Iridescence

Mark exits the door of their car as he hears Victoria fuss and quickly gets the still-injured Amy out of her seat. It's quiet despite that as he sees his wife silently get her things in order to assist her two daughters. He feels inadequate like always as what little things he does simply did not seem to placate the growing feeling of uselessness in his mind.

Still, it was… good to see how much Victoria had fawned over Amy.

So much so than probably the last few years, he knew they were close. Closer to each other than probably his relationship with them, but… this was just on a new level. Especially since Amy seemed to have lost everything.

Her memories. Her personality.

Damn near everything.

What was left was a confused little girl who kept on asking as to who they were ever since she woke up. Even the way she talked was different and she had completely lost any idea as to how the world worked in all its important, basic ways.

The fact that she was looking at everything like a child so mesmerized and confused about technology, people, and even her own family was a sore sticking point that disturbed even himself. More so with his extended family, because even Sarah had turned unconditionally sad in her current state.

Victoria was the worst hit, as she kept crying nearly every night, more so after Amy had woken up.

She never left her side after the accident, but the moment Amy woke up and started asking questions it was hard for her to even stay given how hurt she was. She persisted still, especially when Amy was asleep, but it took a hard toll on Victoria specifically as she was never the same after that.

It took Carol to make her stop some of the problematic issues such as her absence in class to make her feel normal again, but it was obvious that she was yet to recover still.

Victoria, who was having trouble opening the wheelchair due to frustration made him walk to her and help. Her daughter smiled in thanks as they both helped Amy into the chair. He felt Carol's eyes watch over them as Amy looked at them all.

"Thank you very much for the kindness… V-Victoria, M-Mark… and madame Carol." She said with a shy tone as a subtle blush of red spread across her face. Both her legs, with those thick casts, made it so that she wouldn't be walking for months or more.

Worse, Mark recalled that much to the family's shock Amy no longer had her powers.

"You're welcome Ames… b-but this is home." Victoria waved with her arm in an attempt to gain some levity but only found Amy's face confused. "Don't you remember? At least even a bit?"

Mark watched as Amy's expression went on a series of changes. Only for it to remain as it was before. "N-no… I apologize, I don't really."

It was like a needle drop to him as well as Victoria. But unlike her, he was able to keep it in but to Vicky that must have been devastating. He could see her barely holding it in as he felt Carol's frown go deeper beside him.

"That's… that's fine. I'm sure it'll come back." Victoria said the last sentence almost a whisper to herself. Amy looked troubled due to how her sister looked and immediately placed her hand on hers.

"I h-hope it does. Really… it's just… well…"

"It's fine Ames… we don't want to pressure you too much. It's just been a week after all. Your head's bound to be fuzzy." Amy was still left with a frown but Victoria continued to talk, trying to change the topic into something lighter as she rolled her sister away into the house.

Mark and his wife watched in silence as he stared at the two before they disappeared through their front door. It was then that he felt his wife's hands hold his own.

"Come on… we still need to settle her in."

"Y-Yeah. We do." He answered but before they could step further he tugged Carol's hand to make them face each other.

"What's going to happen?" he asked, genuinely concerned, which Carol was surprised at. It had been a while since Mark had shown any interest in parenthood and she looked at him as if this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

"I don't know… honey. I've never seen Amy this way before." Carol honestly said a turmoil of emotions deep inside of her brewing that Mark had difficulty pinpointing. He merely nodded in response as they both squeezed each other's hands while they walked together to their home.

Mark was still left with a genuine sense of concern and curiosity after such a long while of total absence from anything resembling his life Deep down, he legitimately hoped that things would get better.

Amy was still lost in her own world.

Even as Vicky did her best to explain, and show the various memories and stories about their lives, it always ended with heartbreak for her daughter due to how nothing out of the original Amy was seemingly coming back. Despite that, she did her best, nearly every day before and after going to school (which Carol forced to come back to) she cooked for Amy, assisted Amy, and even spent the rest of her time with her sister for as long as feasibly possible.

Often times she would even sleep at Amy's side in her room during the night, to which either Carol or he would pick her up and put her in her own room afterwards.

