Chapter 24
Making up for lost time
I sat on the edge of the bed. A small part of me still wanted to run away. Go to China or something. But most of me was just so exhausted. I had hurt myself worse than any enemy ever could. But I just couldn't see that night going any other way. We were both still in the throes of puppy love. Unable to talk rationally about what was wrong.
I sighed. I missed Rachel. She was still alive but only because we had gained enough fame for it to be suspicious if she suddenly vanished. She was my escape and now…
I bit my tongue absently and drew blood.
"Talia, stop biting. I can't heal it if you don't move your teeth." Puck told me. I did what he asked slowly. He healed my wound and I no longer tasted blood. "Don't bite your tongue again."
"I'm going back to bed." I scooted back into my bed.
"You haven't eaten since this afternoon." Puck frowned.
"I'll eat later." I tucked myself back in.
"… Alright, kiddo. Good night." He left.
I woke up before Owen came to get me for breakfast. I got dressed and followed him like old times. Alex was eating pancakes. He smiled at me. I smiled back and ate.
"So, Talia… What've you been doing?" David asked.
"… I went college and got a degree. We- I write books." I said.
They left me alone after that and when breakfast was over; I looked at Alex, "Go play or whatever. I got some adult things to talk to them about."
"Ok." He frowned and left.
"What's this about?" Fox asked.
"I'm not coming home. That's not going to work anymore. I have my own life. But I'm willing to visit. Once or twice a month, his birthday, every other Christmas and Thanksgiving." I told them.
Owen frowned.
"I'm not staying here." I snapped.
"What if Alex wants to visit you?" Fox asked.
"You have to call me first." I said.
"What about the clan?" David asked.
"What about them?" I asked.
"When are you going to visit them?" She asked.
"Whenever I damn want." I said.
"Alex is going to want to celebrate your birthday." David told me.
"No. Can't do it." I shook my head.
"Why not?" He looked at me.
"…I found my ex's corpse after I got back from Thanksgiving break. I got her pregnant and she hung herself. She thought she was raped." I clenched my jaw.
They were silent.
"The police said she died before midnight. So, I can't come back on my birthday." I tried to calm down.
"Ta-" David started.
"NO! That day is off the table! And none of you get to say anything about Sarah ever!" I shouted.
"We understand." Owen said.
"Why every other Christmas and Thanksgiving?" David wondered.
"I go to Adri's family's." I lied.
"Talia, you can make it for Christmas here." Fox chided.
"Every other Christmas." I repeated. Fox frowned.
"Am I wrong to presume that Puck's lessons will be at your house?" Owen asked.
"No…" I said, having forgot about it again.
"We will revisit this conversation in a few months." David said.
"Fine. I'll be back." I teleported away.
A hospital. I guess it's better than a graveyard. A lot better, but still not great. I went in bought a card from the hospital gift shop and wrote in it. Then I found his room. I paused before I opened the door. My grip tightened on the card.
"Hey, Grandpa Renard." I poked my head in.
"Hello, Talia." Mr. Vogel greeted.
"I haven't seen you since Alex was born." He told me.
"… It was cowardly of me to run away. My problems only turned into regrets. I brought all this suffering on myself- and my family- for nothing. I can't ever make up for it, but I need to try." I looked at him.
"It takes strong person to admit they're wrong as well as face the consequences of their actions." Grandpa Renard smiled a little.
"It's been a rough two days." I said and they looked surprised for a moment.
"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to visit?" He asked.
I hugged him and sat next the bed. He asked me what I had been doing and I answered in more detail. David only asked because it was the right thing to do. Grandpa Renard wanted to know. I had to explain about Rachel though. We talked for bit and while he didn't totally understand, he was nice enough to show interest in what I told him.
"Are you dating anyone?" He asked.
"I, uh, am. Her name's Adriana. I got some pictures of us. On my phone. Lemme just…" I got my phone out and showed him.
He studied them. "You two seem happy."
"We are." I said.
"Does she have integrity?" Grandpa Renard asked me.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"Good." He nodded.
He got tired after that and I left. I got a quick lunch from the vendor on the corner and went into Matt's apartment building. I knocked on the door I was looking for.
"Yo, Matt, you up?" I called.
"Talia?" He opened the door a little.
"I'm making my rounds, seeing everyone." I said.
"Come on in, kiddo." He moved to the side and let me in.
His apartment was lived in like mine. Not truly messy, but Owen would make me clean up when he came over. I sat on the couch.
"Water?" He asked.
"Sure." I said.
He gave me a glass and we visited. He told me about some funny things that happened while I was gone, at work, with Elisa, the gargoyles, until Owen called.
"Take it." Matt told me.
"Yeah?" I answered the call.
"I know things aren't the best right now, but please come back and spend some time with your brother. He misses you." He asked.
"… I'll take him out for ice cream or something. I'm at Matt's. Have him teleport over." I said.
Owen turned away from the phone and asked Alex something. "He's rather insistent that you come back here."
I sighed and hung up. "Gotta go back. See Alex."
"You haven't played with him at all?" Matt asked.
"I was angst-ing out the day after you guys found me. And I had to go see Grandpa Renard before he, you know, died." I shrugged.
"He's your brother. He's missed you ever since you left." He exclaimed.
"I hurt him! You think I'm ok with that? I'm not! He blamed himself. He…" I frowned. "I'm going now, ok?"
"Go." He waved.
I left him and went back to the Eyire Building, riding the elevator up. As soon as the doors opened, Alex threw himself at me.
"Hey, let me out of the elevator first." I smiled and we walked out.
