A/N: Hi guys! Long time no see I guess! I was working on something but it didn't work, so then I decided to bring back to life another project, which I hope I can begin to post soon, hopefully before Halloween. In the meantime this is a little oneshot I wrote during my breaks at school. I've been meaning to write more stories about the kids, so maybe I'll write a bunch of oneshots for now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little story!
Like Mother Like Daughter
Fareeha had been waiting in the living room for a while now, checking her watch every now and then. Her mother was running late, and Angela had taken it as an excuse to continue preparing herself. Beside her on the couch, Alya had been reading a book on her tablet, ignoring completely the TV playing across form them, or the exasperated look her mother gave to the clock.
"If grand-ma's late, I can come with you, you know." Alya suggested.
Fareeha only sent her a look, and Alya returned to her book. She liked going to the restaurant with her parents, and she'd been asking to come with them for as long as she'd been told they were going out. But no, it was their anniversary, so she couldn't come, no matter how much she argued she was an important part of their marriage.
Finally, the door rang, and Fareeha jumped to her feet to answer. Alya lifted her eyes from her book only to see her grand-mother walking in, then went back to reading. Fareeha hugged her mother who walked in, as usual, as if she owned the place.
"I thought you'd be gone by now!"
Fareeha crossed her arms.
"No, we were waiting for you to arrive."
As Ana walked into the living room, spotting her favorite grand-daughter, Fareeha leaned on the banister to call out upstairs:
"Angela! Ana's here! We can go!"
Angela's muted voice echoed down:
"Coming dear!"
Ana had already taken a seat next to Alya, who had dropped her book almost instantly.
"So, how's my favorite grand-daughter doing?" the older woman asked.
Alya shrugged.
"Oh, you know, the usual. I just kicked everyone's ass in P. E. today. We were wall climbing."
This made Ana smiled.
"I wouldn't expect any less from you."
Alya beamed. While she could have complained that she was twelve, and twelve was old enough to watch over herself for an evening, she loved spending some time with her grand-mother.
Angela finally climbed down the stairs, and Fareeha, hearing the clicking sound of heels on the steps, looked up the banister. Alya watch in amusement as her mother suddenly froze, her jaw literally dropping. Angela was wearing a beautiful blue cocktail dress, her hair high in a ponytail. It always mesmerized Alya to watch her mothers interact, especially when it came to romance. She knew they could have stayed lock in place like that for all of eternity, starring into each other's eyes, appreciating how beautiful the other was. Until Ana cleared her throat, bringing them both back to reality. Angela quickly finished to climb down the stairs, and Fareeha glared at her mother, who pretended she hadn't noticed.
"We won't be too late, but make sure she's in bed by 10:30 maximum." Fareeha warned.
"Don't you worry, Habibti, she will." Ana assured, though they both knew it would be a miracle if Alya was in bed by then.
Angela put her coat on, and while Fareeha put her own jacket and picked up her purse, Angela approached her daughter with a smile.
"Alright, Schätzli, be good with your grand-ma. I left something for you in the fridge."
She pressed a kiss on her daughter's cheek, not really caring if she left a trace of red lipstick. Alya felt the sticky makeup anyway, and quickly rubbed it away, tainting her cheek even redder, which only made her mother giggle.
"Have a nice evening." Ana declared as she held the door open for them.
"You too!" Fareeha replied as she escorted her wife outside.
"Bye!" Alya replied, only half paying attention as she continued to rub the lipstick off.
The door had barely shut behind her parents that Ana's lips were already graced by a Cheshire-like grin.
"So, what have you got planned for us tonight?"
Alya smirked.
"Well, I was thinking we could go out to the Turkish pastry shop, buy four of everything and come back to watch one of those old shows mom likes while we eat them all."
Ana crossed her arms, her smirk mimicking that of her grand-daughter.
"And what did you mom leave in the fridge."
Alya shrugged.
"Bet it's chocolate. Or a chocolate cake."
Alya ran to the kitchen and quickly opened the fridge.
"Knew it! It's a chocolate cake."
Ana quickly thought, and declared:
"How about order something for dinner, then eat Angela's cake, and next time I come I'll bring pastries, alright?"
Alya sighed, but she knew there was no arguing with her grand-mother.
"Alright. But no Chinese. When mom's too lazy to cook and mommy's working late she orders Chinese, and that happens, like, twice a week!"
After ordering from an Indian place not far from the house, grand-mother and grand-daughter sat on the couch, Alya reading again and Ana knitting, the TV playing white noise in the background. Alya pursed her lips, thinking. There had been a question on her mind for a while now, but her parents had refused to reply. She wondered whether her grand-mother may have the answer she sought.
