I don't own YA.
Mother - Part 2
Captain Marvel was dead. That single fact could not be altered, and so the woman calling herself Sarah Altman did her best to adapt to a reality in which she was the sole caretaker of the young half-breed prince, Dorrek VIII. Much like her, the child was now living under a different name, and along with this new identity, his new mother was set on providing him with anything and everything he could ever need or want.
Of course, for that end, she had to have a stronger resolve, more confidence in her choices and goals, and herself. Being on her own made that quite hard to achieve, and she often found herself wavering, finding comfort and solace in he who she was supposed to take care of. But what could a baby offer his would-be mother, but a warm look and a silly, naive grin?
She needed help, she knew, but had no one to ask that of.
"Why not help yourself?!" The television blared.
Her first instinct was to reach for the remote, least the noise woke the baby up. As soon as that was taken care of, however, she let herself pay attention to the screen. "Dream It, Do It", the visual banner read, and she glanced once at the crib before smiling in mild exasperation.
'Self help books', was it? It was worth a shot, she concluded.
–
It was when Teddy was three years old, on a Saturday afternoon. She was busy trying to decide what to make for dinner, when a scream rang through the house, following by a crashing sound and wailing.
She was in Teddy's room within seconds, and found quite a sight waiting for her.
One of the legs of Teddy's bed was smashed, and the panicked boy himself sat in the middle of the room, his superhero action figures scattered around him. It wasn't hard to see what was even more wrong in this picture - the child's right arm was green, and noticeably bigger than what it should've been, resembling almost the Hulk figure he threw across the room in his fit of fright.
"MMmmmooooommm!" The child wailed as soon as he saw his mother, and reached for her almost fearfully.
She gave his arm a look, took in the damage to the bed, and then, a smile on her face, she crouched down with open arms.
"Come here, honey." She whispered and had Teddy practically throw himself at her.
She held him tightly, a hand moving back and forth through his hair. It seemed to sooth him, but just a bit.
"Wha- what's wrong with me?!" Teddy yelped, looking at his mother with fear shining in his tear-filled eyes. It made her heart clench, yet still she smiled and gently kissed her boy's forehead.
"Nothing, Teddy, you're fine. Just-"
"But-" He tried to argue, only to fall silent when she nudged her nose against his.
"Please calm down. For mommy?"
A loud hiccup followed, but then - a nod. Teddy sniffled loudly and looked pleadingly up at his mother, who smiled back and reached to hold his right, transformed hand.
"That's better. Now, take a deep breath, like mommy-" She inhaled and exhaled, offering an example the child followed all too eagerly.
"That's very good. Next, do you remember what your hand was like before? Just like your left one, wasn't it? Well, only right. Think about it, Teddy. Concentrate. Wish it back- just like that, yes!"
The praise made Teddy open his eyes, and he found both his hands to be the way they always were. He seemed relieved, but clung to his mother just the same.
"Mmmoooooommm!"
"Ssh, it's ok, it's over now. You're alright, aren't you?" She asked and kissed the top of his head. The boy sniffled, but what he had to say when he calmed down was -
"I broke the bed." He moaned and sniveled, earning back a snicker from her.
"Well then! I suppose someone is sleeping in mommy's bed tonight."
That prospect had the child actually smiling, though it changed into a confused expression when she held his right hand. She gave it a tight squeeze before kissing it.
"Why don't we go get something to eat? That always calms you down."
Smiling a bit more honestly, he wrapped his small arms around her neck and held on tightly.
–
Teddy was no longer a child. He was sixteen, and was going through all the teen angst one could expect, and then some. The boy changed himself in many ways over the past years, wanting little more than to belong. Knowing well what the boy really was, his mother never confronted him about it, and simply accepted him for what he was - the son she loved more than life itself.
There was one change that caught her eyes more than the others, though, and she found herself staring at it quite openly during dinner one day. Teddy on his part shifted uneasily under the intense gaze before he put his fork down with a sigh.
"There's ten of them." He stated, seeing how his mother was poking at the air with her fork in an attempt to count his numerous new earrings from across the table.
"My goodness." Was her best reply, and she held a hand to her lips. "Didn't it hurt?"
"It healed quickly." Teddy replied and wanted to get back to his meal, but the thoughtful hum his mother let out drew his attention.
"I wonder if I should get a pair, too." She wondered out loud and held her fingers to her earlobes. "A pair of long ones, perhaps? What do you think?"
The astounded look Teddy gave her was also quite flattered and warm, and he grinned at her before long.
"I think they'll look great on you."
Rather pleased, both by his approval and the fact Teddy finally seemed a bit at ease, she turned back to her dinner.
–
Billy Kaplan. It was a name she came to know one day not that long after the earrings' appearance. He lived on the upper west side, had two brothers, really nice parents, and was the only person she knew of that was crazy enough to camp out with Teddy on the night before a release of one thing or another they both were into. He seemed like a nice, smart kid, but that wasn't why she liked him as much as she did, oh no.
