Zoey nuzzles her little face against my neck while she stops crying, "Come on…guys let's do our best to clean up the house." I murmur and receive small noises of agreement.
Zoey didn't want to separate from me and Maddy was reluctant to separate from me as well, there wasn't much I could do but lock the door behind us and take the girls into Maddy and I's bedroom.
Luckily it's untouched by those savages so I lay down on my bed with Zoey held in my arms, Maddy looks at me shyly but I remove my right arm from Zoey and pat the bed the girl develops a bit of a shy blush but lays down and rests her head on my shoulders and I wrap my right arm around her.
Once both girls cry themselves to sleep I finagle my way out of their clingy grips, which was very very difficult.
Once I'm out of bed the two hug each other and snuggle in their sleep, 'Okay…that's adorable.' I think, and take a picture of the two sleepy heads with my phone, that was in my pocket.
I walk out into the main area of the house and start taking photos of the damages, especially Maddy's broken Plex, 'This is gonna break her heart…she had everything on here.' I think and vainly hope that the data is recoverable but Plex was notorious for losing data because of improper cloud storage practices.
Making sure the damages are documented and an online police report is filed, which involves chatting with a law enforcement artificial intelligence…
I start cleaning up, an hour or so passes and Maddy comes out of our room, marches over to me and hugs me, she's crying, she starts rubbing her snotty nose against my chest.
"Eww." I say playfully getting a giggle out of the girl and that has the side effects of snapping her out of her crying which I'm thankful for.
"Where…when did you learn to fight like Dad?" Maddy asks me her voice raw and crackly.
"Pshhh, Dad wishes he could kick ass like me." I joke playfully and Maddy looks up at me, rolls her eyes and gives me a watery smile.
"Is Dad going to be alright?" Maddy asks a question I wish I could say yes to but I just don't know…my interference is probably going to make things worse on Jim.
"I…I don't know Madds…" I say to her honestly because I just feel like I can't lie when faced with those expressive hopeful, but incredibly scared and fragile doe eyes.
"C-can you call those people you talked about…you know those people that are the reason why even when you're at school…you're not actually at school?" Maddy asks me, and I reluctantly nod…
"I probably made things worse for Dad…" I mutter but Maddy pokes me hard…hurting her finger of course steel skin and all.
"I…would be disappointed if my big brother stood back and did nothing." Maddy murmurs with a smile, "Plus it was really cool watching you beat their asses like some action movie hero." Maddy's voice is colored by laughter and I start tickling her sides making her devolve into a fit of giggles, she playfully fights back kicking me and trying to push me away but it is all for naught.
"St-op, I'm gonna pee!" Maddy finally cries out and I stop my tickle torture the girl is a gasping panting mess but there's a perpetual smile on her face now.
"Thanks Josh…" She murmurs softly while laying on the cushionless couch, I pick up the cut open cushions and grab some duct tape from a hook on the wall and tape the cut open sides shut.
Maddy reluctantly gets up and helps me work together. We get the house mostly put back together in an hour…seeing Mom's purse and realizing she has nothing but her ID I start to worry about her. It was already late into the evening when the population officers showed up.
It's almost three in the morning and Mom still isn't home. She did call from the station last night…this morning…a couple of hours ago, to let us know she was okay and that Dad would be facing sentencing tomorrow, today…at around noon.
Maddy and Zoey are asleep so I give Richard a call to get his/his husband's help, He Richard picks up on the second ring.
I'm an asset to him and their company's 'secret' weapon, he…they want to keep me happy, I am willing to use him in turn just as he is willing to use me...and my family most likely against me.
I open the privacy screen on the window to look outside the billowing smoke that covers the sky…a sky dotted with flying cars like out of the fifth element or blade runner 2049.
"What's the problem?" Richard asks me over the phone, getting straight to the point…something that I appreciate, though I'm a little uncomfortable that I can hear the rustling of fabric in the background and the disgruntled mumbling of something…, the voice of Sam Whiteichey's mother voices on my head, "it seems I have interrupted the two's happy special alone time."
It takes me a second to arrange my thoughts after the voice of Sam Whiteichey's mother says that in my head.
"The family control service officers showed up, long story short, they found Zoey. There was a violent course of action taken, my dad is in jail and they're going to sentence him later today around noon…when I asked for a warrant to search the premises, they didn't procure one but they found Zoey anyway." I say to Richard and he stays quiet for a few seconds while his husband the actual lawyer mumbles something I can't actually understand what he's saying though.
"Just sit tight Josh…Daniel and I are coming over." I can't help but let out a breath of relief at that, even if it might cost me later, shutting the privacy screen I walk over and sit down on the couch.
