Reconciliation...
I sat in the middle of my bed, wearing a black button up shirt and a pair of shorts I'd worn to bed the night before. I'd taken a shower long enough to wash my hair and wake myself up before crawling back into my make shift- and super comfortable- pajamas. There was just something about stealing one of his shirts to wear to bed that not only made me feel really sexy, but also at ease with my surroundings. It helped to keep the dreams away, and that was my goal. I didn't want to feel that pain anymore and I couldn't wait until we could go inside my head and somehow rid me of those nightmares about him vanishing off the face of the planet. It was a pain I'd gone through one too many times and even though it wasn't real, it sure as hell felt like it to me. I'd woken up twice in tears unable to fall back asleep, the second time I'd blacked out from being so tired. The third time I'd had the dream.. Thankfully he'd been there to help me through it and to forget it all.
It was a skill of his.. Making me forget that I was feeling like crap over something- even something super small or so big that my life felt like it was ending. It's one of the many reasons why I love him. He always knows what to say or do to make me feel better.
Smiling to myself I curl up against the pillows laying against the headboard, burying my face in the collar of his shirt. It still smelled like him, even that was a great comfort when he wasn't around to hold me. Just as my eyelids began to grow heavy the sound of the doorbell cut through the house, barely audible in the bedroom. Blinking away the first waves of sleep, I slip from the bed and head to the door. Cracking it open a little I look at the back of the man who rang the doorbell. Leaning my head tiredly against the door I sigh. "Can I help you?"
The man turned, causing my heart to drop and my stomach to leap into my throat. He smiled, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me. 'Hey gumdrop.'
"Dad?" my jaw dropped. He was the last person I'd expected to be ringing my doorbell. Much to my surprise I also flung the door open and threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I... I can't believe you're here..." despite my hating the fact he and my mum had lied to me for years, I'd always been close to him and the fact he was here meant the world to me.
'Is it a bad thing?' he laughed lifting me off the ground and giving me a spin. 'You're as beautiful as your mother told me you were.' he set me back on the ground, cupping my face in both hands before he kissed my forehead. 'She explained everything to me, about the time travel and about how you found out about us having our abilities too. I'm sorry you had to find out about it like this honey.' he pulled me back into another hug.
I only nodded before taking a step back. "Come in, please." I tugged him inside before showing him around. "God.. There is so much we need to talk about.. So many things I have to tell you and ask you about.. My.. Um.."
'Brother and sister. Your brother has a son.' he smiles, his eyes looking a bit sad as he explained it. 'Trust me Linda I wish things had worked out for your mother and I, but.. Her ability took a huge toll on her years ago, she started losing herself and.. Well.. You know the rest.' he sighed taking my hands into his. 'I should have told you, and I wanted to, but she didn't want me to say a word. I guess she thought it would be better off, but I knew.. I could see the changes you were going through and it tore me to pieces.'
"Dad.. It's.. It's okay." I smiled squeezing his fingers. "In a way.. Everything I went through was a good thing." he gave me a strange look. "Listen.. I'm happy now. I've got a wonderful life despite everything. I'm not who I used to be, that little girl you remember the one who was always smiling and begging you to take her to the skating rink? That's who I am again. I've found someone who helped me turn my life around. He makes me happy and I love him so much." I knew I was beaming just thinking about him. "I.. I want you to meet him, before we leave."
'Leave?' he looked at me, brushing a small strand of hair back from my face as he had done a thousand times when I was a kid. It nearly made my heart break thinking he'd come all the way from Indiana just to see me and I was going to be turning around and leaving just like that.
"We're moving to Italy.." I looked down at the floor. "We're moving soon too.. Just.. Need to get everything together and the plans finalized and we're going. I.. Didn't expect to see you or I would have waited." I frowned a little. "I'm sorry.."
'Don't be honey.' he squeezed my fingers before hugging me again. 'Why don't you both stop in Indiana on the way? Stay with Sarah and I for a few days, you can meet your brother and sister and your nephew. They've been wanting to see you since they found out you were still alive. They kind of understand the circumstances.'
"They're like us?" the term sounded weird coming from me. Us. Special. Not normal, not like everyone else. Even that made me hate the fact I was so different. With Roland I'd been able to forget that I have an ability, he made life so much easier, everything I did with him was like taking a breath of air. It was just that natural and uncomplicated. Dad nodded giving me a smile. "What can they do?"
'Meagan can create fire, took her some time getting used to but she's amazing with it. Brian well.. His is a little more difficult to understand.' he gave me a lopsided smile that made me think of my own smile. 'He can control liquids, it's nothing I've ever seen before. James your nephew hasn't shown signs of having an ability yet, then again he's still fairly young he might not even have one.'
I sigh leaning back against the couch. This all seemed so weird to me. Days before I was set to leave for Italy to start my new life.. My old one came crashing through my front door. I had part of my family back again, I wasn't sure what this meant for me, but then again it could be the new start I was always looking for. "I'll talk with Roland, see what he thinks about stopping in Indiana for a couple of days. I'm sure he'd be up for it, but really don't want to make that decision for him, you know?" I grin and lean my head against my dad's shoulder as he hooks an arm around me.
