Sorry that this chapter is shorter, but I personally hate cliffhangers and figured it would be mean to leave everyone hanging for too long...so here's the next installement out as fast as I could! :D Enjoy, and thank you so much for all your support! When I got such good feedback on the last chapter, I was so shocked but happy that some people had actually stuck to the story despite my extended absence. Thank you so much!
There was a moment of shocked silence. Martie could feel her cheeks heat up as the men stared at her for a few minutes before Albino and Stubble burst out laughing, "You're kidding! Oh kid, you've got no idea what you just claimed right?" Albino managed to gasp out, as he rolled off the couch "Alfred? Your father? Oh, that's rich!"
"It's true!" Martie exclaimed, her cheeks flushed, "He's my father! Look! My mother left me his dog tag and cross!"
Eyebrows was the only one who hadn't started laughing, but rather stared at Martie rather intensely before standing (the alcohol seemed to have slightly worn off), crossing over to the room and leaning over, staring at Martie.
"Dude, back off." Alice growled, holding the hockey stick up, "Don't take advantage of a cripple."
"I'm not a cripple, thank you very much Alice." Martie growled.
"Are too."
"Am not."
"I'm not going to do anything, ok?" Eyebrows said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "Your face…I knew it was familiar."
"You're actually taking her seriously Art?" Albino asked from his position on the floor, "I mean, c'mon. Alfred F. Jones isn't the most uncommon name, now is it? She probably has a different Alfred as a father."
"Then why would Matthew adopt her? Look at her" Eyebrows straightened up, "She looks like him."
"That's not too terribly uncommon" Stubble said, shaking his head, "Arthur, think of it seriously. Alfred? Have a kid? No, have a normal child?"
"He's done more foolish things" Eyebrows said.
"No…no, it's just not possible." Albino shook his head, "C'mon Art. Since when has any of us ever had a normal child?"
"This is Alfred" Eyebrows responded, "Since when has he met convention?"
"Touché" Stubble nodded, "How about this? We wait for dear Mathieu to come back and ask him? Hmm?"
"Or call him." Eyebrows pulled out a cell, punched a few buttons, and turned away from Martie. After a few seconds, he spoke again, "Matthew? Yes, this is Arthur, look are you getting home soon? Oh, you are? That's fantastic. Why? I was just curious, wanted to make sure that you got a good night's sleep, we have a meeting tomorrow, after all…ok. Splendid, then. I will see you later."
Eyebrows hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket, "And now, we wait."
They didn't have long to wait; within ten minutes, there was a scratching from the front door and a few seconds after that, Matthew walked into the room. He froze when he saw the three men, Stubble and Albino on the couch and Eyebrows glaring at him, his arms crossed. As his gaze sliding over to where Martie stood next to Alice, he let out a sigh, "I guess you found out then, huh?" he said, shrugging his suit jacket off.
"Matthew" Eyerbrows said, his face deadly serious, "Who is this girl?"
"Didn't she tell you?"
"She told me that she's Alfred's child."
"And she is"
"What!" Eyebrows exploded, "Alfred, as in your brother Alfred? Alfred the moron who sits next to me at the meeting? Alfred as in the United- Matthew, are you serious! How! When did this happen! Good god, what in the name of Gordon Bennet was he thinking! He can't have a kid!"
"I don't know!" Matthew threw his hands up, "Why don't you talk to the idiot? He's the one who did it! I'm just trying to help, damnit!"
"Why the hell did you adopt her?" Eyebrows yelled back, "Don't you think it would be better if she never knew about Alfred, never knew about you! Now how are you going to explain all of this to her?"
"ASK ALFRED" Matthew's voice had also risen in volume, "THIS WAS ALL HIS IDEA!"
"WHY DID YOU LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S A BLOODY FOOL! I MEAN, LOOK, HE APPARNETLY HAS A KID!"
"BECAUSE!" Matthew ran a hand through his hair, "I…I don't know, ok? Just, he asked"
"So you helped him. Do you really think it better that she find out about him?"
"No, but…"
"Exactly. Now we've got a problem on our ha-" Eyebrows was cut off as a flying pillow smacked him in the face.
"I don't appreciate being talked about like I'm not here when I'm right next to you." Martie growled, glaring at Eyebrows
"And I don't appreciate you chucking pillows at me, young lady."
"Don't call me young lady."
"Don't throw pillows at me."
"Make me" Martie said, picking up another pillow.
"Haven't you ever been told to "respect your elders"?"
"Yea, but that's only with really old elders" Martie replied, "You're only what? 3 years older than me? 5?"
Arthur smirked, "No, child. I'm much older than that."
"Sure as hell don't act it."
"Look who's talking."
"Whatever, eyebrow freak."
"Immature brat"
"Stupidhead"
"Takes one to know one."
The two were interrupted by Stubble, who had begun chuckling while watching them fight, "Alright, Arthur" he said, still laughing, "You've convinced me. She certainly acts like him."
"No I don't!" Martie protested, blushing, "We're nothing alike!"
"Oh really?" Stubble asked, "You've never met him before, non? Contrary to what you may wish to believe, you do look like him and furthermore, the way you interact with our dear little Arthur is exactly the same manner that he does. Come, child. What is your name? Let me guess…Martha?"
"How did you know?"
"It would only be natural." Stubble shrugged, "You weren't a boy, so he couldn't give you the name of his "Father", the name he himself asked to take at one point, so he named you after that man's wife…I suppose she was his "mother" then? Also, "Martha" is the name of the wife of the man who wrote his birthright."
"His "Father"? His birthright?" Martha was fully confused by now, "What do you mean?"
"You don't know what your father is, do you?"
