At the fair she had been reintroduced via Rotti to the godchild she had been told had died. When she had taken the risk to visit the once familiar home of her old friend, she would have never predicted the chain of events that followed. She had originally planned to quit her slaving job as the Voice of GeneCo, which she knew would ultimately lead to her own demise and she had made her peace with the fact. She had wished to simply see Shilo, her goddaughter, for the first time, really, to fulfill her promise to her late friend that she would be present in her life. She would give some advice and leave. She didn't want to get too attached when she knew her time would be limited.
In actuality, the encounter hadn't turned out quite the way she had planned. She did get to see Shilo and offer her advice but the shift came when Nathan had returned home. It had been a good seventeen years since she'd last seen him, and aside from looking a bit older he was very much the same Nate she knew. She was almost too stunned to speak. She thought she had buried her feelings for him years ago, but they returned to her with fleeting speed. Moments of silence as they stared into each other's eyes passed until Mag mustered up, "Hi Nathan." She was careful not to give any emotion away.
Nathan then felt it was safe to speak, since the silence had been broken. "Mag. How did you get in here?" his voice was guarded. He hadn't been expecting to find her there.
Avoiding his question, Mag stated, "Nathan, I promised your late wife I'd be present in Shilo's life." She did her best to keep the hurt from her voice. Why had he lied to her - kept her away?
Before Nathan could think of a response his daughter climbed down the stairs. "Dad?" It was tentative, she didn't want her father to be angry with her. "Why didn't you tell me she is my godmother?" She walked to stand next to Mag, facing her father.
If Nathan had to explain, he would rather do it one at a time, but since that scenario was unlikely, everything needed to be revealed in one go. He had kept secrets from them both, and each knew something the other didn't. He prayed Marni would assist him through the difficult task. He answered Shilo's question first. "Protection." Being confronted by the both of them made him regret that decision. Marni wouldn't have wanted their lives to be seperate. "Mag, I can only imagine what things are running through your head right now. You must think of me as an awful person for keeping Shilo from you. It seemed like it had been out of necessity at the time. Rotti Largo is very intimidating."
Mag let out a clipped laugh at his last statement. She knew that fact far too well.
Nathan continued. "Shi, when your mother died I was blamed for it. Rotti was willing to keep me out of jail for a price - work for him as a Repo Man."
Shilo gasped and Mag insticntively wrapped her arms around her as a gesture of comfort. Neither one could imagine the man standing before them accomplishing the deeds of a Repo Man.
"You've lied to me my whole life!" The hurt was evident in Shilo's voice as she clung to Mag.
Nathan couldn't blame her for being upset. "I wanted to keep you safe from Rotti. I could never lose you, Shi. It would ruin me."
Mag's heart went out to him although she had yet to hear an explanation. It was obvious he cared about Shilo and that whatever he'd done had been out of love.
"Mag, I know how tightly Rotti has bound you to him. I couldn't risk letting you into Shilo's life when if Rotti ever said the word he could snatch you permanently back out of it. It would be bad for the both of us. I felt I had to sever the ties before my family could be torn apart by Rotti for a second time." If Shilo had stayed in bed or if Mag had come any earlier he probably would not have been telling them everything.
Mag was touched by the notion that Nathan considered her family. It didn't make her returning affections from the past fade, however. In fact it did quite the contrary. She felt Shilo slip out of her grip.
"That doesn't answer everything. Dad, you told me mother had died from a blood disease." Shilo hated the feeling of knowing she had been deceived numerous times by her own father.
Mag was shocked to hear that. "Nate, please say you didn't." She couldn't believe he could have lied about that. Then again, he'd lied to her about Shilo's existance, so it shouldn't have surprised her.
Shilo knew then that she had been lied to about her mother's death as well, and she couldn't handle that. She fled up the stairs and to her room.
When Nathan looked at Mag he looked utterly lost and his eyes almost pleaded her help.
"Cold as it may sound, you've dug yourself into quite the mess, Nate." Mag stated.
"Can you blame me for not wanting my daughter to know that I killed her mother?" Nathan snapped. He was angry at himself for making a bad situation worse.
"It was an accident. She would understand that." Mag had offered soothing words, hoping he didn't hear the way her voice cracked as she'd said it.
Nathan took his glasses off and massaged his forehead. "No, she wouldn't."
"How do you know?"
He didn't want to tell her how. "I just know."
"How?" Mag demanded. She had decided to take the forceful approach since the gentle one wasn't coaxing a response from him.
As the answer slipped from his lips, Nathan felt his heart sink in guilt. "I drugged her blood. Only to give her an illness that would keep her safe from the outside world. You of all people must know my intentions were good."
Mag nodded understandingly.
"I just don't think Shi's ready to know that. She'd hate me if she knew."
