Are you truly family if your a Ghost? [Emma]

[Matrim Aldon]

Mat had made it back from orientation with dinner plans with his family. He had changed into a new shirt and pants. A nice white dress shirt and camouflage pants. He honestly was nervous and sad about this. He was nervous on how to act once he saw Elayne and he was sad because he couldn't act like a father to her even though he was her father.

He felt a hole gnaw at him as he thought of this. He took a breath and shrugged it off. He opened the door and walked out and headed to wards her room.

He reached it after a few minutes, it was 4:45pm now. He might be able to keep Elayne occupied while Emma got dinner ready not to mention he would get some time to be with his daughter. He knocked on the door. His heart beat fast as the approaching moment came. He had never been this scared in his life but he made it so it didn't show.

[Nurse Emma]

I heard a knock at the door and Elayne instantly ran to answer. I'd told her that he was a great old friend and that I hadn't seen him in years, but she hardly paid attention. I probably shouldn't have told her that she would have someone new to play with first.

She answered the door with a smile that faded into awe. It was understandable. Mat was tall and muscular and, I looked out of the kitchen to give him a once over, dressed appropriately. I gave a sigh of relief. He knew child friendly dress, good.

"Come on in! I'm working on the pasta!" I shouted, grinning as I grabbed a noodle and tossed it at the wall. It didn't stick, but I didn't mind. All the better since it meant I got to throw at least one more.

Elayne grabbed his hand and lead him over to the kitchen table where she already had a deck of cards and the chess set out. She was eager to have a new friend. That kid...

"Anything to drink, Mat? I already made some tea."

It felt so natural, being like this. It was like one of those really old TV shows where the husband played with the child while the wife worked on dinner and catering to the husbands every need. But, unlike those shows, I hadn't been doing this since before Elayne was born.

[Matrim Aldon]

He smiled as Elayne pulled him inside. He sat down at the table with her and she already had a deck of cards out along with a chess board. He grinned at her. She was cute, no that wasn't the right word, adorable. He felt his heart ping with pain as he had missed out on her entire life so far.

Emma then asked him if he wanted something to drink, and that she had already made tea. He grinned and laughed. "It wouldn't happen to be Earl Gray now would it?" he said as he turned back to Elayne and got his head low to the table and grinned at her. "What would you like to play sweetie?" he asked her in a sweet tone. "Anything you wanna play I will play" he added as he looked at Elayne's face.

She looked like a much younger version of her mother, save the fact she had his eyes. He smiled and waited for her to pick a game. He felt horrible still but he would hide it and try as hard as he could to make up for the years he had missed of her life.

[Nurse Emma]

"You are correct sir!" I said, caring over a cup for him and some juice for Elayne. "You should see this child play chess! I've never seen someone so smart for her age!"

I laughed and left the cups to finish the veggies. The olive oil was heating rather nicely and the zucchini was almost done. Dinner was coming along faster than planned, but it didn't matter. They really didn't need an hour to play whatever Elayne had in mind.

On the other side of the room, Elayne was contentedly examining the man. His eyes looked just like hers and he seemed eager to play, unlike many of her mother's other adult friends.

"Mommy," she said, pulling the chess set in between her and the man, "Is this my Daddy?"

My eyes grew wide as I stopped with my work on our food. I turned around slowly, fiddling with my wedding ring. I didn't know quite what to say. The only way she could've caught on was if she had seen the old photos of him with long hair or the age progression ones from the detective. How had she caught on so quickly.

I sat in the only remaining chair at the table and refused to look at Elayne.

"Mat, care to take the floor on this one?" I asked, looking down. "I told you she was smart."

[Matrim Aldon]

He smiled as Emma brought him the Earl Gray tea. He took a little sip of it. It tasted just as good as it did back then. Emma said Elayne was a whiz at chess. He smiled, "I'll take your word for that." he said laughing and set up the pieces.

Elayne pulled the chess board between them and looked to Emma and asked if he was her dad. He had taken another sip when she said it and he almost choked. Bloody ashes she is a genius! He thought as he looked at Elayne.