"Frog, that's enough." Eyebrows suddenly spoke up, glaring at the other, his hands balled into fists, "We can't just tell her…"
"And why not?"
"He's right" Stubble shrugged, "If anyone tells you the truth, it must be dear little Alfred himself."
"How do you know him?" Martie suddenly asked.
"We have a history…going rather far back." Eyebrows said, frowning.
"Friends?"
"Sweetie, they're more than just friends" Albino suddenly spoke up, cackling as Eyebrows started blushing.
"Q…Quiet you!"
"Are you the reason he left then?" Martie asked, swallowing down the sudden lump that had appeared in her throat.
"The reason he left?" Eyebrows look confused.
"The reason he left my mom." Martie nodded, "Did…did he leave her for you?"
"Wait, what!" Eyebrows had turned a brilliant shade of red now, finally understanding what Martie was implying, "Oh god…no. No. No no no."
"But you have a relationship with him"
"Look, let's not talk about that and focus back to the matter at hand!" Eyebrows cried, refusing to look at Stubble and Albino as they cracked up behind him, "Matthew! What are you planning on doing now!"
"I don't know" Matthew said, looking unbelievable frustrated, "Why don't you try calling the moron who started this whole mess in the first place?"
"Call Alfred." Arthur nodded, "Yes. That sounds like a good idea. That idiot, I swear when I get my hands on him…"
"You aren't the only one that wants to kill him"
Eyebrows pulled his phone out again and punch the keys again. He waited for a few minutes, his face scrunched up in a scowl.
"Alfred F. Jones." Eyebrows suddenly said into the phone, his tone deadly serious, "I swear, I am going to kill you. What's the matter? I'm at Matthew's place right now. That's right. Your brother Matthew. Yes, so you probably know why I'm ready to bash your empty head into the counter and rip your spinal cord out. Get your arse over here now."
With that, Eyebrows hung up, glaring at the phone, "He should be here in half an hour." He finally said.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group, and Martie shifted uncomfortably, looking over at Alice. Reminded of something that had bothered her since he said it, she turned her attention to Stubble who was leaning back on the couch, looking rather amused, "Um. Excuse me?" she asked, catching his attention.
"Oui?"
"Um. What you said about my fath-about Alfred. What do you mean by I don't know what he is?"
Stubble's smirk seemed to grow, and he shrugged, "What is so hard to understand about that question?"
"Frog, be quiet" Eyebrows said suddenly.
"I'm not going to tell her" Stubbles said, still smirking, "But it is only fair that I give her some clues, non?"
"Tell me what?"
"Francis, you keep your mouth shut!"
"Your name" Stubbles said, "Tell me, when I ask you to name famous Marthas, who do you think of?"
"Martha Stewart?" Alice asked.
"No, not her" Stubbles shook his head, "Any others?"
"Um…" Martie shrugged, "Martha Washington? Martha Jefferson? Um…"
"Exactly"
"What?" Martie said, completely nonplussed, "What do they have anything to do with this?"
"That's enough!" Eyebrows suddenly said, "We can't tell her anything, so keep your mouth shut Francis!"
"Tell me what!"
"As our dear short tempered Englishman said, I cannot tell you" Stubbles shrugged, "But child, I will say one thing; I know Alfred far better than you think I do. And perhaps you will completely disregard my opinion, as you do not know me, but Alfred did not leave your mother because he wanted to."
"Then why did he leave?"
Stubbles' smirk seemed to slip off his face, "It's something you wouldn't understand. The weight he carries…the weight all of us carry is no light one. Had I been in Alfred's position…I would have most likely done the same thing. Except for this. I would have made no attempt to contact you, but made sure that you never met me. He is foolish, young, and naïve" Stubble was no longer smiling, but frowning, his eyes downcast, "He believes there is nothing he cannot do, no obstacle he cannot overcome. And because of his confidence, some may even call it arrogance, he has and will continue to suffer. It has gotten him very far in this world, undoubtedly. Without that mentality, he would certainly not be the Alfred we all know now, would not hold the same power and strength or carry the same vast responsibilities that he has now. But there are problems with any characteristic in this world. Understand I mean him no harm. We are friends, as far as our kind go. But this crass mistake…not having a child, but choosing to make contact with his child will prove to be disastrous."
"What do you mean?" Martie cried, "You would just choose to abandon a woman who carried your child? You would just let the child grow up fatherless, you would let the woman take the entire responsibility? My mother…" Martie stifled down the tears that were threatening to build up in her eyes, "My mother never got over him. And you! You try to justify his actions…you coward!"
Stubble smiled, his expression somewhat weary, "I have been called a coward many times" he said, "By many people, your father included. But how is what I do cowardice? Because I wish my child to be safe, because I wish my people to be happy? Perhaps I am blind, but I do not see the cowardice in such actions. It isn't something you would understand."
"Don't underestimate me because I'm young!" Martie said, her hands clenched at her sides, "I understand more than you care to think I do! You don't believe in me? Well why don't you try me!"
Albino suddenly began cracking up, "Oh god! You really are his child! He once said the same thing to me, girl, the same expression, the same stupid determination…" he trailed off, his red eyes crinkled in mirth, "But then you weren't facing quite what he was, now were you?" he asked, looking pointedly at Eyebrows who had turned away.
"Shut it." Eyebrows said, "We are waiting for Alfred. Quit the stupid blathering, you morons."
There was a sudden banging on the door and the group jumped.
Eyebrow cleared his throat, and nodded, "Come in."
So...I got this out faster so I would leave you on a cliffhanger..and sorta left you on another one. Orz. Please forgive me, I'm already working on the next chapter! *hurries off* Reviews are much love and motivation!
