Christina Frost (whosperfectnow) wrote,
@ 2010-07-21 15:21:00

Unexpected.
Justin was at work and Tina was home alone. She still didn't understand why he insisted on having his own place when the truth was that he spent the night with her every night, particularly now that she was recovering from her "car accident." Nevermind that she was nearly completely back to her normal self.

Tina had let herself sleep in a bit, made some lunch, and had settled in on the couch to watch the Science channel. There had been a program about mermaids on History, another discussion of what was fact and what was fiction. Tina had opted to skip it. She had a few childhood memories that weren't contaminated by darker deeds; she knew damn well what was real and what was not.

That and it just wasn't a day for more painful nostalgia.

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	nextgen_parent 2010-07-21 08:28 pm UTC (link)
	He wears a suit today, knowing that he would be conspicuous without it. His people have secured the surrounding block and the car pulls up at Christina's home. Namor exits the vehicle and walks inside to the address he has for Christina. He knocks on the door and waits to be admitted. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	whosperfectnow 2010-07-21 08:37 pm UTC (link)
	She looks up at the knock on the door and sighs. She had just gotten comfy. Hitting pause on the television she moved to the door. With any luck it'd be FedEx with her new phone. As the door opened, though, she saw something else entirely and for a split second is six-years-old again. "...Daaaa...King Namor?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-07-21 08:45 pm UTC (link)
	"Hello, Christina." Namor smiles, handing her the flowers he'd purchased. "Is this a bad time? May I come in?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

whosperfectnow
2010-07-21 08:50 pm UTC (link)

...flowers? She looked at them, then up at Namor before taking them from his hand. They were pretty. And she was confused.

"I...of course. Please come in." Tina nodded and stepped aside, letting him in before closing the door. He was wearing a suit, surface clothes. He hated surface clothes almost as much as he hated surface dwellers.

"Is there something I can do for you, your Highness?"

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	nextgen_parent 2010-07-21 08:54 pm UTC (link)
	"First, you may dispense with formal titles. I am not here as a king, today, Christina. I am here because...I am here because I worry for you, and I wish to explain some things that you are not aware of." Namor says. "Christina, do you know why I stopped coming to visit you?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	whosperfectnow 2010-07-21 09:01 pm UTC (link)
	Worried? Tina frowned at his question, turning away so she could put the flowers in water. "Because you got tired of me being around when you came to see your daughter. I wasn't yours, you didn't want to deal with me. Mom probably foisted me off on you, which lead to you guys splitting up and Kassi getting...well, pretty much screwed over." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-07-21 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	Namor's fist clenches in fury. Is that what Emma told her? "No, Christina. Your mother used her powers to make me forget you and Kassia. She stole all of my memories of my daughter and of you. It was only recently that I learned all of this, when Kassia found me again." Namor says. "Did your mother tell you what you just told me?" Namor asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

whosperfectnow
2010-07-21 09:17 pm UTC (link)

"No. I figured it out on my own. You left the day I called you daddy. No one really wants a kid that isn't theirs. Hell, some people don't even want the ones they gave birth to. Ergo, my screw up ruined things." She looked at him. "Mom made you leave?"

It was something she had never actually considered. She didn't know to be angry at her for that or for letting her believe that it had been her fault. But it wasn't really important. Namor was worried and he'd seen Kassia.

"Is Kassia okay?"

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nextgen_parent
2010-07-21 09:24 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, Kassia is well. She has been worried about you, and I assured her that I would see you were taken care of." Namor tells her.

"But yes, your mother is responsible for all the pain and suffering we have endured. I have made sure that Kassia cannot be touched by her madness. Currently, she resides with my other daughter, also recently found. She is very lucky to have two older sisters who care about her as you and Marrina do." Namor says.

"Christina, I...require a favor of you, if you would be so kind." Namor says quietly.

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whosperfectnow
2010-07-21 09:28 pm UTC (link)

"You don't have to make sure I'm taken care of. I'm fine." And where were you when I needed someone to make sure I was okay and keep Sebastian Shaw off of me? Tina frowned a little. It wasn't an angry thought, just a desperate one. "I'm glad you and my sister have found one another again. She has an older sister that isn't me? She's probably thrilled beyond measure. She always was irritated that I couldn't swim as she did."

Tina sighed, sitting down on the couch. If Namor wasn't already sitting, she'd be insisting that he do the same.

"What is it you need, King Namor?"

She was sticking with the formality. Calling him Namor would have been too weird and, well, she didn't want a repeat of fourteen years ago.

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nextgen_parent
2010-07-21 09:46 pm UTC (link)

"Christina, I disagree, which is why I am arranging for your safety even as we speak. You protected Kassia as she grew up and there is no way I can ever truly repay you for doing so. You were there for her when I could not be, and when your mother chose not to be.

I am only sorry I could not protect you as well." Namor says.

"Christina, I know about Sebastian Shaw...and what he did to you. Kassia knows as well. She was the one to inform me." the Sea King says.

"All of this will be dealt with, and those responsible will pay for their crimes against you, but I need time. I also ask that you tell your mother nothing of my visit here. In fact, tell no one at all. I must have the element of surprise on my side to deal with our mutual enemies." Namor says.

"Can I count on you?"

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whosperfectnow
2010-07-21 10:15 pm UTC (link)

He knew. All of the color drained from Tina's face and for the first time in awhile she felt dirty. She didn't want anyone to know and now Kassi and Namor both knew. And God only knew what they though tof her now. She felt her toes go diamond and suddenly she just wanted to run from the room.

"...I really didn't want anyone to know. Look, I wont' say anything to Emma. I don't speak to her anyway so it's cool. And I really don't want my boyfriend to know so it's okay. This is all really humiliating."

And painful. Very painful.

