A/N: I've written a few one-shots before and got some reviews but THIS is the first time I had ever had so much reviews for only ONE chapter! I'm trying not to take it as beginner's luck :D Thanks so friggin' much for reading and reviewing!

And as my dear reviewers' wished, here's chapter THREE! :D

CHAPTER 3:

The ambulance got to the diner in less than five minutes. The doctors put her in a private room at my request, gave her IV and left us be. Sitting by her bed, I felt relived. They said it was just dehydration and exhaustion, and, thanks God, after a bottle, her cheeks had found its usual rosy shade.

I stroked her hair gently and wondered when did those strands of grey appear. She must have been treated as shit when I wasn't home to stop Natharn. That asshole. Poor mom… She seemed so lost and confused outside the house. I recalled the conversation we had in the diner today, then realized she didn't speak a word. That witch was talking through her almost all the time. I never believed in magic, but today, I guessed I had opened my eyes. Although, if what that voice said were true, then why am I here with these people? And if it weren't true, then why did I even hear it in the first place? Every possibilities made me confused so I just stared at mom as if the answer was going to appeared on her face. Then she moved.

"MOM! You woke!"

"What happened? Why am I here?"

"We're in hospital. You fainted because of dehydration and exhaustion. It's ok now, they say you'll recover soon. You just need some rest"

"Wait, did I tell you anything before I fainted?"

"About real mothers and stuff like that?", I blurted, thinking about the voice.

"Oh, so do you want to find her?", she asked weakly.

"I don't know. I don't know how to find her even if I wanted to…"

"You came to us with a diary, you know? On the first page was a name. Janine Hathaway, does that sound familiar?"

"No, not at all"

"I will give it back to you once we get home. I couldn't open the next pages even though I tried hard as hell, but because it's yours, I think you should give it a try"

"Yeah, let me think about it first, ok?"

"Uhm. By the way, did I ever tell you how you came to us?"

"No. Before today, I never thought that you aren't my… you know, real mother. But I'm sure as hell that I'm so freaking happy right now because that ass Natharn isn't my biological father"

"Well, that's predictable", mom shook her head.

"Of course that's predictable! Haven't you see how he treated you? Or are you as numb as you are blind? Why do you insist on taking care of him when all he ever did was hurting you?"

"Just listen then you'll understand". She took a deep breath and began,

"We found you in a stormy night, when the wind was banging wildly on the windows. You were left on our doorstep, crying like a fire alarm", she smiled at the memory. "But you stopped crying immediately when I held you up. You fit in my arm perfectly like you were made just for me. I got in to a fight with your father trying to keep you. He didn't want a child, but I wanted one so bad. So I reasoned with him, I cried, and I begged, and I yelled at him. You won't believe how pathetic I'd looked then", she laughed this time. "But he gave in in the end. I was so happy. I raised you, with him helping me, even though he didn't want to at all. I think it was kind of him. And what surprised me was that he came to love you too. We were like the happiest family in the world then", her eyes became a bit dreamy, then darkened almost immediately, "The day when he changed came as a surprise to all of us. He came home one day, smelled of alcohol and cheap woman perfume. He informed me that he had lost his job. I just nodded and put him to bed, hoping he would see senses the day after. But he saw nothing. His life went downhill faster than anyone could imagine, and before I knew it, he became the man of today. I guess he can't be changed now, but I can't leave him to it. That's why I have to go back to him. I hope you won't be mad at me for making such a silly choice, but that is what I want", she finished the speech with a determined nod.

"You're just chasing a ghost, you know that? Loving-caring-Natharn isn't coming back, even in your wildest dream. I have only seen the worst of him, so I'm not affected by that old glory of his, and I know that shitty attitude is rooted deep down inside. Changing him is like trying to tell the sun not to rise in the morning! You will be ruined with him! I want you to be happy, not dead!"

She just laughed. That weak laugh irritated me. I wanted her to be strong, to find a life, to live happily ever after with a guy who loved her. All that could happen if she would just run away with me. But now, knowing that she was so sure about staying and continuing to be a victim of hatred and violence, how could I possibly leave her?

"I'm staying, mom. I'm not going anywhere. My place is here, to protect you. Now sleep, ok? You had a rough day."

She nodded tiredly and closed her eyes, "Wake me when this is done, ok? I want to go home and check on his ar…".

Her head fell aside, and she slept peacefully. The room was quiet and once again, thoughts started swirling in my head. It seemed like my life had taken a complete turn-around. In a day, everything I had known was thrown out of the window, and there was a mysterious voice telling me I didn't belong here. I didn't know what to believe in anymore. Mom would say believe your heart, but even my heart was a complete turmoil. I'm curious and afraid at the same time. What would I even do with that so-called "true destiny"? I had always been proud of my ability to control the situation, but now, I'm lost like a little girl. Mom turned in her sleep, and a word escaped her lips.

"Home…"

I smiled sourly. Even mom knew where her home was, and I hadn't even a clue where's mine. Of course, the answer laid where my blood mother was, which got me back to the first problem: should I go and find her… At a time, I would just say "fuck off" then forgot about the problem, but now, when the "mother" who had raised me for seventeen years said I should go and find the other "mother" who had left me to be raised by strangers, I didn't know what to do anymore!

I buried my face in my hands, "Oh… I'm so God damned stuck now that I started mumbling like a halfwit! Seriously! Halfwit! I can't do a thing just sitting here! I guess taking a look at that diary can't do any harm…"