Different WITCH AU
By: FunahoMisaki
(A/N: I own nothing and read last chapter)
"I'm back and I've brought Halinor." Kadma announced as she and Halinor walked into the dojo where the two kids were still fighting, this time with Joe and John teaching them some new moves.
"Guess that's the end of the game today kiddos." John said sighing slightly but smiling as he looked up and saw his mom and 'aunt' Halinor.
"Halinor? Isn't that the name of one of the ladies in your stories grandpa? The one who kept trying to set you on fire?" Angelo asked looking up at his grandfather curiously and making Halinor glare at Joe while Kadma looked amused.
"Really Joe?" Kadma asked looking at her husband who grinned at the two of them.
"Hey I was a young stud surrounded by four beautiful women and my fire starter of a sister. Of course I had to tell the runt about some of my time with you all." Joe said grinning as he ruffled Angelo's hair making Halinor snort slightly.
"You were many things Joe but a stud wasn't one of them." Halinor said with a smirk as she looked at her 'brother' who laughed.
"I was a teenage boy who had not one or two, but three beautiful ladies fighting over him out of a group of five ladies. Since you weren't available from the start, being my sis and all, that's a three out of four attraction rate. I was a stud." Joe said proudly and making Halinor look at him surprised.
"You can do math? That's living proof that miracles do happen!" Both of the children busted out giggling or laughing at this, especially since Halinor looked honestly surprised.
"I believe young people these days call that a burn pops." John busted out laughing at Halinor's words, Kadma not far behind her son while Joe just stared at the blond in disbelief.
"Of course they do. Hallie was the one who invented them and I don't need to remind you what she used to do." Kadma said grinning, ah her best friend and pseudo sister. Once you got past the shyness and her polite hippie self…you got a witty sharp tongued blond with a penchant for flames.
"And you may have had three girls fighting for your attention at one point in time, but I don't need to tell you about how you were only interested in the one that ignored you do I?" Halinor asked looking at Joe who looked at Kadma and smiled softly.
"No because eventually I wore her down and she gave me a chance." Joe said smiling tenderly at his wife who rolled her eyes but smiled slightly back.
"I gave you more than just a chance. We did have two kids after all and that wasn't easy." Kadma said frowning as her hand absently dropped to her stomach and traced the scar behind her red dress. She had managed with John with only minor difficulty but Ramon…she had needed a C-section for him and even then she almost didn't make it. He had been worth every second of it however and she didn't regret anything except for the fact that she hadn't been able to risk having more kids after those two. She loved her two sons with every fiber of her being and she adored her little grandson.
"Now I know John but I don't think I've met these two little dears." Halinor quickly changed the subject, knowing how much her friend had wished she could have had more than two children.
"Kids come meet my sister Halinor." Joe said helping move the subject along as he ushered the two children over to the blond woman, making Will hide behind Angelo again.
"Your sister?" Angelo asked confused as he looked between his grandpa and the smiling blond lady wearing a tye-dyed shirt and a red skirt. Kadma was a bit jealous that the blond could still wear the clothes from when she was younger, the same skirt she had in high school in fact and the shirt she's had since Freshman year of college.
"Not all family is bound by blood kiddo. Me and Hallie here are siblings as if we were born that way, and Kadma loves Hallie like a sister." Joe said wisely to his grandson who looked like he understood but was still confused somehow.
"Nice to meet you aunty Hali!" Angelo said grinning brightly up at the woman who smiled warmly down at him and gently ruffled his hair.
"Nice to meet you too Angelo. You look a lot like your dad, I bet you're going to be a heart throb when you're older." Halinor said glancing at Kadma and Joe worried when she mentioned their fallen son but they just smiled a little sadly. Yeah Angelo really did look like his father.
"Nice to meet you ma'am." Will said softly, staring up at Halinor who frowned heavily at the sight of her black eye but crouched down for a hand shake anyways.