"Grand-ma', you're pretty wise, right?"
Ana raised her eye from her wholly work, discarding the needles altogether.
"Why, do I look wise?"
"I don't know. People always say old people are wise."
Ana chuckled.
"Well, if learning from your mistakes makes you wise, I hope I did gain a bit of old people wisdom."
Alya placed her tablet on the side, and straightened her back.
"How do you know when you're in love?"
Ana, at first taken aback by the question, stayed silent. She seemed to ponder it longly, as Alya stared at her, waiting. Finally, she replied:
"You really are you mother's daughter."
"Yeah, I know." Alya replied, used to hear how much they looked alike.
"Indeed. I just remembered having the same conversation with Fareeha when she was, well, just about your age, actually."
"Really?" Alya wondered, frowning.
"Yes."
Ana seemed to consider for a second whether to continue her story or not.
"Do you know how your mothers met?"
"Not really. They told me they met when they were both working in the military, but that's all I know."
Ana smiled knowingly.
"Well, that is only half of the truth. I could tell you, but if I do, you have to promise me you won't tell your mothers. They'd kill me if they heard I told you."
"Promise!"
"Alright."
Ana placed her knitting needles on the small coffee table in front of them, and shut the TV.
"It all started when Fareeha was visiting me at the base for a month or so. She was about twelve, like you. I couldn't really watch after her while I worked, or ask someone to do it, so at first, she had to stay in my office all day. Of course, two days later she decided to pass through the window and explore the facility by herself."
Alya chuckled at the mental image of a younger version of her mother passing through a window.
"After that, and with Jack's authorization, she was allowed to wander around the base. A few days later, she comes to see me and asks me: 'Mommy, how do you know when you're in love?'. I was shocked, and a bit confused, because I hadn't seen any other boys her age around the base. So I tried to explain to her what I knew."
Ana sent a pointed look to Alya, as if she urged her to listen even harder.
"That love is complicated, and not something she should worry about for now. That it could wait a few years. That it's not something you find easily, but the moment you do, you know. And she looked at me like I had just given her the answer she needed, because right after she asked me what she should do about it. I laughed, and told her she had time, but if she just wanted to do something, then she should just tell them."
Alya nodded.
"In truth, I wanted to know who they were, and I also wanted to teach Fareeha a lesson. Love isn't always reciprocated, you know, and it is something you should never forget."
Ana paused, reminiscing of that particular day.
"The next morning, she went running around the base as usual, but this time I followed her. I wanted to know who was this mysterious person she thought she was in love with. At one point, she stopped to talk with Jesse McCree, and I thought Fareeha was already in her bad boy phase."
Ana chuckled at the thought.
"I was ready to knock him dead on the ground, but she continued without saying anything, so I assumed it had to be someone else. Finally, she arrived at the med bay, and then I knew."
Ana smiled.
"She'd come to confess her love to the new field medic, a very young genius who'd just graduated."
Ana smiled coyly at her grand-daughter.
"And her name was Angela Ziegler."
Alya was stunned, her jaw dropping much like her mother's half an hour earlier. Her parents had met when they were super young, she suddenly realized. Better, her mom had been in love with her mother since she was twelve.
"Really?"
"Oh yes, really. She came up to Angela, and told her that she was in love with her, but didn't really know what she was supposed to do about it. Angela laughed, and told her she was a bit too young to be in love, and maybe she should come back in a few years, when she'll know what to do about it."
"And she did?" Alya asked.
"What do you think? She did, twenty years later."
Alya crossed her arms, leaning once again against the couch.
"Twenty years! That's a lot of time to wait…"
Ana laughed.
"Maybe. But who's to say that if they had only waited ten they would have been together today?"
Alya frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Love is about time, and timing. Sometimes the timing is wrong, and it's better to wait. Maybe you should try, too."
Alya nodded. This was the wise reply she'd been waiting for.
"So, does that answer your question?" Ana asked.
"Yes. Thank you grand-ma! I promise I won't repeat it to moms."
Ana shrugged.
"Oh I'm sure you could. I would embarrass your mom for sure."
Alya chuckled, just as the door rang.
"That must be our dinner. Why don't you pick a movie while I pay?"
Ana stood up from the couch, and headed to the door. Alya was about to reach for the remote and look for a movie to watch, when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She took it out, and read the text she'd receive.
Amanda: "What is it?"
Alya pursed her lips. She'd sent a text to her best friend, telling her she had something important to tell her. She pondered what to reply for a moment, before she replied:
Alya: "Don't worry. It can wait."