Damn, two in one day nice. More on the topic of Autism, when it comes to a stutter(again, not all people with autism stutter, all people I know with it do though), sometimes people will repeat phrases, so any repeated lines are not mistakes.
Also, I need your opinion. If some of you recall my first Trollhunter's baby story, Matter of Months, I deleted it. But I want to rewrite it. When I initially wrote it, I rushed it all and it was terrible, but I adore the concept and have been dying to try a redo. Would you read it? Things will be different but it will follow the initial concept and will be much much longer. Not as long as this story, but we'll see. So would you?
He stared at the beautiful eight-year-old. Through the scars and open wounds, he saw his little girl, the baby he loved with all his heart. Two bright loving blue eyes, small content mouth, round face, jet black hair, small but long fingers, petite figure. He lifted his hand to caress the terrified girl's torn cheek. At the contact, he felt a wave of emotions, able to tell at that moment he was touching his daughter. This wasn't just some girl who happened to be a Seer and shared the same eye color. No this was his Cassidy.
"Baby?" he asked with fear in his entire body. He knew this was his daughter. But how? How was she there? Why was she eight? These questions repeated over and over, causing more fear to pile up.
"Daddy?" she asked, tears filling her eyes Suddenly, the weak body of the frail eight-year-old lunging at him, hugging his torso tightly." I was so scared!" she cried, tears running down her face." I-I woke up and they, they had me. I-I wasn't in my bed, Estelle, Estelle was gone and I cried for you, but you-you and mama didn't come. Th-They hurt me and I couldn't-" she cried out, Jim feeling the tears of his little girl on his scarred chest.
"Shh," he cooed, rubbing her back into gentle circular motions."It's okay sweetie, I've got you,"
"Daddy," she asked, turning up towards him, blue eyes swimming with wonder and concern. She rested her chin on his chest, the contact-making her comfortable and shivering stop." Why do you look different?" she asked, blinking in wonder.
"Ohh," Jim hummed, unsure what to say, he wasn't even sure how she was there. The Time Maps were all destroyed, and he couldn't think of any other ways to perform time travel, unless... Unless they've already performed what they planned. He remembered Ymir telling him that they would use their blood to learn of future battle strategies or other information they would be able to use to their advantage, so if they had enough, could they possibly make rifts in time, powerful enough to take someone from the future. If so, why would they? Of course, he didn't want his Cassidy to be squeezed for her blood but stealing and using her made more sense than plucking a future version of her. It was so much more work and a waste of blood, so why would they do it? That reason, he couldn't track.
"You don't need to cry baby," he said softly, wiping the tears rolling down the girl's cheek. She winced as his finger trailed over her many scars, most of which were still open and even bleeding."Sorry sweetie," he apologized, Cassidy rolling back onto her knees. Her pajamas were torn their, showing slash marks, almost like she'd been beaten with a wip.
"D-don't say, don't say sorry daddy," she stuttered, clinging to her necklace again.
Jim smiled weakly, glancing to make sure they were alone." Cassie, can you tell me what was happening before they took you?" he cupped her small cheek, the girl leaning into it, relief filling her at her father's touch.
"C-c-can you, you hold me, daddy?" she asked through a prominent stutter.
Jim nodded, leaning against the cave wall, holding the girl in his arms gently. She burrowed her face into his chest, eyes shutting for a moment but quickly opened. Running his finger down the bridge of her nose, he smiled as her eyes shut as if on command."Can you tell me what happened before they took you, baby?" Cassidy turned down at her necklace, staring at the firefly as if she hadn't heard him." Cassidy," he repeated, the girl finally realizing he was talking to her.
"D-Daddy why are you here?" she asked, not avoiding the question but seeming to not notice it.
There's no point in lying to her, he thought, forging a smile as he continued to rub her small noise."They got me too."
That seemed to come as a shock to her, Blue eyes snapping up towards him."But you're the Trollhunter daddy. You can't get caught."
Jim roared a laugh, startling the girl in his arms, a squeak leaving her pursed lips."Believe me, the Trollhunter can get caught."
"Really?" she asked, head tilted to the side, not believing him slightly.
"Of course, let's see, how many times has the great Trollhunter needed saving?" he asked, Cassidy, giggling as he pretended to think." There were the Dark lands, umm oh god the sewers with Bular. Then there was when I was trapped in a troll's body, or the time I was in the Camelot jail." at the end of the joke of a rant, Jim frowned, realizing that this was just another time he needed saving. He always had to be saved. Something happened that ended in him having to be saved. He hoped this time, he'd be able to save both of them, by himself.
