Chapter 15

Arslan heard the buzzer on the front door ring. There were no scheduled visits, but sometimes prospective adopters would stop in unannounced. She checked that none of the children were misbehaving before slipping away. As she entered the lobby she immediately spotted an abnormally tall man with short black hair. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Ah, Ms. Altan." The man said. "I'm…"

"Mr. Daichi." Arslan finished for him. "I'd recognize that voice anywhere. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"Please, call me Yatsuhashi, or Yatsu if you wish." Yatsuhashi requested.

"Only if you call me Arslan." She countered. "So, what finally brings you here?"

"I've come to apologize." Yatsuhashi replied. "I've been foolish, and I worried you. I would also like to thank you. Had you not sent Ms. Xiao-Long...we likely would not be having this conversation."

"I forgive you, but I can't accept your thanks." Arslan waved him off. "I should be thanking you for everything you've done for the children. Would you like to meet them?"

"No, I shouldn't." Yatsuhashi shook his head. "I do not deserve the privilege."

"Nonsense." Arslan scoffed. "After everything you've given them, it's only…"

"I abandoned my daughter, and the love of my life, then nearly ended my own." Yatsuhashi cut her off.

"You made some mistakes." Arslan countered. "We all do. Through your donations, I'd say you've more than made up for it. Your charity paid for almost everything here. The children's clothes, their toys, books, the playset outside...hell, before your donations I had trouble keeping the lights on. You gave them a life they never would have had otherwise. Please, at least let me give you a tour. Let me show you everything you've given them. I can tell the children you're an inspector if that helps."

Yatsuhashi thought for a moment. "Very well."

Yang and Winter spent the weekend with the Belladonnas and Summer. It was a joyful weekend, full of laughs, games and fun. Summer seemed thrilled by almost anything. Watching cartoons, playing board games, some hide and seek, and video games all seemed to fill her with glee. Even more boring moments, when they chatted, when the read to her, when Summer sat drawing, filled her with happiness.

After Summer went to bed on Sunday night, the adults stayed up to talk. "She's so happy." Yang noted. "I don't think I've ever seen a kid go so long without crying or throwing a tantrum."

"She's spent her whole life in an orphanage." Winter observed. "Being here...it must all be magical for her."

"Yeah, I guess so." Yang sighed. "I just...I wish…"

"I know." Winter put a hand on Yang's shoulder.

"She's a very good kid." Velvet declared. "She doesn't complain about anything, she does what we ask. I couldn't hope for a better child."

"I think her favorite food is chicken but she's been willing to eat everything we put in front of her." Blake added. "My guess is she's used to not having a choice. We let her choose dinner on Friday night, and she was over the moon."

"She's so good." Yang smiled. "She's so easy to love." She paused and looked around at the others. "I think I have my decision."

"The paperwork is already filled out." Winter informed her. "You just need to sign it and we'll file it in the morning."

"I don't want to take her from you…" Yang started.

"Like we said from the start, she's yours." Blake cut in. "We both knew you'd end up adopting her."

"Yeah, there was never any question in our minds." Velvet confirmed. "We're just grateful for the week we had."

"You...thank you." Yang began to tear up. "This means more to me than you could know."

"I think we have some idea." Blake smirked.

"I guess...I guess it's decided then." Yang chuckled. "It might take a few days but...I'm adopting Summer."

Yang sat at the kitchen table, a half-full cup of coffee growing cold in her hands. Winter arrived, fresh from her shower, and sat across from her with a steaming cup of her own. "Come on, shower." Winter encouraged. "If we don't get to the office early we'll have to wait in line."

"Winter I...I don't think I should do it." Yang sighed, staring down into her mug.

"What?" Winter gasped.

"I...I just want to do what's best for Summer." Yang explained. "I can't just think about me."

"But this is what's best for her." Winter noted.

"Is it?" Yang asked. "No. What she needs is a mother who won't lapse into a fit of PTSD whenever something remotely bad happens to her."

"You've never overthought anything in your life." Winter groaned, shaking her head. "Please don't start now."

"If I have to overthink one damn thing in my life, it may as well be the most important thing for three lives." Yang countered. "Hell, five. This isn't just about me. It isn't even just about us and Summer. Blake and Velvet are in this too, and I care about them too much to screw this up for everyone."

"You're being a big, dumb, idiot." Winter scoffed.

"Yeah?" Yang grumbled. "I raised a little, dumb, idiot who got herself pregnant and didn't tell me, so…"

"Who didn't tell you for the best thought out, most logical and selfless reasons." Winter cut in. "I'd say you did a damn good job of raising her."

"I bet Summer will love hearing that when she's old enough to understand why her mother abandoned her in a fuckin' orphanage!" Yang shouted.

"What, in hopes she would have a better life than her?" Winter insisted. "Because she wouldn't be able to afford to put food on the table? Because she wanted what was best for everyone involved?!"

"Because...she...AAAURGAH!" Yang screamed. She threw her coffee mug over Winter's shoulder. It shattered against the kitchen tile, splashing its contents all over the floor.

"You only throw things when you know I'm right." Winter noted.