Despite that, with the innocence displayed by Amy, it seemed that the girl was really trying. Despite the changes in her personality and character, she was doing her best to be helpful around the house. Or at least what she knew to do around the house.

From trying to wipe the table with how much ground she could cover from her wheelchair to watering the plants in their house, and sometimes when a mess was made, she would usually arrange and clean their belongings.

She was also far quieter these days. More so than even the old Amy. She would often read books she could not understand fully, and you would usually find her sitting on their porch in the backyard just staring into the sky.

On the days when Victoria was at class, Carol's work needed to be shifted back to their home.

But despite her presence, it felt as if it was mostly just him and Amy in the house.

Two strangers who shared a glance or two from time to time.

But a nagging feeling always invaded Mark because as kind as Carol was, she also felt absent from their lives. Both of their lives entirely…

And right now, as he stared at Amy sitting in her wheelchair looking at the rain, Mark could not help but open the door and let himself outside. A dose of self-responsibility blossomed in his heart at that rare moment and despite the depression, he found himself taking a seat close to her.

Much to Amy's surprise of course.

The rain left the ambiance quite strange but relaxing as the world around them was showered by nature's grace. Mark wasn't typically a person back then who admired or liked the rain, but it felt comforting in the best ways.

However, it was awkward as Amy and Mark were forced to look at each other, unsure of who would first open up between them.

"H-Hello… M-Mark." She spoke.

"Hello, Amy," he said as the awkward silence continued. However, he noticed that calling her Amy seemed to make her frown a bit. "I'm sorry… but I was wondering why you were here."

The sounds of their shed, which was covered by a tarp being pelted by the rain seemed to fill the gaps of the silence between them as Amy smiled. "I like watching the sky. It fills me with a sense of belonging, like I'm never alone even when it's dark outside."

Amy then raises her arm weakly into the air as if imagining herself reaching the clouds.

"It's a shame it's raining today, I would have liked to see the sun, the clouds, the stars. But… I don't mind the rain entirely. It makes me feel cozy and comfortable."

Mark hummed to that as he looked to where she was pointing.

"What about you? I can't help but notice that this is the first time you joined me." Amy asked. The words to some might feel as if they were a subtle jab at him, but he found that she was actually asking it with all due curiosity and innocence. She was legitimately surprised at his actions in general.

"Well… I feel like trying to do something different today, and I thought… You were lonely."

Amy's smile turned big as she looked at him. He found himself smiling back as she looked appreciative at him. "T-Thank you. Really. I can't say that the last few days were difficult, but please believe me in saying that they are the most wonderful days of my life that I could remember."

Mark's smile dropped considerably as guilt started to seep into his veins. Was she lying? The last few days were nothing but silence, grief, and sorrow despite Victoria's attempts at cheering them all up, and Amy… Amy at that current moment felt just as honest as she possibly could thanking him.

"I never had a family before. One that cared for me as much as you and Victoria have and despite my… condition. Simply having a home where everyone tries to make me smile and cheer me up is already enough." Amy added as a slew of thankful tears started to appear on her face.

He was left unsure as to what to say as the rain around them continued.

Guilt now filled him up completely as he felt Amy's hands clasp his own.

"Mark?"

"Yes, dear?" he tried as they met eyes once more.

"C-Can you tell me about Amy? W-Who I once was?"

Mark blinked before a bit of a spark returned to him. He then managed a small smile as he recalled the old Amy. "It's weird hearing you ask such a question, but if it'll help, well… Amy was a kind girl. She was loving to Victoria, quite the hero to so many people and…"

Yet as fast as the spark came and went by, it was only there that Mark made a huge realization.

"…and… she was…"

He never knew Amy that well enough.

"And?" her daughter asked curiously with a slight tip to her head. Mark could only watch as guilt finally took him entirely.

"I'm sorry Amy." He found himself saying.

"Sorry for what?"

"Everything." He said as they let the sounds of the rain around them relay the emotions that no longer needed to be said. Yet to Amy, the current Amy, she felt as if she had made a mistake asking that question.

Despite the earlier blunder between them, Mark found the need to do more.