"It's nice to meet you too little one but I don't know your name I'm afraid." Halinor said shaking the girls hand only for the girl to back away distrustfully and look scared.
"Liar. I don't know how but I know you're lying." Will said softly, trembling a bit while Halinor looked surprised. Empathy? So early? She didn't see that over the scrying spell.
"You're right but I only lied cause I wanted you to tell me your name. Name's have power after all." Halinor said making Will look at her for a moment before slowly nodding and stepping closer.
"My name is Will. I don't know why but I like you. You feel…warm…" Will said smiling slightly as she stepped closer to Halinor who looked surprised but then smiled slightly. The girl could sense her former powers already? My this little one was full of surprises and to think she'd only grow stronger as she aged.
"It's nice to meet you Will." Halinor said smiling softly as her eyes met the little girls, feeling the crude but definitely there mental barriers the girl already had forming when she gave a gentle probe. Not being invasive but merely…making sure the girl was herself. There was no telling if someone had already sensed her powers and tried to corrupt her after all.
"Alright kids. How about we get you all fed up and then we'll tell you some stories? I'm sure Hali here wouldn't mind giving you some tips in your Fighting game either after we've all eaten." Kadma said making the kids look embarrassed when their stomachs growled loudly, causing Halinor to giggle a bit as Angelo was picked up by his laughing grandmother.
"Will never likes other people this fast." Angelo looked surprised when Will buried her face in Halinor's skirt looking embarrassed at her stomach rumbling so loudly.
"Come on children. Let's go eat and then how about I tell you a story I've picked up at my job? I can tell you all about other worlds and five people with extraordinary powers meant to save those worlds and protect their Hearts." Halinor tempted the children with a story as she stood up, picking Will up when the girl looked at her pleadingly for a second but didn't vocalize what she wanted.
"How can a world have a Heart?" Will asked curiously as Halinor carried her on her hip, following behind Kadma and Angelo who were leading them towards the dining room where John had already set up dinner. Joe was behind the two women and the two kids, looking fondly at them all.
"I wonder if I should tell Will that Halinor is practically adopting her?" Joe wondered aloud to himself as he followed a few paces behind the women holding the children as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Kadma had been right when she thought Halinor would melt when she met Will for the first time face to face. The blond couldn't help but melt in the face of such an adorable but painfully shy child.
Joe looked back and forth between the two former Guardians and the children they were holding.
Kadma was asking Angelo about his day and chatting with him happily as he told her all about the fight, she tried for disproving of his fighting to begin with but…well those other boys started it.
Halinor was only a step or two behind Kadma, holding Will on her hip as if she had done it for years, and chatting with the small red head about different worlds and different Hearts which had the little red head enthralled with the idea and the places that Halinor was detailing.
"Nah. She's a smart girl she'll figure out she has a new grandma soon." Joe answered his earlier question with a grin. This was sure to be fun to watch, Halinor had been great with John and Ramon when they were babies and children, but something seemed different about how she was interacting with Will.
With John and Ramon she had been the peaceful and loving, but slightly mischievous, Aunt figure that once had them both hyped up on sugar just before he and Kadma had come to pick them back up. Oh don't get him wrong. Halinor had loved John and Ramon so much that when the two boys had been younger they thought she was their second mama, but the one time John had been kidnapped she was the one to keep a level head about it while Kadma and Joe raged in parental fury. When they had finally found John, she had broken the kidnappers nose but restrained Kadma from strangling him with vines and John from running him through with a sword.
With Will though…something seemed easier about it. More…natural. She seemed even more maternal than she had been with the boys, which Joe found kind of hard to believe.
He had a strange feeling that if anything happened to Will…Halinor would make the ones responsible for it burn and damn anyone who got in her way.
That's when another thought struck him and he winced. They were good people sure, and he liked them enough to put up with them but…they just rubbed him the wrong way with how they were always fighting, especially in front of their daughter, and how they never seemed to see exactly what was happening with their daughter right under their noses.
"I just hope Susan and Tony don't do anything stupid when they find out."