Emma was fidgeting and moved to the other seat and dared not to look at Elayne. She asked Mat to take this. He took a deep breath and looked at Elayne. She already knew and he wasn't going to bullshit his own daughter. He looked at Emma. "Sorry Emma, she already seems to know," he said and turned back to Elayne.

He picked her up and set her on his right thigh and put a soft hand on her opposite shoulder. "Elayne, I am really sorry but I am your father..." he said softly as he felt tears begin to well up behind his eyes, they didn't show yet but he could feel them start to form.

[Nurse Emma]

"..." Elayne could only stare at her...father? "Why are you sorry? Am I a bad kid or something?"

I laughed a little at that. She truly didn't understand quite what had gone on those past years. She didn't get the concept of the father supposed to be there since I had never tried to explain it. It was sort of cute.

"Elayne, you're not a bad kid at all." I said, smiling lightly. "Mat here, is just someone who...fell victim to an unfortunate change in events."

I got up again and went back to fixing the food. I threw another noodle at the wall. It stuck this time. I quickly drained them and set the strainer back in the pot. I got the plates down and served out the food, being careful not to spill anything. It was still hot, so them playing chess wasn't a problem.

"So," Elayne said, moving the chess set over and dealing out some cards for go fish, "since you're my Daddy, I get to see you on weekends?"

I banged my head against the cabinets in mock frustration. She must have thought Mat and I were divorced or something. I knew sending her to public pre-school was a bad idea.

[Matrim Aldon]

Mat looked at her as she talked to her mother. Elayne wasn't only intelligent but she was adorable when she spoke like that. He smiled trying to hold back the laugh.

Emma then had gone to finish dinner, and Elayne had turned her attention to Mat. He looked at her wondering what she was gonna say. Then she said something that made it so he couldn't help BUT laugh. "No sweetie, you don't get to see me on weekends, you get to see me as much as you want whenever you want." he said smiling.

He then hugged Elayne and kissed the top of her forehead. "And don't worry mommy and daddy aren't divorced, we are still married its just i was...well I'm not gonna lie to you, I was stolen from you and mommy by some very bad men and thats why I've been gone for so long and I'm sorry I missed you growing up..." he said softly holding his daughter close.

[Nurse Emma]

Relief again. Mat was handling this stuff better than I thought he would or could, for that matter. I thought he'd object to being thrown into his role as father and leave me after orientation, He seemed to answer Elane's hard questions without a hitch. The only thing that really worried me was how he would react when I told him Elayne would be going to a Japanese school's second grade that year. She already spoke most of the language and she had all of the required skills. She was a genius for pity's sake!

Elayne examined Mat for a few more moments, her eyes scrunched and her mouth puckered like she was sucking on a lemon. "Why wouldn't the bad men want me to have you for a Daddy?"

Emma to the rescue with dinner and a simple explanation. I set plates down for Mat and Elayne and grabbed my own with a cup of tea and sat down beaming. We had sateed vegetables and shrimp on angel hair noodles with olive oil as a sauce and fried zucchini as a side. It smelled great, if I do say so myself, and was actually very healthy.

"Exactly, hon, they were bad men." I said, smiling at her. "Let's eat, shall we?"

Elayne immediately dug in, eating her food with relish. Her scrutiny of the situation was always forgotten when I put any form of shrimp in front of her. I think she was always a bit happy in the simpleness of it all. She now had a father, a mother, and a friend and that's all that really mattered. I, on the other hand, knew the complexities of everything and found it a little lot harder to be so at peace. I didn't forget things when dinner was in front of me. No, I dwelt on them.

[Matrim Aldon]

He smiled at Elayne. She was adorable, and it made him sad that he had missed getting to know her but he would make it up. He had to. Emma had set plates of food down in front of them and Mat sat her back in her chair so she could eat. Which she did almost ravenously, especially the shrimp.

He picked and ate his food slowly, savoring the taste. He hadn't eaten anything Emma had cooked in five years and if anything it had gotten better. He loved her cooking, but not even a fraction of how much he loved her and Elayne. He smiled and sipped at his Earl Gray tea. Whenever he drank it he remembered the first time they had been together and how they had fallen for each other.

