A/N: Here's another one. Enjoy and send your thanks to BG-13
Ilia's POV
Well, I wasn't sure what to do with this. After all this time, they'd actually found us.
The Belladonnas.
Was it private investigators? Or had we just not been as careful as we'd thought.
Regardless, they were here in our living room. They'd been looking for her since the day she ran. I'd been bombarded with questions, ones that I wasn't comfortable answering without Blake's input. It was sending me down a spiral of anxiety just imagining Blake's reaction to their arrival.
Kali and Ghira had looked so relieved when I'd confirmed that their daughter did indeed live here. It was palpable, all their emotions that they'd been carrying around all these years. I'd excused myself to call my roommate, asking her to come home and trying not to set off any alarms for her.
I could feel my shoulders tensing up as Yang's truck pulled up, the raven haired woman giving her a quick kiss before walking up toward me. I gave a smile and a wave to the blonde as she drove away, taking a deep breath to prepare for the unknown.
"Ilia?" the golden eyed woman said. "Is everything alright?"
"Well we have a bit of a situation-"
I heard the door open behind me and the look on Blake's face told me everything, her duffel bag dropping to the ground. It was soul crushing. She was frozen. Eyes wide.
"Blake?"
It was Kali's voice. I looked behind me and saw the older woman had her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. Her husband stepped up behind her. He also looked on the verge of breaking down.
"Mom? Dad?" Her voice was so small, so fragile.
"Oh, my baby girl."
She took a step forward and I watched as Blake took one step back. Shit. This was what I'd been worried about. I held out my hand toward the married couple. "Hold on," I said, keeping my voice calm. "Give her a moment." They looked so reluctant before going back inside. With that, I gave my friend my full attention. "Blake, hey. It's okay. I should have told you."
I took a step toward her, slowly, and when she didn't retreat or move beyond curling into herself, I took her hand. She'd bolt if she felt threatened, she'd done it many times when we'd thought our location had been compromised. I wouldn't hear from her for days. I couldn't let her do that, not now.
"That my parents were here?" she nearly shouted, her voice breaking. "That they found me? That-" She stopped trying to take a deep breath but was unable to.
"They just showed up," I explained. "I didn't know what to do. We didn't exactly have a protocol for long lost parents." Her hand went over her head as she started to pace, only so far with my hand still holding hers. "Your parents are here, Blake," I began gently. "They came a long way for you."
"Came a long way...It's been fourteen years Ilia. Fourteen-" she started, hyperventilating again. "I'm not the same- I just left them."
"Hey, breathe, breathe," I coaxed, rubbing her back.
"How am I supposed to..."
"Hey," I said, making her look at me. "They came for you. At least give them a chance."
She swallowed thickly, hesitating before nodding her head. I grabbed her bag and gently led her inside. Her parents stood from the couch when we entered, and felt Blake stop before trying to back away but I closed the door behind me with a thud. It was silent for a moment before her mother ventured to approach her.
"Blake, sweetheart. It's okay. It's just us. We... we've been looking for you," she told her before carefully reaching out to cup her daughter's cheek. Blake recoiled slightly before letting it happen, shutting her eyes tightly, almost leaning into the touch. "My sweet girl. Look at you." Her eyes opened and she met her mother's gaze. "We found you."
It was instant. The moment she spoke those words Blake broke, crumbling into her mother's arms and crying. Ghira wasn't too far behind, wrapping his girls in his arms, protecting them from the world.
"We found you, sweetheart," his deep voice seemed to make her cry harder.
Blake made a sound between a sob and a laugh. "I guess you did," she managed looking over at me.
I offered her a smile as she pulled me into this hug. It took me by surprise. I felt tears start to sting my own eyes, memories of being wrapped up in my own parents' arms hit me like a truck. A feeling I hadn't felt since I was a child, before they passed.
I laughed, the sound coming out watery. I was happy that Blake got to have this again.
Winter POV
I must have been completely out of my mind. I straightened the cutlery on my side of the table. Was I completely and absolutely mental? How had I convinced myself I could do this? I scooted the centerpiece a hair to the side.
I could feel every time Klein's knowing gaze landed on me. Occasionally he'd walk by and pat my shoulder. Each time he did I felt some of my nerves leave my body. He'd always had a way of doing that. He'd been our family butler whilst my sister and I lived under our father, though he'd opened his own restaurant once we'd moved out. He was such a sweet man.
The place he ran wasn't fancy by any means, almost a hole in the wall. Somewhere I figured Robyn would enjoy. I hoped.
