Mama's Boy
Anna knew she had the best boyfriend ever. Skyler always had a way of making her feel special and loved in a way no one else could do. Like tonight for example. Skyler had cooked her dinner, fettuccine alfredo with shrimp, her favourite meal. Now they were walking through Central Park hand in hand, gazing up at the stars together. Sydney had Joe distracted back at their house in Brooklyn, so Anna was free to spend the night with Skyler at the penthouse. Anna couldn't wait to get back and spend the entire night with her boyfriend. She knew just how she wanted to spend it too.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Skyler smiled down at her.
"Remind me?" Anna winked at him.
Skyler chuckled. "Well, I almost love you as much as I love myself, but you're a close second."
Anna laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'll take it. I mean, you only rank third on my list of favourite people."
"Third? I don't even get second?"
Anna shook her head. "Nope."
Skyler placed a hand over his heart. "I'm not going to lie, that hurts, Anna. I might start balling right here, right now."
"Cry baby." Anna stuck her tongue out at him.
"Come here." Skyler wrapped his arms around Anna's waist and pulled her close.
"What are you doing?" Anna giggled.
"I wanna kiss you." Skyler showered her with light kisses, tickling Anna in the process. Anna squealed and tried to get away, but Skyler held on tight.
When he finally let go, Anna was gasping for air. Her face flushed when she looked up at Skyler. "How about we head back to your place? I have something I want to show you."
"Oh?" Skyler gave her a curious look. "What is it?"
"You'll see."
Anna tried pulling Skyler into his bedroom, but he resisted. "Anna, what are you doing?"
"I told you, I want to show you something." Again, she tugged on his hand, but Skyler continued to hold back.
"In my bedroom? What are you going to show me in there that you can't show me downstairs?" He pulled his hand away and crossed his arms.
"Just trust me okay? I promise you'll like it."
Skyler sighed and shook his head. "Anna, no. I know what you're trying to do."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do." Skyler dropped his arms and placed his hands on Anna's upper arms. "Anna, I love you, and you know I think you're a wonderful girl, but we are not ready for this."
"But you just said that you loved me." Anna pouted.
"Yes, but there's a lot more to it than that." Skyler bent down to kiss Anna on the forehead. "A lot of close people in my life have had kids prematurely. I don't want to risk that happening to us. Okay?"
Anna crossed her arms. "It's called protection, Skyler."
"Accidents can still happen. No birth control method is one hundred percent." Skyler frowned. "Please, don't be mad at me for this. I love you, but there are other things we can do together. So, how about we just cuddle and talk a little, and then go to bed?"
Anna sighed and frowned. "Fine."
"One day, we'll be married and then we can do whatever you want."
Anna blinked. "Married?"
Skyler smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't change my whole life around for a girl I wasn't going to marry one day."
Anna blushed. "Then what does it matter if we wait until marriage if you plan on marrying me anyway?"
Skyler's smile vanished. "Anna… you need to listen to me. It's safest to wait."
Anna folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."
The door to Skyler's bedroom door flew open with a crash.
"Skyler, we have a problem. Your- Anna?" Sydney's bewildered look turned into one of confusion.
Anna huffed and crossed her arms. "We didn't do anything last night. Trust me, I tried."
Skyler ran a hand over his face. "Anna…"
"You two are going to have to have your lover's quarrel later," Sydney interrupted. "We have a bigger issue."
Skyler sighed. "What is it, Syd?"
"Your mom is on her way up."
Anna had never seen anyone react so fast in her life. Skyler was out of the bed in the blink of an eye. "What do you mean, my mom is on her way up?" Skyler hurried around the room and into his closet. Anna could hear the clang of clothes hangers as he shuffled clothes around.
"I mean, that your mother just called to inform me that she has decided to pay us a surprise visit and is currently in the elevator on her way up here." Sydney pointed to Anna. "We need to hide you."
"What? Why?" Anna was very confused by the whole situation.
Skyler cursed as he ran out of his closet and immediately into the bathroom. He had changed into a very nice looking outfit. He wore a light grey button down with black dress pants. Anna looked over and noticed that Sydney was wearing a nice outfit as well. She had on a navy skater skirt with a black belt, a white blouse with a large v-shaped ruffle down the front, and black strappy stilettos. Her blouse was buttoned all the way to her neck, causing Sydney to awkwardly tug on it before returning to scratching her wrists.
