Chapter One: Father and Daughter finally meet
Fey Manor Two Days after Diego Armando wakes up from his coma*
Maya was shocked when she got a phone call about her late sister's boyfriend awakening from the coma Dahlia Hawthorne put him in. Mia had been dead for a year and Maya had been doing her best to try and raise her niece since then. Of course she had help from Nick and her mother, Misty. Aunt Morgan wanted nothing to do with Melanie as she was still bitter about not being the master of the Fey Clan. Melanie was five now and it was about time that she met her father, especially since he was finally out of his coma. Mia called him via a payphone in the hospital cafeteria, where Diego would no doubt go there several times a day to get coffee. The first time the payphone rang, a cafeteria employee picked up as Diego was too busy with his coffee.
"Hello?" the employee asked.
"Yes, Is there a Diego Armando present?" Maya asked.
"There is a call for a Mr. Diego Armando!" the employee announced. Diego stood up and made his way to the phone with his coffee in hand.
"Yes?" she said into the receiver.
"Diego, It's me Maya, Mia's little sister."
"Oh Maya, it's been some time hasn't it?"
"Yes, about five years since you were poisoned. I need to talk to you about a few things. Come to Kurain Village once you feel up to it." Maya directed.
"Maya, I'll be on my way once I finish my coffee."
'OK, thanks Diego. See you soon." Both hung up simultaneously. Maya instantly walked into Melanie's room in Fey manor and looked in her closet of clothes. Most of the things Mia bought her before her death were too small for the now five-year-old Melanie. A few minutes of digging through the closet and Maya found a blue and white dress that was a gift from Maya and Mia's mother, Misty. Melanie was watching her aunt gather her clothes for her first meeting with her father.
"Aunt Maya, what are you doing?" She asked as she looked at the dress , shoes, and stockings that her aunt picked out.
"Your father was sick for a long time and he's better now. He's coming to see you. You need to get ready." Maya explained as she helped her niece change into the clothes she picked out. Maya brushed Melanie's brown hair which resembled her mother's only darker almost black like Diego's. It wasn't long before Misty came in to tell Maya that Diego was here.
"He looks different, Maya. I hardly recognized him." She said. Maya took Melanie's hand and walked into the foyer of Fey manor, standing there was a man wearing an odd looking visor covering his eyes. He had white hair, but black facial hair on his jaw and chin. His skin was tan like Diego's, but this man seemed very different from Diego.
"Diego, id that you?" Maya asked. The man turned his head towards her and nodded.
"Of course it's me. I've changed a lot as a result of being in a coma for the last five years. I already know about what happened to Mia, so what do you need to talk to me about?" he asked, voice wavering once he mentioned Mia.
"Well, Mia was pregnant while you were in the coma. She found out the day you were poisoned. She was going to tell you, but you were poisoned and fell into that coma. This little girl with me is your daughter. I've been taking care of her since Mia died." Maya said as she took Melanie's hand and squeezed it. Diego walked to his daughter and knelt down.
"What's your name?"
"Mommy named me Melanie." Melanie said. Diego stood back up and smiled at his daughter.
"I can't believe it I had a child this whole time and I missed out on the last five years of her life." he mused as tears began to flow out from under his mask.
"Aunt Maya, said you were sick for a long time." Melanie said trying to start a conversation.
"I was, I was very sick. So sick that I was asleep for five years."
"So, you're my daddy?"
"Yes, I didn't know about you though. I guess your mommy might have tried to introduce me to you, but I was too sick to know. I'm sorry Melanie." Diego hugged Melanie as more tears ran out of his visor.
"Diego, do you think you'll try to help raise Melanie?" Maya asked.
"Do you mind if I have time to get everything straight with myself about Mia's death first?" Maya looked at her mother who nodded.
"OK, but you'll have to decide sooner of later, Diego." Maya said firmly.
"Of course, I'll make sure that I try to pick up the pieces of myself that are shattered by Mia's death. I'll be in touch Maya, Misty." Diego said as he regarded both members of the Fey Clan. Diego had a lot of soul searching to do, but now he was getting on the bus to go back to the hospital. Memories of all the times he had with Mia and thoughts of how He, Mia, and Melanie could have been such a good family. It didn't take long for the tears to start running down his face.