It's About Falling
Chapter Four: Parenthood
Mar'i slumped down on the couch, head in her hands. Someone gently touched her shoulder and she looked up to see Arella standing on the other side of the couch.
"Why are you sad, Mar'i?" she asked innocently. "You look very sad."
"Have you ever told your mom that you hate her, Arella?" Mar'i questioned.
"No," Arella said firmly. "I love my mom."
"I love my mom, too," Mar'i began. "But you see, my mom never told my dad that they were going to have a baby. I always wanted to know my daddy and I said that I hate her because she kept me a secret."
"Oh," Arella gasped. "Your daddy is Nightwing, right?"
Mar'i nodded proudly. "Yes he is."
"I think he still loves your mom," Arella whispered conspiratorially. "Her name is Kori, right?"
Mar'i nodded again. "She's a model, you know."
"That is so cool!" Arella squealed.
"I don't really hate my mom, Arella. I know that she's done a lot for me. She made a lot of sacrifices so I could have nice things."
"I didn't think so," Arella responded, climbing over the side of the couch to sit next to Mar'i. "Do you have powers, Mar'i? I have my dad's powers except my animal forms are purple."
To demonstrate this, Arella turned into a tiny lavender kitten and climbed into Mar'i's lap.
"What a pretty cat," Mar'i cooed. "You know, I have a kitty at home. His name is Simba."
Kitten Arella purred contentedly.
Raven ambled into the room, followed closely by Gar and Vic.
"Hello, Mar'i," she said calmly. "Arella."
Raven seated herself next to Mar'i. The violet kitten rubbed against her mother's knee.
Gar and Vic collapsed on the floor and promptly began fighting over who got to be first player on Mega Monkeys Racing.
"Hey boneheads," Raven snarled. "You have a kid, Gar. And yours is on the way, Vic. Grow up."
"Aw come on Rae," Gar protested. "We're just having a little fun. You remember fun right?"
Raven rolled her amethyst eyes as Kitten Arella placed her two front paws on Raven's leg, demanding with longs meows to be scratched between the ears.
"Yes, I know," Raven murmured absentmindedly. "Where are your parents, Mar'i?"
"My mom ran off crying and…he went to look for her."
"Why was she crying?" Raven queried sharply.
"I was talking to my father and I kinda said that I hate my mom. She heard," Mar'i admitted, a slight blush creeping over her pale skin.
"You look like him, you know," Vic piped up from the floor, pressing the controller's buttons rapidly. "That must have been hard for her, raising you all these years having you look like him, the only one she ever loved."
"I don't really hate my mom," Mar'i defended herself. "But all I wanted was to know my dad."
"They're asleep in her old room," Karen said softly from behind them, placing a delicate-feeling hand on Mar'i's shoulder. "It looks like Kori was crying," she continued.
"Hey baby," Vic said smoothly, pausing the game and holding his arms out to his wife. She folded herself onto his lap, resting her head on his shoulder. "How you feeling, Karen?"
"I feel fine, Vic," she chuckled. "Just like I did when you asked me an hour ago. And the hour before that."
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "It's just most likely the only baby we'll have, you know?"
"I know, Sparky. I know. So why was she crying, Mar'i?"
Mar'i turned scarlet. "I was talking to my dad and I kinda said I hate her."
"You hate your mother?" Karen's voice was thick with shock.
"No…it's just an exaggeration. I love my mom but I do hate that she kept me from Daddy," Mar'i explained.
"You should explain that to her," Raven told Mar'i gently. "Kori always took things literally."
"She does," Mar'i agreed miserably.
"Do you think they'll get back together?" Karen gushed. "Wouldn't that be awesome?"
"I hope they do," Mar'i confessed. "And maybe they'll have another baby. I always wanted a brother or sister."
"You already love him, huh?" Arella asked, now back in regular form. "Your dad, I mean."
"Of course I do. He's my dad."
Arella giggled again and settled herself on the floor next to Gar, who placed her on his lap and kissed the top of her head. "I love you Daddy."
"I love you too Rella."
Mari watched the pair giggling together sadly. That was all she'd ever wanted; a Daddy to play with and talk with and laugh with. A Daddy to watch Saturday cartoons with; a Daddy to make her pancakes on the weekends and tell her it was alright when she was scared. In her mind she'd been cheated from this, but that was going to change. She wasn't going home with her mother, no matter what Kori said. Mar'i would stay with her Daddy.
TT
Kori stirred late that afternoon. She felt someone's arms around her and was instantly terrified. Her jerking around trying to get free woke Nightwing.
"Kori?" he asked tentatively. "It's just me. Richard," he breathed.
"Richard," she repeated. She turned in his embrace, facing him. Slowly, Kori reached for his mask and peeled it off.
Kori's breath hit him gently, tickling his skin in an oddly seductive way.
"I missed you," Kori said finally. "So much."
"You were never far from my heart," he informed her honestly. "I always hoped I would see you again."
"I was wrong to rip our family apart the way that I did. Please…stay with me. Mar'i loves you."
"She loves you too," Richard said firmly. "We can be a family, Kor."
Kori sniffled and moved closer, burying her face in his shoulder. "You promise, Richard?" she asked, voice muffled.
"I promise. You want to see the others? I think I heard Vic and Gar arguing over Mega Monkeys something-or-other."
"Don't they hate me too?" Kori probed.
"No one hates you. We're all just glad you're back."
Kori smiled thinly. "Thank you, Richard. I am sorry for keeping Mar'i a secret."
"It's going to be fine, Kori. My Kori."
They disentangled themselves from each other and stood.
"Er…perhaps I should do something with my hair," Kori chuckled feebly, glancing in the mirror.
"Take your time, Kor," Nightwing said, leaning against the wall and yawning.
Kori emerged a minute later, hair up in a loose ponytail.
"You look beautiful," he assured her. "Absolutely gorgeous."
"Thank you," she replied, blushing. "Shall we?"
Nightwing playfully offered her his arm and she took it, staring at her feet as they returned to the main room.
"Mom," Mar'i exclaimed softly, jumping off the sofa and running to her mother. "Mom, I am so sorry! I didn't mean it, honestly. I love you." Mar'i squeezed her mother.
"It's OK, sweetheart," Kori said, stroking Mar'i's long black hair soothingly. "I know."
Mar'i beamed up at Kori and looked at Nightwing. "Can I call you Daddy?"
"Of course you can…on one condition. You let me call you Princess."
Mar'i smiled and threw herself into his arms again, giggling. "That's all I ever wanted."
Karen got off of Vic and ran over to the family. "Kori…guess what?" she gushed.
"What?" Kori chirped.
"Vic and I are having a baby of our own," Karen squealed.
"Oh congratulations!"
Vic grinned proudly. "I guess we get to learn how to be dads together, huh Richard?"
Richard laughed and hugged Mar'i closer. "Yeah I guess we do."
Aw…
OK peeps…just one chappie left!
Love
Queenie