Title: What Love Gives Up
Author: Kikyo
Summary: 6 years ago Robin and Amon gave up their third child and only son, Julian. He showed no signs of powers and so they gave him the chance at a normal and safe life. But Robin still longs.
Author's Note: It would be helpful, though not necessary to read Flare of Life and Death before this. It doesn't talk about Julian, but does give info about Robin and Amon's life since leaving STN-J and their daughters.
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It was about 3:30 when Officer Jun Lin Chang rounded the corner in her patrol vehicle. Her assignment that day was to keep the peace in the small suburban area. Little houses lined the narrow streets, identical in their shape, different in their color. Each was unique due to the families that lived in them. In the cherry red and yellow house on the corner they had children. She could tell by the tricycle that lay haphazardly on the freshly mowed lawn, and the little army men spread out in the dirt beneath a tall tree. In front of the house three more down fresh linen flapped on the clothes line. Jun shifted her eyes across the street to the elementary school. School had been out for a bit, but she could see cars lining the lane and hear the shouts and sounds of people. A little farther down she spotted the baseball diamond. There were kids in the field, in dirty uniforms, with mitts and a little batter- his helmet too big, kept drooping over the rim of his cap as he positioned his bat. It was tee ball, the little white baseball sat atop a black plastic support that was just the right height for the child's swing. He grinned and let it rip. The ball soared high into the air. People in the stands cheered, the children screamed. Jun was happy to stop and watch a moment, her car pulled up along the curb. Then she saw something and frowned. Along one side of the street a figure in a long black coat stood close to the fence. He or She, Jun couldn't tell from the shapeless black, was outside of the school yard, but close enough to the game to see each of the children. A parent? No… why would they be outside alone? Jun put the car in park and turned it off. She sat back and watched… for the moment.
The crack of the bat was loud and the cheer that went up in the crowd echoed the one in her heart. Gripping the wires of the fence she watched as the little boy took off like a shot for first base. He was small, compact, but quick. The sun shot off his dark eyes, black eyes that glimmered with passion, happiness. Strands of golden blonde hair swept out from under the over-sized helmet and the little blue cap. She grinned again when he slid into second base. As she watched him, a little sigh slipped past her lips. He was happy, that was what she'd wanted. Still, as her sea-green eyes remained on his small figure, she longed.
He'd be 5 now, nearly 6. Amon slipped his hands into the pockets of his long trench coat as he walked along the cracked sidewalk. He could here children laughing. Some teenagers sped by on their bikes. He saw her up ahead, right where he knew she'd be. He'd been reluctant to find out where Julian attended school. She'd wanted him too, the minute they'd come to town. "Amon, please. I just want to look at him once."
"Robin, you shouldn't do this to yourself."
"I *need* to see him." Her eyes had been so deep, so full of need that he'd given in.
He stopped, easing back a step as he watched her watch the children play. The black coat she wore hid her slim figure, and the hood was pulled up over gilded locks. Her small, pale fingers were slipped between the chain links of the fence, and held tightly. He turned his head, and followed her gaze. Black eyes locked on a small form. The young boy, full of energy and life, had no idea of his audience. The only parents he had ever known sat in the stands, cheering for him.
"Robin…" He stepped up beside her and said her name, softly. She turned, just slightly, but didn't lift her eyes to look at him.
"Can't we stay a bit longer?"
"You've been here long enough. The girls are waiting for us. Let's go."
She sighed, letting her hands drop from her sides. "It's so hard…every day. I carried that life inside of me, for nine months, I loved him, and I let him go because of it. I know he's safer with those people, and that they're going to take good care of him…. But…"
"Your heart and your mind will say different things. He's free from the burdens we will always carry, that we will pass to our daughters. That is the best we can give him." He took her hand in his, leading her back the way he'd come. "Don't look back."
Jun watched them walk away, not sure what they'd said, but knowing that some deep pain glittered within the woman's eyes. The man, so stoic and calm, with eyes as dark as obsidian, would not seem one to comfort. Yet his words had been spoken softly, and his hand held her's carefully. Jun turned the engine to life with a last glance at the baseball field. There was more than joy in this neighborhood today. But for now, she'd keep it safe.