Ch. 2 My Family Now

Su wasn't going to lie to herself; she had some doubts about Kuvira. It wasn't as if the girl had done anything wrong, but Su had five other children, two of which were still babies. Dozens of questions filled her mind, the major one being "what if they don't get along?"

These questions had flooded her mind as she walked back to her home with Kuvira next to her. The girl had been strangely quiet, and the silence was beginning to make Su feel uncomfortable. She knew it must feel awkward for this girl as well who was doing anything to not look at the adult next to her.

"Kuvira," Su finally said, trying to break the silence. Kuvira actually looked at her in interest, which Su took as a good sign. She was just nervous.

"The rest of my family is very excited to meet you," she said, hoping to get Kuvira to ask questions or at least talk to her.

Kuvira wasn't an idiot; she knew that Su was trying to get her to talk. She decided she would ask questions, anything to keep Su from doubting her decision to take her in. She didn't want to go back to the orphanage.

"How many kids do you have?" she asked. She knew the answer; everyone knew about the Metal Clan.

"I have four sons and a daughter," Su said with a smile. "Baatar Jr., Huan, Opal, Wei and Wing. They are excited to have another sister."

Kuvira actually cracked a smile. She could tell Su loved her children. Maybe Su could love her, too.

When they reached the large house, Kuvira was surprised to find it so empty. Maybe Su had lied and the other kids didn't know she was coming.

"Baatar Sr. took them all to the park," Su interrupted Kuvira's thoughts, as if she knew what the girl was worried about. "Why don't I show you your room?"

She led Kuvira down the hall that was lined with doors to the other kids' bedrooms. The hall looked a lot like the hall in the orphanage, which was oddly soothing for Kuvira.

"Your room is next to Opal's," Su explained, pushing the large metal door open.

Su had tried to make the room feel as welcoming as she could, but looking at it now, it seemed sparse. However, Kuvira walked in with a look of awe. The room was easily twice as big as her room in the orphanage and much better furnished.

"This is mine?" Kuvira asked, her large eyes focusing on Su.

"Of course," Su said. "This is your home now, Kuvira. I want you to feel like part of the family."

Just then, they heard the sound of the door opening.

"Su, are you home?" a voice called from back down the hall.

Su turned her attention toward the doorway and called, "We're back here, Sweetie. We'll be there in a minute." Then she turned to Kuvira. "When you're ready you can come meet everyone. Take your time." With a reassuring smile, the woman turned from the room and left to greet her family.

Kuvira took one last look around her new bedroom, feeling a great sense of belonging before walking down the hall toward the front door. She would have plenty of time to unpack and get settled in. For now, she wanted to meet the rest of the family.

As she got closer down the hallway, she started to hear voices. It was obvious that the conversation was about her by the hushed tones. She peered around the corner, finding the family gathered together talking. A man who must have been Baatar Sr. had an arm over Su's shoulders as she held a small toddler girl, Opal. Two small boys hugged each of her legs; these must be Huan and Baatar Jr. And in the stroller next to them must have been the twin baby boys, Wei and Wing. Kuvira silently praised herself for her deductions.

"I already told Huan he had to be nice!" one of the little boys reported to his mother who ruffled his hair with a smile.

Kuvira almost let out a laugh. The boy was obviously the oldest, Baatar Jr. They were about the same age if Kuvira remembered correctly. It made her feel good that the boy already wanted to be nice to her. She had to admit that she didn't expect that.

Kuvira sucked in a deep breath and then, stepped out into the family's view. Everyone turned to look at her, and for a brief moment there was an awkward silence. Kuvira could feel her cheeks turning bright red as she looked shyly at the ground. Any bravery she had had was gone. All she could think about was if they didn't like her. She didn't want to go back to the orphanage. She couldn't be abandoned again.

She only looked up when she saw small feet in front of her. She met eyes with Baatar Jr. who was looking at her curiously. Then, he smiled at her.

"I'm Baatar," he said. "Welcome to our family."

Kuvira couldn't help it; she felt tears welling in her eyes. Baatar looked hurt, as if he had said something wrong, and Kuvira could tell that Su and Baatar Sr. were concerned as well. But then, she smiled through her tears and looked at each family member in turn.

"Thank you," she said. She smiled widely at Baatar Jr. and said, "I'm very happy to be in this family."

Kuvira was relieved to find that everyone smiled at her, and she found that the happiness she had felt early beginning to return. She had had reservations about this family, but all of those thoughts had disappeared.

This would be her family now.

~AN~

I would like to thank those who have read this, and give a huge shout out to those who have reviewed! It really means a lot! It's been a long time since I've written anything on this site, but your support has reminded me why I love writing fanfiction. Also I love getting to talk to other fans, too, and making friends :)

From now on these will be in a less chronological order of events and take on a more "drabble" like order. It just made sense to do these two chapters first. I'll hopefully be posting one per weekend so please stay tuned, and if you have a great idea or a headcanon that you would love put into words send me a message.