I flattened a crease in the table cloth.
Taking a small sip of my wine, pacing myself and easing my nerves, I caught sight of the woman I'd be dining with. I made my way over to the entrance and offered my arm, which she accepted with a grin. I pulled her chair out for her and took my seat across from her. Like clockwork, Klein offered her a menu. I tended to order the same thing any time I came here so I wouldn't need one.
"Quite the place," Robyn commented, purple eyes roaming around, taking in the easy atmosphere.
"It is," I agreed. "The food has always been amazing."
She hummed, tipping her flute back before ordering. The whole time I could feel my nerves buzzing. I folded the cuffs of my button up. Robyn mentioned how she was still on the hunt for a legitimate job. There was a small throb of guilt but she continued passed the topic before we could dwell on it.
"Can I be honest?" Robyn asked after our food had been sat in front of us.
I swallowed my pasta, wiping my mouth with a napkin. "I'd prefer that, yes."
"I wasn't sure what to expect of you after we first met," she began between bites of her grilled chicken. "I mean, I knew who you were, obviously. Unfortunately your last name has some not so good connotations."
"And yet that didn't scare you off."
She shook her head. "The opposite. Don't get me wrong, you did come off as..." She paused, twirling her hand lazily as she searched for the words. "Cold. No nonsense. A possible stick up your ass."
I raised a brow, setting my chin on top of my steepled hands. "Please, by all means, don't hold back."
Robyn laughed, and I felt something inside me flutter. I really liked when she laughed, I realized. There was something so carefree about the sound. Warm.
"Well, if we're continuing this trend of honesty," I said taking a bite out of my side of green beans. "I'd have to say I found you incredibly irritating."
Robyn hummed, amusement written all over her face. "Oh, really?"
"Mmhm. Also cocky, a bit too smug. You seemed to think you were oh-so-charming."
"Naturally," came her dry reply.
"But..." I paused. Unsure. Fighting the urge to fidget. "Come to find out that you weren't just all talk. When you set your mind to something you get results. I also..."
Robyn leaned forward, putting her hand over mine. "Yeah?"
My eyes zeroed in on that gesture, brow furrowing. I fought to keep my hand there, not to pull it away. Robyn's touch was soothing. I didn't know how to respond to it. "Part of me admired you, I think." The words came out quieter than I'd intended. "Then there was how you treated me... that night at the bar."
The closest Robyn had ever come to seeing me at my worst. That night had been manageable. They didn't always end up that way.
I felt her hand squeeze mine. "You're human, Winter. Just like the rest of us. You deserve to be treated like one, I think." After a short moment, she seemed to reluctantly pull her hand away and once again I had to fight not to move it. This time so I didn't try to chase after it. "I'd say this has gone pretty good. When do I meet the in-laws?"
I hid a grimace with my wine. "The only 'in-laws' you'll meet, I'm afraid, are my sister and Yang's family."
"Ah, well, then I don't have to worry too much," she said smugly, leaning back in her chair with that easy smirk. "Yang thinks I'm an angel. And if your sister is anything like you I'm sure we'll get along just fine."
I shook my head. "No. Fortunately she's nothing like me." I trailed off, then smiled a little. "What about you?"
She shrugged. "Well, no parents. Never knew them," she revealed. There wasn't any particular emotion to her voice. This was simply the truth of her life, something she'd long ago sorted away and dealt with. "My family consists solely of me and my crew."
I nodded, remembering the brief mentions of her crew in the past. Joanna, May, and Fiona if I wasn't mistaken. There was nothing but affection in her voice when she talked about those three. They were Robyn's family, people that she trusted with her whole being. It was astounding really. The way her eyes lit up when she spoke of their many misadventures was rather endearing. It was... nice. It made me happy that Robyn had people like that in her life.
The night came to a close once I got the check, and I offered Robyn a ride home after she commented about walking back to her apartment. She lived in one of the worse off neighborhoods. I know I spotted at least three shady individuals during our trip. I decided that I was glad I'd offered the ride.
"Well, I had fun," Robyn commented with a smile as I parked. "You really know how to wine and dine a girl."
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." It seemed like the safest answer. I wasn't sure on how this would end. Best to follow Robyn's lead, I decided.
Her eyes studied me before a breath of a laugh passed her lips, one thin brow raising daringly. "Let that brain of yours rest for a moment, Snowflake," she practically hummed, one of her hands reaching up to touch my cheek. I swallowed, wondering if my cheeks were as warm as they felt to me. Probably should have the A/C checked in this car...