"Fuck you and your rightness!" Yang yelled. She stood and kicked the 2x4 leg of the table, then recoiled in pain. "Stupid fucking table! I hate you! Argh!" She proceeded to beat her fists on the table and assaulted it with more kicks and knees. Still it held firm.

"I'm legitimately impressed by its sturdiness." Winter observed, a smug smile on her face. "You did a great job attaching that leg."

"RRRGH!" Yang roared. She finally flipped the table, Winter having just enough time to get herself and her coffee out of the way. Breathing heavily, Yang stalked out the back door. She walked to the balcony, leaning against it and staring out at the ocean.

"Yeah, we'll need to hold off for a few days." Winter spoke into the phone. "Yang's getting in her own head."

"I figured she might." Blake responded on the other end. "No problem. We can hold onto Summer for as long as she needs."

"I'm sure it won't be long." Winter declared. "You know her."

"You need me and Velvs to come in today?" Blake asked.

"Not until the afternoon." Winter replied. "We're doing a test shoot for Melanie."

"Alright, I'll see about getting a babysitter." Blake said. "Maybe Glynda. Ooh, or Nora and Pyrrha."

"Hmm...try Glynda first." Winter suggested. "I know it would be valuable practice for Pyrrha and Nora, but that couple's overall sanity is at an all-time low."

"I know what you mean." Blake chuckled. "Maybe I could bring Summer in."

"Not today." Winter advised. "Given Melanie's recent history of outbursts...I would rather not have Summer there, at least until I have a better read on her."

For her first shoot with Solstice, Melanie wore a somewhat artsy, upscale dress, a strapless ivory number with a fur collar. It was a style she had gravitated towards in the past. Blake jumped at the opportunity to apply makeup that was bolder than usual. Blake appreciated how stock still Melanie held, barely flinching as she applied the thick black eyeliner and eye shadow. It was a welcome change from Nora, who was a hassle at the best of times, even though her pregnancy shoots did not require much makeup work. Melanie remained almost entirely silent, through both makeup and costume.

With the preparation done, the shoot was set up. Solstice was a little less populated than it had been. Nora, Pyrrha and Sun were babysitting Summer, and Glynda was working nearly nonstop to cover Pyrrha's appointments. As a whole the family was quite busy, with only Winter, Yang, Blake and Velvet present with any consistency. Winter had even offered to give Yang the day off due to her episode in the morning, but she had insisted on coming in. She wanted something to keep her mind off the situation, and being on the job was as good a way as any to distract herself.

Once properly dressed and made up, Melanie stood prepared under the harsh studio lights. It had been some time since her last, disastrous shoot. She had spent that time living with her adopted father - Junior Xiong - as without a job she was no longer able to afford her own place. Things had not been the best between the two, between grief of loss and his anger at Melanie for wishing to continue the career that had so recently driven Miltia to her death. Things had been tense, and Melanie was getting tired of it. The sooner she could guarantee paid work, the sooner she could move out, the sooner she could be alone.

Blake and Yang hovered on the sidelines as Velvet made the final adjustments to her camera and the lighting. She looked to Melanie and raised an eyebrow. "You ready?" She asked.

Melanie shot Velvet a sufficiently blank look before nodding. She struck a pose and Velvet smiled, ducking behind the camera to take the first picture, then the second, then the third. Each flash was followed by a pose change, a blur to her vision, and a muffle to her hearing. Melanie missed this, but it was not the same. Pictures were memories, captured light representing a moment in time, the location, the people, the experience, all saved in an instant for the world to see, for them to behold. Melanie and Miltia were known for their bond, their shared visage, the implied intimacy of their body language.

So rarely had Melanie been alone in this position. Miltia was always at her side, or her back, in her arms, fingers entwined with her own, expensive perfumes mixing with her own scent. She could almost imagine she was still there, in those brief flashes of light. She could feel her presence, her warmth. But it was only a fantasy, a lie, glimpses of a life she no longer had. She was not warm, she was cold. She was alone, Miltia was gone. She would never hold her hand, never hold her close, never gaze lovingly into her eyes, never kiss her, like no one else could kiss her. She was gone, forever. Melanie was cold. Melanie was alone...alone...alone…

"Mel?" Yang called out.

Melanie gasped, suddenly aware of the world around her once more. A light pressure on her shoulder drew her attention to the sight of Yang, lilac eyes wide with worry, boring into her. "I'm fi...I'm fine." Melanie swallowed.

"Mel, you're crying." Yang observed.

Melanie reached up to her cheek. Touching it, her fingers came away wet, stained black with eyeliner. The sight shook her, suddenly drawn back to the fateful night, when she had found her sister's lifeless body, dried eyeliner streaked down her pale cheeks. Melanie felt her breath hitch and she hung her head, clenching her teeth in an attempt to will the memory away.

"Guys, could you give us a bit?" Yang requested. Blake and Velvet left, leaving Yang and Melanie alone. "Mel...Melanie, it's okay. You can let it out. It's just you and me."

Melanie shook her head, but did not resist as Yang pulled her into a hug. She shuddered. "It's just me." Melanie wept. "It's only me. She's gone and I'm all that's left."