It was a rather funny moment too, almost a clique romance movie moment. Him the rough, bad ass boy from the east side streets of one of London's notorious gangs, and her the elegant, cultured and beautiful palace princess. He had always wondered how fate could have transpired in his favor all those years ago. Not that he regretted it its just sometimes seemed to good to be true.

He looked over to Elayne who was still eating, she had asked him before they started a question about why they took him. He couldn't answer it since even he didn't know but he would have to make something up that was believable. "It was because your daddy is special." He said softly. "They wanted to do tests on me with special chemicals and see if i could handle it. But don't worry, your daddy will never leave you again alright Elayne?" he said smiling.

He finished his food and got up to go clean it in the sink but before he did he walked over to Emma and smiled at her lifting her chin up ever so softly so her royal blue eyes met his clover ones and kissed her softly. Letting his lips linger on hers as he did. When he pulled back he flashed her that charming grin once again and went to go wash the dishes.

[Nurse Emma]

My cooking apparently distracted anyone from conversation. For myself, I was still worried about some matters that had yet to be solved. First, moving, telling Micha that I was right all along and he hadn't left me, and making sure that the students knew nothing of it. Then, there was getting Elayne to school tomorrow, keeping Mat out of trouble, and somehow figuring out what Mat and I wanted to do about a family. This is why most mothers are insane!

Suddenly, I was pulled out of my seemingly eternal list by Mat with a sweet kiss before her grinned and went to wash his dishes. I could only sit and look at him. I had only been this confused twice before in my life. Both times, it was due to Mat.

"Felt like confusing me?" I asked, realizing I had finished my meal without even noticing. "Geez, in front of the child."

I sighed and squeezed in to put my dishes in the sink. I didn't want to scar Elayne for life just now. She's probably worried about this being one of the few times she'll ever see him if she does see him again.

"No scarring her for life yet. We'll leave that for some other night, okay?" I said with a sly little wink. Hopefully, Micha hadn't told her too much this afternoon.

[Matrim Aldon]

He smiled as Emma came next to him and told him not to scar Elayne and winked at him. He grinned and reached an arm over and touched her hip bringing her closer to him. "Well a simple kiss between mommy and daddy will scar her for life." He said smiling at her. He kissed her cheek as he finished all the dishes.

He then turned to Elayne and smiled as he walked to her and crouched so he was about eye level with her. "So Elayne, do you know about your heritage? Or what you really are?" he asked her.

He didn't know if Emma had told Elayne she was the heir to a ladyship and her mother a lady. He didn't even know how she would take to the fact that she was royalty. He bet she would have been excited to be royalty since it was usually every little girls dream to a princess.

[Nurse Emma]

"Ew! Mommy and Daddy are being disgusting!"

I smiled. Elayne was pleased to be able to say that, I could tell. There was a certain amount of glee in her voice that I had never heard before. I think she was happy to be able to complain about something like that.

Mat finished off the dishes and left for Elayne who was attempting to lick her plate absolutely clean without getting a scolding from me. Mat crouched to her level and asked her a question that I never wanted her to ever be asked.

"I'll take that and you." I said, grabbing the plate and Mat by the collar. "Mommy and Daddy will be just outside, Elayne."

I left the plate on the counter and lead Mat outside. I wasn't mad, but I wasn't absolutely happy with him either. I tapped my fingers on the hall's wall by the door and looked Mat over. He looked exactly as I imagined he would as a father. I pained my heart so much that he hadn't been allowed to have the days with me and Elayne.

"Mat," I said slowly, pushing my hair back, "I never told her. She doesn't know anything. I didn't want her to know anything because she shouldn't be asked the same of what my parents asked of me. She shouldn't have that lifestyle and she shouldn't know that her playing the role of princess could come true if enough people die. I don't want her to know of what I can do just because she doesn't need that at all. I never wanted that life for her or any child we chose to bear."

I wasn't mad. I really wasn't. Just a little frustrated. No, not mad at all...

Okay, maybe just a little.

[Matrim Aldon]

He smiled as Elayne licked her plate clean and looked up at him. She had that cute little look on her face of complete obliviousness. But before he could speak Emma broke in. Taking Elayne's plate and him by the collar.