She kissed me, leaning over the console. I kissed back. It was short. It also had the effect she'd most likely wanted. My brain seemed to shut down as she pulled back and smiled at me, dazzling in its contentment.
"See you around, Detective."
Definitely and absolutely mental, I decided.
Kali's POV
I woke up to see Blake sitting on the floor next to our bed, back against the nightstand and sketch pad propped up on her legs. I smiled at the sight, lazily moving to comb my hand through her hair. She jerked initially, surprised, before looking over and offering me an apologetic smile. Ever since our arrival, we'd been sharing a bedroom, my husband staying in the living room.
The four of us ate in silence, Ilia excusing herself to go to work, a gentle hand on Blake's shoulder before she left. Blake spent a lot of her time sketching while answering any questions her father and I had. She tended to skim over some details though. It had to be hard for her. She hadn't seen us in over a decade, things had changed, she'd been through so much... We must have felt like as much as an enigma to her as she did to us. Didn't stop her from being our baby girl.
Ghira handed her a box of her things that we'd brought from home, and slowly she looked through it. Her old stuffed cat came out first, old and ragged, one of its ears stitched partially to its head. She set it aside, taking out a couple of pictures. There was such a deep sadness in her frame, almost defeated. I patted Ghira's shoulder and asked him to grab a couple things for dinner. He seemed reluctant to leave, and I couldn't blame him. Silently, I asked that he give me a moment. With a sad smile he nodded and pressed a kiss to both our heads and left.
I scooted over on the couch so I could the hair out of her face. Her eyes had yet to leave the picture, and I rubbed my hand up and down her back. Just letting her know I was there.
"Things have changed, Mom," she said after a moment, handing me the photo. "I wish I could give you back the girl that left. But she's gone. I'm all that's left."
"Oh, baby," I tell her as I pull her close to me. "Your father and I love you no matter who you are now, what you've been through. You know you can tell us anything."
"I don't want Dad to know some things," she whispered quietly. "He'd be upset."
"He could never be upset at you."
She shook her head, who body seeming to sigh. "Not at me, him." Blake clenched her fists in her lap as she pulled away slightly before holding the stuffed toy back to her chest. "I ran away from him five years ago...he...broke me."
"Sweetie-"
"He broke me, Mom," Blake repeated more firmly, and in her eyes I could see the last thirteen years play out. How much pain still resided in her heart and mind. "I'm not the innocent girl you think I am. I was a gang, I did drugs, I-I've hurt people. I'm a horrible person."
I shook my head, bringing her closer to me again. "It doesn't matter what you did," I told her. "I'll always love you. You were a child when you left. He took advantage of that. We were the ones that failed in protecting you."
She shut her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them again, they were shining. "It wasn't bad being with him at first," Blake whispered. "He was kind and charming. I thought he was passionate. Then, once I'd left, his true colors came out. They were dark and ugly, and I excused it every time."
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, waiting for her to continue.
"I remember I got my first period the day after my fourteenth birthday. I...I thought I'd gotten hurt somehow. I'd forgotten about what you told me," she began, her voice was beginning to crack and crumble. "There were stains on the sheets and I was...mortified. I cleaned everything up and shoved it in the washing machine but put so much detergent that it overflowed with suds. Adam came home later that day and he yelled." She suddenly held onto me. "I tried to tell him it was an accident but he just got so mad, split my lip. When he realized what had happened he looked so disgusted. I was disgusted with myself too. I hated that I upset him." She let out a hollow laugh. "How stupid was I?"
"You weren't stupid," I answered pulling away so that she would look at me. "You were so young, sweetheart," I repeated. "He knew what he did was wrong. You never deserved anything he did to you." I shook my head. "We should have found you sooner. We-"
"I'm glad you found me now," Blake replied quietly. "I missed you."
I smiled and kissed her temple. "I'm right here, baby. I'm never going to let you go."
I had failed as a mother for over a decade. I had let my little girl feel alone and afraid for so long. Every year that had gone by with no sign of her, no word... I'd felt myself going mad. It had eaten away at Ghira as well, had left this look of heartbreak behind his eyes, always. Every laugh we'd managed over the years had been accompanied by guilt, that we'd dared have a moment like that while our daughter, our world, was out there somewhere... and we couldn't even know if she was dead or alive.
Yet, here she was now, in my arms. Alive, but hurt. Hurt so deeply that even a mother wouldn't be able to kiss it and make it better.