The reason Sarah Altman liked Billy Kaplan so much was that whenever his name even came up, Teddy's lips would instantly curl into a smile, and there would be a spark in his eyes. Rarely did the mother see her son so happy and at ease, and it brought her joy, knowing he found such a seemingly reliable partner.
Laughter filled the apartment as the two teens made their way from Teddy's room towards the front door. Both had a certain disheveled look to them, and they exchanged almost guilty looks when they noticed the parent was still in the house.
"H- Hi, Mrs. Altman." Billy offered with a slightly embarrassed smile before he turned back to Teddy, at which point the look in his eyes softened considerably.
"So, uh… I'll see you later, Ted."
She chose that moment to look away, occupying herself until the moment she heard the front door closing.
Teddy joined her in the kitchen soon after, the look on his face a bit distracted and all around quite infatuated.
"He comes by often, lately." She hummed rather idly, and chose not to taunt Teddy too much. The teen was already about to gap, his cheeks painted. It made her smile widely and rest a hand on Teddy's arm.
"Let me know next time he's here. I'll make something special."
The look Teddy gave her for a moment was shocked, but he broke into a grin soon after.
"Thanks, mom."
She raised her hand to his cheek and let herself appreciate how peaceful he seemed.
–
A new best friend that was most likely more than that wasn't the only difference in Teddy's life, his mother noted one day when she picked the morning newspaper on her way to work.
"Young Avengers?!" The Daily Bugle's headline read, sitting atop a large picture of four young looking costumed heroes. Anyone with knowledge of the actual Avengers could easily tell who they were supposed to be, but in Sarah Altman's case, she also knew who at least one of them actually was.
It was true that the body shape and oh, the "color scheme" were different, but she could tell it was her Teddy there in the photo, saving two people from the burning building. And next to him the young Thor was no doubt Billy, she concluded with a soft hum and a warm, if somewhat exasperated smile.
"A new generation of heroes?" The subtitle read, making her lean back in her seat. He was growing up to be a hero, and seemed to have found good companions to have by his side - just like his father.
It was an odd mixture of relief and pride that washed over her.
"If only your parents could see you…" She whispered, and ran her fingers over Teddy's printed image.
Deciding to keep quiet about it until Teddy confessed on his own, she folded the newspaper and started her day at work.
–
If ever she had a nightmare, it was unfolding around her. The local news reported what appeared to be a superhuman fight, and Teddy wasn't picking up his phone no matter how many times she called. She left work and was about to go looking for him, and of course the first place to look in was the first place he was likely to be at.
"Hello?" The friendly, calm voice did little to sooth her.
"Rebecca! Is Teddy there?!" She demanded, the hand not holding the phone running through her hair in frustration.
"Sarah?! I-"
There was a moment of silence following the initial surprise, but the voice on the phone soon regained its composure, though it retained most of the concern.
"He's not here, did something happen?"
Most likely. But how was she to even begin to explain without revealing everything to Billy's mother?
"I- I'm not sure, he's not picking up-"
"I see." Again, with the calmness and reassurance. It would've been frustrating if it wasn't exactly what she needed.
"Sarah, why don't you come over?" The woman suggested then. "You can't very well look for him on your own, it's a big city. Come, we'll think of something together."
Waiting was the worst thing she could've done then, she knew, but there was something to Rebecca's voice, a rather authoritative calmness that didn't really let her argue anymore. Finally, she relented.
"I- alright. I'll be over as soon as I can."
"Good. And Sarah, dear? Take a deep breath. For me."
–
He gazed at her with eyes wide, confusion dominating over any other emotion. She was exposed, revealed for what she truly was for the first time in years. It was, in a sense, liberating - if only Teddy wouldn't have looked at her like that.
"Teddy, I can explain." She pleaded, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"Mom…?"
He didn't say that - he asked. After all those years.
It mattered little, though, she knew and reached for her purse, taking hold of the weapon she always carried with her. She was Teddy's caretaker, for better or worse, his adoptive mother. For her princess, for her empress, for the dear boy she gave everything for - she would protect him-
"-Even from the likes of you!"
In hindsight, she no doubt made many mistakes in her life. Some bigger, some smaller, but regardless of exactly where she went wrong and how - this was to be the last mistake she ever made.
"Consider your orders terminated."
The flames engulfed her, a concentrated inferno meant to harm none but her, while leaving her without a way out. It hurt, everything did, but beyond the sound of the flames eating away at her flesh, and her own tormented screams, she heard it, a lone word in a familiar voice, belonging to the only one who mattered.
"MOM!"
Teddy called out to her. He knew the truth, knew they weren't really related, and still he called out to her, using that title and nothing else. It was a desperate cry that sounded as pained as she was feeling, and in her last moments she held onto it with all her might.
She made many mistakes in her life - but not with him.
There was no smile on her face when she passed, no peaceful ending. But therewas pride - in the young man she raised, relief - at knowing that even now, he was not alone, and hope - hope that somehow, he'd be able to pull through.
It was the closest she could come to happiness, and it was enough to make her stop resisting, and to let go.
