Chapter 69
Author's note: A True Alpha is now available on amazon! I did the same as I did with Fur and Fangs! Just a change in character names. It has 70 chapters. You can go pick it up to read those chapters early, but in the meantime, I will be posting one or two chapters a week. The book is really just for those who have enjoyed and want to support what I have been doing here. I have put a lot of energy and love into this story, and getting a couple extra bucks through publishing the book means a lot, and helps ensure that I can continue writing like this! Link is on my tumblr : hopefulbadgerjunara of course.
"Now what brings us the gift of an unexpected visit from my favorite niece?" Indra cheered after opening the front door to the sight of Lexa with a sizeable fruit basket and a bouquet of thank you flowers. "And what the hell are you doing bringing actual gifts with you!?" Indra lowered her gaze. "You go and throw those back in your car, take them to that alpha of yours!" Indra paused. "But only after you have some lunch! You look hungry! Come on in now."
"You always think I look hungry." Lexa teased.
"That! May be true, but it does not mean that I am wrong!" Indra ushered her niece in and over to the kitchen.
"Yeah, yeah auntie Indra." Lexa sighed, rolled her eyes, and dropped her gifts down on the dining table.
"John is out this morning, but he should be back for lunch within an hour or so."
"That's nice." Lexa smiled half-heartedly.
"What is that under your arm little miss Lex! Is that another book of yours! Do I get to read it?!" Indra lit up, overjoyed at the prospect.
"I! Umm! That is not entirely incorrect, however, as of late, it has become rather clear that it is also not entirely correct either." Lexa hid her wince from her aunt.
"I'm sorry Lex, but that makes absolutely no sense. Is it a book or isn't it."
"It! It is for you to look over."
"Sweetheart, you know that I am absolutely no good at editing." Indra laughed as she moved to start pulling ingredients from the fridge.
"I didn't, but sure. And that isn't really what I meant." Lexa sighed, a little too timid to bridge this gap.
"Well, either way, I've been dying to read something of yours. It's been a good three years since I've seen anything like that of yours."
"Well, there was a distinct reason for that." Lexa deflated a little, even her beloved auntie could push her buttons in that unique way only a relative could ever know-how from time to time.
"I… I'm sorry Lexa. I wasn't thinking."
"It's fine."
"Really. I just meant to say that I missed getting to read your work."
"I know Indra. I know, it's fine."
The elder alpha visually lowered in energy level, clearly beating herself up for hurting her niece. "What are you hungry for?" She tried to pivot onto something more lighthearted. "I am feeling pasta. Maybe spaghetti with some sausage and red sauce? That's your favorite right?"
"Indra?" Lexa's tone cut through.
"Yes Lexi?" Indra stopped fumbling with ingredients entirely.
"This is something really important to me." Lexa pulled the stack of papers out from under her armpit.
"Ok." Indra nodded in a much more serious tone and demeanor. "So what is it?"
"It is something I want to do in her memory, and something I want to do for me." Lexa clutched the papers close to her chest like paper armor.
"Oh." Indra couldn't help but let the exclamation out in her surprise.
"I told you it was something really important… to me at least."
"I can see. But what is it that John or I could do to help?" Indra relaxed slightly but stayed attentive.
"Look, I would never ask this type of thing of you! But! But when Clarke told me that this looked more like a charity fundraising proposal or a charter, she was insistent that you two would be the best way to get into the circles to actually get something like this done. I… I feel terrible even asking you to look at this. But last night Clarke and I were talking about it and she made me promise to at least ask you if this looks plausible."
"Oh…"
Lexa inhaled sharply. "Indra, I am so sorry. I know this puts you in a shitty position, and I am certainly not asking you to support this unless YOU actually believe in it and or its viability."
"Calm down sweetheart." Indra closed the distance between them so that she could pat the alpha on the shoulder. "We will look over it together in a little bit. But for now lunch." Indra hugged Lexa tight and returned to the food she had pulled out of the fridge prior.