"That's not true." Yang countered. "You've got Junior, you've got me, you've got us."

"You're not her, Yang." Melanie sighed. "None of you are."

"I know." Yang conceded. "We're not her, no one ever will be, she's gone and nothing will change that. I know how it feels Mel."

"You...I…" Melanie stammered. "We were more than that Yang. We...we…"

"Mel?" Yang asked.

Melanie hunched inward, her body shaking from withheld sobs. "We were never anything less than each other Yang." She cried. "We were always there. She was always mine, and I was always hers, even when we tried not to...I lost my sister Yang! My sister, my partner, my other half...she was everything to me. She was my entire world and now she's gone! That...that fucking...that...she left me alone Yang! She took my heart and she promised to keep it safe and then she left!" She slumped in Yang's arms, and Yang gripped her tighter, gently bringing her to the ground as she collapsed, continuing to hold Melanie as tears soaked into her shirt, until the sobbing faded to hitches, and finally, sniffles. Yang ran her fingers through Melanie's hair. "I fucked up, didn't I?"

"No, Melanie." Yang replied.

"I got fired the last time." Melanie countered.

"You're not getting fired." Yang insisted.

"You...you don't judge me...do you?" Melanie pressed.

"I don't." Yang confirmed.

"Everyone...everyone else did...or they fetishized it." Melanie sighed. "I dunno' how I feel about that."

"Have you talked to Glynda about this?" Yang asked.

"No, I was afraid." Melanie answered.

"Glynda won't judge you." Yang declared.

"Maybe she should." Melanie groaned.

"Melanie, look at me." Yang commanded. Melanie pulled back enough to meet Yang's serious gaze. "I won't pretend to be entirely on board with what you and Mil had, but as far as I'm concerned, love is love, and a sister is a sister, and it sucks to lose them. You remember how bad I was with Rubes. You two did this for me at the time."

"Yeah, you looked like shit." Melanie shared a small chuckle with Yang.

"I did, and it sucked, and I know I wasn't the best person to be around back then, but you still tried, and you helped, if only a little." Yang nodded. "But it was enough to last me until Winter came along, and now here we are, and it's my turn, so please, let me help you, let us help you. We don't mind giving you time to get your head on straight. We all understand, we were all there in our own way. That's why Winter gave you this chance. You really think she's gonna' turn you out because you're not done mourning? Fuck those other assholes who fired you. They saw you as an asset. We see you as a member of the family, and we stand by our family."

Melanie bit her lip, then looked down at Yang's shirt. "I think I stained your shirt." She sighed.

"Hmm?" Yang asked. She glanced down. "Meh, if it doesn't come out I can use it as a rag or something."

"So...you got a new bike?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, Bumblebee." Yang confirmed. "I'll take you for a ride sometime."

"Pass." Melanie scoffed. "I actually like living...most of the time." Yang huffed and Melanie managed a smile. She leaned back against Yang, properly returning the embrace. "Can we just stay here for a while...I miss being held."

"Sure." Yang agreed. "Winter might get jealous though."

"Hmm...let her." Melanie chuckled.

Yang gave a wave to the surveillance camera tucked away on the ceiling in the corner of the room. She could almost hear Winter's eyes rolling. "You doing anything for lunch?" Yang asked.

"I was planning to starve myself." Melanie deadpanned.

"Pfft, well change of plans missy." Yang laughed. "Family lunch. Gotta' put some junk in that trunk."

"My ass is fine Yang." Melanie protested.

Yang smirked. "Take a look at Blake's, then tell me that again."

"I think she still needs a few weeks of therapy before she'll be ready." Yang declared. Sitting behind her desk, Winter nodded in agreement. "I'm not sure there's much we can do with her until then, but she needs a paycheck to get her life on track."

"I can't pay her in full until she actually start working, but I can make sure she has enough to get by." Winter agreed. "I'm just relieved she didn't do anything...rash."

"I have a hard time imagining her lashing out violently." Yang noted. "That guy must have been a real prick to drive her to it. She's just...so depressed, it's a fucked up situation."

"You did well, consoling her like that." Winter praised.

"If I just stood by and watched, what kind of friend would...well, not friend...ex-co-worker?" Yang rambled. "Tolerated acquaintance? Eh, whatever. It was the right thing to do."

"I knew you'd make a fantastic mother." Winter smirked.

"What?" Yang asked.

"If you can console a manic-depressive adult with a history of violence and a family history of suicide, you can console a crying child." Winter explained. "No pun intended, but that's child's play by comparison. You saw someone in pain, and your first instinct was to step in and do something. And don't just say it's because you're a good person. Blake and Velvet are too, but they were too taken off guard to act. You have the instincts and personality to be a great mom."

"Maybe you're right." Yang sighed. "And I suppose if it really doesn't go well, Blake and Velvs would take her in again."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Winter encouraged.

"Knowing you, you have the paperwork with you." Yang suggested.

Winter reached into her briefcase and produced the papers. "They just need your signature, then we can take them to make it official." Winter smiled.

Yang hesitated, but only for a moment. "Give me a pen." Yang requested. "Let's do this."