Anna could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen Sydney wearing a skirt outside of a performance. Seeing her in one now, Anna knew something was up.
Skyler came bustling out of the bathroom with his hair perfectly styled in his usual done-up swish. "Hide her where? My mom is going to want a full house tour. She'll want to see everything."
Anna frowned. "Why do I need to be hidden? Can't I just meet Skyler's mom?"
"No!" Sydney and Skyler answered at the same time.
"Why not? You've met my parents." Anna stood and put her hands on her hips. "What are you not telling me?"
"My mother is highly… particular about who I associate with. You'll get to meet her sometime, but now is not that time. Please, just stay hidden." Skyler grabbed Anna's hands. "I promise I will tell you more later when she leaves."
Anna scowled. "No, I-"
"Hello!" A sing-song voice rang up from downstairs. "My little hoku? Where are you?"
Anna moved to head out the door, but Skyler held her back. "Anna, if you meet my mother now, things will not go well. Just stay here and if you hear us coming, hide in the closet." Skyler went out the door. "Coming, mama!"
Sydney turned to Anna before she left. "I'm so sorry about this, Anna. But trust me when I say this is for the benefit of your and Sky's relationship." She left, shutting the door behind her, and Anna was alone.
"Mama!" Skyler greeted his mother with open arms.
"My hoku!" Skyler's mom wrapped Skyler up in a tight hug. "Now, I know my little visit probably caught you off guard, and I'd hate to get in the way of any important time agent business, but I haven't seen you in so long. I missed my baby." She planted kisses on Skyler's cheeks, leaving lipstick marks.
"Oh, it's fine. Syd and I were planning on taking the day off anyway."
"Well, what about the rest of the week?"
Skyler forced a smile. "The rest of the week? You're staying the whole week?"
"I want as much time with my hoku as possible." Skyler's mom pulled Skyler in for another embrace.
Skyler turned to see Sydney walking down the stairs. "Syd, did you hear? My mother is staying the whole week with us."
"Only if it's okay that is. I know you two are on an important mission here, but I promise to stay out of your way." Skyler's mom turned to Sydney and held open her arms. "Don't think I forgot about my future daughter-in-law."
"Sky and I are just friends, Mrs. Maka." Sydney smiled and returned the hug. "It's so nice to see you again."
"You too, Kikenei." She patted Sydney on the cheeks. "So nani… And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Raelyn?"
"Excuse me?" Anna stood at the foot of the stairs. She had gotten dressed in a nice outfit similar to what Sydney and Skyler were wearing. She waited patiently with a smile on her face. "You must be Skyler's mother." Anna walked forward and held her hand out. "I'm Anna."
Skyler cringed and mumbled under his breath, "Oh no."
Mrs. Maka frowned. "And who are you?"
Sydney jumped in and threw her arm around Anna's shoulder. "Anna is my friend. She was just on her way out. Right, Anna?"
Anna shrugged Sydney's arm off. "I'm not Sydney's friend."
"Ouch." Sydney frowned.
"I mean, I am her friend, but I'm more than that. I'm-"
"A fellow time agent, here to give us extra help on our case." Skyler stood between Anna and his mother.
"Time agent?" Anna looked back and forth between Sydney and Skyler. "What are you-"
"But she has to leave to get back to the academy. Skyler, why don't you see Anna out while I give your mom a tour of the place?" Sydney gave Skyler a pointed look.
Anna crossed her arms, annoyed at being interrupted so many times and being kept in the dark about what was going on. Skyler grabbed her elbow and led her towards the elevator. The minute the doors closed, Anna turned on Skyler.
"What was that?" Anna's hands clenched into fists.
Skyler sighed. "Anna, please…"
"Don't 'Anna, please' me. I want to know what's going on here." Anna put her hands on her hips. "Time agent? I thought you quit all that when you moved here?"
"I did… but my mom doesn't know that."
"What?" Anna stared at him in shock.
"I know. I know. It's bad. I messed up." Skyler ran his hand through his hair. "But, my mom has always been so proud of me choosing to become a time agent and all the progress I made with it. When she found out I had started training under a god, well, she was so impressed and happy. When I decided that I was giving it all up to move to New York to be with you, I just couldn't bring myself to tell her. So instead, I told her that Syd and I were temporarily moving to New York to work on a special Time Agent case… and that's the lie we've been living ever since."