Starting from that conversation, he did his best to help Amy around the house. From simple to complex chores, he would help her much to the girl's delight. He even tried to cook for her in some instances, to which they would both laugh, genuinely and hysterically at how he burnt some of the eggs. They would even be caught by his wife in certain instances as they did their best to clean up their messes, at least more on his part given that Amy was still wheelchair-bound.

It got to a point where Mark felt good.

He felt… happy. The days were no longer as dull they were as before.

And being with Amy, despite the remaining feeling of apprehension was an experience that he had not felt ever since he first laid eyes on Victoria as she was born.

As days continued, they would find themselves inseparable and with the things that Amy was no longer knowledgeable by, he would teach her, to the best of his ability. It was not perfect.

Nor was it enough to justify all the guilt that he garnered for not being there for his daughter, but Mark pushed on. He endeavored to make it work. To make it happen in the best way possible between them. No longer were his days just left with him sitting in his bed or in his room while watching TV but now with the motivation in his head…

Despite all the sorrow, he wished to be there.

He wished to be there for Amy.

It was going well for the most part, even Carol was starting to be surprised at the rate of his newly acquired actions and motivations until one singular night made it all transform into something else.

Victoria much to her anger needed to go on a trip with her classmates. As much as her girl protested to remain at home to help him keep Amy company, Carol insisted that it was important, especially with her grades going down.

It took a surprising pep talk with him and a conversation with Amy that made her go.

They were… inseparable much to Mark's delight and happiness as the two grew closer, far closer than they have ever been in the course of their lives. Even Carol was forced to admit it much to her shock when the entire family went out to dinners with Amy alongside them.

For the first time in years, the entirety of New Wave had done their best to commemorate Amy's discharge from the hospital since her accident, and Sarah as well as her entire family did their best to make her daughter happy and content.

Yet, there was still a degree of apprehension still with Amy and her family.

Apprehension that was only broken by either him or Victoria.

That was until Amy was curious as to what "movies" were.

She came to him as they were re-organizing their living room and she found their collection of DVDs. Some of them that Mark used to vehemently like and watch over and over again through their TV. As he explained to her what films were, much to her delight she attributed them as 'plays'.

He laughed at her distinction over the medium as she pouted with such a funny face.

She even nagged at him as she rolled herself to his side just to make him stop making fun of her. It was a great experience as he told her the basics…

And she was so thrilled and excited about it that she asked if such a thing needed any sort of payment. When Mark said that they owned the film, she was so aghast that she excitedly called Victoria on the phone with his help (because she still had no inkling or understanding over cell phones, much to his and Carol's relief).

Despite that however, Mark felt guilty at the fact that it seemed anything that was gifted to Amy whether it was new clothes or things she could possibly like, she would always ask how much they cost, and that she would wish to pay them back for it…

It nagged him as to why exactly she felt that way, but he hoped it wasn't anything serious.

It was another note that needed to be addressed in the future because as night came, they prepared their little romp. They even comically made their living room into a pseudo-theater with Amy and Victoria's stuffed toys (which Amy started to become attached to) as Mark found himself trying to look as close as a theater staff member with what clothes he had in his wardrobe.

It was a cheeky little ploy to get her excited but seeing the warmth on her face on how far he went with this was… honestly very worth it. He wanted to actually tear up but he kept appearances as he presented her with one of his favorite movies of all time.

A classic animation that he loved even as an adult.

One that had Amy riveted from the very first scene to the last.

It was… lovely spending time with Amy this way as she reacted with the film on all its most precious and loving moments. She even cried genuinely in a lot of circumstances as she sniffed while wiping her tears on Victoria's favorite teddy bear much to his chagrin…

But what solidified the moment for him was when near the end, Amy looked at him as he felt her hand squeeze his own.

"T-Thank you… y-you don't know how much this means for me." She started as it made Mark slowly part his lips in surprise at how much she was… tearing up in joy. "You've been kind… so, so kind to me that I'm scared. Scared that I will wake up and realize this was all a dream."

Mark quickly put Amy into an embrace as he tried to comfort her.

"It's real. It's real Amy. I'm here and… unlike before, I'm never leaving again…" he said with all the heart he could muster as he felt Amy smile in his arms before leaning into him and pressing her face into his chest.

