Chapter 9: Where's my Mommy?"
A/N- Shout out to Danny for this idea. Thank you so much for the idea
Mother's Day came around. Barley told Angel that they were going to visit the Lightfoot household to get their grandmother their gift.
But something hits Angel like a brick. She remembered a few weeks ago at the sleepover when Dorthy asked about her mother and she didn't know. When she got to school, she saw all of the kids giving gifts to their mothers and She sighed in sadness
"Hey Angel…" a soft voice said.
"Hi Ms. Willow" Angel sighed
"What's the matter…"
"I don't have a gift for mother's day…"
"Why not sweetie…" Ms. Willow took Angel somewhere private where they can talk in the corner of the classroom
"I don't even have a mommy…" then Ms. Willow embraced her
"You don't need a mommy for mother's day...It can be any mother figure you've had in your life...Whether that's an aunt...a grandmother…All families come in different shapes and sizes…" Ms. Willow wiped a small tear running down Angel's cheek
"I know a few students that don't have mothers themselves...They give their gifts to their grandmother...or their aunt...I think you should find your mother figure Angel…." Angel nodded her head and smiled thanking the teacher for her advice but something inside her wanted to find out more about her mother or where she came from
She and Barley had dinner together at the dining room table for 2 and dinner was pizza. Angel slightly struggled to eat hers.
"Hey, kiddo...You don't like your pizza" Barley asked her. Pizza was Angel's favorite food and seeing her struggling to eat it caused bt of concern
"I like my pizza, it's just that I'm not too hungry…" Angel excused herself from the table and ran off into her room. Angel took a few deep breaths, trying her best not to cry. She slowly walked over to her bed to find her teddy bear sitting there. She sat on the bed and cuddled it viciously and wrapping a blanket around her, finding a little bit of solace
Then a special knock came from the door. Angel knew that it was her and her father's secret knock
"Come in…" Angel said sadly
Barley peeked in the door and smirked. "Yep something's wrong"
"With you?" Angel asked
"No sweetie...with you...You're holding onto Mr. Fluffy and you're wrapped in your polka dot blankie...You only do that whenever you're upset…" Barley was talking about the pink polka-dot blanket that was wrapped around the winged child.
"Did someone bully you again...Do you want Daddy to teach them a lesson…" Barley asked his little girl, cracking his knuckles
"No...that's not it…" Angel looked away from her father's gaze
"Hey...Is something bothering you...You can tell me anything…" Angel sighed through her nose and gathered up the courage
"How come I don't have a mommy?" Angel asked. Barley was a little stunned at the question
"Why isn't mommy here?" Angel repeated. It was Barley's turn to sigh sadly.
"Come with me...I have something to show you" Barley got up and walked out of the room with his daughter following after him. Barley showed her to his room and he went underneath his bed and pulled out an old basket that he was too familiar with
"What's that Daddy?" Angel asked.
Barley didn't answer and took the basket to the couch. He patted at the seat next to him and Angel flew towards it
"This is where you came from…"
"I was born from a basket?" Angel asked. Barley guffawed a little but he managed to calm himself down.
"No princess...This is where Daddy found you for the first time…" Angel looked inside the basket and saw that it was empty except for an old paper
"There's a letter...But who's it from…" Angel asked, picking up the paper.
"Well, why don't we read it and see…" Barley said opening the letter for Angel to read
"Dear Barley, She's a precious girl, please take good care of her, P.S I took a DNA test, She's 100% yours, Signed someone familiar...Did...Did Mommy write this…"
Barley nodded his head. "I knew Mommy may be near...but why would she leave me in a basket to you…"
"Well, Sweetie...Sometimes when people have babies, they may not know how to take good care of them...Maybe that was the case with your mother…"
Angel looked down sadly. All she could think about was "Does Mommy hate me...Why would she leave me?"