Anna glared at Skyler. "So just tell her the truth. She's your mother. She definitely seems like she loves you. I'm sure she'll be okay with it."
"I… Anna you don't understand."
"Apparently not. Maybe you should tell me the full story." Anna tapped her foot impatiently.
"I can't disappoint my mom, Anna. Dad left her, and my brother never had any aspirations to do something great with his life. She's put so much faith into me. I can't take that away from her. If she found out I left the Warp Academy for some girl, she'd never forgive me."
"Some girl?" Anna raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware I was just some girl."
"That's not what I meant," Skyler backtracked. "You know you mean the world to me. My mom won't see that though. I meant what I said earlier about her being particular about who I'm with, especially girlfriends."
"She seemed awfully fond of Sydney. Future daughter-in-law?" Anna quoted Skyler's mom. "Is that also part of this elaborate lie?"
"No! She thinks Sydney is still an all-powerful goddess. She didn't like Sydney at first, but when she found that out and that she was training me, she changed her opinion. We tell her every time that we're just friends, but she ignores us."
Anna frowned. "And putting up with all this is worth it? Skyler, you have to tell her the truth. You can't keep living this lie. I can't be with you if you keep living this lie."
Skyler flinched, but before he could respond the elevator doors opened and Anna stepped out. She turned to him with anger and hurt in her eyes. This weekend had not gone how she had planned it to. "I hope you do the right thing, Skyler. Call me later."
Skyler reached out a hand to stop her, but the elevator doors closed in his face and sent him back to the penthouse.
"So the good news is that I convinced her to only stay for the weekend. The bad news is, she wants to spend every minute of it with you."
Skyler was only half-listening to Sydney's words. His mind was on Anna and their earlier conversation. I can't be with you if you keep living this lie…
Skyler watched as his mom settle into his room. They didn't have a guest room and Skyler couldn't make his mom sleep on the couch, so he had offered up his room instead. He knew Anna was right, but he also knew he couldn't let his mom down.
Skyler groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Anna hates me."
Sydney scoffed. "I highly doubt that. She's as crazy about you as you are about her. She may be mad, and she has every right to be, but she does not hate you."
"She's going to break up with me if I don't come clean with my mom. I know I have to do it, I just don't know how to tell her."
"Just be honest. This lie is exhausting. And what are you going to tell her in a year when we're still here? I doubt she'll believe that we're still on a temporary assignment. Take her out someplace nice, make her happy, and then tell her the truth that she deserves to know. It's that easy."
"I'm sorry. Remind me again how eager you were to tell Joe about JJ?" Skyler crossed his arms and frowned at Sydney.
"Don't change the subject." Sydney looked away. "Look, you need to tell your mom the truth. It'll be better for everyone. Do it for Anna."
Sydney walked away and Skyler bit his lip in thought. "Hey, mama? How would you like to go somewhere nice for lunch today?"
Anna honestly had no idea what to expect when Skyler texted her saying he had sent a town car over for her. She'd only been home for an hour when she received the message saying he was taking her and his mom out to lunch at Keens Steakhouse, one of his and Sydney's favourite restaurants. Anna didn't much care for the ambiance of the place, but it was easily the best steakhouse in New York.
Anna meant what she said this morning about not wanting to be with Skyler if he continued this lie. She loved him with all her heart, but what he was doing wasn't right. She had been so mad and hurt when Skyler first explained everything to her. She had thought about telling Joe about it, but decided Skyler didn't need to be punished that badly.
She watched the city skyline pass by through the window as the car headed into Manhattan. Had Skyler chosen his mom over her? She couldn't blame him for putting family first, but the idea still stung. Anna hoped for the opposite, that he had decided to come clean to his mother. Anna didn't know what that meant for her. Skyler seemed concerned about his mother's opinion of her. Anna wanted to make a good impression, especially since Skyler had mentioned marriage last night.
The car pulled up to the steakhouse and Anna stepped out. She had changed into a nicer outfit. Skyler and Sydney were definitely trying their best to look good this morning, and Anna wanted to follow suit. Her pale pink sundress fell to her knees and Anna made sure to pick a dress that didn't show any cleavage. She hoped she looked nice enough for Skyler's mom, even if she had only been called here to be told that Skyler was sticking to his Time Agent story.
