Once again thanks to my beta whenaspritemeetsaunicorn for looking over this chapter. Thank you very much!

Chapter 2

Unexpected

Galina blushed as the social worker stepped over a pile of coats and backpacks and perched rather precariously on the edge of the now worn-out couch. The teal Chesterfield chaise sofa had been pristine when she'd first bought it, but, three teenage boys and one ham-fisted husband later, it was more than worse for wear.

Earlier that week she had phoned the social worker only with the intention of putting the feelers out. Somehow she had managed to not only talk to someone for an hour, setting out her concerns and questions but she'd been talked into meeting with a social worker later that week, to discuss a placement. As usual, the week had flown by, and though she'd whipped around the house, vacuumed and mopped it to within an inch of its life, somehow things still ended up on the floor.

"Sorry," she said, her accent thick with annoyance. She shoved them to the side then sat down on the chair opposite. She cleared her throat. "They're usually better behaved than that, but they're out with friends. I'll be talking to them later."

The social worker offered up a grin, and Galina forced herself to smile back. It might have been easier if the woman had been older, or less fashionable. Miss Figueroa, or Natalie, as she'd implored Galina to call her as she'd stepped through the door, was a tall, chic-looking woman without a hair out of place. Galina appreciated her efficiency but couldn't help the sneaking sense of embarrassment at her children's actions, and the state of her otherwise spotless home.

"It's no problem," Natalie said easily, leaning back as she pulled out a stack of forms from her briefcase. "It's nice to see a happy home. That's not a given in my line of work. Quite the opposite. I think Nicole will settle in well here."

Nicole. So that was her name, Galina thought. She was sure it would easily roll off the tongue soon enough; Vasily, Yuri, Maxsim, and Nicole. It was falling into place in her head.

"Now," the social worker continued. "This placement is not a foster-to-adopt scenario. The aim is reunification. The end goal is to have Nicole back home with her mother, Mrs. Marka Nichols."

"Oh, I see," Galina said, grappling for the right words.

She sat back in her chair and mulled it over for a few short moments. Could she really pour herself into a child that wasn't going to be hers? Could she give everything she had, because she knew she would, and then say goodbye?

"Is that a problem?"

Galina was surprised at the forthrightness of the question. "Well, I'm not sure. My husband and I were hoping to expand our family. To eventually adopt them, if it worked out. But…"

"We could place Nicky somewhere else, but it's an urgent situation," Natalie said bluntly. "She's refusing to even consider going home to her mother. She says she'd rather be homeless." The social worker clicked her tongue in disapproval.

Red raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Her parents are going through a messy divorce," she said with a heartfelt sigh. "From what I can gather, there wasn't much parental input to begin with, and Nicky is finding the change very difficult to cope with. That's not to say she wasn't well taken care of, materially. In fact, she comes from a very wealthy home. It's just, sometimes these situations emerge even with the best of intentions. There are a couple of other issues, but we can get into those after she's placed. Overall, she's a very sweet kid, but one who needs a lot of support and reassurance right now."

"Yes," Galina murmured in agreement. "It certainly sounds like it."

She wondered how many issues one fourteen-year-old kid could have. She was sure whatever they were, she'd already been through it with her own boys. All most kids need is love and a firm hand guiding them. And she had so much love to give...

"So," Natalie said, licking the tip of her pen and looking at Galina expectantly. "What do you say, are you willing to take her?"

"Well, I'd have to speak to my husband," Galina said, a crease forming between her eyebrows. "When do I have to let you know by?"

"Well, as soon as possible, ideally." Natalie looked up. "She's in my car."

It took Galina a moment to realize what she meant. "She's outside, by herself?"

The weather still hadn't let up. She looked at the window, where outside, rain lashed against the old windows and storm clouds rolled in. A soundtrack to their meeting had been thunder and lightning, and Galina's forehead creased at the thought of her being out there all alone. Maxsim still clambered into her bed when storms hit, and Nicole wasn't much older...

