Alice let the kids chose their purchases, getting tons for everyone that she have to send them through delivery. She didn't know this kids knew the latest trends. It was fun shopping with them. By lunch, they all requested fast food and not at the restaurant. It was a crazy mess they gained audience.
They are now scattered inside the arcade. The boys are playing race games, the girls are in front of a large monitor playing dance mania. All of them are good at dancing, getting perfect score except obviously for Aqui that is seriously playing the game. she looks like she is just wiggling but she is really trying. The others are cheering up for her. Even the guards that are keeping an eye on them.
Alice took tons of pictures and video of course.
"Momma! Need potty!" Aqui rushed to her after the adorable dance performance. The girls are just behind her sweating and panting but happy. Alice gave them towels and drinks.
"How about you girls? Need restroom?" They all shook their heads saying they wanted to dance some more. So she went to the washroom carrying Aqui. She trusts that their guards will keep the other kids safe.
Aqui is singing a happy birthday song while washing her hands after she is done using the toilet. Alice smiled to her daughter mimicking her.
"What adorable little girl!" Alice froze at the voice that she will never forget in her entire life. She looked through the mirror and was shocked to see a pregnant lady that seemed to be shocked seeing her too.
"You!" Alice quickly turned around and put her daughter behind her. What is this bitch doing here?!
"Whoah!" She held her hands up and stepped back. Her eyes are wide as she looked back at her squinting raged eyes. "Relax. I mean no harm."
Alice let out a huff and carried her daughter away. She could feel Marga follow them. The GREAT BITCH MARGA! Of all the times and all the places, they have to meet again in this lifetime? Alice wished she never EVER do.
"Alice wait." She called to her several times but Alice didn't listen.
"Babe don't run!" A man rushed pass her when they all got out of the washroom. Alice was a bit surprise and curious that she looked back. She is even more surprised when the man is by Marga's side holding her close.
She looked up and see Marga smile weakly and hesitantly at her. She just noticed she looks pale compared to before, or even compared to normal healthy wolves. "Can I talk to you? Please?"
Alice didn't know but she just nodded.
The man lead Marga on one of the benches facing the arcade then excused himself to buy something for the both of them. Alice gave orders to the guards and gave Aqui and she watched them walk back to the arcade.
There was long silence and Alice could feel Marga shifting uncomfortably beside her. She then huffed when she found a comfy position. The man got back and gave the two of the some big cups of milk tea and settled beside Marga that leaned to him. Marga slurped the tea like it is the most delicious thing in the world.
Alice finally looked at her and smiled. She remember when she craved while pregnant. She used to slurp a big serving of smoothie without getting brain freeze, not to mention it is a tomato tamarind smoothie. Imagine Ylsen's face when he watch her drink it to the last drop.
Looking at her former tormentor with a guy who obviously loves her and she loves too, Alice was not sure what to feel.
"You know. I never intended to apologize to you." Marga started in a low voice. Alice tried to analyze what she mean. She tried to look at her to see anything in her face but she looked like she just wanted to tell a story. something like that. No remorse no negativity.
"I didn't want to apologize because that will just be an excuse for me to forgive myself as well. Besides, I think that apology is for those who they didn't intend to do bad things. And I know you think I'm a bitch because I know to myself that I am."
She held to her husband for support. Alice just let her speak some more even though it is evident that she is having a hard time talking.
She slurped the drink again emptying it. "Mmm. This is sooo good. Can you get me another hon?" The man immediately nodded and dropped her a kiss and went to the stall where he got it.
"Gabriel. He don't know a thing about my past. But he have the hunch that I did terrible TERRIBLE things before. When I met him in a club one time that I wanted to have fun alone, it was funny that I felt like the thick clouds in my brain cleared up in that messy bar.
I started t realize what I did, what I became, how AWFUL it all was. I started to regret everything that I did. I felt remorse to myself. I felt so dirty.
So I escaped. Five years ago. I left Tearmoon and went in a dwarf village outskirts of Articia. To repent and drown myself with self hatred. Blamed myself for not being worthy of my own mate anymore." She chuckled a little as if remembering something. "But I guess hiding in a village where you are the twice as tall as the residents only draw attention, he found me just two weeks after." She looked forward fondly and watched her man walk towards them smiling. She caressed her big tummy.
"I pushed him away with all my will. Escaped more than my fingers can count. He always finds me and bring me back home to his side. He said that he don't care about anything else that happened in the past. He will still keep me. Would you believe if I said that he courted me for four years and only got married last year yet he still courts me. Even though I know he is busy, I wouldn't notice since he always stay by my side. He is more than I deserve. I know that. But I will still keep him as long as I can." She reached out her hand and in a snap, her husband is already holding her to his chest and whispering sweet nothings.
Somehow, Alice can feel something like a heavy weight get off her heart. It made her breathe lighter than earlier.
They never treated each other as sisters. Not even once. She don't remember anything good happened between the two of them. But her apology as a human made her forgive her a bit. Plus, she obviously deserve to be happy with this man. she don't want to hinder.
"I honestly didn't know if I could forget but I can forgive you, maybe a little." Alice show her a hand sign of little and smiled wholeheartedly. Marga's eyes shined with tears she kept in and laughed to her heart's content. The man seemed pleased seeing his love laugh so he mouthed thank you to Alice. She nodded back
She offered a hug to Marga but she frowned when Marga's eyes widened and frantically shook her head.
"My little beast will bite you if I get near your bloodstream." She said apologetically. Alice eyed her curiously.
"Sorry for introducing you late. Hon, this is Alice, my step sister I told you about. Alice, this is Gabriel, my vampire mate." They just waved at each other.
"I live with a vampire pregnant with a wolf. She don't look as awful as you look now. Totally no offense meant."
"It's okay none taken. This little beast in here," she fondly stroked her tummy so did her husband, "is sucking my vessels dry. I have to feed on blood most of the time to survive the day. Gabriel is a willing victim but I trained hard and talked and talk to my baby to convince it to settle in animal blood so it won't end up killing its own father. After sometime it was able to adjust but it is still a risk if my nose is near a person. So right now hugging is a big no." Alice nodded at her explanation.
"Momma!" Her head snapped at the kids rushing to her. The guards are following them.
She looked back to Marga when she groaned. "Sorry but I will be taking her now. Her nose is sensitive to kids. We just really dined in here since she craved it. But it was really nice meeting you." Gabriel carried her and she buried her face to his neck to calm herself.
"Will she be okay?"
He nodded. "Thank you for today. I really appreciate this unexpected encounter. " He handed her a calling card. "And if it is not too much, I would like you to contact us some other time." He nodded at her and left in a blink of an eye.
"Momma, who are they?" Gylsen asks.
She read the calling card and wanted to laugh. That stern looking man must really love Marga.
'Gabriel Wilson, CEO, Wilson Group of Companies, Margareth Wilson's property' it says in the card.
"That my boy, is my sister and her husband. They needed to get home because Aunty Marga have to rest for their baby."
They all gasped exaggeratedly, Aqui and Lucca just following after them.
"I have another Aunty?!" Star exclaimed. Then after that, they all questioned her all at once that she can't understand. Then soon they are talking to each other while they head to a snack stall. Alice picked up Aqui.
"Momma, awe they good?" she must be asking about Gabriel and Marga.
If she asked even just an hour ago, she won't hesitate to say no. But then, people change for the right reason for the right time.
"Yes baby. They are good folks." And she tickled her belly. The toddlers contagious laughter just made her heart feel good even better.