"N… not now?" Lexa choked out anxiously. "Why not-"
"Because. I don't make business decisions without John. Especially not ones that could involve large sums of money."
"Oh! No! I'm not directly asking you for-" Lexa was interrupted again.
"Lexa, if you are doing this, do you really think that John and I would just sit by and leave our pocketbooks alone?"
"Not really, but-"
"We will talk about this when John gets home. In the meantime, you can talk with me about anything else, or you are welcome to help me cook." Indra offered roughly as kindly as an ultimatum could be offered.
"Sorry, Indra."
"Nothing to be sorry for Lexi. I am proud of you that you have something getting you excited. I just don't want to hear too much of it without John. He will be overjoyed."
"Thanks? I think."
"So! Pasta?"
"Pasta sounds great auntie Indra." Lexa relaxed and placed her papers aside.
"Delightful. It's one of John's favorites too!"
"I remember." Lexa smiled politely before moving to assist with preparing lunch.
"So, how's that alpha of yours been?"
"She is good. Just graduated last week in fact. I'm really proud of her. And things have gotten a lot better on the drinking. She slipped up once in celebration, but also I am not really sure that was entirely her fault."
"How could it not be her fault? She took the drinks right?" Indra contested, furious with a welling fear that her little Lexi's unending kindness might be being taken advantage of.
"Well, you see she recently started taking hormones. And the main side effect we were warned about was having trouble with alcohol and other addictive substances. She stopped pretty immediately after she realized she had done something wrong."
"If she slips up again!"
"Yes, yes I know, fool me once, twice, three times and all. But really. She isn't just trying. She is succeeding. She is better."
"Well, that is good then I guess. But if she hurts you ever again, I will kill her."
Lexa humid along and nodded. "I know."
"Aside from that, what are you two up to? How are these hormones going for her?"
"Oh, she likes them. And, if I'm honest, I don't mind them either. She feels more herself when she is on them, and it has made cycling even better than normal with that."
"Ohh! Cycling with your alpha huh?" Indra playfully made eyes.
"Yes, our cycles have been rather fun. So fun in fact, she is looking into surgery."
"Surgery?"
"It's a thing. It would be the last big step for her to finish transitioning."
"I… I know, I have looked into it. Just general curiosity and wanting to know where some of John and I's donations are going. It's just kinda fast isn't it?"
"Well, our doc is working with Clarke to do everything as quickly and safely as possible. She seems to know all the intricacies and loopholes, all the ways to do things quicker and not have to wait for something stupid like semantics or paperwork."
"That is something good then?"
"It makes my alpha happy, so yes! It is fantastic."
"In that case, what's the latest loophole?"
"Oh, something to do with if Clarke has a history of some specific types of cancer, then she can get insurance to pay for the surgeries she would need to transition. Insurance that we don't even know if she has or not." Lexa waived off.
"Does she have a history of that in her family?"
"We don't know. She thinks her omega father had some form of cancer, but she doesn't know if it had anything to do with the ones which would be required. So now she needs to call her mom. But there is some serious Griffin family drama."
"Griffin?"
"Yeah, something about her mom trying to have her dragged off and hospitalized when she first came out or some crazy shit. Can you believe she tried that?!"
Any sense of lightheartedness left Indra's face as a loathsome look took it over. "Yeah, I can. Remember?"
"F… fuck! Auntie Indra! I! I didn't mean it like that!"
"It's ok. I understand. It… it is something horrible."
Lexa dropped what she was cooking and hugged her aunt, offering up whatever empathy she could; a sliver of the forgiveness Indra would assuredly never allow herself.
"Thanks Lexi. But I will be ok."
"Nope, not getting out of this hug that easily."
Indra laughed. "Ok. Ok." She didn't speak up again until Lexa released the hug and returned to her cooking. "What's your mate's name again?"
"Clarke, Clarke Griffin."
"You are sure?"