"Yes. I had nowhere else to leave her for the day."

Galina bit her lip. "Well, what happens if I don't take her?"

"We'll find somewhere for her," Natalie said with a shake of her head. "Maybe a group home. I'm not sure, really. Her mother isn't happy about her leaving at all, so maybe she'll go back home. I couldn't tell you right now. But what I can tell you is that there are plenty more children for you to foster, so-"

"I thought you said she'd rather be homeless," Galina interjected.

"Well, kids are dramatic," she said with a sigh. "Once Nicole realizes the gravity of the situation, it might shock her into going home with her mother."

Or it might push her onto an entirely different, wrong path, Galina thought. She looked away, thinking of the fourteen-year-old girl waiting in a car outside somewhere, wondering if she was about to be rejected by someone else. She couldn't stand the thought of being the reason behind that hurt.

"I'll take her," Galina said.

Natalie looked up in surprise. "What about your husband?"

"He'll be okay," Galina said, more trying to convince herself than the social worker. "Just bring her up and I can get her settled in. What do I need to sign?"

"This," she said, passing Galina a white sheet of paper. "Here are the fostering forms and here is the information about Nicole, which is for you to keep. It also has my number and Mrs. Nichols' number. That's for emergencies only, though. We wouldn't usually give you the number, but seeing as it's not a removal case it didn't seem inappropriate. Sign here." She tapped the bottom of the page.

Galina nodded and then signed on the dotted line. She slid the papers back to the social worker and looked up expectantly. "Anything else I should know?"

"I don't have time to go through all the details right now," she said, checking her watch. "I have a meeting to get to in the city in an hour and I probably won't make it anyway, but I'll come back on Monday and we can talk over Nicky's case and needs, and anything that comes up between then and now."

"So that's it?" Galina asked uncertainly. "You're leaving her with me now?"

It hadn't quite been what she'd expected. Still, she was sure she'd be fine; Nicole was a sweet kid, that's what Natalie had said.

"Yes," she said brightly, quickly taking the papers and filing them away in her briefcase. "All that's left is for you to meet Nicole. I'll bring her in. Are you ready?"

Galina smiled weakly. "As I'll ever be."

Gloria stood in front of her mirror, gingerly pressing along her jawline. It still hurt, though it was days ago now. The bruising had come out, and it didn't seem like any amount of concealer was really covering it. Still, if she didn't work, she wasn't going to be able to pay the bills. So, with a sigh, she headed downstairs.

Arturo hadn't returned from wherever he'd gone the other night, and whilst she wished she felt worried, the only thing she felt was relief. That morning, when she was able to get up out of bed and say good morning to Julio when he cried, without rushing into his room to quiet him, or rack her brains for reasons any minuscule action might trigger him, was so freeing.

She took the stairs slowly, wincing as the pain in her hips reached a crescendo on the last step. The doctor said she was doing too much, that if she didn't slow down, she was risking her health. Yet she didn't see any other option. If she didn't do everything, it simply wouldn't get done. Julio still needed taking care of. The store still needed staff. And Arturo wasn't letting up on what he referred to as 'the least you owe me' when she crawled into bed at night, despite her obvious revulsion toward him, and the fact that the only thing she wanted even remotely near her was the pregnancy pillow Galina had given her to put between her legs to alleviate the pressure.

She flipped the sign on the door to open and shuffled over to the cash register, where she took a seat. She rested her chin on her palm, wondering if opening had been worth the effort. It had been more than slow in the last few weeks, and this morning hadn't been easy. Julio had screamed when Lourdes showed up, clinging to Gloria's legs. Lourdes had peeled him off easily enough but the sound of him crying for her still echoed in her mind.

She let her hand settle on her bump, fingers tap-dancing along her navel, and wondered what the hell she was doing, bringing another life into her fucked up world. It wasn't that she didn't love being a mom - it was her favorite job in the entire universe. But she couldn't help but wonder if she'd really made a mistake this time, tying her to Arturo forever. The thought made her stomach clench.

