"I never actually thought to see her again..."
All too soon, the four of them had to leave. It was time for them to return to the Academy, though Nicole was loathe to do so. At least, she thought, she would still be with Sora. That thought made her smile brightly. It was a bit surprising to her, how well they were getting along, yet here they were.
Their departure went rather smoothly, and mid-flight, Nicole fell asleep with ehr head on Sora's shoulder. He woke her when they landed in London. They had a stop over here which would be an hour, but when they entered the terminal, they found out it would be closer to three, due to weather.
They had found a relatively secluded part of the terminal in which they would wait for their next plane when Nicole stood up rather abruptly. There was a rather hard expression on her face as she glared at someone behind Hikaru. Kira, who was curled up on Sora's lap, also picked her head up, a soft hiss escaping her in response to Nicole's anger.
The woman in question looked, in fact, quite a bit like Nicole, from her steel eyes to her raven-colored hair. There was an odd, sad look about her, like a woman who had been utterly beaten into submission by the entire world. The woman took a step forward, and Nicole quickly walked over to meet her, keeping distance between the two of them and the rest of the group.
"How are you doing, Nicole?" Michaline asked softly. She heasitantly reached towards her daughter, as if to brush her hair back. A pained look flashed across her face, with a hint of understanding, when Nicole took a step back, out of her reach.
"What are you doing here, Mother?"
Michaline sighed. "As blunt as ever, I see. I'm afraid I need your help. I know I am in no position to ask you of all people--"
Nicole scowled, cutting Michaline off mid-scentence. "No, you're really not."
Michaline smiled wanly, playing with her fingers. Nicole's eyebrows raised in surprise. Her mother wasn't wearing a wedding ring. "What is this about, Mother?" she asked softly.
"I'm pregnant, Nicole. I know that I was never there for you and Naya, and I am so sorry for that, I truly am. I'm asking you to help because I don't want to loose this child like I've lost my daughters. If not for me, then for the child. Please, Nicole." There was a pleading look in her eyes.
A dark shadow passed over Nicole's face and for almost a full minute, she didn't speak. When she finally did, there was a dangerous undertone in her voice. "You're asking me to protect you from Sebastian. You, the mother, are asking me, the daughter, to protect you from your husband, my father. What the Hell made you think this was a good idea? You never so much as lifted a finger to help me or my sister in almost five hundred years, and now all of a sudden you want to become a good mother for this child?!"
Nicole's voice had started off soft and had risen almost to the point where she was shouting. Her mother simply stood there with her hands clasped, her eyes cast downward.
"Yes." She said simply.
Something finally broke inside Nicole, and there was a deep sadness in her eyes as she suddenly yelled at her mother, "What the hell is so special about this child that you care more about it than you did about me or Naya?"
For once in her life, Michaline spoke without hesitiation. "The child isn't Sebastian's. It's Michael's."
Nicole was utterly stunned, and she stared at her mother, speechless. She was aware that she had begun crying, and she wiped them away. When she returned her gaze to her mother, she looked very tired.
"Oh god, Mother...what have you done?" She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Fine. I can't say I'll be much help, but...I'll try. But I'm doing this for no other reason than you are my mother. Did you tell Uncle?"
Michaline shook her head. "He would only fight for rights for the child, and you know Sebastian. He'd kill Michael, and then turn around and kill me and the child. I'd rather not see Michael dead."
Nicole nodded. "Alright...we'll be leaving again soon." She looked more than tired as she returned to the group. Kira looked up at her. "Well...it appears we will be joined on the next flight by none other than my mother."