She took him out into the hall way and began to explain to him why he couldn't tell Elayne about her royal heritage. He knew he had been caught but Elayne's heritage went two ways. Emma's and HIS own. He just smiled and nodded as she spoke. When she was done he laughed and kissed her forehead, brushing a few strands that fell in front of her face. "Emma... I wasn't going to tell her that. Any of it" he said still laughing.

"I was just going to tell her about my side, I figured since she is a bloody genius she knew about your side a while back or you never told her and that was your choice but I haven't been there for her for 5 years, I at least should tell her about how her fathers side of the family. Or at least that other then her mommy and daddy she has family. You remember Arianna, my sister at our wedding, my eldest sister right?" he asked.

He smiled and held her close. "But if you still think this is awkward with me being here I can still go back to my room, the agreement was only for dinner and I can come back and see her in the morning." he said to her softly as he touched her left cheek with his right hand rubbing lightly with his thumb on her cheek, cupping his hand lightly at the corner of her jaw.

"I love both of you with all my heart and want to be here but I knew this is really difficult time for you two and I don't want to make this any more stressful then it has to be." he said looking into her eyes. "I just want you two to be happy no matter what happens, even if it means never seeing me again I'll do it with as much passion as I did when I married you and when I kissed you in front of your parents all those years ago." he finished and smiled weakly. He really only wanted that, to make them happy no matter what the cost it was of him.

[Nurse Emma]

Oh.

Well, I felt stupid. Blood rose to my cheeks as he laughed and kissed my forehead. Yeah, I was most definitely stupid. I was only thinking about me and completely forgetting that Mat actually had a functioning, civil family. His sister was really nice too. Yeah, I was an idiot.

Though, when it came to him going back to him room for the night, I became indignant. He thought he was imposing?! I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want him to avoid me like that. With the passion he could show for some things, I didn't want him to waste his energy on something like that.

I rushed forward as soon as he was done, tackling him to the floor in something like a hug and smothering him in kisses. I soon regained some control over myself and pulled back a little.

"Matrim Aldon, if you ever say any rubbish like that again, I may just have to hurt you!" I said, pushing my hair out of my eyes again. "I never want you to leave us nor did I want you to just stay for dinner. In fact, my intent was to keep you talking on the couch until you and I fell asleep.

"I don't think I ever want you out of my life or Elayne's. Mat, you're too great of a guy and I've missed you for far to long to let you go like that. Besides, I don't feel like hitting you up for child support. No, if anyone leaves in our marriage, it'll be Elayne when she's off to college.

"So don't get any idea like that ever again, okay?" I asked, resting my head on his shoulder. "You haven't done anything stupid to make me want that yet."

[Matrim Aldon]

She tackled him with no warning and smothered him with kisses. He just smiled and kissed her back wrapping his arms around her waist lightly. She pulled back and thats when things went from green to go to ass chewed out in 0 seconds flat.

She told him she would hurt him if he ever thought of leaving. He never really meant he would leave just that he would leave if they wanted him to, he loved his family to much to cause any harm and if he had been when he arrived and start deteriorating their structure he could only blame himself for its cause.

She said he was being an idiot and that she loved him too much to kick him out and pay child support. He just laughed and held her closer as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her soft brown hair brushed against his face and all he could do was smile. "Yeah, well, I never would leave you or Elayne, I love you two way to much to even think of it, but I love you so much I'd do anything either of you wanted if it made you happy, no matter the sacrifices I'd have to make for it." he said softly looking at her.

He then held her close and kissed her cheek. "But about the whole sleeping on the couch, why not sleep in the bed and have Elayne there with us? You know a night of the family sleeping in the same room and being a family for once...OR we could have a movie night tonight" he said happily. This was one of those rare moments he was so happy he felt he would cry.

He had only had 3 of these moments. First, when he married Emma. Second, when he got out of that hell hole of a experiments facility, and third, when he found Emma and found out he had a daughter. He never even believed in his life he would ever have a family. All those years ago when he was a teen, he never even dreamed he would have a family, he pictured he would be dead by now, his usual fighting based life would have consumed him had he not gone to 253 when he was 15. But he was happy that he finally had a family and could now be happy, for at least a small amount of time or maybe even the rest of his life.