Chapter Ten-
*Thoughts of Francoise and Dreams of Kohana*
Yay! I'm working on it! Don't worry, this fic isn't *hopefully* going to turn out to be an epic...although it might help if I didn't make every chappie a CLIFFIE, huh? Well, as usual, thank you ALL for your reviews *_* I didn't expect, when I started this fic, to get reviews from such great authors! Some of you *cough, cough, Q.o.D, GoldAngel2, FiftycalMortar, cough, cough* will probably turn out to be going down in history one day! Oops, taking up too much time writing this...Lord knows, I don't wanna be hit with lazerbeams upon exitting my house because I didn't hurry and finish this chapter...n_n Oh, and by the way, I agree with those of you who say Kohana looks like Mini-Artemis...I guess I was kinda goin' for that...I don't really know, though...heh...
~~~
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
La indecisi¨Rn que hay en mi
Yo la mandar¨ªa a la luna
Para vivir contigo
La soledad de cada d¨ªa
Que entre l¨¢grimas crec¨ªa
La alejar¨¦ de mi
Para amarte a toda costa
Para amarte a cada momento
A pesar de tanto mal
Que gira entorno nuestro
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
S¨¦ que aun existe amor
Las discusiones de los dos
Saber qui¨¦n tendr¨¢ la culpa
Que nos importa ya
En nuestro mundo que es muy grande
Carino m¨ªo nos amaremos
Mucho mucho m¨¢s...
M¨¢s all¨¢ de la violenc¨ªa
M¨¢s all¨¢ de la locura
A pesar de tanto mal
Que no se acabar¨¢
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
S¨¦ que aun existe amor
S¨¦ que aun existe amor
Para amarte a toda costa
Para amarte a cada momento
A pesar de tanto mal
Que gira entorno nuestro
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me que quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
Francoise hummed along to the song as she worked in her room, tucking in Ivan and brushing her hair and thinking about the events that day. The memory of Kohana's proclaiming her as her 'mother' made her smile, a light blush coming onto her face. She didn't know why she was so indecisive about it, when she'd asked for it. She'd wanted to be the 'mother' in the Joe-Kohana situation. So why did she seem so nervous now whenever it was mentioned? Maybe...because Joe was?
She sat down on her bed, pulling her robe around her nightgown. Yes, that had to be it. She didn't want Joe knowing how she...felt about him just yet. Because he was so busy with Kohana, and stressed at the fact that Black Ghost had survived their encounter, she thought it may be too much for him. Yet, she just had to admit it...she was in love with him. A warm smile came to her face at the thought.
She loved Joe...so much, that she'd face any danger, go through any obstacle, just to be at his side. She even wanted to help him raise the child that had become so much like his own. She just wanted to be around him in general, to support him and to care for him. That was all. When she fell in love with Joe, she wasn't sure, but from the first time they'd met, and she'd been slightly annoyed by him asking, "Can you tell where they're coming from?!" she felt it. Growing steadily with every beat of their hearts. How, she didn't know. Maybe that was just how love was. Maybe it could gift anyone, man or cyborg, with its presence...
With a small sigh, Francoise lay down, and closed her eyes, dreaming of only she knew who...
Or did she? As soon as she thought she was seeing Joe...she wasn't seeing anything but black. Black and red and green...all whirling around her. What was going on? She realized she was floating...in a giant vat of water, and wearing an oxygen mask. Her eyes were closed. She tried to force them open, but the water was rushing by her too quickly. She couldn't even hear anything past the water spinning and gurgling around her. Except...laughter. Dark, malicious laughter, that shot shivers down her body and turned her blood cold. Black Ghost's laughter...
The next thing she knew, she was being awoken by a terrible scream, Kohana's scream. Only she could hear it with her super-sensitive hearing, and was out of bed and running for the girl's room before she was even fully awake.
Francoise opened the door to Kohana's room. The little Japanese girl was kicking and screaming in her sleep, "No, no let me go! Papa! Mommy! PAPA!!!" Tears were pouring down her face, and Francoise sat beside her and held her still.
The French woman cooed, "It's all right, Kohana...wake up, darling..." Finally, the sobs grew less intense, and snifflings were heard as Kohana came out of her horrible nightmare.
"M-Mommy?" she asked, eyes glazed as she looked up at Francoise, who cradled her closely. "Mommy, it was horrible!"
"It's all right, Kohana, it was just a nightmare..." Francoise said with a smile, comforting the little girl the best she could, almost like her brother had when she was young. "Why was it so horrible, little Apollene?" (ooc: Apollene means sunshine or sunlight)
"There was a man...he was dressed all in black with a cape and he called out to me, and he wanted me to come with him, he called me his daughter. I don't wanna be his daughter, Mommy, I'm your and Papa's daughter...aren't I?"
"Yes, yes you most certainly are," Francoise said without hesitation, then hugged Kohana, "Kohana, all you have to remember is that, no matter how long we've known you, your Papa and I, and everyone on the Dolphin all love you. Just remember that, little Apollene, and you'll always come home to us...regardless of who tries to take you."