Maybe that was my worst failing in the end.
Maybe that was why, I was never going to lose her again.
I'd hold her until she was ready to leave, and be there when she needed me again.
Ghira's POV
I smiled as Blake rested her head on my shoulder. She'd been skittish around me since we'd arrived, too timid to say more than a few words. Quite the change from when she was a child and would basically climb over my shoulder to see what I was reading or working on. From the little girl who had coming running into my arms and hiding her face in my shoulder when she had a nightmare or there was a particularly nasty storm. Not that this change wasn't expected. My little girl had obviously been through a lot, and if I had to guess, that boy had been the reason for a lot of it.
As an attempt to break the ice, I'd offered to watch a movie while my wife and Blake's roommate were out. Again, I was reminded of simple times, when Blake would fall asleep in my lap and I'd carry her back to her bed and tuck her in.
"You know I'm here for you, right?" I began after a moment. "If you need anything, I want to help you."
I felt Blake stiffen next to me, pulling away slightly so that she was sitting up straight. She still seemed so small to me. "I'm fine," she answered, unable to meet my gaze. "I can look after myself now."
"I..." I let out a deep breath. This wasn't how I'd wanted this to start. I felt like I was already stepping over boundaries she wasn't ready for. I'd pushed to soon. "I know you can. I'm sorry."
After a moment, Blake's hands turned into fists and she tucked her chin away. "Why?"
"Mm?"
"Why would you say that?" she asked again, her voice shaking with uncertainty and confusion.
I frowned. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" I reached out for her, only for her to scoot away stubbornly. I could now recognize the tightness in her jaw even from this angle. "What did I say?"
Blake started to rub at her arms, a tick I had picked up on when she was nervous. "How can you still love me after what I did?"
I swallowed, the question nearly killing me. My daughter thought I didn't love her? Couldn't? That was something I'd hoped she would never have to doubt. "Blake...your mother and I will always love you."
"You were right though," she continued as tears fell down her face. "I shouted at you and yelled at you, but you were right. I said so many things to you and Mom."
She had. There was no arguing or erasing that from my memory. At the time, Kali and I had thought we'd handled the situation the best we could, that maybe we'd been able to get through to our little girl, convince her that boy was nothing but trouble. Then, the next morning we'd woken up to find Blake gone. Not even a note left behind to say goodbye.
"Blake..."
"I shouldn't have ever left. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Blake, it's fine," I told her gently as I pulled her into a hug, cradling the back of her head to my chest. "We never held anything against you. We never stopped looking for you. We love you." I lifted her chin so that she would look at me. "Your mother and I love you with all our hearts."
I watched as her face crumbled. She sucked in sharp breaths as more and more tears fell from her eyes. My little girl. "I've missed you so much, Dad," she whimpered, tucking her face under my chin.
The tension between us seemed to dial back after that. She'd even started opening up to us about her girlfriend, Yang. If I were being honest, when she'd first mentioned the other woman I'd felt uneasy, thinking back to the last fourteen years that we'd lost with her. Blake spoke so fondly of her, that Kali had Blake ask if Yang would want to come over for dinner. I could already see the mischief in my wife's eyes and knew better than to get in her way.
When the woman had arrived, Blake had hugged her tightly, eyes shining with an light I'd yet to see since our reunion. And then there was the blonde, who looked at my daughter like she'd hung the moon in the sky and appointed each star their place in space. Yang was a good sport about Kali's teasing, and nothing but attentive when it came to Blake.
Even with all my concern, I couldn't help but feel a little more at ease.
Yang's POV
Blake had never been one to really talk about her parents. I understood why, of course. From what she had told me, she hadn't talked to them in over a decade, and because I knew of her past with the gang, it wasn't hard to guess why. So probably wouldn't be hard to imagine my surprise when they suddenly showed up, and I got to actually meet them.
The resemblance between Blake and her parents was uncanny. There were little mannerisms that Blake shared with her parents. Mr. Belladonna - Ghira, as he'd told me to call him - was a gentle soul, even with his very intimidating stature. Broad and tall, and a voice so deep it sounded like a rumbling of thunder. It was his eyes that gave away his nature, the softness in them when he looked at his wife and daughter. Blake had his eyes, I thought.
Kali, as Mrs. Belladonna had insisted I call her, was half the height of her husband, but that didn't make her any less fierce. There was so much mischief just from her smirk, but her eyes glinted every time she went to tease her family. It was a sense of familiarity that came in those moments. After a year of dating, Blake had been showing more and more of her own snark. It made me smile, to see where she'd gotten it from.