"Wow daddy, I-I don't think you're a good Trollhunter," she stated, breaking more laughs from the Trollhunter. Cassidy joined with laughs that quickly became terrifying coughs. Jim quickly sat her up, patting her back gently as she coughed horrifically. Eventually, they began to die down, but it took a minute for her breath to be back to normal. Lungs and small body exhausted, she fell back into his arms, eyes drooping." Hos... pital," she managed to say through a burning throat.
"You're okay sweetie," he said, though was unsure how she was even alive without her tank."Is it hard to breathe?"
"Little. I feel, I feel fine when I'm in here, but, but it's hard when they take me out," she said, reaching her small hand up to feel his cheek. She placed it at his lip, a frown etched on her face."Where's your scar?" she asked, ginger running to the corner of his mouth."Mama said it would heal but take a while, while,"
"Mama cast a spell that fixed," Jim said as an excuse, hoping the girl would buy it. She didn't.
"Mama can't do healing spells, Douxie can though but he and Zoe New, New York," she said, continuing the trace the spot scar should've been."You aren't my dad, aren't you?"
Jim couldn't lie. She was too smart to believe a lie."I'm not your daddy, but I'm a one-year-old Cassidy's daddy."
"So you don't know who I am?"
He shrugged."I do know who you are," he said, tucking a piece of her jet black hair over her pierced ear."You're my little girl, even if the Cassidy I know refuses to sleep every night."
Cassidy giggled, pressing her forehead against her father's."I still don't like to sleep."
"Perfect," he said sarcastically."Does Estelle sleep?"
"Umm, yes, though Lind-Lindsay doesn't like to. She has, she has nightmares a lot but you and Mommy say it's just because she's little, not that she, she had visions like me," she explained, frowning down at the mark on her hand.
Lindsay? he wondered, maybe the future's different after all."Cassie, I'm going to get us out of here, I promise."
"You always keep your promises, daddy," she said, plying ith her necklace."Like how you promised to take Estelle, Rowan, and me to the playground."
"Rowan?" he asked again through an angered frown.
"You don't, don't know who Rowan is?" she asked, eyes staring up at him."When am I?"
"You're eight?" he asked, the girl nodded, black hair falling over her face again. Gently, Jim pulled it back, using one of the clothes that had been covering her mouth to tie it in a ponytail."Then seven years."
"So I'm a baby?" she asked, baffled by the very idea."Am I a cute baby?" she asked after Jim's assuring nod.
Jim laughed, nodding as he held her cheek."A very cute baby. Haven't you seen pictures?"
"Course I have, Grandma and Papa have a TON of them, so do you and Mommy, but most pictures right now are of Lindsay."
"And she is...?" he questioned, Cassidy, appearing surprised by the question.
"Our baby sister," she exclaimed with a smile, one front tooth missing." She's really cute, though she makes a face like this a lot," she said, making her face scrunch up like she'd sniffed something bad. At the motion, her scars stretched, and some nearly reopened.
Jim chuckled, his chest throbbing slightly."You're a pretty silly girl, Miss Cassidy,"
Cassidy grinned at the title, joy entering Jim to see her happy."Abuelo says that a lot, though Mommy says me and Uncle Enrique are two, two Locas."
"And your sisters aren't," he asked. Compared to Cassidy, Estelle so far was pretty calm, though she was only a month old so couldn't compare much.
"Lindsay's Loca on her own and Estelle never gets in trouble," she explained, Jim nodding, watching with a smile as she played with her necklace. The cheap gold, yellow, and orange gems were collected in a way to make out the horrid shape of a firefly or some bug that was supposed to look like a firefly. The chain was just as cheap, being one he could bet would break easily, surprising him she or her sisters hadn't broken it.
"Oh, and where do you fall?" he asked, the girl giving a suspicious grin."I see you're just as mischievous as an eight-year-old."
Cassidy laughed, pushing his hand away from her head, "Daddy st-" she fell silent as the door flung open.
"Thought I heard something," the red-haired Changeling said, spitting on the ground before walking in." Ymir's saying we've kept you alive for two long Impure, time to harvest," he cackled, reaching for a leaver.
He wasn't sure what, but Jim knew he wasn't talking about him."Stay away-" the redhead pulled the lever down and his body soon fell, paralyzed. It was like there had been something, soothing the venom. Well, that something had been shut off by the lever and he could barely feel his lower half. Cassidy fell from his arm, the hurt girl hitting the ground, head bruising at the crown. But that wasn't what worried him. The moment the magic keeping them alive stopped, she began coughing, gasping for air.
"..stay, away," he tried speaking but the action was impossible. He watched in horror as the redhead stepped in, unchaining her quickly, letting the chain hit his feet, the pain unlimited. Pulling her by her foot, bleeding and scratched up, possibly sprained, the monster pulled slowly, letting her feel every passing stone against her already torn face. Over the metal curb of the cell, separating it from the hall, he let her head hit it, reopening a cut.