Mag only dared to offer words of reassurance, afraid of what might happen if she tried any other way. "She already knows you've been dishonest with her, Nate. You're going to need to tell her something sometime, and I don't think it would be wise to replace a lie with a lie."
The subject wasn't going anywhere Nathan liked, so he changed it. "So, what are you doing here, Mag?" He returned his glasses to his face.
Mag lowered her eyes to the floor. "To see Shilo before signing my death warrant. I was going to quit GeneCo."
"No, Mag -"
"I said 'was'. My plans have changed." She looked back at him. She was glad for him to care as much to protest her quitting, knowing what it would mean. "I want to help you, Nathan."
"With what?"
"With what I should have been helping you with for the past seventeen years." Mag thought he was going to protest but what came from his mouth held a different tune.
"Are you sure you won't get in trouble?" As he'd asked he'd reached out and touched her arm.
A small smile graced Mag's lips. "I'll risk it."
Nathan hoped Marni wouldn't mind that he'd thought Mag looked beautiful just then. He gently took her hand and looked into her eyes to make his request. "Could you talk to Shilo for me?"
"And say what?"
"Just go up there. It will come easily to you. She's exactly like Marni."
Mag pulled her hand back. "Thank you, Nate." She chastely kissed him on the cheek before turning to the stairs. She began walking up them.
Shilo's room had been easy enough to find. Mag knocked on the door.
"Go away!" Mag could hear Shilo was crying. It pulled at her heart.
"Shilo, it's Mag. Can I come in?"
In a couple seconds, Shilo was opening her bedroom door. "You're still here!" she exclaimed. "I thought Dad was going to make you leave." She unshyly tackled her in a hug, crying into her.
"Ssh, Shilo. I'm here now." Mag rubbed her back gently.
"I feel as if he's been lying to me my whole life!"
Mag wasn't sure she could deny the statement. "Even if he has, honey, it hasn't changed how much he loves you." That she was sure of.
Shilo cried into her harder. Her shaking was becoming uncontrollable. She had put her body under too much stress. Her holo-communicator started beeping. 'Medicate immediately. Medicate immediately.' The mechanical voice within droned. She soon lost consciousness.
Mag let her lay on the floor as she headed for the stairs. "Nathan!" she called. Her voice held the appropriate urgency.
Nathan automatically felt worry for his daughter. He half-jogged and met her at the halfway point on the stairs. "What is it?"
"I think she's overworked herself." Mag answered as she headed back up the stairs with Nathan hot on her tail. "Her holo-communicator is screaming to medicate immediately."
Nathan could hear the shakiness in Mag's voice. He stopped her before she walked back into Shilo's room. He'd touched her shoulder and she'd turned to face him. "She'll be alright." When Mag hugged him he knew it was out of relief. He patted her back stiffly twice before pushing past her.
Kneeling down, he picked Shilo up. Her holo-communicator was still telling him that she needed to be medicated immediately. He carried her to her bed and hooked her up to the machiene. He looked over his shoulder at Mag who still looked overly worried. He wished there was something he could do to reassure her. Since he could think of nothing, he asked her a favor. "Could you go down to the kitchen and bring a glass of water?"
Mag nodded and turned on her heel, leaving the room to do the deed.
Nathan grabbed the glass bottle of medicine stones from its usual place on Shilo's nightstand. He kissed her forehead. "You'll be okay soon," he promised. He wiped the tears away that had been drying to her face. He couldn't help but think that hiding things from her would possibly be hurting her more than helping her.
It didn't take Mag long to return with the water. She handed the glass to Nathan. He took it and dropped one stone in the water. It began to fizz, as usual. He propped Shilo's head up with one hand and carefully placed the glass between her lips. He poured in just enough medicated water to get the medication into her system without worrying about choking her. He sat the glass on the nightstand once her holo-communicator ceased to talk.
"She was surprised I was still here." Mag informed. She hovered next to Nathan to watch Shilo. "She thought you were going to make me leave. I am welcomed her now, aren't I?" Something out Shilo's window caught her attention. It was something on the large television screen. Disregarding her previous question she asked, "Can I open this?" While walking up to the window. She couldn't hear what was being said.
"Not too wide."
Mag opened it just a crack. It was a breaking news story. It was about whether or not the GeneCo empire would fall when the founder, who was terminally ill, passed on.
Mag gasped.
"What is it?" Nathan asked seeming worried as he moved to join her.
"Good news." Mag turned to face him, shutting the window. "Apparantly Rotti is terminally ill."
Nathan had never been so happy about an illness. In his glee, he unthinkingly grabbed Mag and gave her a celebratory kiss - on the lips.
Mag could no longer hold herself back. She kissed back with passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She never wanted to stop, never wanted to let go. Nathan pulled away, though, and she thought he was going to be angry.
Letting out his breath awkwardly, he let go of her shoulders. Mag was quick to bring her arms to her sides as well. He had just essentially kissed his best friend. I'm sorry, Marni. He thought.