"What are you arranging in regards to my safety? I assure you I'm fine."

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nextgen_parent
2010-07-21 10:30 pm UTC (link)

"You should never have had to endure such degradations, Christina. I am truly sorry that I wasn't there to protect you. But you protected Kassia from him, and for that, I am in your debt.

What happened to you is not your fault in any way, shape or form. It is the fault of the adults in your life who failed you, and that includes me." Namor says.

"I will see that justice is done for you, however. I am leaving a squad of my best people to keep you safe. You will not see them, and they will not hinder your life. But they will keep anyone that is not Kassia or myself away from you." Namor says.

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	whosperfectnow 2010-07-21 10:35 pm UTC (link)
	"Um. My boyfriend is going to have serious issues with that. He all but lives here, Namor. I'm fairly certain he will not be okay with suddenly not being able to be with me because my sorta step-father has emerged and has put me in Atlantean protective custody. You might want to add him to the list. He's...he's all I've got." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-07-22 01:34 am UTC (link)
	"I do not like this idea, Christina. How do you know this boy is not working for your mother and keeping tabs on you? Does he treat you with respect and kindness?" Namor asks. "I will not allow you, Kassia, or Marrina to be harmed by any man." Namor says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

whosperfectnow
2010-07-22 01:41 am UTC (link)

"Justin loves me. He worries about me when I'm out late, gives me a hard time about my job because he thinks it's dangerous, brings me food just because, and would probably beat the hell out of anyone who looked at me wrong. Hell, he'd probably try to attack the guards if he was unaware of who and what they were. When I wake up screaming, he's the person who calms me down and never asks questions."

Tina stopped and looked Namor in the eye. It was the scariest moment of her life since she was six when she realized she'd slipped up and then, later, heard shouting from behind closed doors as Namor and Emma fought. Not even what had been done to her registered quite as scary as this. That had been painful on every level. This, this...quest for Namor's approval and affection made her shake in her proverbial shoes.

She turned her eyes down and looked at her hands instead, no braver now than she had been.

"Why are you treating me like one of your daughters?"

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nextgen_parent
2010-07-22 01:56 am UTC (link)

"Because I considered you one then, as I do now. Many of the surface dwellers believe I wish to destroy humanity, Christina. I do not. I simply believe humans would benefit from several lessons in respect for others.

Sadly, that will not happen. But you are Kassia's sister and the only person who has always been there for her. I will always be grateful to you for that." he says.

"This...Justin will be allowed to pass. I will give my guards the word. In the meantime, you will not speak to your mother about our meeting." Namor says, expecting to be obeyed.

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	whosperfectnow 2010-07-22 02:03 am UTC (link)
	Tina nodded. She hadn't expected that response. She'd wanted it, but hadn't expected it. She nodded a bit more and then she started shaking. "Not a word..." But her words were muffled as sobs began to choke her. The tears hit, a thunderstorm of long-buried hurts. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-07-22 02:47 am UTC (link)
	Namor says nothing else. He simply draws the sobbing young woman to him and lets her cry to her heart's content. He lets her know that nothing that happened was her fault and that she doesn't have to carry it with her anymore. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	whosperfectnow 2010-07-22 02:56 am UTC (link)
	Tina had needed this for a very long time, to curl up with the man she'd picked for herself as her father as a small child and just cry. There were a lot of things she wanted to tell him, but they were all lost to the crying and she all but crawled into his lap, holding on for life itself. "I...think I ruined your suit, Dad." she whispered when the tears stopped. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-07-22 03:04 am UTC (link)
	"I did not care for it much, as it turns out. I intend to go for a long swim when I leave here, just so I know how water feels against my skin." he says. "Will you be all right by yourself?" he asks. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	whosperfectnow 2010-07-22 03:25 am UTC (link)
	She nodded. "Justin will be home soon. Are...are you going to come back sometime?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nextgen_parent 2010-07-22 11:52 pm UTC (link)
	"I will return and see you again, if you like. Perhaps you, Kassia, Marrina and I can go out and have lunch. I will tolerate the surface for all three of you, a few times a year." Namor says, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

whosperfectnow
2010-07-23 12:08 am UTC (link)

The closer they had all gotten to the holidays the more anxious little Christina had been. Every year when other children in the little seaside town had started glowing and babling about what they were going to ask Santa for, Tina had shut down. There were no letters to the North Pole, no requests for elaborate things--Kassia frankly did enough of that for both of them. Tina had just sat quiety, even on Christmas morning, peeking quietly to see if any of the boxes under the tree might have her name and have something magical inside.

There were always boxes with her name but while Kassia squealed about the shiny things she'd gotten Tina had always gotten more practical things. Even the dolls seemed purposeful, not decked out in evening wear. She's a practical child Emma had said and it wasn't untrue; it was just that there had always been more to the dark-haired girl and no one saw.

The last Christmas before everything came apart had followed much the same pattern with Tina's quietness and the polite checking of boxes while Kassia squealed and oohed and Tina checked the seams of her new pajamas. It was though it were scripted except for one little box. Slim, small, and rattly when moved Tina was visibly surprised when Namor handed it to her. Pencils? she had asked with an uplift to her voice that could have been mistaken for hope. No. Inside the box was something shiny, something bright, something magic: a charm bracelet with three little ocean-themed charms. It had been too big for her tiny wrists, but that was easily adjusted and truth was Tina still had it, though the charms had never grown past the three and she rarely looked at it for fear she'd remember and miss something she'd barely had. But her eyes had lit up like diamonds that morning and the stone-faced girl who was less child and more stoic than anything even at a tender age beamed with a happiness so bright she glowed from the inside out.

After Namor spoke with a half promise, half offer to see her again--a few times a year even!--it was Christmas all over again.

"I would like that. I would like that very, very much."

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