Sins Of The Father, Lies Of The Mother

[Marcus Kane]

Marcus was watching the students in Earth Skills--watching one student. Watching one boy. Watching a boy who looked just like the photo his mother had on the wall at home of himself at that age. It wasn't excat, but it was damn close. He counted back the age, then did it again, and then again. He even used his table to look up the permit, before counting again.

Then he left and went to find her. Thanks to his status, he could look up to see where she was with ease. Her home. He needed to know. He needed to hear her tell him with exact and very clear words. Was that his son. Did he have a son that she had never told him about? WHY would she not tell him?! He knew that this could be something else, he could be thinking wrong!

But for the first time he had really looked at the boy--head of his class--and really, really, looked at what was before him. He had a son. He was sure of it. When he got to the book he knocked on it, and the sound was much louder then he had meant it to be--he was angry, and the had ended up pounding on the door. Hearing something fall, and a bang . . . and then crying, Marcus used his over ride code to push open the door, and open it.

Aurora Blake

[Aurora Blake]

With Bellamy in school and no surprise inspection for the day, Aurora could actually spend a nice morning with just her perfect little daughter. Not for a moment did she regret having her. This little girl, who was currently carefully sorting through buttons – at least according to whatever system her little mind made up – was worth every risky situation, everything she had to do and pay in order to keep her safe and hidden. Everything for her kids, she had already gone so far for the both of them, for Bellamy alone, then for his little sister. To her there had never been a question about whether or not she would have her baby girl or not. She had to. She loved her from the moment she knew of her until now. 

Really, she had expected a quiet afternoon just with Octavia, but that sadly got interrupted by banging on the door. It was way too loud, almost as loud as she would have expected it to be when a surprise inspection was scheduled. With none on announced to her, Aurora found herself panicking. She had to hide her daughter, to protect her, but instead, while Octavia seemed to be terribly vulnerable already, she managed to knock over all her supplies, causing her daughter to cry. It didn’t lessen the panic, but it set her priorities straight: Octavia. She had to calm her first, no matter what. 

“It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” Suddenly the cries got louder, Aurora heard the source of it rather than saw it. The door opened. She turned around and froze, mouth open in shock. Marcus. Of all the people on the Ark she did not expect to see him. She expected guards, she expected this to be her last moment, maybe it was still. What could he possibly want from her now? “Marcus… wh… what are you doing here?” What was she supposed to say? She started to gently bounce her – their – daughter in her arms. 

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

She had a baby? “Marcus… wh… what are you doing here?” Why was there a baby here? He was still in shock about his son, and he could only stare at her in shock while the door was opened behind him. His mind tried to think of reasons why there was a baby here, but he was struggling. Mostly because he had been thinking of the times they were together, and oh that night just a few years ago that had happened--and now she was standing before him with a baby.

It was too much for him to handle right now, and he was trying to kick start his brain into working. Son. Baby. Baby with dark hair, and features, and--no. She couldn't have a baby she had a son in school. She was baby sitting or something. Marcus looked slowly around the small room, which was clean (but for the things on the floor she had just spilled) so it made it easy to see everything. Even while his mind went 'baby sitting' his brain was telling him that wasn't true. Still, he was unable to say anything, only able to stand there in the door way--still half in the hall--and stare at the woman he had once loved (and if he was being honest, apart of him still did but he had to burry that down in order to let her go).

[Aurora Blake]

Aurora initially only focused on calming her daughter. That was until she noticed where the hell Marcus stood. Anyone passing by in the hallway could look inside if they wanted, even guards and then everything would be over. Even now it was most likely to be the case. She couldn’t imagine him straying from the rules far enough to let her live. Not for that. She had a second child. Bellamy himself was only possible through a trick, now she had a second child and she would refuse to lie about Octavia if asked. Still she had to do something. Aurora placed Octavia in Bellamys bed. She put the blanket over her, hoping her big brothers scent would help her rest and calm. Finally she gave her one of the stuffed animals. Then she went to him. Aurora pulled him inside, not carefully but quite forcefully. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it.

“What do you want?” she asked again. This time she was calmer, but her voice was shaking out of fear. She didn’t regret having her daughter, but now she was afraid, not for her own life, but for her children. She gave them her all. What if that would not be enough? They were so small. What was she supposed to do? He could make their lives so much harder now. “Why are you here? You’re not coming without a reason.” Once upon a time Aurora could have said the reason was her, but now she knew it wasn’t, it couldn’t be. 

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

She pulled him into the room, and when she let him go, his feet kept walking slowly forward until he stood by the bed and could look down numbly at the baby there. His mind was slowly starting to work. She had a second child! And there was a strong chance that so did he! “What do you want?” Marcus looked up at Aurora and it took a moment for the surprise he felt to be replaced with a bit of anger. “Why are you here? You’re not coming without a reason.” And more anger.