"That doesn't mean she hates you, sweetheart." Barley scooped her up into his arms and wiped away any incoming tears. "It just means that She didn't know how to take care of you…and might've thought that I could be better at caring for you…"
Barley knew it was best not to lie to her. He too didn't know why her mother left her in a basket to him, knowing that he can take better care of her. He showed that he was an incredible father to her for the past 6 years of Angel's life. But Angel couldn't have it any other way than what she had now but she always wondered about her mother.
"You know Angel...You still do have a mother figure in Gramma…"
"Oh yeah heh…"
"What do you say we give her a gift...then we can play Quests of Yore…"
Angel smiled and nodded her head. Then Barley coats her cheek with many kisses
"Daddy.." She laughed. He tickles her sides and her tummy making her laugh. Then he hugs her.
"Feel better," Barley asked
"Mmm-hmm" Angel nodded her head
"Wanna sleep with me tonight…" Angel nodded her head and took her blanket and teddy with her to his room. She was cuddled close to her father.
"You know...Daddy's very glad to have you in his life…" Barley whispered
"Really…" Angel whispered back
"I'm very blessed to have you...You're my everything"
"What about Quests of Yore…"
"Well mmm, that's my second everything but you're first…"
"Why?"
"Because you're my child. I love you...You're my forever and always" Barley gently booped her nose, making her giggle and he chuckled back in response
"Goodnight sweetheart,"
"Goodnight"
By the time Saturday rolled around, so did Mother's day. The Lightfoot brothers came to the house with a bunch of mother's day gifts. They enjoyed a big breakfast that Ian, Barley, and Angel prepared. They also enjoyed a few sweets that Laurel prepared, to Angel's excitement.
They were setting up a game of Quests of Yore with everyone playing except for Colt who had to leave for work. He didn't forget to give his new wife flowers and chocolates, which made Angel drool. Laurel chuckled and gave her a few to satisfy her taste buds
While the game went on, a knock on the door was heard.
"I'll get it," Angel said. She jumped off the table and ran towards the door. She flew up to the little peephole and saw a harpy at the front door. She had brown wavy hair just like Angel but Angel's was blue. She sported a yellow summer dress and mint green ballet flats
"Huh?" Angel said. She opened the door and the harpy turned towards her. Her arms had wings instead of fingers
"Hi…" Angel said shyly. The harpy then embraced her. Then Angel backed away.
"Hey, sweetie, what's wrong-Harper?!" Barley seemed to recognize the harpy while his daughter didn't
"Barley…" Harper responded. Angel looked at each adult but she clung to her father.
"Hey, sweetie...Remember me...I'm-I'm your mother" Harper told Angel. She tried to hug Angel one last time but Angel backed away a little nervous
"You're not my mommy?!" Angel spoke before running off into Ian's arms
"What are you even doing here?" Barley asked his ex-girlfriend.
"Well, I am for my daughter…"
"Well, I say no to that wicked maiden...She doesn't even recognize you…"
"Oh, so she doesn't recognize the lady that took care of her for 12 months"
"Well for one, you left her in a basket…" Angel then knew that her gut was right that her mother did leave her in the basket
"Because you gave me a child I didn't want" that message broke Angel's heart and she ran off with Laurel running off after her and Ian had a look of guilt seeing his niece upset
"You're the one who opened her legs to me that time…" Barley argued. Harper slapped him hard in the face
"How Dare you?!"
"How dare you...You were never in Angel's life...I cared for her for 6 years while you were never there as her mother...She needs a Mommy and a Daddy...and I took the role of both"
"Well, I now have the capability to take care of her...What have you done, still living in your mother's house...No job...a screw-up...How are you going to influence a child"
"Well excuse me, wench...I have a job and I have custody of Angel… and I'm not a screw up"
"What job and you are a screw-up and..."
"I know what's best for her," They both say at the same pointing to where Angel could've been but there's only Ian
"She's gone…" Ian told them both. That's when they both became frantic
"Angel…" Barley called running around the house
"Angel" Harper called. She ran outside to try and fly to find her and spotted something in the backyard at the pool
"Princess...Where are you?" Barley called. He stopped at the pool to find Angel crying...with Laurel rubbing her back. Barley had a look of guilt and so did Harper who flew to her ex's side
"You can talk to her if you want…" Harper looked up and told Barley.