"Uugh, Indra, I think I know my girlfriend's name." Lexa teased.
"Honey I'm home!" John announced before Indra could press any further.
"Hey, sweetie! We are making you some lunch!" Indra called back from the kitchen.
"What's up with the flowers and fruit basket? You cheat on me again?" His voice was clearly teasing. "Do you have some splainin to do?"
"You take over." Indra whispered to a giggling Lexa.
"Sure."
"Nope, sorry to break it to you love, but those are from Lexa. She just dropped in, has a business proposal for us. I suspect that the flowers and fruit are an effort to butter us up." Indra explained, exiting the kitchen and making her way over to her mate.
"A business proposal? Interesting." John raised an eyebrow.
"What's that name of your doctor friend?" Indra asked in a low hushed tone.
"Which one?"
"The blond one, looks like she could be an extra in grey's anatomy or one of those other medical dramas?"
"Oh, Abby?"
"What's her last name?"
"Griffin I believe. Why? What's up? Why are we whispering."
"And what was the name of Abby's kid's name?"
"Clarke I believe? Now what's going on?" John grew impatient as his voice rose almost enough to alert Lexa.
"Because, Lexa's mate is a trans alpha named Clarke Griffin. Sound like a coincidence to you?"
"Oh lord."
"Yup. Now, what was her number? I think it might be best to give her a call and find out if she is actually Lexa's Clarke's mother."
"Here." John fished out his phone from a back pocket. "She's in my phone under Abby. I will go say hi to Lexa."
"Thanks sweetie" Indra leaned in and kissed her mate on the cheek before slapping him on the ass and sending him off to see their niece. She attempted to call the number on his phone, but the most peculiar thing happened. The line was busy. Who doesn't have call waiting nowadays?
"I can do it! I can do it! I can do it! It is just calling my mom!" Clarke's brow furrowed at the idea and she comedically collapsed back onto her bed even if only for herself. "My fucking mother." Clarke halfheartedly tossed her phone across the bed into the pillows somewhere. "Come on Clarke! All you have to do is pick up the phone, call her and ask how my dad died! That's it, nothing more." Clarke paused. "But what if that isn't how he died? Then just casually ask if we have a family history of cancer at all? Uugh! And I need to ask if I am still on her insurance!?" The idea of having to ask more than just the one question mounted the simple task into something seemingly impossible. She screamed in frustration! "Fuck why does this have to be so hard!" Clarke buried her face in her hands shameful of how she could be an alpha who has so much trouble calling her own mother; even if her mother had attempted something so horrible and all but she still felt profoundly weak and incapable. She layed there, agonizing over her own seemingly ceaseless shortcomings for far too long. It was only that she and Lexa had made promised to each other about finally acting on what they had procrastinated doing all weekend in a conversation the night prior. If Lexa was finally approaching her aunt and uncle about all she was looking to do, the Clarke could do something so simple as call her mother. Right? Right? She prayed she could muster the power as she finally sifted through the pillows on the made bed, now mussed from all her agonizing over her lack of action.
Finally, she found her phone amongst tossed throw pillows and ruffled sheets. Finding herself a comfortable spot amongst the bed Clarke forced herself to dial-up a number she had long since deleted but which was still seared into her brain.
"Doctor Abigail Griffin speaking, how can I help you?" Her mother picked up with the same attentiveness Clarke remembered from how her mother acted with absolutely anyone but her. It was just enough to thoroughly terrify Clarke who instantly hung up the phone and threw it back into the mess of pillows she had tossed to the side.
Attempt two went nearly no better whatsoever to Clarke's dismay and the forgotten mother's frustration. "Third time! Third time's the charm!" Clarke even formed some form of chant out of it all to hype herself back up into calling again.
"If you call and hang up one more time I will be welcoming you to speak with my lawyer about the restraining order I will be filing for harassment." Abigail snapped the third time she picked up to the same number in the period of less than two minutes.
