Enjoy!

Mother's Day

Annette groaned as she tried to snuggle even further into the covers. Sunlight crept through her blinds, seeping into the room like an unwanted visitor. It almost seemed to mock her attempts of falling back asleep as it reflected off every surface it could. A harsh glared filled her room like a solar disco ball, irradiating the room with rays of light.

A red eye blinked open, glaring at the alarm clock set next to her bed. The bright blue numbers glowed in the morning dawn like a bad omen. The digital clock flickered to six A.M with an almost deliberate slowness, as if it was trying to make her morning as agonizing as possible. Annette blew a strand of pure white hair out of her face as she pouted at the time as if that could somehow convince it to speed up.

While it wasn't really cold, the air had a nip to it, and the blankets were so warm and inviting. Annette was confident that if she could she would stay in bed all day just so she didn't have to deal the slight chill in the air. She could just sleep the day away if she chose to, it wasn't as if she had anything to do.

Strictly speaking, she didn't need things like sleep or food, but she liked to take part of them. It kept her tied to the people around her and didn't leave her a hollow shell of the person she once was.

Though even with her change she still wasn't a morning person. She hated having to do things in the morning. She always preferred snuggling into the warm blankets and letting the morning hours pass away slowly as she tried to maintain the illusion that she could go back to sleep. Her red eye closed with a snap as she tried to drown out the blinding light. It would have been easier to just stand up and close the blinds, but that would mean that she would have to get out of bed and walk over.

Staying in bed was just easier.

She tugged on the blanket, pulling it over her head in an effort to shield herself from the harsh glow of that dreaded star. Perhaps she could get Kevin to cover the sun so that she could rest in peace. That would certainly be better than having to deal with this. But even as thoughts of blocking out the sun for her own benefit flittered through her mind, her rest was interrupted.

A hideous screech filled the air like the wail of a banshee. The noise echoed through the house, squeezing into every nook and cranny, leaving nothing untouched. Whatever semblance of peace was left was shattered in an instant as the neighborhood dogs began to howl. A cacophony of sound filled the sky, shaking what little desire for sleep still remained in Annette's body.

Annette shot up from her bed, tossing the covers aside as she rushed down the stairs, tearing open her door without hesitation. Any thoughts of discomfort were brushed aside as a dread panic filled her form. Her heart would have been pounding in her chest if it was still capable of beating. Her eyes glowed with devilish light as she prepared for a fight.

The alarm that Dragon had installed in her house wouldn't go off unless something was wrong. She had no idea who would be stupid enough to attack her in her house in what she assumed was a vain attempt to kill her, but she would make them regret their choice with every fiber of their being. The smell of smoke and charred materials filled her nostrils as she stomped down the stairs, ready to tear apart whatever fool was idiotic enough to attack her in her very home. As she rounded the corner she raised her fist, ready to smash the intruder's skull in, only to stop short at the sight before her.

With an almost dumbfounded expression, she watched as her adopted daughter tried to reach the all clear signal that would shut the alarm off from her prison. The dark-haired girl seemed to slump as she rounded the corner, and for a moment Annette saw a flash of disappointment cross over her daughter's face before it was quickly schooled away.

"Uh, hi mom," Cindy said with a sheepish smile as her free hand waved. The rest of her body was covered in a layer of containment foam, trapping her in place. Annette's gaze wandered over to the stove where black smoke poured off the frying pan in thick waves. A smoldering ruin was all that was left of whatever food her daughter had been trying to cook. Food stuff was scattered across the counter as if a tornado had blown through, ruining any semblance of organization. A cook book was splayed out on the table, loose pages thrown aside in a maelstrom of chaos.

Annette said nothing as she slowly turned her gaze back to her daughter. Cindy's smile flinched as the blank look on her mother's face. Annette could practically feel the excuses running through her daughter's mind in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation.

"This—this isn't what it looks like," Cindy stammered at the questioning gaze of her mother. Annette raised an eyebrow, casting her gaze across the nearly ruined kitchen before settling back on her daughter.

"Oh? Because it looks like you're making a mess," she said with a chastising tone. Cindy flushed and looked down, unable to meet her gaze. Annette sighed as she stepped forward, brushing globs of containment foam out of Cindy's silky black hair.