"I think she needs her mother...to talk to her…."Barley whispered.
Harper looked towards her daughter who was still sobbing in the pool. Angel took off her red rain boots and clung to her rainbow shirt. Harper slowly flew towards her daughter and sat by her side.
"Angel...What I said back there-"
"Is it true...You didn't want me...You hate me don't you…" Angel cried
Harper remained silent for a minute and spoke up. "That's because I wasn't ready to be a parent...I...I...didn't know how to take care of you…"
"But you...You left Daddy with me…" Angel whimpered
"Well...I...I thought that he might be better with you…"
"Well...Well...How do you know…"
"Well, I've seen him care for his younger brother Ian and...How well He took care of me...and I figured that he would be a better parent to you...He lost his father at a young age and this might be his opportunity to do things a little differently...with you…"
Angel sniffled and wiped her face of tears. Harper took a wing and stroked her daughter's chubby cheek.
"I'm so so sorry that I left you without saying goodbye to you...I just thought that you might be better in your father's arms...Come to Mommy" Harper wrapped Angel into her wings to give her a hug.
The lightfoot family's heart melted seeing Angel finally embracing her mother. They could hear Angel briefly sniffling her mother's arms. Barley watched Harper rock angel back and forth, humming a soft lullaby which he couldn't make out until he moves closer to the girls
Barley had so many mixed emotions at this moment. He was happy that his daughter finally got to see her mother for the first time since she left the child in the basket into Barley's life. He had a slight look of fear when she clutched onto Angel and kissed her head repeatedly as if the child was going to disappear at any given moment and he softly cleared his throat
Angel glanced at her father and she gave him a smile. She looked back up at Harper
"I have to go, sweetie…" Harper told her child warmly
"But...Mommy...Can you stay for a little while longer...I have to give you my mother's gift and...and maybe we can play Quests of Yore...Pretty please…" Angel begged
Harper chuckled a little. "Only if it's okay with your father…" Angel looked at Barley with her begging eyes. He chuckled at her and confirmed a yes that she can stay
Angel gasped and wrapped her arms around her mother and she took the harpy by the hand and led her inside.
A long while had passed and the whole family played Quests of Yore. It was a fun game since it was based on rescuing the fair lady Laurel and Harper with the help of a little soldier named Angel…they had a grand time
Angel was able to make a special mother's day card for her mother and Harper teared up when she read the card and gave her another tight hug with the others awed at. Colt came home just in time to meet Harper and it was a bit of an interrogation going on between the two but with the intervention of Angel...Things went smoothly.
"Time to go Angel…" Harper walked out to the front door
"Wait…" Angel grabbed for Harper's wing. "Will...Will, I ever see you again?"
"Someday you will sweetheart...I will treasure your card for as long as I shall live…I love you my little Angel" Then Harper began to fly away.
"Well, that was a great mother's day…" Ian commented
"You said it," Barley replied. "Come on Angel"
All Angel could do was stare at where her mother had taken flight. She did wonder if she would ever see her again. She did promise her someday but she wondered when that would come. She can reflect back on an amazing day that the child had with her mother, finally meeting her for the first time and answering her question as to why she was left in her father's hands
"Angel…" Barley called. "Angel…" the 3rd time that Angel was being called finally snapped her out of her daze and she ran off into Guinevere the 2nd.
When she got in the van. She still stared out of the window. Barley caught her gaze.
"I know you're wondering when you'll be able to see her again...Someday you will...maybe you might cross paths with her and you might not know it." Barley told her
"I think I like mother's day today…" Angel commented. Barley smiled at her.
Then the two cars that Ian and Barley drove in went into separate directions heading for home...Leaving behind yesterday into tomorrow.