A/N Its the end of the first quarter since Mei started classes, her first class friends consist of a Fox that's hiding something, and a Jaguar Panther mix that doesn't let others change his opinion on anything. Mei does everything in her power to keep her friends from the bullies harsh words, but what will she do when their directed towards her.
Meeting Father
Mei sits with her friends at the beginning of class and the Large Panda enters the room. She wears a pink flower clip by her ear, and a lose floral shirt with lose red pants. her kind green eyes look around the room, "Good Morning class."
"Good Morning Ms. Idlefur." The kind panda smiles at the response and pulls out construction paper, glue, markers, and other craft materials. "Now class, Since we are approaching the end of the first quarter, I would like everyone to make something to show your family. Now it can be what ever you want, you can show off some of the words you learned, our can draw a picture, or you could combine both. Don't worry what everyone else is doing, just worry about what you want." And with that she spreads the sheets out on a table and the kids pick and choose from all the colors. Mei grabs a plain white sheet and a pack of markers.
Grabbing the pink she draws a triangle with a flat top and scribbles it in, after that she uses a purple to do the same thing smaller and higher than the last one, last she grabs a green and draws in higher still with little squares on the upper corners. Next she gabs the blue and brown and draws two rectangles under the purple and green respectfully. Afterwards she takes the orange and grey to draw circles, half circles, and ovals with the correct colors. When the general forms are done she grabs the green, purple, and blue once again and draws little circles. Tipping some areas in brown and drawing black stripes in others.
Mei takes a moment to study the image, and is pleased with the outcome. Thinking that it could still us something she grabs the glue and green glitter to put that at the base of the drawing, along with little flower stickers. Looking at the image now Mei can feel nothing but joy. It shows Mei in the middle holding hands with her parents on either side. She goes to show the teacher when she trips on a chair that just got pushed out.
Her picture flutters to the ground and a pure white paw picks it up. Mei glances upwards and meets the icy blue eyes of Snowy Angel, a polar whose father is another big name in TundraTown and the main rival of Judy's grandfather Mr. Big. Snowy only spares the picture a glace before she gives it to one of the lackeys (an other polar bear) at her table.
"What is this?" They ask holding up the drawing.
Mei all to happy to notice the glances answers. "That's my dad," While pointing the orange, green, and brown scribbles that represents Nick. "And that's my mom." Pointing to the grey purple and blue scribbles that represents Judy. "The one in the middle is me." The polar bears hold on the picture a bit longer
Her friends see Mei, and Adrian recognizing it for what it really is, puts his head on the table and covers it with his arms. Judy recognizes Snowy, and like she was taught, hates anyone with relation to the Angel name. Ash meanwhile flinches.
"Hey everyone, Mei here was raised by a fox and a rabbit." Snowy doesn't chuckle or laugh, but everyone else does, and Mei doesn't understand the problem. "No, they're my real parents! I have orange fur, short ears, and a long tail like my dad. I also have rounded ears like my mom, and my black markings like my family." Everyone continues laughing, and Mei grabs the picture that she was so proud of a moment ago and dodges the teacher before dashing out the door. Not wanting to get into too much trouble she just hides by her hook out in the hall and tries to make herself as small as possible. A moment passes before Adrian, Ash and Judy come join her with the teacher.
Adrian and Ash take a seat on either side of her, while Judy stands at her feet. The teacher places a hand on her shoulder and holds it there until Mei looks up. "I called your mom, and she should be here to pick you up soon. If you want, you can wait for her in the office." Mei shakes her head and hides in her arms again. "Ok than, I'll just let the Principle know where you are, so they can tell your parents." And she gets up, and walks towards the main office. Seeing how she didn't say anything about her friends they stick around. That is until Mrs. Wilde gets there to get her daughter, who by now is looking forlornly at her picture.
Mei drags her feet and sits in the car silently, until. "Mom, where's dad?"
Judy studies her daughter in the rearview mirror before answering. "He's at work sweetie."
"Why didn't I meet him yet?" Mei asks, and Judy is to say the least confused.
"You just saw him this morning." She answers
"Not my dad. My dad dad." And it finally clicks in Judy's mind about what Mei is talking about.
"I'll tell you later Ok, let's just head to the station, and you can hang out with Benjamin Clawhauser"
Mei gives a little smile at the mention of her work friend, but still has a slight frown in her smile.
Once reaching the station, Mei runs up the steps, and when Judy manages to catch up, Mei is already behind the front desk talking with Clawhauser. She waves at the two before heading towards Nicks desk to discuss what the teacher told her.
Judy finds him with his head resting in his head in frustration. "Nick we need to talk." With no prior warning Nick jumps at the intrusion of his space. "Jeez Carrots, Don't scare me like that." he says hand clutching his chest.
"Mei found out." Judy says
Nick looks up. "What."