Both Richard and Daniel show up at my home within the hour, which is saying something considering they live about an hour away near the edge of the city…this is the first time I'm actually meeting Daniel…even though he's handled pretty much all of my paperwork for Hope Plaza.
Though I also get a guest star who looks like Becky G and is about the same age as Maddy.
"Hey-hey, I'm Sienna." She waves to me with a nervous energy, "Josh Shannon nice to meet you Sienna, I met your mom a couple of times…she seems like a total badass baddie." I greet her and Sienna smiles.
"We're sorry for being late…and for bringing Sienna…we couldn't find a babysitter." Daniel apologizes and I get the sense that he's the woman in the relationship but also wears the pants at home as well.
I let out a snort of laughter, "Don't you guys live like an hour from here? You literally got here in like an hour and five minutes." I joke as I find it amusing that both men develop a sheepish expression while Daniel blushes in embarrassment.
And clears his throat.
Maddy and Zoey come over to the couch they're a little standoffish and skittish but Sienna powers through it and before I know the three girls are giggling and talking about a plushie toy brand and other girly things while Daniel asks me to go into more detail and see the photos of the damages done before I and Maddy cleaned up.
"Okay so since Zoey over there was born off the grid and undocumented…I can fudge up some birth documents of you being her biological father." Daniel says to me and proceeds to explain things to me and highlighting certain points for me but in the end it sounds like the best bet to protect my baby sister and the family from further repercussions.
"Okay…let's do it…who do we say the mother is?" I question Daniel and he makes a rather disgusted face.
"It'll have to be your mother…" he says to me and I can tell he feels disgusted with himself at the implication.
"Isn't incest illegal?" I question but Daniel shakes his head no.
"Not after the Russo Chinese let off that gene bomb…incest became perfectly legal…even encouraged in some places for repopulation purposes…" He tells me and I nod hopefully Elizabeth is fine with that implication.
"Still let's do this…I want that little bit of protection it offers my family…now is there anything you can do for my dad?" I say resolutely, before asking for Jim and Daniel gives me a reluctant nod, "I can probably get the sentence down to four years with good behavior…but your father taking the blame for your…assaulting the officers really hampers any strategy I might come up with to defend him."
"There is something else…you see Daniel and I want to start our own family but…Sienna is preventing us from doing so…in exchange for my husband's help I'd like to transfer custodialship to you…since we'll be emancipating…you anyways." Richard says and Daniel is about to lay into him but I can see the benefits to this.
"Sure…I don't mind Maddy and Zoey seem quite taken with her anyways." I shrug and Daniel huffs a sigh and gives Richard a look that promises this isn't over between them.
"Okay if I'm going to defend your father I need to get to the station…if you could put together some things for your mother I'll pass them to her."
I nod and move to grab Mom's large purse and put a package of baby wipes inside of it and pack a nice outfit for her to wear and throw a couple of emergency pads in there as well.
Handing the purse off to Richard and Daniel, Richard smiles reassuringly… "My husband is a great lawyer, he'll do everything he can to help your father and get Zoey's situation straightened out…thanks for being so agreeable with the whole Sienna thing…she was dumped on us after the big bosses decided to renege on Mira's deal." Richard says to me and I shrug, "It's not a big deal, I know your husband probably bills a 100k creds an hour even if I do have a nice piggy bank I can't afford that cost…if this turns into a long drawn out thing."
"That's one thing I've always liked about you Josh…you're a realist and a bit pessimistic." Richard says to me while Daniel shoots me an apologetic look and drags his husband away, Sienna comes up to me and hugs me.
"Thank you so much for agreeing…I was starting to worry Richard would make me disappear if they couldn't find someone to shove me off onto." She says her voice cracking with emotion.
"You're part of the family now Sienna, besides your mom is kinda a good friend." I say to the girl…that is budding into a beautiful young woman…much like Maddy.
Sienna laughs… "My mom is your friend…jeez you talk like you had time to get to know her." Sienna murmurs as she smiles at me.
"Ohh, I did…spend about nine hours a day at Hope Plaza and grew pretty close to your mom before she left on the sixth pilgrimage…she would go on and on about her cute daughter and how she hopes she would find a cute, sweet, smart boy like me…when she stops wetting the bed …" I reply and snicker towards the end as Sienna blushes.
"Okay…okay you really did know my mom and not just her mercenary persona…god why does she have to be so embarrassing?" Sienna murmurs in a horrified manner.
Richard and Daniel return mid afternoon, Daniel looks to me apologetically, "I'm sorry Josh I was only able to get your father's sentence down to six years with good behavior but I did get him his own cell in a restricted section of prison where he should be safe from other convicted criminals given his past as a police officer."
"Thank you Daniel…did mom sign off on her end of the custody stuff?"