"What were you trying to do sweetie?" Annette asked as she tugged on a few tangled strands. Cindy winced at the rough feeling but made no sound. Annette took a glance at the cook book's open page. Her favorite pancake recipe laid bare on the page and Annette felt a sudden longing for the dish. It had been one of her mother's favorite recipes when she had been a child and was nothing less than heaven on taste buds. She couldn't count how many times Taylor had begged her to make them. But these pancakes were for special occasions, they were meant to be cherished and loved, not used for every other meal.

"Was trying to make you breakfast," Cindy muttered as Annette pulled the containment foam's dissolving solution from its shelf. Fortunately, Dragon had been kind enough to give her a supply of the material so she didn't have the call on the PRT every time it went off.

"Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but why were you trying to cook me breakfast. You've never cooked before," Annette said as the foul-smelling liquid ate away at the bonding agents. Cindy was defiantly going to need a shower after being doused in this stuff.

"Because today's Mother's Day," Cindy said as the last of the containment foam slumped off her form, freeing her from her bonds. Annette paused, her mind going into overdrive as she tried to recall the date. It was Mother's Day, wasn't it?

She had been so focused on her work that she hadn't even realized that the day had been creeping up on her.

"And, you were trying to cook me breakfast because it was Mother's Day," Annette asked the young teen slowly. She managed to keep her hands from shaking as the girl nodded, her knotted back hair swaying in step. Annette couldn't cry anymore, but she still felt a stab of grief to the gut as she tried to keep herself from shaking.

Annette heard their voices before they even opened the door. As careful as he had been, Danny wasn't the most discrete of people, and Taylor's rambunctious laughter hadn't helped either.

"Mommy!" the four-year-old squealed in delight with a wide grin as she plowed through the door. Annette laughed as he precious daughter threw herself on the bed to give her a hug. The warmth of the blankets paled in comparison to her daughter's hug. "We made you breakfast Mommy."

"Did you now?" Annette asked with a smile as her husband walked through the door with a tray in hand. The smell of pancakes and sausage filled the room as she sat herself up, careful to keep Taylor from falling off the side.

"Yeah! Me and Daddy made pancakes," her daughter said with a wide smile. Even as the English teacher in her winced Annette decided to not correct her daughter's grammatical misspeak this time. Not, when she was trying to do something so nice for her.

"Just like your mother did," Danny said as he set the tray on the bed. The food smelled even more delicious up close, and it looked just as good.

"Happy Mother's Day," Taylor said with a laugh as she settled down next to her mother.

"Mom, are you alright?"

Annette tore herself from her memory to look back down at her adopted daughter's concerned expression. With an only slightly trembling hand Annette stroked his hair as if the slightest touch would make her disappear. Her daughter's amber eyes looked up at her with such love and concern that Annette felt like she was drowning.

"You're not mad, are you?" Cindy asked, her voice full of hesitation and self-doubt. Annette shook her head furiously, white strands of hair flying all over the place. Her lips trembled as she tried to force the words out.

"No sweetie, I'm not mad. I- I'm happy," she said honestly as a smile graced her lips. Cindy quirked her head a little as if she couldn't quite believe what her mother was saying.

"You are?"

"Yes, I am. So why don't we clean up and try this again?" Annette asked as a wide grin broke out across her adopted daughter's face. The entire room seemed to light up as she dashed off to collect the supplies to remake the pancakes, uncaring of the containment foam patches that covered the floor. They would have to clean those up eventually, but that could wait for now. Right now, they had pancakes to make.

Annette knew that she would never be able to replace the memories of Taylor and Danny, and she didn't want to. They would always hold a special place in her heart, and she was never going to let those memories go, not when they were the only thing that she had left of them. But that didn't mean she had to live in the past.

Cindy had done this for her without provocation or urging. Just a deep-seated desire to make her adopted mother feel special on Mother's Day. A smile spread across Annette's lips as she helped Cindy collect some of the supplies, their laughter filling the room as the danced around the foam patches.

She couldn't make any more memories with Danny or Taylor. But that didn't mean she couldn't make new ones with Cindy.

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