" she mused still messing around, and the others started to laugh too. Embarrassed by all of this, Mrs. Brown raises her voice.
"Miss Saluja please report to the principal office, this instant!"
Erica scoffed.
"What ever." she shrugged and went to the principal office with .
The principal's decision has been made. Nobody can change his mind on this, including her father.
"I'm afraid Erica has to find another school, mister Saluja," the principal said, crossing his arms as he spoke. "Our school cannot handle her anymore."
"I understand, principal. Thank you for everything."
Alibaba is shocked, of course. He knew that his daughter is messed up, but he didn't know that she is this mess up. The male looked over his daughter who is sitting next to him with his usual heavy sigh.
Alibaba said before standing up. "Let's go, Erica."
However, Erica just shrugged like nothing happened and stands up.
"I know this is hard for you to handle a troublesome child like Erica by your own, Mr. Saluja," the principal said again, handing some business card to Alibaba. "Maybe you can try and get some help."
Alibaba nodded. "Thank you again, principal."
'troublesome child like Erica' Erica thought as she frowned. To be honest, it kind of hurt to hear those words from the principal. She knew that she is not exactly the good kid, but she is trying to change in her own way. She is .. what you can call experimenting? She tried to search for who she is.
She is not a failure.
As they walk straight to the car, Alibaba stayed silent , like the usual. Just like the usual. Nothing changed, and nothing will! Erica slammed the car's door as soon as she got in.
"What's with that attitude , Erica?" Alibaba spoke as he starts the engine. "I don't know what's wrong with you. Tell me, Erica, what did I do so wrong that make you hated me so much? huh?"
Erica scoffs. Oh, this talk again.
"What you do wrong is you broke up with mom!" she said. "You didn't even allow me to see her for almost sixteen years! "
As he starts driving, he got annoyed by Erica's statement.
"Not this again, Erica!" he snapped. "I thought we talked about this? Your mother is busy." How can he even tell her that her mother is sick this entire time? That's why he doesn't allow her to meet her mother, and that's why they broken apart in the first place.
"Oh? Is she so busy that she won't even meet her own daughter? I am so tired of your excuses!" she said again, frustrated. "I am so tired, and pissed off with all your damn excuses, dad! You want to know why did I do those things? I do it for you to look at me! Just admit it, dad, you despise me didn't you? You hate me!"
"Erica that's not-"
Of course it isn't true! Erica is his everything. He would do anything for his little angle to talk to him again. As a father, he wanted what's best for Erica. He wanted her to be successful. He is scared, terrified that she wouldn't survive in the future because of her behavior.
"I mean, how can you not? I am a disappointment to you ! I skip classes, i have bad grades, i stole a lot of stuffs," she ranted, tears began to form on the edge of her eyes. Alibaba is just lost of words. He is lost in his own thoughts, in fact. She is never a huge disappointment to him. Yes, he does feel disappointed at times, but he doesn't view her as a failure. He is so lost in thought that he doesn't pay any attention to the road until Erica screamed.
Daddy, look out!
And then everything went black.
They both are in a car accident. Luckily for Erica that she didn't waste large amount of time for waking up. At first she felt dizzy, with a hospital smell tingling on her nose. Her eyelids are heavy, she can barely woke up. Once she woke up, the first vision she saw is a woman with red hair and red eyes. Who is she? She seems familiar to begin with. Next to her, she saw a male, who looked oddly familiar and similar to her father.
"Erica!" she heard him yell. She is far too weak to think or figured out who he is. But from his voice she knew. Her older brother, Eric. The older brother who is still in contact with her even when they are apart for almost fourteen years. Next thing she knew , the doctors surrounded her and give her a check up. Surprisingly though, she doesn't have any scratch or injury to worry about.
By the afternoon, she is well enough to talk and to sit straight. Her brother is really different than Erica. Eric is a smart, straight A student. A typical good kid, though he has his dark side. He suffers from a weird sister complex, and of course, Erica is his 'victim'. The moment she is well enough to talk, Eric quickly hugged his sister tightly. Almost bursting into tears. After all, they are close.
"Eric, you're chocking me!" Erica protested, pushing him away.
" I'm just glad that you're alive, Erica! I thought I lost you!" he exclaimed, tears everywhere. That made her to cringe a bit as her eyes wondered to the woman sitting next to Eric. Of course, Erica doesn't know who she is. But by her features, she kind of knew.
"Eric,.. don't tell me that's-" she blinked. "Mom...?"
Eric grins and slapped Erica's shoulders gently.
"The one and only, our mom; Morgiana!" he said proudly, while Morgiana just chuckled. Erica just gulped. Her mother, Morgiana. She is a patient too? She is sick? That's why her father doesn't allow her to meet her mother all this time?
Wait a minute.
"Where is dad?"
A single question made Eric and Morgiana to widened her eyes, they seemed to be confused to answered Erica's question. How can they tell her that her father, is in a coma?
Seeing their reaction, Erica understood that something happened to her father. Terrified that he might be dead, Erica asked once again, this time with a higher tone.
"Where is daddy ?" she asks, her voice breaks; totally terrified of their answers now.
Eric took a deep breath as he looks at Morgiana who just nodded.
"He's in a coma, Erica."
that answer is like a lightning in the afternoon. No, no, no. After all those hurtful words she had said to him before the accident? She doesn't mean any of that.
Doesn't mean-
"Take me there, Eric." she said. "Please. I want to see dad."
Eric has no other choice to grant her wish. So they went to their father's room with Erica on the wheel chair. Since she doesn't have any strength to walk to the room alone. Erica felt awful once she saw her sleeping father's figure with all those machines around him. It doesn't take minutes for Erica to break down crying for Alibaba. She regretted her actions, she made this happen. If they didn't argue, just if, she didn't broke Alibaba's heart that often, maybe this wouldn't happen.
This is all her fault.
Slowly, she got up and goes to Alibaba's side , holding his hand.
"I am so sorry daddy, " she said between her sobbing. "I am so sorry." she kept saying sorry over and over again. It broke Eric's heart to see his father to be in a coma, but he can clearly see that Erica kept blaming herself for what just happened to Alibaba. And the sound of Erica's crying clearly just broke his heart even more. Morgiana, in the other hand, understand what her daughter is going through. She felt the same when she found out that both Alibaba and her daughter are in the car accident. The woman came to Erica's side, wrapping her arms around her little angle, giving her the comfort she needs.
"It's alright, it's going to be alright,Erica," she said, hugging her close. "Your dad is strong, he'll get through this. I promise." Morgiana hushed her daughter once again with her sweet, comforting words before she kissed Erica's forehead.
Erica wasted almost an hour crying, and Morgiana attempts to comfort her. Once she stopped, she takes a breath and approached Alibaba once again and planted a kiss on his forehead as Erica's teardrop falls on his face.
"I love you, daddy. " she said. " I am so sorry for everything. I haven't done anything to please you, I only cause you pain and suffering. But, I am not a failure. I assure you that, I wanted to change, I really do. "
Another tear fall down on her face once again.
"I just hope that you can see me." she gave her father's hand a gentle squeeze before she kissed his palm. "Please wake up, daddy. I need you. Eric needs you, and even mom needs you."
Don't leave me alone.
One last kiss on his palm, Erica could have swore that she felt her father's fingers squeezes hers back. While Morgiana could have swore that she saw Alibaba opening his eyes slowly.
"Eric! Call the doctor!" she yelled, and immediately Eric is gone to search for the doctor. Erica stood up, and looked at her father's face where she heard him speak very faintly.
"You're never a disappointment,Erica."