"She did…now you and I have to finalize things…she's staying with your father until he gets booked into the prison."
The familiar beep of the security code was inputted into the door. Daniel and I were going over the custody agreement, it had somehow already been finalized between the past few days. I knew what Richard had done, but I could care less about what he did to make it happen. I almost felt my heart jump as the door opened.
The familiar beep of the security code being typed into the door signals to me that Elizabeth is home.
Just as Daniel and I are finishing up with going over the custody paperwork…somehow the man has gotten it finalized on the same day…he represented my father in court, including the custodial guardianship of Sienna and my emaciation to adult status.
I almost jump out of my seat to rush the door as it opens, but Mom walks in before I can do so, her skin is somewhat pale and her lips are dry, she's missing her respirator, her eyes are clearly tired and swollen.
She takes one look at me sitting at the table before almost collapsing onto the couch in relief.
Maddy, Zoey rush her but…me I'm frozen in my seat, my mind telling me how I could have prevented all of this. I could have tried opening a portal and sending the little munchkin to my pocket world or any number of things.
These thoughts make my body feel heavy, my eyes sting, as I watch Elizabeth wrap her arms around my sisters as she breaks down into sobs…I hadn't heard her cry like this since the time the train I was on was bombed.
I have this surreal feeling all of a sudden, like all of this is fake…that I'm fake…though that's not the best description of what I'm feeling either, it's like I'm not myself and I'm not real…and the pain that I feel should reassure me that I'm real this is all real but it doesn't…I'm not waking up from this dream that's being twisted into a nightmare.
I'm in the universe of Terra Nova as Josh Shannon…my dad is in jail…I have custody of my sisters…and Mira's daughter…I have powers and abilities that seem pointless…
It feels fake…everything feels fake…like I'm on the set of a TV show…everything goes blurry, I'm shivering…but I'm not cold…I feel something running down my face and I realize that I'm crying…
I rub at my face as a hand touches my shoulder comfortingly…I choke on air, my nose burns… "It's okay sweetheart I'm safe…you're safe we're home…you're not on the train." And it hits me I really fucking missed my mom…and I have issues that probably need a psychiatrist…the new three year old incest baby with Elizabeth Shannon…my "mother" non withstanding.
"I'm sorry Mom, I'm sorry." I hear myself babbling but sounds like I'm a million miles away.
~~ — — — — — — — — — — ~~
Jim's absence in the household is felt between Elizabeth having to moonlight for criminal elements to make sure Jim is protected on the inside on top of working double-shifts to pay the bills.
Absolutely refusing to allow me to pay for anything but the rent on the expanded apartment to help fit Sienna into the family who quite honestly fit with us so well it almost seemed like she was always meant to be here.
At school some boys that Maddy wouldn't give the time of day to and neither would Sienna, called Maddy a slut just like her Sonfucking mother…well let's just say my disciplinary records are no longer spotless…and though I pretty much always come out on top…besides that one time I got stabbed with a knife or that time I was shot by a sonic pistol…people have learned not to fuck with my sisters…even the adopted one.
Maddy and Sienna always insist on cleaning me up afterwards so Mom wouldn't know and worry...about me…that or they both seemed to like seeing me with my shirt off…I like to think it's the ladder.
All three girls share a room mom has her own while I sleep in the loft that belonged to Mom and Dad.
Mom comes home late haggard…I guess this is the usual time now, I jump off of my little loft and fix her supper/breakfast.
"You should sleep Josh…your work is important…so is your class work." Elizabeth yawns but doesn't push when I shoot her a look.
"Mom…let me help out more with the bills…you're killing yourself working like this." I just can't help myself. We have this argument at least three times a week.
"Josh…please, not tonight…you need to save for your college and when you get out on your own." Elizabeth murmurs in exhaustion and I relent for now.
Pulling her meal out of the microwave I set the plate down on the table in front of her, she murmurs a thank you too softly for me to actually hear, I step up behind her and start rubbing her lower back.
"Ohh-Josh-mmm-sweetheart Mommy's trying to eat…oh-oh-oh-fuuu-right there baby right there." Elizabeth moans and I smirk, I'd learned her high tension areas pretty well over the last year and a month or so, since Jim got locked up.
Rubbing up her back working the knots out as she eats and moans, massaging her neck and shoulders as she finishes dinner, Mom falls asleep at the table making me snicker and pick her up carrying her into her bedroom stripping her clothes off of her leaving her in nothing but her panties…nothing par for the course at this point in our lives.
"Stay…" Elizabeth sleepily murmurs. I roll my eyes, the woman is too beautiful and trusting of me, I think as I take my shirt off, kick off my slippers and climb into bed with Elizabeth, spooning her from behind.
~~ — — — — — — — — — — ~~