"Okay, Mommy," Kohana said with a last sniffle.
"Good, now, lay down and go back to sleep, all right?"
"Mommy, could you stay with me until I fall asleep again?" Francoise chuckled; she'd been this way, too, when she was just a little girl.
"Yes, my little Apollene...I'll stay right here," she promised. And she did just that, stayed until Kohana fell into a deep slumber, then stood and turned to go. Surprising her was the sight of Joe leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, Joe!" she whispered, going quickly over to him, "I didn't hear you!"
"That's surprising," he whispered back, then nodded at Kohana, "You sure filled in your new role quickly." Francoise blushed at the statement, and shrugged.
"Remember, I've always been a natural mother...I've had practice with Ivan," she answered sheepishly.
"Sometimes, it seems like you've had practice with us all..." Joe muttered, making her eyes shoot directly to his. His golden-brown orbs were warm and inviting, and she grew nervous for a moment. What was he...why was he looking at her like that? Not that she didn't WANT it, but...it was...new. New, yeah...wait, what was she worried about a moment before? That look...oh, yeah...those eyes...that were turning her to jelly...
"Well, I wouldn't say that, Joe," she finally managed to say back, leaning against the door to Kohana's room as she closed it. "I mean, you've done your share of dealing with us as well." Joe chuckled, then flashed her one of his brilliant smiles, which only managed to give her even more butterflies. "Uh...I suppose I should be going back to bed now..." She moved to go past him, but he held her arm. "Joe?"
"Francoise, have you ever thought about...what Ivan said earlier...? About me and you?" he asked carefully. Francoise's eyes widened slightly. Did he mean...? "I mean, I don't even know why I bothered to bring it up, I just...I..." A moment of silence fell between them, and finally, he continued, "Oh, who'm I kidding...? Francoise...there's...something...I'd like to ask you."
"Huh?" Francoise asked, continuously surprised.
"Would you...that is...could you...go out to dinner with me when we land in New York?"
"Wh-what?"
"Please don't make me repeat it...it was hard enough asking the first time," he chuckled nervously.
"Uh...I mean, sure...I'll go with you, Joe." Francoise gave him an ecstatic smile, and after a moment, said, "Well, good night, Joe." Then she practically zoomed to her room, locking it up and sitting down by the window. "I won't be able to sleep at all tonight..." she muttered.
Auto-Pilot was engaged, so the light for their arrival blinked on just before dawn....
~0~
Yay! A date! Yay! A mother/daughter moment! YAY!
*Thoughts of Francoise and Dreams of Kohana*
Yay! I'm working on it! Don't worry, this fic isn't *hopefully* going to turn out to be an epic...although it might help if I didn't make every chappie a CLIFFIE, huh? Well, as usual, thank you ALL for your reviews *_* I didn't expect, when I started this fic, to get reviews from such great authors! Some of you *cough, cough, Q.o.D, GoldAngel2, FiftycalMortar, cough, cough* will probably turn out to be going down in history one day! Oops, taking up too much time writing this...Lord knows, I don't wanna be hit with lazerbeams upon exitting my house because I didn't hurry and finish this chapter...n_n Oh, and by the way, I agree with those of you who say Kohana looks like Mini-Artemis...I guess I was kinda goin' for that...I don't really know, though...heh...
~~~
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
La indecisi¨Rn que hay en mi
Yo la mandar¨ªa a la luna
Para vivir contigo
La soledad de cada d¨ªa
Que entre l¨¢grimas crec¨ªa
La alejar¨¦ de mi
Para amarte a toda costa
Para amarte a cada momento
A pesar de tanto mal
Que gira entorno nuestro
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
S¨¦ que aun existe amor
Las discusiones de los dos
Saber qui¨¦n tendr¨¢ la culpa
Que nos importa ya
En nuestro mundo que es muy grande
Carino m¨ªo nos amaremos
Mucho mucho m¨¢s...
M¨¢s all¨¢ de la violenc¨ªa
M¨¢s all¨¢ de la locura
A pesar de tanto mal
Que no se acabar¨¢
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
S¨¦ que aun existe amor
S¨¦ que aun existe amor
Para amarte a toda costa
Para amarte a cada momento
A pesar de tanto mal
Que gira entorno nuestro
Cuando te adormeces junto a mi
Entonces no me que quedan dudas
De que aun existe amor
Francoise hummed along to the song as she worked in her room, tucking in Ivan and brushing her hair and thinking about the events that day. The memory of Kohana's proclaiming her as her 'mother' made her smile, a light blush coming onto her face. She didn't know why she was so indecisive about it, when she'd asked for it. She'd wanted to be the 'mother' in the Joe-Kohana situation. So why did she seem so nervous now whenever it was mentioned? Maybe...because Joe was?
She sat down on her bed, pulling her robe around her nightgown. Yes, that had to be it. She didn't want Joe knowing how she...felt about him just yet. Because he was so busy with Kohana, and stressed at the fact that Black Ghost had survived their encounter, she thought it may be too much for him. Yet, she just had to admit it...she was in love with him. A warm smile came to her face at the thought.