She walked into the restaurant to see Skyler and his mother sitting at a table in a far corner. They had been talking with their heads lowered, but when Anna entered the room, Skyler looked up and waved her over. Even from across the room, Anna could see Skyler's mom stiffen.
Anna took a deep breath, her heart pounding. "Here we go."
The walk across the floor to their table felt longer than it actually was. Skyler stood and offered her one of his signature lopsided smiles when she arrived which did nothing to soothe Anna's already speeding heartbeat. Anna forced a big grin.
"Mama, this is Anna. The girl I told you about." Skyler put his arm around Anna's shoulders.
Mrs. Maka huffed and glared at Anna. "So you're the harlot that seduced my hoku and convinced him to abandon his hopes and dreams."
"Mama!" Skyler shook his head and Anna's smile dropped. "I told you, my decision to leave the Academy was entirely my own. Yes, Anna was the reason I left, but she had no idea that I would leave for her."
Skyler's mom scanned Anna up and down. "I don't see what's so special about her, just some average mortal girl."
"She means a lot to me, mama, and I'd appreciate it if you'd at least try to like her." Skyler sat down and grabbed his mom's hand.
"Does she even know what the Warp Academy is? Has she even heard of time travel?"
"Yes." Anna spoke up for the first time and angrily crossed her arms. "My brother happens to be the current owner of The Book and I've time traveled plenty of times with it. Last week I warped to Mesopotamia to study for a history test. And I've heard about the Academy. I know all about how Skyler used to want to be a Time Agent. Emphasis on used to." Anna glared at Mrs. Maka, all attempts of making a good impression thrown out the window.
Skyler's mother blinked. "A girl with spirit… you should learn to respect your elders."
Skyler groaned. "Mama…"
"Tell me, why did you give up on being a Time Agent for her? Is she pregnant? It would certainly explain her figure."
"She's not pregnant, and there's nothing wrong with her figure. She's beautiful as she is. We met almost two years ago and I fell in love with her instantly." Skyler's eyes drifted to Anna. "I knew I had to move here to be with her, and I haven't regretted it once. She's my everything. And I love my new job. I'm having more fun now than I ever would have had as a Time Agent."
Mrs. Maka looked at Skyler sympathetically. "Oh hoku, if you didn't want to be a Time Agent anymore, you could have just told me. I want you to do whatever makes you happy. However, doing it all for some girl that I have yet to be impressed with is not okay. I only want what's best for you, and she is not it. You can't let yourself be pushed around by a woman."
"That's exactly what you're doing," Anna mumbled under her breath.
Skyler shot Anna a look that told her to be quiet. "Mama, you said you want me to be happy, and Anna makes me happy. Even if you never accept her, I will always love her and want to be with her."
Skyler's mother frowned. "You're young and your heart is wild. Tomorrow you could love someone else entirely. One day you'll find a suitable girl." She stood up and grabbed her purse. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had enough excitement for one day. I'll be waiting in the car." She quickly left the restaurant.
"She seemed nice." Anna dropped her arms and turned to her boyfriend. "I'm guessing that's not how you wanted this to go?"
Skyler laughed. "Are you kidding? That went a lot better than I thought it would. I think she likes you."
Anna's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious. She called me a harlot!"
"But she didn't yell at you or try to force you out of my life. I wanted to do this meeting in public for your safety, but I don't think that was even necessary."
"My safety? Just how protective is your mom?"
Skyler rubbed the back of his neck. "She just loves me very much is all."
"Did you really mean all that? About always loving me no matter what?" Anna stared at him with hopeful eyes.
"Of course." Skyler grinned and placed his arm around her waist. "I wouldn't have told her the truth if I wasn't willing to do anything to make this relationship last. She'll warm up to you eventually. I'll make sure she does." He kissed her on the temple. "You are future family after all."
Anna giggled and she felt her cheeks heat up. "I guess that means I have to warm up to her too?"
Skyler chuckled. "Yes, I can't have the two most important women in my life at war with each other."
Anna sighed. "Fine, but if she calls me fat again, I won't be so nice."
Skyler grinned. "Deal."
A/N - So I'm back from my study-abroad in Costa Rica and I took a few days to recover, but now I'm getting back into writing (and definitely open to requests from you all to help me do it). This is a little AnnaXSkyler chapter I've had planned out for a while. Let me know what you think with a review! Thanks for reading!
PS: If you haven't seen it already, I made a special announcement on my profile and I'd really like your opinion on it. So go check that out!