He stepped forward toward her. Just one step. Then another. Then another. When he was close to her, he just stared at her. "I came here after spending the morning teaching Earth Skills in the school as a guest speaker, and watching a certain little boy excel. I came here because he reminded me a little too closely of myself at that age. I came here . . . and saw you with a baby. I want you to explain this to me, Aurora. I need to to tell me what is going on here, because from where I am standing--non of this looks very good!"

[Aurora Blake]

“That little boy has a name!” Aurora snapped as his tone was not lost on her. He came in here, actually entered her apartment as if he still belonged here. He had, once. Once he had belonged into her apartment, he had belonged to her, but that was a long time ago… actually not that long ago if she looked at her small daughter. Aurora knew she could always fall back into him, if she allowed herself to. But luckily things were very different now. She had her two children to think about. She had to be strong for them, had to think what it would mean for them, especially for Bellamy, if she would just allow him to waltz back into their lives like he still belonged there. He didn’t. Not anymore. He had no business with them anymore. He had every chance he could have. She had done so much to give him the freedom he needed, hoping that would be enough to make him stay with them, but it wasn’t.

“You come into my house, use your privileged authority to basically break in, without my consent and then you speak to me about this not looking very good. I am well aware of the situation. I am well aware of the price I pay for being a single mother every day and the price I will continue to pay. Do you want to tell people of her? Go ahead. Tell everyone of my second child, then. You know what will happen if people find out.” She wouldn’t even consider telling them of his involvement in her second pregnancy. It was bad enough that this would result in her death. “What are you asking? He reminds you of you? Are you even remotely surprised about that? Of course Bellamy reminds you of yourself!!”

Marcus Kane

[Marcus Kane]

He couldn't deal with everything she said right now, because it was too much. She threw his position in his face, and his walking in without permission in his face; but he didn't blink. Because everything was clicking into place, and it was too much to take in. Impossible. This whole thing would be a bad dream, and he's wake up and look in on the real Aurora who had one child and that child with a man she'd gone to before they'd even broken up!

She then threw the last bit in his face, and shocked turned to rage in an instant! Oh course? Of course he looked like him? Of course? Marcus turned slowly to face her, and advanced toward her with stead steps until he had her back to a wall and he could stare down at her. "I want to hear you say it, Aurora." He demanded softly, his voice almost shaking with anger. "I want to hear you tell me, to my face that you applied for a permit and put some other man's name on it before I had even gone to you to end things. That you never planned to tell me that I had a son! That you never planned to come to me, and tell me that he was mine!"

[Aurora Blake]

Aurora stepped back on instinct, not because she feared him harming her. She had lost that fear years ago, at least with other men. With him she never had it to begin with. He might be physically stronger than her, but he was not the kind of man to use his physical strength on people, not without a real reason. This was no real reason for him, despite rightfully being angry. As her back hit the wall, there still was no fear in her eyes, not of that. If he wanted to end her life, he didn’t have to lash out. All he had to do was tell about her daughter and she’d be disposed of. Now that was a possibility given his position, but she would have to wait and see. Aurora placed her hand on his chest, a once familiar gesture she did in a very different context: Love for the man, love she still held for him, though it felt like a very distant dream right now. 

“You make it sound so easy, Marcus. Things aren’t just black and white. If they were, then yes, that’s what I did. I did a lot of this for you.” The mother told him, her face determined. He’d listen to the truth now, to her truth. While she understood where he came from, she had a different perspective on things.
“I did not apply for a permit out of a sudden mood to want to have a baby. I was already pregnant when I applied for it, pregnant with your child. I didn’t want to force you into a quick decision about this, Marcus. I didn’t want to risk our lives, so I approached my friend. He signed it, he basically saved my life with this. You know the rules. You know what I should have done. There was no way I was killing my baby. Our baby. Our son! You know we would have had to either kill the kid or be floated for having it, had you agreed or not. I wanted you to be able to think things through, to take all the time you might need in order to commit to it or not. I did want to tell you, unfortunately you broke up with me when I wanted to do so.” Aurora sighed. She could have told him of the pregnancy back then, but it would have looked very different then, like something she would use to tie him to her. She didn’t want that. She wanted him to stay for her, because he wanted to, not because he felt obligated.
“I was stubborn, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. I wanted to tell you. I never found the words. I never…I chocked on those words quite often. And then I got pregnant again. Now there was no way I could tell you of our daughter. I didn’t want to… endanger your life. I'll take your name to the grave with me.”

Marcus Kane