Chapter Twenty Five

Beth woke the delicious aroma of beef stew and baked bread. She smiled as she heard the sounds of soft giggles and Mike's voice gently chastising the girls to keep it down. She opened her eyes and looked to see Mike coming her way. "Hey," she said groggily to him.

"Good sleep?" Mike asked her.

"Sort of." Beth replied as she gingerly tested her limbs. Sleeping upright on the couch was not ideal for her body but she had needed the she remembered she'd fallen asleep while watching the girls and Kaito. "I'm sorry for dozing off." She told him, more alert than before as she was afraid of how he'd react.

"It's fine, I've done it myself." He said with a shrug like it was nothing. "Lunch is ready. Do you want to eat on the couch or at the table?" he asked her, he leaned on the back on the lounge looking down at her. She knew it should be off putting but instead she found his forwardness oddly endearing and comforting. Maybe it was just how normal it finally felt to be in the house.

"Table, I just need to get my meds." Beth said as she got up off the lounge and gave a stretch. Her body creaked and ached from the awkward sleeping position but overall she felt better than before. "Where are all the munchkins?" she asked him.

"Kaito's down for a nap. The girls are in the kitchen waiting for us. Do you want me to get your tablets?" Mike asked her.

"No, I'm good." She said, she didn't want to explain that his gesture of kindness might be misinterpreted by the girls. They might have come far but if they saw Mike give her; her medicine they would see him as they did the guards.

He gave a nod and went back to the kitchen. She moved to the diaper bag where she kept a small rack of pills in a zipped compartment. She took out two tablets she needed, she gave a sigh wishing she didn't need them but it was what she needed to function. She curled them in her hand and made a fist and went to the kitchen.

"Lunch smells amazing." Beth said as she greeted them and took a seat next to Sienna.

"I picked it." Mia said as she and Sienna were at the table with their food in front of them; waiting for them. Beth gave them a smile enjoying that they actually looked happy to be at the table. There was no lingering sense of apprehension or fear as they understood what family meals were supposed to be.

"It was a good choice." Mike said to Mia before he turned to Beth. "Eat what you can and leave what you can't." Mike said as he placed a bowl in front of her. Beth gave a nod as she looked at the bowl, it smelt delicious but it was a large amount of food for her.

"If we had a dog, it would eat the leftovers. That's what Sam told me when he gets his dog." Mia told them, Beth couldn't help but smile as Mike didn't look too excited at the statement. The less than subtle context that they needed a dog was not missed by anyone at the table.

"Well, we can save our scraps and give them to the Greens; so Halsey can have them." Mike said, looking slightly victorious at finding an excuse out of that subject.

"Ok." Mia said accepting his response and digging into her food. Beth nudged Sienna gently in the arm, earning herself a small smile before she dug into her own bowl of stew.

Later that evening,

"Sienna wants to go to school. She doesn't want to make a big thing of it." Mike said as he wasn't sure Beth knew but then she didn't look surprised. The kids were all in their beds asleep while Mike and Beth shared coffee and tea.

Beth had to admit she liked it when they had their quiet time to talk about the kids and random things. She'd forgotten how nice it was to talk to someone around her own age. Though she was sure Mike had at least a decade on her, it didn't matter. She missed the conversation she and Christine used to have but with Mike, they seemed to developing the same kind of co-dependant relationship. She needed a safe place and work, he needed her to help him with the kids. The only difference between her relationship with Christine to her relationship with Mike was that theirs was more delicate and fragile. Her and Christine had been rough and blunt, out of sheer survival they couldn't mince words.

"I know, I think it's great. It's a big step." Beth said, she had to push through her own anxiety of letting Sienna and Mia go as she was so used to them being around her 24/7. She was going to have to get used to them leaving her side.

"I called the school today and they said she can start next week. I've been emailed the details of her workload and what she'll need. So I'll take her shopping, but if you can help her with the schoolwork that would be great." Mike said, he didn't want her to feel left out of the process.

"Sure, Mia told me about Aikido classes. I think them hanging out with other kids helped them a lot." Beth said thoughtfully.

"I agree." Mike said with a closed lip smile as he was finally getting back the daughters he remembered. It was slow progress for sure but he was glad for it. He just felt sad that Christine wasn't here to see it, to help him.

"You ok?" Beth asked him.

"I should be asking you that." he told her, she looked wrecked for a woman who hadn't done much. He'd half expected her to be in bed before the girls. But here she was, awake and talking with him. It eased the ache of loneliness he felt within.

"Just a rough day, they happen from time to time. There's no rhyme or reason. It just is, so I manage when I can. There's no cure or quick fix." Beth told him in a tired manner which told him that many before him had tried. The hard part of having an ill or hurt family member is the need to 'fix' them or make things better. So he made a mental note to not do that with Beth.

"I didn't think so. Just as long as you tell me when you need a day off or help." He told her, she gave a nod.