"To think, we waisted a whole grown girl to get you here. Let's hope you have as much blood as Ymir says." he cursed, slamming the cell door shut. Jim watched, wishing he could kick that guy to hell and take his little girl back. But what the man did was worse than he could've thought. He let go of her. Cassidy laid in the center of the room, just three feet from his cell. She laid helpless on the ground, slowly dying."Have fun, I'll be back some to cut her up, she should have lots of blood." before leaving, he flipped the lever up, causing all damage to Jim to disappear.
He sprang up, leaning against the cell door with all his might. through the space between bars, he reached out, trying his hardest to reach her."Cassie sweetie, please try and stand. Just try and scout a little for daddy."
"I..." Cassidy tried to get up onto her knees but it became clear to him she'd been injected with possibly more venom than him. She immediately fell back down, gasping loudly." D...daddy... help me," she cried out in a weak voice.
"Baby you're going to be okay," he assured her, fighting tears and trying to remain calm. He reached out farther, finger's just out of reach of his little girl."Sweetie, try and reach your hand out." Cassidy's eyes rolled back, chest rising and falling quickly, slowly the pace slowed."Please baby, for daddy,"
"You take me too hospital..." she said, eyes closing and opening slowly."... when I-I can't breathe,"
"I know, and I will, but I need you to hold your hand out so I can get you," he cried, not wanting to witness her death. Even if this wasn't his daughter yet, it would be one day. His future self was probably freaking out, either relaxed knowing his little girl would be fine or trying to break the news she was going to die before they saw her again."Please Cassidy,"
"I had a vision last that night," she said, body almost entirely still, the only thing moving was her white lips."There was screaming. You were thinking horrible things. Thinking about someone but you were thinking so horribly of them. You were mad, screaming at yourself. It was scary. You don't yell at us. I don't like seeing you mad," she rambled on, eyes wide as she did so.
Though her statement had him worried and curious about what he'd been so mad about, Jim ignored this, continuing to stretch out. Out of the cell, the venom returned to his arm. His veins tightened, and he felt it want to go limp." Please, just keep your eyes open for daddy," he said, tears streaming down his face as he watched her eyes grow wide, and body still."Come on!" he grunted, thrusting his arm forward. The metal bars imprinted his skin, leaving marks. He didn't care though. There was no way he was letting her die. His finger reached the chain of her necklace."Yes!" he exclaimed, quickly tugging on the chain, pulling her towards him. He was quick so she wouldn't choke, but gentle so it wouldn't break. When she was close enough, he grabbed the collar of her pajama shirt, pulling her up to the cell, so her nose and mouth poked through the space between bars."Please breathe baby, just breathe,"
Cassidy managed to inhale, life returning to her pale face. The girl panted, her body outside the cell limp, but breathe returned to her body. Jim laughed deliriously, relief overwhelming him. He gently cradled the girl, siping the tears of fear off of her bleeding cheek. Quickly he picked up the cloth that had covered her eyes, pressing it against it gently. Blood spet through, leaking out onto the other side and causing Jim's hand to be covered. Though her and his state were horrible, he couldn't hide his smile, happy to just see her alive and breathing."You're okay Cassie, you're okay."
Cassidy's eyes managed to look at him. Too busy breathing she blinked, letting him know she was okay. Jim smiled, looking up at the lever and then the lock on the cell. It was a simple lock, simple lock, similar to the ones on bathroom doors. If he weren't in the cell, he'd easily be able to pick it, but of course, he was on the inside and she was in."Cassie, I know it hurts, but can you reach up and pull on that bar?"
"I..." she said, trying to speak but unable to. She looked up at the lock and blinked again. Trying to reach her hand up, she failed initially. Using the momentum from her first attempt, she was able to land it atop the lock. Her long fingers gripped the simple lock and she pulled her hand away, the door opening slightly. Kicking it the rest of the way open, Jim pulled her inside, life immediately returning to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked frantically, stroking her cheek.
Inhaling deeply, Cassidy nodded."Mhmm,"
Glancing out the cell, Jim took a deep breath, fumbling to his feet and holding her close."We're going to escape."
Cassidy seemed shocked by the news."B-but we, but we can't. The venom."
"I know, but I'm getting you out of here Cassie," he swore."I need you to take deep breathes okay? I'm going to get us out of here and you to the hospital."
"Okay daddy," she stuttered, nerves filling her.
Holding his little girl close to his chest, Jim and her both took deep breathes, before stepping out of the cell.
Reviews and Critiques are Welcome.
Loca: Crazy(feminine)
Locas: Crazies(feminine)
Both of these are from Google Translate, so sorry if they are incorrect.