"That's what they all say." She whispered.

"But unlike them, I'm keeping this as a promise. Not just for you, but for Vicky as well." She then looked up at him as he said those words. He wiped a tear straining down her face as he smiled. "A promise that I will never, ever, lose sight of myself again so that I can love my daughters entirely without fail."

She smiled back as she leaned into him as the movie's credits rolled.

"That was wonderful, M-Mark. The movie, everything." She whispered even as their surroundings turned dark due to the credits. He still yearned for the day she would call him dad, but instead for now, he was content with it. He then moved to kiss the top of her head one last time as the tired Amy drifted to sleep.

Minutes later, he would lift her in his arms towards his room as he tucked her in bed.

Mark found himself smiling.

Feeling accomplished at seeing how far their relationship had gone.

And how far there needed to be trekked to assuage the guilt he felt within his heart.

He sighed as he kissed Amy's head one more time before leaving her room. After he finished cleaning up, he walked towards his and Carol's room, only to find her reading on the bed. Still awake.

"Enjoyed yourself?" Carol asked.

"I did… it was pretty fun honey." He said with a genuine smile as he moved to kiss his wife's cheek as he settled in beside her.

"Mark." She suddenly asked as she took off her glasses and placed her book on the table next to their bed. "How long has it been since you've taken your meds?"

Mark blinked at her question. "I don't remember… but why are you asking that?"

Carol sighed as she leaned into her husband's form. Eventually, they held hands as she switched their lamp off. "Because you've been different, these past few weeks."

He smiled at her. "Better I hope?"

Carol did not answer as she kissed him. As they broke it, she said, "You feel vibrant, alive. I… I missed that."

"I did too honey." He admitted but there was still a degree of conflict on her face, something that left him confused. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. Just… thinking of things with Vicky, Amy…"

He giggled as he set her closer to him. "Everything will be fine. Amy's doing better, that's what matters."

"Yes. That's what matters." She echoed as they both fell asleep.

The strange tone that Carol had in her words never left Mark as he let the darkness take him.

On the next day, Mark chaperoned Amy to take a walk with him as he rolled her around the neighborhood. It was a peaceful day, nearly perfect in his eyes as they both enjoyed the calm winds and the calm serenity of it all.

Yet what bothered Mark was the sudden silence that Amy had as he strolled her around.

Whenever he asked her something she would respond with short, to-the-point sentences and he was starting to get so bothered by it that she mused him that it was alright. He was suspicious of course, but he knew that she was okay…

At least for the most part.

Still, seeing her happy face as she saw the neighborhood and the many shops and people they met along the way made her so fascinated and curious that it made him smile. Of course, there were hiccups along the way. A few included a few fans that wished her well but after seeing how discomforted Amy was, she politely asked them to leave…

Thankfully he did as he felt his fatherly senses kick in.

Yet despite those elations as soon as they arrived home to which he found Carol absent, he found Amy once more being quiet as she sat in her wheelchair looking nearly at nothing just as she used to be days after she first arrived.

It disturbed him even as he tried to talk to her with little to no response.

It was only then when he was allowed to marinate in his thoughts that he thought about how… lonely and isolated Amy felt these last few weeks. Even with all the kindness and love that he gave her, he realized that barely anybody not associated with her hero life even came to greet or genuinely visit her.

It was only Victoria, him, and Carol as well as their family…

Nobody else.

It was then he realized how deep the problem was as he watched her sitting on their porch again looking at the stars as the night sky finally loomed overhead. Despite hoping to preserve her privacy, he made an oath to himself to do better…

So, he opened the door once again in a very familiar sight and sat next to Amy once more.

"Hey… are you okay?" he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him and nodded as if it were difficult. "I just… wanted to see the stars again."

He looked up and smiled. "They're beautiful this time of the year. Clear. Almost as if there wasn't pollution in the air." He said to lighten the mood as he heard Amy hum.

"Mark… I apologize but I'm simply lost."

"Lost?"

She looked at him with all the seriousness she could muster as she cupped her hands together.