"I will, I know I have you to support me just like when I had Christine." She said, Mike was surprised at the comment how it didn't hurt him as much as he'd expected to hear Christine's name out loud. Part of him was relieved she wasn't this ghost set to haunt him as Beth didn't struggle to talk about her.

"Christine was definitely better looking than me." Mike quipped needing to keep things light.

"Don't sell yourself short; you and Christine made beautiful kids together. Proof of good genetics and character are right upstairs." Beth told him, before she took a sip of her tea.

"Thanks." Mike said, feeling strangely bashful as he didn't usually get complimented on his looks or in such an obtuse manner.

"I have to ask, what happened to Kaito's parents?" Beth asked him.

"It's a long story." Mike said, he'd been wondering when the question would come up.

"I like long stories." Beth told him casually. He gave a sad smile as he wasn't ready to share all the details but then he hadn't ever had the chance to. But then he felt Beth had a right to know, so he took a deep breath and tried to straighten his thoughts out.

"Kaito's parents were victims of biological warfare. The President of New China before President Ziqi Sun was a guy named Peng Wu. He had a vision for China, bringing it back to its former glory which meant 'reclaiming' its lands. He had his scientists create an anti-cure." Mike went on to explain the green mist and how it worked in the way he understood it. He then explained how Japan had been affected by it, that Kaito's parents escaped Japan. His father became a notorious pirate named 'Takehaya'. He told her about how he and his crew had been taken hostage on a goodwill visit. He didn't go into graphic details only that they'd lost Mason.

He was surprised as the recount went on how cathartic it was to say it all out loud. Beth didn't ask questions, she just sat and listened to him which eased the tension he felt within him at talking about it. He glossed over the blood donations and his time in the camp as he figured Beth didn't need to know everything. It only muddied the details.

"Tom, Sasha and the Nathan James came to our rescue. Takehaya surrendered, he didn't want to but Kyoko said something to him that convinced him to. She was a beautiful woman, she had a kindness to her even though she was so fragile, and she just wanted to do good for Kaito. But Sasha knew her better than me." Mike said as he reminisced over that time in his head. "We learned about the green mist and tracked down the last of it. We destroyed it, but we couldn't help the victims. So we let Kyoko and Takehaya return to Japan, it was one of their last wishes. They asked me to take care of Kaito and raise him here. They wanted him to have a chance of normal life." Mike said.

"What every parent wants for their child." Beth stated and Mike nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, so I agreed. Brought Kaito back here and the rest is fairly straightforward from there."Mike said with shrug, downplaying it all, but Beth seemed to see through it.

"You're a good man." Beth told him sincerely.

"I try to be." Mike said in a self-effacing manner.

"You are. Sienna just needs time." Beth told him, she read him so well in knowing that he didn't feel like a good man because of how Sienna saw him. "She was old enough in the factories to see what her life could turn into. To realise how badly Disney got it wrong." Beth said with a sardonic smile, one Mike shared as he knew how painful it was for her to talk about that time. But also because he'd seen the reports and watched the footage from the teams that liberated the people from the factories.

"I know, life is not a fun musical; full of humorous adventures and cheerful songs." Mike quipped wryly.

"No, it's not." Beth said with a smile. "But it can have good ending, Sienna will see that. She just has to un-learn everything the factories taught her about men and relationships between men and women." Beth added, she hoped her words were comforting to him. She wasn't worried about him giving up hope, she just wanted him to know that he was appreciated, that his daughter would see him the way he wanted her to.

"I wouldn't mind her keeping the mechanical skills. But you're right everything else can go." Mike said.

"I agree, I wish it were that simple and just snapping a finger though." Beth said.

"You make it look easy." Mike told her, as he knew it was hard for her but she managed to handle their relationship and being around others without looking to uneasy.

"I'm used to putting on a front." Beth confessed, he had a feeling she'd been doing that for longer than her time in the factories. "Show a weakness and it will be exploited." She added as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Do you think you'll ever be able to fully trust a man again?" he asked, the question slipped out of his mouth before he had a chance to think of its impact. Beth looked at him from across the table and their eyes locked. In that moment, he felt as if time had stopped and clarity came over him as he realised the question was more about him. He didn't care about if she trusted men in general. No, it was selfish. He wanted to know if she'd truly ever trust him, not just put on a show for his daughters to know that he was safe and not a bad guy.

"I do and I am with you." Beth told him, he saw the fear and need in her statement. It strangely felt like an incredibly precious gift, one that left him touched and empowered at the same time. "Anyway, it's time for me to get some sleep." she said.

"I'll clean up." He told her.

"Thanks," she said, and with that she rose up from her chair. "See you in the morning." she added.

"See you then." he told her, he watched her walk up the stairs and once she was gone from sight, he took a moment to let what happen just sink in. He didn't know what to think but he knew what he felt, right now he'd gone from feeling as though he'd been cursed for the past years to finally feeling as if it was lifting from him. But instead of analysing it, he just let it be and rose from his chair to clean up the table and go to bed. To just enjoy the lightened feeling for the time he had it.