Drabble:20
POV:Third Person
Janine Hathaway wasn't a woman prone to jealousy, but even she suffered from the green-eyed monster sometimes. Like this very instant. Her daughter, Rose Hathaway, was hugging a middle-aged woman. Not just any woman- Olena Belikova.
Rose loved Olena, Janine knew that. She was always going on about how motherly and caring Olena was, how kind she was and what a wonderful cook she was. Rose gushed about how Olena had raised her four children single-handedly, and helped nurture them into respectable, outstanding dhampirs. Rose had even revealed to her that Olena was basically Rose's version of an ideal mother. So, Janine knew how fond her daughter was of Olena.
Still, watching them together made Janine's heart ache. Janine watched Olena embrace Rose and fuss over her affectionately as Rose's face broke into a grin at her mother-in-law-to-be's coddling.
Janine and Rose had come a long way from the animosity that had been the predominant part of their relationship previously. Rose no longer resented her, and genuinely seemed to care about her, but they still had walls. Rose had only known Olena for a few months, but she seemed totally at ease with her. Olena had helped Rose cope with Dimitri's death, had helped her heal, when Janine couldn't. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Janine wondered if she had made the right decision carting Rose off to the academy as a toddler. Sure, Rose had grown up to become a remarkable person with a promising career, but Janine had played no part in her upbringing. Janine felt sad that she was a stranger to her own daughter.
While she was lost in thought, Rose had come over, bringing Olena with her. "Mom?", Rose spoke up, breaking Janine out of her reverie "I'd like to introduce you to Olena Belikova, Dimitri's mom."
Janine forced a smile on her face and nodded cordially, repressing her jealousy at the loving tone in Rose's voice. Her rival for her daughter's affection-the brown-eyed, brown-haired woman-smiled warmly at her. "And dearest mother-in-law-to-be," continued Rose in a joking tone "Meet the one-and-only bad-ass guardian, Janine Hathaway. My mother"
Janine couldn't help but notice the look in Rose's eyes as she was introduced. Rose's eyes reflected happiness, pride, respect and something else, something that seemed a lot like love. They also seemed to seek Janine's approval, approval for the other woman, approval at her choice. Janine couldn't help but feel touched.
"I've heard a lot about you, Guardian Hathaway," Olena said amicably. "Roza has a lot of admiration for you. It's nice to finally put a face to your name."
"The pleasure's all mine", Janine said pleasantly, no longer jealous. "My daughter can't shut up about you. And, please call me Janine." As they chatted, Janine saw her Rose smiling at her. Thanks, Rose mouthed. Thank you, Janine mouthed back. They both shared a look of understanding.
Janine and Rose might not have an ideal relationship, but they shared blood, Blood mattered. And they had the rest of their lives to work on perfecting their relationship. And they were willing to work for it.
Thank you for reading! :D