Shilo had come to consciousness in time to see her father kiss the woman who had been her idol for years. "Does this mean you're staying?" she asked Mag from her bed. The two adults jumped at her voice and turned to face her.
"I'm not sure," Mag answered. If anything she thought it meant she'd be going. She was relieved to see Shilo was fine. She went over and sat next to her on the bed. "Do you feel okay now?"
"I feel fine." Shilo made a face at what she was going to say next. "This may seem a little silly, but could I have your autograph?"
Mag smiled at the request. "Of course you can, honey." Sure enough, when she looked at the wall at the head of Shilo's bed, she saw a poster of herself.
After hearing Shilo's request, Nathan decided to make himself useful. "I'll get a sharpie." Anything he could do to make up to his daughter. He left the room in search of a sharpie.
Mag gently stroked Shilo's hair. "It's just like your mother's."
"It's a wig," Shilo informed. "Daddy made it."
"Well then, it was probably intentional." She quirked a corner of her mouth up. "He loved your mother very much."
"Did he love you at a time as well?" Shilo was only trying to find the reasoning behind the kiss she'd witnessed them share.
Mag sighed. "There was a brief time before he met your mother that we shared a connection, but I'm not sure if it was love." She wasn't sure on his end, anyway.
Shilo nodded in what appeared to be either agreement or understanding. She sat up. "What happened earlier? I wasn't outside, why did I black out?"
"I think you just overworked your body is all. Had me worried though."
"You were worried about me?" Shilo seemed in awe.
"Yeah, I was. I care about you, Shilo."
Shilo hugged her. "I'd better not be dreaming," she muttered.
Mag laughed. "You're not." She hugged her back. The girl gave strong hugs, very much like Marni had. "Mm. You give hugs like your mother."
Nathan returned with the sharpire. He was enlightened by the bonding scene. He wondered if it was okay to reopen old feelings with Mag now that Marni was gone. He didn't want to betray her in any way. He handed the sharpie to Mag.
Mag stretched her arm out to sign Shilo's poster and handed the sharpie back to Nathan. "Thank you."
"Dad?"
"Yes, Shi?" Nathan was glad he and Shilo were on speaking terms again.
"Are you ever going to remarry?"
"I don't know, Shi. I hadn't thought about it much."
"Well, if you do, I want it to be Mag."
The two adults in question laughed. "We'll see about that." Mag stated. Nathan was glad to have been saved from responding. Mag's eyes widened as she remembered she had a performance that night. "I'm sorry, I need to go. I have a performance tonight."
"Dad, can we go?"
"I don't know, Shi." He sounded like he didn't think it was a great idea.
"Please?" Her voice was so hopeful as she asked that Nathan caved.
"Alright."
"Thank you, Dad!" Shilo excitedly threw her arms around him in a hug. She hugged him tightly.
"What time is the concert?" Nathan asked Mag, glad to have his daughter back.
"Nine-thirty tonight. I have to go." She quickly hugged Shilo. "See you later." She hurried out of the house to her driver that she'd forgotten had still been waiting on her. As she climbed into the car, she felt a happiness in her heart that she hadn't felt since Marni had been alive. It looked like she was going to have her family back as well as her private life. It would be easier to put up with whatever Rotti made her do, knowing it wouldn't last for much longer.
At the house, Nathan ans Shilo got ready. It would be the first time Nathan had taken his daughter out anywhere. Of course, Nathan kept going into overdrive about how he didn't want her to have another fainting spell at the theater and that if she did he wouldn't let her go out again. He wasn't sure how serious he'd been about that, but there was no need for Shilo to know.
Shilo brushed it off with, "Yeah, yeah."s and "I know, Dad"s. She was just excited to be getting out of the house for once with permission, rather than sneaking out. She remembered how sneaking out that day had lead to interesting events. If she hadn't she thought she might never have met Mag, or that Graverobber who helped her get home. Her thoughts lingered on him for a while. Although he was somewhat a criminal figure, he had helped her. If he hadn't, there was no saying what would have happened to her - nor would she have found out that Mag of all people was her godmother. A small smile graced her lips as she made a point to thank him sometime.
She had been surprised that after only knowing her for virtually a day, Mag had been worried about her. When she'd told her that she cared about her Shilo felt an odd sensation, but that was probably because it was shocking to hear from the lips of her idol.
Shilo was not the only one absorbed in thoughts. Nathan was thinking back on the kiss he and Mag had. It had been pure impulse on his end, but he received a passionate response from Mag. He was unaware that she still posessed that passion for him after almost twenty years, but he couldn't say he regretted the kiss. I'm sorry Marni. I may be falling in love with your best friend. There was no saying how different things would be if Marni was still alive, but Nathan got the strange thought that he might have loved them both.