'I understand. I'm only here for the day because of business, but I wanted to see you before I left again. I only took this trip for that reason. Sarah and I will set up the guest room for the two of you.' he kisses the top of my head as I smile. Life had somehow went from utter chaos to absolute perfection in a matter of months. Somehow, I was nervous about this, worried that there was something that was soon going to go horribly wrong. Pushing the thought to the back of my head I relaxed with the idle chatter between my father and myself. I hadn't realized just until that moment how much I'd actually missed him.
Despite the circumstances of our seeing one another again. I was happy he was here.
It was a skill of his.. Making me forget that I was feeling like crap over something- even something super small or so big that my life felt like it was ending. It's one of the many reasons why I love him. He always knows what to say or do to make me feel better.
Smiling to myself I curl up against the pillows laying against the headboard, burying my face in the collar of his shirt. It still smelled like him, even that was a great comfort when he wasn't around to hold me. Just as my eyelids began to grow heavy the sound of the doorbell cut through the house, barely audible in the bedroom. Blinking away the first waves of sleep, I slip from the bed and head to the door. Cracking it open a little I look at the back of the man who rang the doorbell. Leaning my head tiredly against the door I sigh. "Can I help you?"
The man turned, causing my heart to drop and my stomach to leap into my throat. He smiled, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me. 'Hey gumdrop.'
"Dad?" my jaw dropped. He was the last person I'd expected to be ringing my doorbell. Much to my surprise I also flung the door open and threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I... I can't believe you're here..." despite my hating the fact he and my mum had lied to me for years, I'd always been close to him and the fact he was here meant the world to me.
'Is it a bad thing?' he laughed lifting me off the ground and giving me a spin. 'You're as beautiful as your mother told me you were.' he set me back on the ground, cupping my face in both hands before he kissed my forehead. 'She explained everything to me, about the time travel and about how you found out about us having our abilities too. I'm sorry you had to find out about it like this honey.' he pulled me back into another hug.
I only nodded before taking a step back. "Come in, please." I tugged him inside before showing him around. "God.. There is so much we need to talk about.. So many things I have to tell you and ask you about.. My.. Um.."
'Brother and sister. Your brother has a son.' he smiles, his eyes looking a bit sad as he explained it. 'Trust me Linda I wish things had worked out for your mother and I, but.. Her ability took a huge toll on her years ago, she started losing herself and.. Well.. You know the rest.' he sighed taking my hands into his. 'I should have told you, and I wanted to, but she didn't want me to say a word. I guess she thought it would be better off, but I knew.. I could see the changes you were going through and it tore me to pieces.'
"Dad.. It's.. It's okay." I smiled squeezing his fingers. "In a way.. Everything I went through was a good thing." he gave me a strange look. "Listen.. I'm happy now. I've got a wonderful life despite everything. I'm not who I used to be, that little girl you remember the one who was always smiling and begging you to take her to the skating rink? That's who I am again. I've found someone who helped me turn my life around. He makes me happy and I love him so much." I knew I was beaming just thinking about him. "I.. I want you to meet him, before we leave."
'Leave?' he looked at me, brushing a small strand of hair back from my face as he had done a thousand times when I was a kid. It nearly made my heart break thinking he'd come all the way from Indiana just to see me and I was going to be turning around and leaving just like that.
"We're moving to Italy.." I looked down at the floor. "We're moving soon too.. Just.. Need to get everything together and the plans finalized and we're going. I.. Didn't expect to see you or I would have waited." I frowned a little. "I'm sorry.."
'Don't be honey.' he squeezed my fingers before hugging me again. 'Why don't you both stop in Indiana on the way? Stay with Sarah and I for a few days, you can meet your brother and sister and your nephew. They've been wanting to see you since they found out you were still alive. They kind of understand the circumstances.'
"They're like us?" the term sounded weird coming from me. Us. Special. Not normal, not like everyone else. Even that made me hate the fact I was so different. With Roland I'd been able to forget that I have an ability, he made life so much easier, everything I did with him was like taking a breath of air. It was just that natural and uncomplicated. Dad nodded giving me a smile. "What can they do?"
'Meagan can create fire, took her some time getting used to but she's amazing with it. Brian well.. His is a little more difficult to understand.' he gave me a lopsided smile that made me think of my own smile. 'He can control liquids, it's nothing I've ever seen before. James your nephew hasn't shown signs of having an ability yet, then again he's still fairly young he might not even have one.'
I sigh leaning back against the couch. This all seemed so weird to me. Days before I was set to leave for Italy to start my new life.. My old one came crashing through my front door. I had part of my family back again, I wasn't sure what this meant for me, but then again it could be the new start I was always looking for. "I'll talk with Roland, see what he thinks about stopping in Indiana for a couple of days. I'm sure he'd be up for it, but really don't want to make that decision for him, you know?" I grin and lean my head against my dad's shoulder as he hooks an arm around me.
'I understand. I'm only here for the day because of business, but I wanted to see you before I left again. I only took this trip for that reason. Sarah and I will set up the guest room for the two of you.' he kisses the top of my head as I smile. Life had somehow went from utter chaos to absolute perfection in a matter of months. Somehow, I was nervous about this, worried that there was something that was soon going to go horribly wrong. Pushing the thought to the back of my head I relaxed with the idle chatter between my father and myself. I hadn't realized just until that moment how much I'd actually missed him.
Despite the circumstances of our seeing one another again. I was happy he was here.