Disclaimer: Toya and Len belong to me.
A/N: All stories with ~ CATALYST ~ in the synopsis are part of my AU Jak/Taryn saga. Hidden is the first part…and where it all begins for our dear blue-haired heroine.
Heavy raindrops pelting tin rooves filled the quiet evening with a solemn tune, accompanied by dimly blinking lights, originating from within the odd house and sparse streetlamps dotting the streets – half of which were not working.
A lone male in a hooded great coat rushed along the street, struggling to balance haste and silent footsteps. He regularly glanced around, sharp eyes on lookout for the wrong kind of people possibly on his trail. It would be the first time the Baron's men did so, but was not unusual procedure. After all, Praxis had not seized Haven's throne by taking such chances.
The fleeing figure paused at a heavy door and rapped his knuckles against the metal. Those few seconds of waiting allowed the fear of capture to grow to uncomfortable proportions.
Finally, the door opened, and a woman clad in dark green garb approached. "Yes?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, expression carefully neutral – until her optics recognised the man before her, at which point her head tilted in curiosity. "Vin?"
"Toya…I need your help," he said desperately, revealing the tiny bundle in his arms – a girl, barely a year old, fast asleep and oblivious to the tumultuous world around her.
The woman's expression morphed into genuine shock. She had known the man for several years and was aware of his relationship with co-worker Len that grew into love and marriage, yet never known of their daughter. And now Vin prepared to relinquish the baby?
"J-just take her," he continued. "Take her, pretend you never saw me. Don't say anything about me to her. She can't know."
"But-"
"No! It-it's better this way. Please do this for her. Please. Keep her safe. Keep her away from me, from everything around me. The last thing she needs is to get caught up in it all."
At last, Toya appeared to understand, offering a firm, resolute nod. "She will be safe from harm here. I promise."
Relieved to hear such words, Vin manoeuvred the child in his arms and lifted her, but abruptly paused, as her pudgy little hand subconsciously gripped his forefinger. His breath caught, hesitation halting his movements. Green eyes stared downwards at the little mop of blue hair and those facial features that reminded him too much of his late wife.
I've got to let go.
That self-motivation didn't make it any easier, but he pulled his digit from his daughter and passed her over. The woman carefully cuddled the little one, peeking at the slumbering form, then offered her visitor a silent, pained glance.
"'Bye, Taryn," he whispered, unable to bring himself to give the baby a farewell kiss. With a spin of his heel, he readjusted his hood and hurried towards the darkness. Toya gazed after him for a minute, then backed into the orphanage and closed the door behind her.
Vin refused to allow a man such as the Baron to use a child as leverage. It was better for the girl to grow up never knowing her father, well away from the city's current power play and internal strife. Keeping her safe was worth the snipping of family ties.
No matter how much it hurt.