"Oh, that sounds a lot more like my mom." Something about the unwarranted anger comforted Clarke by reminding her of home. A sickening comfort for sure, the type that turned Clarke's stomach and made her weary of an impending lecture, but a comfort all the same.
"Who are you and what do you want!"
"It's Clarke."
"Haha. Funny!" Abigail snapped and slammed the phone hanging up.
"Sounds about right." Clarke sighed before redialing.
"CALL AGAIN AND MY NEXT CALL WILL BE TO THE POLICE!"
"Mom, It's really me." Clarke tried to convey calmness, but her voice wavered unsteady.
Abigail had no words, there were none to have. She knew, she knew from just the way Clarke fumbled the single syllable of mom; the stubborn child always seemed to falter.
"You hang up again?" Suddenly Clarke noticed there were tears landing on her shirt.
"I'm here Clarke."
"How have you been ma?" Clarke tried to strike a level of casualty but failed terribly.
"I… I've been."
That response caught Clarke completely off guard. She had never witnessed her mother short for words before in her life, not even when she came out. "Are you ok?"
"It has been a long few years."
"I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault."
"That! Is not something I expected to hear." Clarke was taken aback.
"Sorry to disappoint." Abigail sighed. "Was there a reason you called?" The words were unmistakably her, but Clarke was again surprised by just how patient her tone sounded.
"How did my father die?"
"How did your father die!?" The mother was stunned, falling back in her chair out of shock.
"Yeah. It was cancer, right? I… I was really young, and I just don't remember what type."
"He, he died of omega ovarian cancer." Abigail stumbled.
"That's what I-"
"Wait! Clarke, you don't!" Her mother's voice clearly choked on the idea as a stifled sob echoed through the phone.
"I need his medical records sent over. My gynecologist is Dr. Nyko out in the city." Clarke brushed her mother's worry aside with little care. She didn't really want her mother to think she had or was at risk of having cancer, but she was certain that if she told the truth as to why she needed the records that she would never get them.
"Of course. I know Dr. Nyko. I will send the papers over as soon as possible, she will have them by the end of the day." Abby assured instantly as papers could be heard ruffling along with a fax machine kicking on. "Clarke… a… are you sick? Don't… please don't tell me it is happening to you too." Fear welled in her voice.
"Am I still on your insurance?"
"O! Of course, Clarke! You are my daughter!"
"That isn't what you said then!" Clarke lashed, small waterfalls carving deeper at canyons of agony which had found a home on her face over the years since what caused her to all but lose her mother.
"Clar-"
"I need a new copy of my insurance information. Send it over with his medical records."
"Clarke please I've-" Clarke hung up before her mother could finish. She wouldn't ever really know what her mother would have told her, not that her mother really knew what she was going to say herself. But her mother did follow through, sending all of the required paperwork and insurance information over. Abby happened to also be good friends with Nyko, something that allowed her to conveniently leave her daughter some money to help with whatever troubles Clarke was going with. Even though they were friends, they weren't anything near close enough for Nyko to tell Abby anything more than she was allowed to; only enough to confirm that she had requested Clarke's family medical history and that she was seeing the young woman. What wasn't said was that Clarke was her alpha patient, that the records had been requested in order to procure surgical dynamic dysphoria treatment.
It hurt Nyko immensely to hide what Clarke was going through from her caring mother. But she knew that she had no right to tell either Clarke or Abby. Her guilt only grew as Clarke proceed, scheduled her surgery for late in the summer, and even went through it all without even a small call to her mother. The doctor knew that Abby would be able to see that the surgery would be shown through the insurance, and she couldn't even give her friend a kind heads up, not the slightest warning. Not even a word of comfort that her daughter wasn't dying from the same disease that took her omega two decades earlier. It didn't just break Nyko's heart, it shattered it. She wouldn't end up breaking until a good two months after Clarke had recovered from her surgery when the leaves had fallen and a winter's chill first began to break through the golden leaves. But that would be another story.
End of Chapter 69