Judy shows him the picture Mei drew in class, Show casing the work she put into it and the tears that cause the markers to smear. "The class was drawing pictures to showcase at the PT meeting this week, and Mei was being made fun of for her picture. Now she's wondering where her real parents are. Well her dad for now, but I think that's only because I was there. Nick what if we take her to meet her father, and her aunt is there? What if she manages to take custody of her for this? I don't want to loose her Nick, we spent the better part of five years with her, and I don-"
Sometime during Judy's triad Nick got up and is now holding her close. "Don't worry, We won't let it come to that, but if she wants to meet her father, we can give her a sick day and introduce her. If her aunt is there Than we fight her for custody. I don't care what it takes I will do everything in my power to make sure Mei stays with us willingly." Judy looks up from his chest and returns the hug slight tears staining his shirt. "Oh Carrots, always with the tears. I'm almost done here, so how about I try to finish early and we go someplace special. Hmm?" Judy nods into his chest. "Ok than you need to leave so that I can finish, Go see what Mei and Clawhauser are up to, knowing them, their snacking and watching ZooTube." Judy nods and hops away.
Upon reaching the main desk Judy sees that Nick was indeed right. Snacks are spread about and Mei seems content with sharing her favorite ZooTube videos with the large cheetah. Judy joins them and once Nick is done the three decide against going out and instead decided to get a pizza and watch movies well into the night, or as late as Mei can stay up. Along the way the two adults tell Mei what happened to her father, and ask if she would like to meet him. A moment of thinking late they receive an enthusiastic nob from the young cub.
It was a long week, but Judy finally managed to convince Chief Bogo to allow her to visit Mr. Vapas and reintroduce him to his daughter. Nick and Judy explained the plan to Ms. Idlefur the day before and got her approval, so with that in mind mother and daughter enter the hospital with flowers and gifts in paws and check in at the front desk before heading to the Neurology department where they can hear shouting from the same room their heading towards.
Judy peeks her head in and is disappointed to Mrs. Tigre in there scolding her brother on a choice he made five years ago. Judy knocks on the door and both tigers look up at the intrusion and Mr. Vapas smiles at the sight of the rabbit. "Hello Judy how are you?" He asks in a form of permission to enter. "I'm doing well Jason, and I brought someone with me if you're up for it?" Mr. Vapas quirks and eyebrow, but nods none the less. "Come on in sweetie."
Jason sits up straight at seeing his young cub for the first time in five years. He takes in the too large blue shirt draped over her frame, and the jeans as well as the bag hanging off her back. In her arms is a large bouquet of cut flowers of all kinds and colors. Mei tries to hide behind the plants and trudges her way towards the bed and setting the flowers on a nearby table before dragging a chair over and promptly sitting down right next to the bed.
Silence takes over the room save for the constant beeping of the heart monitor. Mei decides to break that silence. "I'm sorry if the flowers aren't your favorite. I didn't know what they were, and I don't have a favorite, so I went with what ever looked pretty." Judy nods to confirm that, "She wouldn't leave the florist until we got a sizeable bouquet for you."
"Do you know who I am?" Mei nods, and with no warning leaps out of the chair and hugs her father close. Jason doesn't know how to react at first, but after a moment he returns the hug.
A moment later Mrs. Tigre clears her throat to get back to the matter she brought up. When Jason moves to let go Mei tightens her grip. "Lily, can't this wait?"
"No Jason, it can't. I want to get Mei into a proper family, and I'm willing to take this to court if need be." Judy bristles at that.
"Are you saying that you would take away everything we worked the past five years for? Just for what, to get her into a family with a tiger as a parent?"
Lily purses her lips, "Not just any family, my family."
The arguing continues and Mr. Vapas feels every tightening of Mei's grip. As he listens to the conversation he feels has temper rising. "If you two wouldn't mind taking your argument outside, I'd like to hold a conversation with Mei." The two bickering women look over and see an angry Jason, and upset Mei, they do as asked and leave the two alone. Mei loosens her grip on her fathers neck and sits on his lap instead. She notices how much thinner he is than her moms coworker with the same stormy blue eyes like hers, only dulled down a bit.
"So what prompted this visit?" Mei doesn't answer, and instead pulls some markers out of her bag as well as a drawing, handing the latter to him. He decides not to comment on the tear streaks on the marker. Instead he focuses on the picture itself and sees that it is Mei holding hands with Nick and Judy. Mei reaches out and moves the roll away table over the bed. Than sits back on her dads lap. Picking out an orange, and blue as well as the black she holds out her hands for the drawing, "Can I have that back please?" Jason smiles at the politeness and hands it over. Looking over her he sees her adding another shape right over her own. He smiles as he realizes she is adding him into the picture.
"So what made you want to visit?" He asks and Mei looks back at him. "Some kids were being mean about my drawing, and I wanted to know why."
He nods and decides to make a risky mistake in the large scheme of things in his opinion, and describes all that happened.
A/N I decided not to do the whole long explanation and will include that as a little flashback. So now I'll do a parent teacher conference and maybe a birthday party before another time skip.