In an attempt to distract herself, she grabbed the phone from the wall and punched in Lourdes' number. It made her wish she hadn't when Lourdes answered, breathless, to the soundtrack of screaming and whining in the background. Gloria winced.

"Hey, Tía," Gloria said. "Is everything okay?"

"He's fine," Lourdes reassured her. "He just takes after you. So dramatic. Would you believe all this is over a juice box?"

A smile played on Gloria's lips. "Yes."

"Stop screaming and I'll give you a juice box," Lourdes told him in Spanish. "Until then, nothing!

"I think he knows his whole world is about to be turned upside down." Guilt crept into Gloria's voice.

"He'll be fine," Lourdes said. "See? The screaming has stopped. He's a good boy, really. I hope his brother follows in his footsteps. Maybe more quietly, though. And in two, maybe three years, he'll be happy to have someone to play with."

"I hope so." Gloria wound the phone cord around her fingers and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short by a rattling at the door. "I've gotta go, tía. There's a customer."

"Alright," she said. "But don't worry about Julio. We're fine."

"Good."

Gloria looked up to see Arturo standing in the doorway. She swallowed hard as she locked eyes with him and hated how weak she felt. At the beginning of their relationship - which admittedly wasn't that long ago - he made her feel beautiful, like she was the only person in the world that mattered to him. Now, he treated her more like she was the one thing he hated most in the universe, and she didn't understand what she had done to cause it.

Gloria looked down. Sometimes even one wrong glance his way could set him off. He didn't seem to notice as he walked closer.

"Where is Julio?"

"He's with Lourdes." Like every day, she wanted to add.

"Let's go get him," he said, leaning against the cash register. "We should have a family day before the baby comes."

"I'm working, Arturo," Gloria said. "I can't just shut up shop. How will we pay the bills?"

"I'll cover them this month," he said with a shrug, laying a thick wad of cash down on the counter. "That's more than you'd make in a day, right?"

Gloria eyed the money with suspicion. "Where did you get that?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Art-"

"You scream at me to provide for my family and now you're complaining that I have?" Arturo slammed his hand down on the counter, grabbing her wrist. "What the fuck do you want from me? Do you wanna pick a fight, huh? Are you jealous that I went out last night when you're stuck inside like that?" He gestured to her pregnant belly, sneering. "It's not my fault you've let yourself go."

Gloria swallowed hard, trying to stop the hurt from showing on her face. It only made him angrier. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-"

He inhaled through his nose quickly and shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, mi amor. I'm just stressed about the baby. Come on. One day won't hurt, will it?"

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. Then he pressed his lips against her arm, peppering all the way up to her neck in kisses also. And though the bruises hadn't healed, butterflies still swarmed in her stomach.

"Don't you love me anymore? Was one argument all it took?" There was an edge to his voice.

She said nothing for a moment. Why couldn't he be like that all the time? Then she broke her silence. "Of course I do," she whispered. "But the things you said...what you did...I can't go on like this, Arturo."

"Baby…" he drawled. "You know what I'm like. I never mean it. We need some time before little Miguel gets here."

Gloria resisted the urge to roll her eyes. There was no way she was naming her baby Miguel, after Arturo's uncle. He creeped her out, and besides, this baby was a Benny. It had come to her in a dream and she was set on it. In her head, anyway. She still had to decide if it was worth the argument in real life.

"One more chance. Some time as a family. Without your fucking aunt being there, poisoning you against me," he spat. "You know she hates me. She'll turn you against me, and then you'll leave me...and then what? I need you, baby."

"I'm not gonna leave you," she murmured after a moment. He could always win her round. "I'm about to have your baby. Why would I break up with you?"

From the moment Natalie stepped through the door with Nicole, it was obvious she wasn't the sweet, needy kid that Galina had pictured in her mind when she flipped through the fostering leaflet last week.

She wasn't afraid of the thunder - she had a face like it, and she scowled at Galina for daring to look in her direction. She dropped her bag down on the floor next to her with a thud and crossed her arms against her chest. If looks could kill, Galina would have been six feet under.

