"Okay daddy!" Brittany chirruped; dropping her backpack next to the foyer table stand before high tailing it out of the room. While she was grateful her daddy wasn't angry at her concerning the fight at school, she knew better then to push her luck so soon. Besides, she needed to get the icky sticky chocolate out of her hair!
Gina put her bag down at a more sedate pace. While she hadn't gotten in trouble for her potty mouth just yet, she knew something was going to come from it. Brittany didn't get in trouble for protecting her friend, but she knew that was because dad respected such things. Her going off on a tirade like she did wasn't something her dad, either of them, liked much.
"Gina dear." Ranma said with a smile, hanging up his leather duster on the coat rack.
Gina winced. She had almost made it out of the foyer, and away from a possibly angry parental unit, when the man called her back. Turning around with a subdued smile on her lips, "Yes daddy?" she tried to keep fear off her voice, failing miserably as she nibbled on her lower lip, her head lowered to the ground.
Ranma spared the girl a glance, before sighing to himself. "Gina, dear. We need to talk about what happened at school today."
"I'm sorry daddy." she immediately replied, hesitantly stepping back.
Ranma frowned. He had been expecting an apology, but the way she said it, and seemed to react just seemed off. Kneeling down next to the girl, he cupped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, "Gina? Look at me, sweetie."
She did so, hesitantly, nervously biting on her lower lip.
Ranma stared at her for a moment, examining her expressive green eyes and the way they seemed to be tearing up despite the girl’s efforts to suppress them. He remained silent for a moment, before wrapping the girl up in a hug, then lifting her up in his arms, "Okay dear, I think it's time we find out what’s really bothering you." he said with a stern, if caring tone of voice.
He hadn't always been this empathic towards things, and if you asked him years ago he would have straight out told you he was getting soft, but that wasn't the here no there. Since Julia's exile he had been forced to grow up, even if only for the kids. While he was still far from perfect in many things, when it came to the kids he gave it his all.
Gina returned the hug, laying her head on his shoulder as the man carried her through the house. She sighed despondently. There was something wrong, and it seemed she was doing a terrible job in hiding it from her other father. Her real dad had asked her to keep quiet about the whole thing, until he was ready and able to let daddy Ranma and her sister Brittany know.
Passing by the bathroom, Ranma smiled, hearing the sounds of playful splashing from his daughter. He noted with a small sense of amusement he would need to clean up the water that was no doubt being splashed all about the room after his daughter finished bathing, but for the moment he shoved that thought into the back of his mind, toeing the door to Gina's room open and stepping inside with the sad girl
***
Xane whimpered, head pressed against the flat cold surface of her desk. This was perfect, just perfect. Why did she of all people have to come here? Why oh why was she insisting on this so much? She just wasn't ready, hadn't found the right one. Xane spared a rude thought about a certain pigtailed partner being the right one, before banishing that thought. It was a frustrating situation with that young man.
"Burning the midnight oil, Xane?" Jessie, a short brown haired girl dressed in a conservative dressed asked, leaning through her door way slightly.
Xane raised her head, giving the older woman a tired look, "Kinda..."
Jessie frowned thoughtfully, stepping into the room and closing the door, before turning to face the taller woman, "Something’s bothering you, out with it." she ordered.
Xane grimaced. Jessie was a decent enough person, but she also happened to be the gossip hound when it came to the Agency. Telling her anything was akin to putting up a billboard displaying her problem. "No, thank you." she replied, incredibly nervous.
"Oh! Now I know something’s up!" Jessie chirruped, slipping in a chair and crossing her shapely legs, "Ms. Couldn't-be-subtle to save her life, you aren't getting out of here until you tell me what’s going on."
Xane frowned, deeply, entertaining thoughts of clubbing the woman with her desk, and other such instruments of blunt trauma, "It's none of your business, Jessie. Trust me, you don't want to get mixed up in my problems, it would just cause everyone grief." she was fairly sure of that. The woman coming to visit her wasn't the most sociable of people, well, when compared to normal every day Americans.
Jessie grinned, leaning back in her seat and getting comfy, "I got all night, Xane."
***
Ranma shifted the girl in his arms, before settling down on her bed, Gina settled on his lap. He spared the room a brief glance, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, "Gina, what's wrong dear?"
Gina sniffed. She would try to keep the secret hidden; she really didn't want to upset either of her fathers by letting it out. "Nothing." she whined, staring at the floor.
He brought a finger to the girls chin, raising her gaze to meet his own, "Gina sweetie. I know something has you upset. You've been growing distant these last few weeks, I'm really worried about you." he frowned thoughtfully, "It's not like you to wall yourself off, or say such bad words." He was a bit nervous at the thought of Theo's reaction to her potty mouth.
Gina sniffed, shimmering tears threatening to escape her expressive orbs. "It.. it's nothing!" she tried to turn her head; to break the eye contact her father was holding her too. She wanted to tell him! She was practically dying to tell him, to let loose the agony she had been feeling since she found out.
