Mending Hearts (Winter Schnee x Original Female Character)

Chapter 7

I look at the hour when mother knocks on my door before she opens it. "I've got your clothes fixed."

I face her and I smile. "Thank you."

She walks inside, closing the door behind her. "You'll look so handsome, daughter. Everyone will have their eyes on you."

I chuckle as I start taking off my shirt. "I don't know how it will be a good thing."

She sits on my bed, giving her back to me and she says, "Because they will be your alibi." I glance at her, surprised and she chuckles. "Your friends told me of what you have been doing. I know why, so I'm not going to reprimand you, don't worry."

I smirk and I reply, "You would be the last person who should talk me down from that."

I hear her chuckling. "I know. But I'll have to ask you to be more careful, I wouldn't want James to do anything to you."

I scoff and I grumble, "I would like to see him try. Sending the Ace Ops to me shows that he's scared of me. Why I don't know."

"I think he fears you are going to aim for the seat in the Council, and you have a very strong opinion on him and you are loved by the majority of Mantle," she points out.

"So, he's afraid I will stage an uprising? Nice." I cackle, I can't help it. "He's lucky I do not have the time or will to know how politics works. I'm leaving that to Robyn." I slip into the pants.

"Ah, yes, your dashing teammate. She's quite the silver tongued politician."

I raise an eyebrow and I ask, "Would I want to know?"

"Just know that age never bothered me. Nor them, it appears."

I scowl deeply and then I growl, "I'm going to have words with them..."

She tuts me and she replies, "You will do no such thing, darling. It's my life we are talking about. And you appear to be more against it than when I confirmed my tryst with Willow."

I grimace and I fetch one of the shoes. "Yeah, because she's around your age and I was with her daughter! I don't particularly like it but I can understand it. Robyn and May are my age and that's... more disturbing to imagine."

I hear her laughing out loud and only when she calms down she tells me, "Don't worry, Nerys. I may have been tempted, but I am already taken."

I frown, deeply. "Really?"

"Yep, when she's not bossing us around, she's quite the companion. I would like to introduce you to her one day. When everything is done."

I turn around, surprised and I ask, "Is it that serious?"

She faces me and I notice the embarrassed smile. "Yeah, after 15 years we came to know each other a little bit. She likes to say it was bound to happen."

I am shocked, frozen on my spot and only after a handful of seconds I manage to move, getting the other shoe, I slip in it and then I grab the tie Whitley borrowed me.

"Nerys, say something, please," she begs me.

I stop tying it and I ask, "What do you want me to say? You left me and from my point of view, you replaced dad and have you replaced me? Does she even have a child?"

She sighs and she stands up, she comes up to me and she bats my hands away, slowly tying the tie for me. "I haven't replaced anyone, Nerys. It's just... we bonded over the fact that we had to leave our kids to let them live a somewhat normal life." I stare hard at her and she tries to match it, but ultimately she lowers her gaze. "I never forgot about you, nor your father. I still miss him from time to time, but he's been dead for years and... I did many things that luckily didn't come back to bite me in the ass, and she's... she's rough around the edges, like a lot, but at the end of the day I still fell for her and I would love it if you could give her a chance."