Blake herself had still been unsure of the reunion. There was still so much sadness clinging to the three, regret for time that had long since gone. Years that they'd never be able to get back. Scars that would never truly be healed. Sleepless nights spent wondering about the missing pieces of their family. Due to all of that, Blake tended to stay near me, before crashing unceremoniously onto the couch.
Even now, a week after they'd had to go back to Menagerie - with the promise to return soon - Blake had seemed so sad that they'd left. I couldn't blame her, of course. It did, however; help that video calling was a thing, and the Belladonnas were sure to make use of it almost every other day until said return.
Seeing the glow that surrounded my girlfriend when she did talk to them made my heart warm. I'd been unsure this would ever really be the case when I'd first met Blake. Blake had changed so much. While the scars, I knew, would never truly fade, each day they got a little better, a little more manageable. Seeing Blake like this... I made me really think about -
Burning. Something was-
"Oh grapes!" I opened the oven to pull out what would have been a batch of white chocolate chip cookies, lamenting the lumps of charcoal that came out instead. A few more curses under my breath, and then I felt arms wrap around my middle. \\
"Oh grapes," the person repeated, and I blew my bangs out of my eyes in response. It was an old habit from when Ruby and I were younger. Blake always liked to tease me on the rare occasion it popped up again.
"Sorry about the cookies," I muttered, moving my hands down to cover hers at my waist.
I felt as Blake shook her head against my shoulder. "It's fine."
With a sigh I turned to hug her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "I love you."
I felt her bury her face deeper into my neck, releasing a stuttering breath, pressing a soft kiss there. I smiled down at her. She hadn't said it back, but I hadn't really expected her to. At least, not now. Maybe one day. For now, just having her here, being able to love her at all, was enough. Until then, I was more than willing to let her know what she meant to me.
We gently swayed in our spot, the smell of burnt cookies faded from our minds. And then my phone rang, and reluctantly I checked to see Winter's name on the screen.
"Duty calls."
Blake pulled back to look at me. "Be careful, okay?"
I pressed another kiss to her head. "Me? I'm always careful."
When I got to the precinct, Winter filled me in on the situation. It wasn't so much a case as a meeting about how there had been some rumors about dirty cops. Some internal affairs reports and the like.
My eyes found Cardin over by the coffee, one of his cronies glued to his side and no doubt kissing his ass. If I was a betting woman...
For now though, it was time for paperwork. Mostly just trying to tie together something from the Rose case. A whole year, and we'd still not been able to really pin the murders on anyone. White Fang were definitely involved, seeing as it was their men that kept getting killed. Was it due to betrayal? A rival gang taking out the competition? Or... could we have been overlooking a third party this whole time? The kills were getting more spaced out as time went on. Was that to throw us off the trail? Or...
"So, Ice Queen, I hear you got yourself a street whore."
My whole body stiffened as Cardin's voice penetrated the air. As always, his nasally voice was thick of unearned confidence and his smug smirk made him look extra punchable. The guy typically didn't bother Winter and I, one of his only smart decisions. So why was he suddenly so keen on breaking that streak?
Winter, for her part, didn't even look up from her laptop, brow furrowed in concentration. Or, so it would seem. There was a sort of stillness to Winter in that moment. She was no longer really reading the words in front of her.
"She's your CI, right?" the other detective continued. "So what? You get a two for one special or something?"
Sky Lark laughed next to him, snickering. Stellar commentary from that idiot. Nevermind that it was common knowledge that, for one reason or another, Robyn wasn't a CI anymore.
Winter's finger started to tap on the desk.
Cardin leaned forward on Winter's desk, effectively talking to the side of Winter's head now. "You think she'd be willing to offer me the same deal?"
I could feel my own anger starting to boil at this point. Why was he even doing this?
"I mean, people like her, in her economically challenged position, they need to eat. I have something that she might-"
I got up from my desk just in time to catch Winter's arm as she eldest Schnee stood. Cardin had yet to stop smirking, and I could see this fact was also pissing Winter off. He crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"I can't say I blame you, Schnee. I want to hit that too."
I would neither confirm or deny that I let go of Winter's arm when she pulled it away. Her punch landed on the side of the bastard's head, and just like that Cardin was out cold. Hmph. Talk about a glass jaw.
There would be consequences, but for now, Winter and I could probably agree that it was worth it.