"Gina." he began seriously in a no nonsense tone of voice, "Seeing you like this hurts, dear. I know your hiding something, and it hurts ta think you can't trust me."
"I.. I can't." she whimpered, "I promised daddy I wouldn't say anything!"
Ranma blinked. Theo knew what was going on? They were keeping it a secret? He let the girl go somewhat, no longer forcing her to keep eye contact. "That bad?"
Gina sniffled, sliding off his lap. Oh how she wanted to tell him, to wipe that surprised hurt look of his face. But her daddy told her not too! She couldn't tell.. wait. She walked over to her dresser, opened it and began looking through things, until she pulled out a small sheaf of papers. "I'm not suppose to tell you, dad... but if you read the letters..."
Ranma nodded slowly, taking the letters. He was amazed Gina was devious enough to get around the 'do not tell' promise she made, but then again, she had always been a smart little girl. Looking over the stack of letters, he resisted the urge to grumble in annoyance. These were Julia's letters to her daughter, which meant the problem was with her mother.
"Gina dear, which one do I need to read?" Ranma asked with a sigh, leafing through the papers hoping to catch a snippet of something that might seem off.
Gina opened her mouth, but then slammed it shut, a curious look coming over her teary eyes. "I can't tell you that." she grumbled, "Just read them all, dad." She hoped she didn't find the letter Julia had sent in response to her little crush with Bobby Tomson a month ago.
***
Jessie laughed, holding her sides trying to keep from falling out of her chair in hysterics.
Xane gave her soon-to-be-dead friend a withering glare, "I toooold you not to laugh!" she seethed, balling her hands up into fists by her sides.
"Heh.. hah.." Jessie tilted on her chair, laughing hard enough to topple her over on her back side, not that it helped cease her giggling, though.
Xane pouted, grumbling about the unfairness of life while ignoring her friend rolling around on the floor laughing her butt off. "Mom.. you're not even here yet, and I'm already embarrassed."
***
Later that night.
Ranma frowned, setting down another letter on the table and yawning tiredly. Six hours of reading through Julia's letters and he still hadn't found anything.
He grunted, taking a long drink of his coffee. He eyed the clock before sighing.
12:37am.
Theo hadn't even returned home. While it wasn't odd for him to stay in Jade working on something or another, he at least usually let him know ahead of time, so as not to worry. Now that he realized something was wrong with Theo, Gina, and Julia, past instances of the man just acting weird rose up in his mind and smacked him in the fast.
Theo had been growing somewhat distant. Staying in Jade longer and longer then he usually did, becoming more withdrawn and easily irritated for no apparent reason. It wasn't anything to worry about, or at least that’s what he figured at first. Now though, the fact he knew something was wrong, but couldn't figure it out was pissing him off.
Looking over Julia's letters, the man sighed in irritation. Gina had saved each and every letter she received from her mother, and she did a horrible job of keeping them in any discernable order. The letters were simple for the most part. Hi. How are you doing? If Ranma is teaching her anything wrong she would gut him. I love you. Ect. ect. ect. Nothing wrong there.
Ranma picked up another letter and began reading. Blah Blah Blah Blah. Nothing different or even remotely interesting. He placed the letter down, and as an odd thought entered his head, he took the absolute last one from the pile and started reading it.
The irony threatened to smother him.
***
Gina dear,
How is everything going for you, sweetie? Ranma isn't giving you any trouble, is he? Everything’s going fine here. I've been staying with Grandma off and on recently, mainly in-between my duties as Armsmaster. So next time Ranma visits Jade I'll make sure to send another letter to you.
Grandmother sends her love, and hopes your growing up big and strong like your mommy.
Gina, there is something I need to tell you. You may not understand why it's happening, but I want you to know this has nothing to do with you. Theo and I both love you very much, that won't ever change.
I'm hemming around the issue. Okay, to the thick of it. With this curse keeping your daddy and I apart, our relationship has been extremely rocky with the separation. We've tried to hold it together, but as time goes on the possibility of finding a cure for my curse goes down. Even now, after so much time and effort, the Mages have all but given up at this point. It’s not looking good.
So.. I've decided to divorce Theo. Like I said, this doesn't have anything to do with you. I love you, and if I could help it I'd be there right now, holding you close and telling you exactly how I feel. But I can't. I can't be there for you like a mother should be for her child. I can't be there for Theo, like a wife should be for her husband. I've fought against this for these years, and after so much time..
I don't want Theo growing old alone, with a wife he can only hold and see one day a year for the rest of his life. It isn't fair to him, it isn't fair to anyone.
I love you Gina. Never forget that.
Your Mom, Julia.
***
Ranma sighed, letting the letter slip from his fingers as he closed his eyes. Divorce. She was divorcing Theo; a marriage he had envied since he came to this world was being destroyed by the manipulations of a dead man. "Damn you, Jonathan." he growled.
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(Posted Mon, 16 Feb 2004 05:29)
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