"Up." He raised his arms.
"Alexander." Owen warned.
"Please up." He corrected.
"That's not what I meant." Owen frowned.
"You wanna go get ice cream?" I asked as I picked him up.
"No." He shook his head.
"You wanna go outside?" I asked.
"No." He repeated.
"You wanna go play?" I tried again.
"No." He rested his head on my shoulder.
"Then what do you want?" I said.
"Cuddles." Alex said.
"I don't see how that's any different than this." I told him.
"It's not cuddling if one person is standing." Owen said.
"Yeah." Alex agreed.
I teleported to the lounge and lay down on the couch. Alex sighed and softly petted my hair. I rubbed his back and we stayed like that for a while.
Talia's POV End
Owen's POV
"Looks like they fell asleep." Fox told me.
"She tried to stay awake." I said.
"Puck just wanted to see his babies nap together." She teased.
I adjusted my tie.
"Hard to believe she's back after five years." Fox said.
"I know she's an adult now, but I still see that baby I held in my arms all those years ago. The girl I tucked into bed and kissed good night." I sighed.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was still 17." Fox thought.
"That's what fucks me up the most." Fox looked at me astonished.
"Puck?" She asked.
"Does it matter? We found our daughter by pure luck and she wants nothing to do with us. She hasn't called me Dad since we found her in the park and she was drunk." I let our face scowl.
"Give her more time. She was honestly ready to give up her life as Talia Xanatos forever. To have it back is a lot to take in." The Xanatos matriarch told me.
"I just want her to hug me again." I let our shoulders sag.
"Oh, Owen." She frowned and pulled our head down to her chest. "You miss your little girl, don't you?"
"Yes." I agreed, deciding not to offend the woman by slipping out of her inappropriate grasp.
"It'll be alright. Even if I have to make it right." She consoled, messing up my hair.
"Thank you." I said.
She let go and I stood straight.
"We should let them rest." I said, separating from Puck and our intertwining emotions.
"If you insist." Fox frowned and walked out.
There was no doubt she would tell her husband about my slip. But it was frustrating to have her so close and so far at the same time. My little trickster had grown and grown up without me.
Owen's POV End
Talia's POV
I woke up and felt Alex on me. I smiled a tiny bit. "Xander…"
He nuzzled my shoulder. "Nooo."
"Get up, Xander. We had nap time. I wanna visit Grandpa before dark." I sat up.
"Will you come home for dinner?" He asked.
"I'll be back before dark." I said.
"Tai?" He asked.
"Yeah?" I looked at him.
"I love you." He hugged me.
"I love you too, little guy." I hugged him. "I gotta go see Grandpa now."
"Ok." He sat on the couch.
I left and went to Grandpa's house. He greeted me warmly. He was making his dinner. I decided to have a small portion of Psarosoupa, fish soup, as we caught up. He said that David and Fox were upset after they couldn't find me after the first year. I raised my eyebrow, but he continued, saying after the third year, Owen finally broke down during Thanksgiving. And how nobody, nobody, could cheer him up. His emotions had to run their course after being in denial for so long. I frowned. I thanked him for the food and went back to the castle.
I stood next to Elisa. She smiled at me. Goliath roared. His eyes widened as he saw me and he hugged me, lifting me off the ground.
"We missed you." He said.
"I know." I said.
We went inside and the rest of the clan was just as excited to see me. Lots of hugs. Then I got to Brooklyn. He stood straight, had armor, and was missing an eye.
"I missed so much…" I frowned.
"I know." He opened his arms.
I hugged him tightly. I almost teared up, but I didn't. I let go.
"You look like how I remember you." He said.
"I still get carded when I get beer. It's not the best, but it's been rollercoaster of emotions these last couple of days so forgive me." I told him.
"Of course." He smiled. He gestured to a female gargoyle in a yellow kimono, swords, and a strange backpack. "That's my mate, Katana." A blue version of Brooklyn stood next to her. "And that's my son, Nashville."
"Hello, Talia-chan. The clan has told me much about you." She waved.
"Hey, call me Nash." He told me.
"Nice to meet you." I told them.
I felt a nose bonk my leg. "Hey… You're not Bronx." A green gargoyle dog with a brown mane sniffed my hand and licked it.
"That's Fu-Dog. I'll explain everything later. You better go join the Xanatos' for dinner. You know how he is about that." Brooklyn told me.
"Fine." I found Bronx and scratched his ear. I turned to leave. "Oh, Katana… -san?"
"Yes?" She asked, seemingly pleased.
"Whatever bad things they said about me aren't true." I smiled as the clan laughed.
I had dinner with the family and Alex was very happy about that. Owen stood in the background, but I knew he was there and I felt his, their frustration and longing. I wasn't sure whose emotions were whose. Maybe both. After dinner, Alex went to go play with the gargoyles. David and Fox had left to go do their own things.
"Dad." I said softly.
Owen stopped what he was doing.
"I'm sor-" I didn't get to finish my sentence as he knocked the wind out of me and squeezed tightly.
"It was my fault. I let Puck's impatience cloud my judgement. I'm sorry, little trickster. Please forgive me." He whispered.
"Can't… breathe." I squeaked out.
He let go. "Sorry."
I caught my breath. "When I was talking to Grandpa, he told me how you broke down at Thanksgiving. How you missed me. I… I want you in my life. You're my dad. And I want to be your daughter again."
"You've always been my daughter, Talia. I will be a better father to you. I owe you that much." He looked me in the eye.
"I love you." I told him.
He kissed my forehead. "I love you too, Sweetheart."