"I don't know why I'm here. Why I'm… Amy. Why I woke up in this form, simply lost as to what my purpose is and I know I will never get my answers because I've been duped before."

"Amy… what are you saying?"

"I used to look at a lonely star in the sky, even as the cold days came, I would seek it out, smile at it. Hope to it… but then the fires came and I was left running without a forethought. I lost myself again, thinking that I knew my purpose, my dignity, and my strength, but it was all a lie. A lie that kept me hoping like an idiot as I stared into a lonely star that was so very far."

Suddenly Mark saw that within Amy's hands, there manifested a bright orb of light.

He froze on the spot as Amy looked at it, almost nostalgically with a pained smile.

"I'm not Amy. I never was… and seeing you and your family do your best to try and make me remember just makes me guilty. Guilty because I know I just stole the life of your daughter. Your beloved daughter that you cherished so much. I feel like a stranger trying to act as someone I'm not… and it's just… I… I just find it terrible." She explained as she broke up into tears.

"That's not true… honey." He said.

"It's all the more painful when everything I wished… everything I ever dreamed about was having a normal life. A family that loved me. That stayed by me… and I… I can't help but feel as if I cheated myself on a dream that used to belong to another. I-

Amy stopped entirely when Mark placed both of his hands on her face.

"Baby girl… I don't care about any of that." He then stroked her hair as he smiled bitterly at some of the memories coming up within him. "I was lost too. For so long I haven't been the best father to both my daughters. To you and to Vicky. But… despite what you're saying I don't think it was a lie. I don't think it was a fluke. You were meant to be here… because you saved me more so than anything in the world. You showed me the way back into the light. You showed me that despite all of the sorrow and sadness I felt, I can find a way out of it with the light of my family."

Amy looked in shock at his words as he smiled as he took one of her hands.

"I don't know if fate exists, or if destiny is a thing, but I know for a fact that the lonely star did not lie to you, because it brought you back to us."

Amy started sobbing in joy and happiness as she leaped into Mark's arms and cried to the hardest of her capability. Mark similarly cried as well as they watched the bright orb of light slowly float into the air and towards the sky…

Hope burned bright into the hearts.

But even as a degree of questions and doubts lingered in their head, Mark and Amy knew that they earned this moment. That in that very instance, they belonged to each other's comfort.

Once more after finishing another movie, Mark brought Amy upstairs to her bed.

Slowly he tucked her in and gave her a kiss to her head.

The girl still had a lot of problems still, especially with the depression that bloomed in her heart, but knowing where that depression headed with his own experience, Mark made it a vow to keep her afloat. He would dedicate more time with them as much as he could muster…

Because both his daughters needed him at that moment in time, and he would never lose himself again because of it.

He sighed heavily as he walked down the stairs.

He then noticed that the lights in the kitchen were turned on as well as their front door being opened. Nearing them, he finally saw Carol holding a bottle as she took another drink into her gullet.

"O-Oh… h-hello Mark. H-had to celebrate I guess." She said with a wobbly voice.

He shook his head as he pulled his wife away from the drink much to her weak protest.

He carried her up the stairs almost similarly as Amy was before depositing her on the bed.

She groaned in her drunken state until she pulled the edges of his shirt.

"I love you."

"I love you too honey." He said with a grin.

"I love our daughter… too. Victoria… where is she?"

"She's still a few days away… and don't forget about Amy as well. We love them both." He proclaimed with sincerity. That is until Carol sarcastically laughed.

"I-Is she o-our daughter though?" she suddenly asked.

"She is," Mark replied, perplexed.

"I… I doubt that." She said as she drifted off to sleep.

Leaving Mark looking at Carol never the same way as before.

AN: The muse was far too strong, and due to how hard the current chapter of my main fic was in terms of writing, I had to uh decompress myself with something else. However, that main fic still takes precedence first, so any sequel to this is going to take a while unfortunately…

I do want to share this though because it has ideas that I would like to explore as well as the Mom-skaya fic, but who knows, the future is still ripe for the taking and maybe this will be it after Narcissus' Folly, or maybe not…

Stay tuned I guess and I hope this was a fun, decent read.

Oh and yes, (Fae eyes are not online yet).