In short, she was pissed.

She reminded Galina of the angry feral kitten she'd fished out from under her mother-in-law's porch six summers ago. The kids begged to keep her and so they did, even though she swiped at them on the stairs whenever they passed and hissed if they dared look at her too long. Nowadays, she loved to curl up on Galina's feet and mewed pitifully when Yuri stayed late after school. But for a long time after she outgrew the behavior, the boys still skipped the step she would scratch at them from, and for months Dmitri flinched every time he fell asleep on his armchair, anticipating a swipe from above him.

"Hi, Nicole," Galina murmured, standing up. "I'm Galina, I-"

"It's Nicky."

Galina frowned. "Hm?"

"No one calls me Nicole." She ground the toe of her sneaker into the carpet, which didn't go unnoticed by Galina, and looked up with dark angry eyes. "It's Nicky."

Natalie nudged Nicky to tell her to quit it, and to her credit, she stood up a little straighter and stopped wrecking the carpet.

"Well, Nicky," Galina said, smiling, despite the apprehension she felt. "Welcome to our home and family."

"Well," Natalie said, raising her eyebrows at Nicky. "All the papers are signed. I have to dash to my next meeting. You have my number, Nicky."

Nicky raised her chin in acknowledgment, but said nothing.

"You'll be alright," Natalie said positively as she headed out. "Call me if you need anything!"

Nicky watched Natalie leave, chewing on her lip. Though she looked angry, Galina could tell that was only the surface. She hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"I could show you around the house," she suggested. "Or if you don't feel up to that, I could make you something to eat. Maybe-"

"Can I go to my room?" Nicky said quietly. "That's what I really want to do."

Galina swallowed hard at how pitiful she sounded. "If that's what you'd like, honey. I could show you around later. Follow me."

Nicky picked up her bag, clutched it close to her chest, and followed Galina to the small room on the other side of their home. Galina opened the door and motioned for Nicky to walk in, which she did.

"I know right now it's bare, but once you've got your things on the wall and the shelves, it'll start to feel more like home."

Nicky shrugged and sat on the bed. "Feels like home to me."

Galina didn't know what to say. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Nicky looked up. "No."

"Alright. Are you sure you want to sit in here alone? We could-"

"I'm fine."

Galina pressed her lips together. "Okay."

When Dmitri returned home from work, Nicky was still exactly where Galina had left her. Galina had checked on her three times and received the same frosty reception. Dmitri had introduced himself, but gotten even less in response, and Galina had shooed the boys away when they'd gotten home, reassuring them that Nicky would be out soon, and would meet them when she was ready.

What she didn't know, was that Nicky would still be in that room when they went to bed that night. Galina had lingered outside more times than she could count on one hand, her worry growing with every hour that passed.

Dmitri told her to have patience, and she was trying, but the silence was worse than the worst behavior Nicky could have thrown at her. You can't work with nothing.

Later that night, Galina slid into bed next to Dmitri, snuggling up to his back. She warmed her icy feet on his calves and chuckled as he shivered at her touch.

"She hasn't left that room all day," Galina remarked.

"She's probably upset. Imagine Vasily leaving you and living with strangers. He doesn't even like telling his order to waiters, let alone talking to a complete stranger about his problems."

Galina hummed, considering him.

"I just hope we're doing the right thing," she murmured into his neck, burying her nose in the nape. "She seemed sweet, but she's not really what I expected," she admitted. "She's even more privileged than the boys. It doesn't seem like she needs us or our home. But clearly, something's wrong - fourteen-year-olds don't just up and leave home for no reason. What do you think?"

"I'm sure it will be fine." Dmitri yawned and then gave a little shrug. "How much trouble can one little girl be?"

A/N:

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Also, thank you for the reviews on the first chapter - I'm happy there are still people reading in this fandom! Is anyone else not getting emails though?

Hope you're all well.

- Star xo