She loved Joe...so much, that she'd face any danger, go through any obstacle, just to be at his side. She even wanted to help him raise the child that had become so much like his own. She just wanted to be around him in general, to support him and to care for him. That was all. When she fell in love with Joe, she wasn't sure, but from the first time they'd met, and she'd been slightly annoyed by him asking, "Can you tell where they're coming from?!" she felt it. Growing steadily with every beat of their hearts. How, she didn't know. Maybe that was just how love was. Maybe it could gift anyone, man or cyborg, with its presence...
With a small sigh, Francoise lay down, and closed her eyes, dreaming of only she knew who...
Or did she? As soon as she thought she was seeing Joe...she wasn't seeing anything but black. Black and red and green...all whirling around her. What was going on? She realized she was floating...in a giant vat of water, and wearing an oxygen mask. Her eyes were closed. She tried to force them open, but the water was rushing by her too quickly. She couldn't even hear anything past the water spinning and gurgling around her. Except...laughter. Dark, malicious laughter, that shot shivers down her body and turned her blood cold. Black Ghost's laughter...
The next thing she knew, she was being awoken by a terrible scream, Kohana's scream. Only she could hear it with her super-sensitive hearing, and was out of bed and running for the girl's room before she was even fully awake.
Francoise opened the door to Kohana's room. The little Japanese girl was kicking and screaming in her sleep, "No, no let me go! Papa! Mommy! PAPA!!!" Tears were pouring down her face, and Francoise sat beside her and held her still.
The French woman cooed, "It's all right, Kohana...wake up, darling..." Finally, the sobs grew less intense, and snifflings were heard as Kohana came out of her horrible nightmare.
"M-Mommy?" she asked, eyes glazed as she looked up at Francoise, who cradled her closely. "Mommy, it was horrible!"
"It's all right, Kohana, it was just a nightmare..." Francoise said with a smile, comforting the little girl the best she could, almost like her brother had when she was young. "Why was it so horrible, little Apollene?" (ooc: Apollene means sunshine or sunlight)
"There was a man...he was dressed all in black with a cape and he called out to me, and he wanted me to come with him, he called me his daughter. I don't wanna be his daughter, Mommy, I'm your and Papa's daughter...aren't I?"
"Yes, yes you most certainly are," Francoise said without hesitation, then hugged Kohana, "Kohana, all you have to remember is that, no matter how long we've known you, your Papa and I, and everyone on the Dolphin all love you. Just remember that, little Apollene, and you'll always come home to us...regardless of who tries to take you."
"Okay, Mommy," Kohana said with a last sniffle.
"Good, now, lay down and go back to sleep, all right?"
"Mommy, could you stay with me until I fall asleep again?" Francoise chuckled; she'd been this way, too, when she was just a little girl.
"Yes, my little Apollene...I'll stay right here," she promised. And she did just that, stayed until Kohana fell into a deep slumber, then stood and turned to go. Surprising her was the sight of Joe leaning against the doorframe. "Oh, Joe!" she whispered, going quickly over to him, "I didn't hear you!"
"That's surprising," he whispered back, then nodded at Kohana, "You sure filled in your new role quickly." Francoise blushed at the statement, and shrugged.
"Remember, I've always been a natural mother...I've had practice with Ivan," she answered sheepishly.
"Sometimes, it seems like you've had practice with us all..." Joe muttered, making her eyes shoot directly to his. His golden-brown orbs were warm and inviting, and she grew nervous for a moment. What was he...why was he looking at her like that? Not that she didn't WANT it, but...it was...new. New, yeah...wait, what was she worried about a moment before? That look...oh, yeah...those eyes...that were turning her to jelly...
"Well, I wouldn't say that, Joe," she finally managed to say back, leaning against the door to Kohana's room as she closed it. "I mean, you've done your share of dealing with us as well." Joe chuckled, then flashed her one of his brilliant smiles, which only managed to give her even more butterflies. "Uh...I suppose I should be going back to bed now..." She moved to go past him, but he held her arm. "Joe?"
"Francoise, have you ever thought about...what Ivan said earlier...? About me and you?" he asked carefully. Francoise's eyes widened slightly. Did he mean...? "I mean, I don't even know why I bothered to bring it up, I just...I..." A moment of silence fell between them, and finally, he continued, "Oh, who'm I kidding...? Francoise...there's...something...I'd like to ask you."
"Huh?" Francoise asked, continuously surprised.
"Would you...that is...could you...go out to dinner with me when we land in New York?"
"Wh-what?"
"Please don't make me repeat it...it was hard enough asking the first time," he chuckled nervously.
"Uh...I mean, sure...I'll go with you, Joe." Francoise gave him an ecstatic smile, and after a moment, said, "Well, good night, Joe." Then she practically zoomed to her room, locking it up and sitting down by the window. "I won't be able to sleep at all tonight..." she muttered.
Auto-Pilot was engaged, so the light for their arrival blinked on just before dawn....
~0~
Yay! A date! Yay! A mother/daughter moment! YAY!