A New Family

Chapter 3: Nightmares

"You should consider telling her though, Marie. Why wouldn't you? I'm sure she'd be happy to know." Callie said, as she looked at her cousin in a reassuring way, trying to make her feel comfortable. It wasn't the first time they'd discuss this...

The two were close to each other, sitting at the kitchen's table. Callie had prepared some tea for the both of them, something to drink while discussing. Outside, everything was pitch dark. It had been for a while, already. The only light that shone through the window, weakly, was the one of the moon. It was past midnight, and the two of them were the only ones awake still. Four had already gone to sleep an hour before. It surprised Marie to see Callie still up so late, because she really wasn't the kind of squid to stay up until late. Her body would usually give up on her by 11 pm, sometimes even earlier if she got a hard-working day. But the topic they were discussing was something Callie really had at heart, something that she cared enough about to ignore how tired she was. And there they were, drinking some hot tea together. Moments like these were the ones Marie cherished the most, some quality time with her cousin. She had to make up for all the time they had been separated when Callie had been kidnapped, after all.

Marie put her cup down on the table, sighing audibly.

"I know Callie, I know... but I'm afraid of what her reaction could turn out to be like. What if she takes it the wrong way?" She answered, with a worried look. Leah was the main topic, when wasn't she? Marie had been considering offering the young agent an adoption proposal for her upcoming birthday, which was bound to happen in 3 days from then. Callie had been trying to convince her cousin to do that for a much longer time though, way back when Agents 3, 8, and Captain Cuttlefish had come back from the metro, but she hadn't seen any success, until now. In the past week or so Marie had stopped trying to switch topics when the adoption idea was brought up, and that was a step in the right direction, but she was still really skeptical about the idea.

"Marie. She loves you. You know it. On top of that, she admitted that she never had something that she considered family before meeting us... Don't you think she'd be happy to have one? I'd be happy to have the person that saved my life as Niece, heehee."

Marie laughed, not too loudly, as she didn't want to accidentally wake up the little agent. That was the special thing about Callie. She had two completely different personalities. She was completely able to switch between her usual childish attitude and a more mature and wise one. It had always been something Marie really admired her for. 

"I'll think about it. I promise. Okay, Callie? I'm...just way too tired to make a decision now." Concluded Marie, drinking the last of her drink. Callie smiled at her and finished her tea too. Marie then stood up, putting the chair she was sitting on back under the table and stretching up a bit. She then headed towards the exit of the kitchen, turning back at her cousin shortly after.
"Aren't you coming?" She asked, seeing that Callie was moving to follow her outside.
"Oh? No, I mean, yeah, I'll come too in, like, 5 minutes, just the time to wash the dishes and our cups."
"You don't have to, though...just leave them there and I'll take care of the washing tomorrow. I feel bad since you're always the one doing it."
"It's fine, it is not something that takes much effort anyway. You go get some rest and think of what I've told you, will you?" Concluded Callie, giving Marie a thumbs up. The older cousin decided to listen to her, and wished her a goodnight, walking towards the stairs and her bedroom.

When she arrived upstairs, she stood still in front of her room's door for a few seconds. Her brain had thoughts racing like crazy. Four needed, no, deserved. She deserved a mother figure, especially after all she had done and gone through. But could she be the right person to fit that role? Could she be a good mother? Marie sighed. So much to consider. She just wanted the very best for Four, was it too much to ask for?

 As she was about to walk through the door, however...something happened. Or better, moved. She heard a crack behind her. A crack in the wooden floor. And that made her turn pale on spot.

She turned instinctively and remained frozen. She saw a figure standing behind her. She wasn't quite able to make out its face, it was darkened by the shadows and the black of the night. The figure was short, it did not move, it just looked towards the idol's direction, impassible. Marie ran into her room, shutting the door on her back. She frantically looked into her wardrobe, searching for her charger. When she wasn't around doing top secret agent missions, or turf wars, she would always keep her weapon behind her clothes. Just in case she needed it for any eventuality. Something like what was happening then.

After what felt like an eternity, Marie finally managed to find her weapon. Already loaded with a bit of ink left over, Marie was ready to protect herself if needed. When she felt her shoulder being tapped lightly, she pointed her charger at the mysterious being, ready to fire. It was an inkling... a surprisingly familiar inkling. As she realized who was in front of her, it was too late. The girl jumped backward, screaming.

"MARIE! IT'S ME! IT'S ME!!" Leah brought her arms on her face, in a defensive stance. Marie immediately lowered her guard and hugged her, dropping the charger on the ground.
"Agent 4! I'm so sorry! I...I didn't realize it was you in the hallway..." Four hugged her tightly, holding back a hiccup.
"I...I thought you recognized me...I'm so stupid, I'm sorry. I'm not thinking straight. I..really can't blame you..."
Marie let out a sigh of relief, caressing her Agent's back to calm her down.

Callie burst into the room shortly after and looked at the two with worry painted all over her face.
"What happened?? I heard screaming!" She asked, panicking.
"Don't worry. It was just a misunderstanding. I'm sorry if we startled you, Callie." Marie answered, trying to calm her down as well. Seeing the two hugging, Callie decided not to interfere further, especially after the conversation she just had with her cousin. She still had some cups to wash, after all...and she didn't want to interrupt the moment for much longer.

"Okay...well, I'll just go finish what I was doing, then, alright? Good night you two." And after saying that, she walked out of the room, heading downstairs once again.
Marie let Four go, and put her charger back in the wardrobe. After closing it, she noticed that four had headed towards the window. The yellow-haired inkling seemed to be staring into the darkness outside, her glance towards the sky. 

"Seriously, Four, it is awfully late. Why did you wake up? Is something wrong?"
Four didn't answer. She didn't even move her head. Not by the slightest.
"Four...?" Marie insisted, confused by her weird behavior.
"I just like watching the sky when I feel down. Nothing more." Four's answer left her puzzled. What did she mean by that? It wasn't like Four to be so cryptical. Her voice, to begin with, sounded...shaky. And on top of that, Four was a very heavy sleeper. It was weird to see her up so late.

The Idol approached the young inkling and looked her in the face, kneeling down a bit. It was then she figured it out. Four's eyes were red. They were puffy, and red.

"Four..." Marie's voice dropped, as she looked at Agent 4's still wet and marked cheeks. She could feel her voice sinking into her throat, having to see her in that state.
"As i said...I like to watch outside the window...when I'm sad. It...it makes me feel better..." The young agent turned her attention to her reflection in the window. It was so evident she had just cried. She could still taste the few salty tears that had reached her mouth. There was a moment of silence between the two, Marie unsure how to approach her before Leah asked her a question.

"Am i..." Marie tried to figure out the question, but Four's tone was so low she couldn't hear half of it.
"What?" She asked.

"Am I ugly...?" Marie looked at her, confused by the sudden and unexpected question. It was hard for her to answer, seeing Agent 4 in tears and asking something like that, just broke her apart. It wasn't the first time Four had cried, it had happened a few times before, usually because of nightmares. And it was always so difficult for Marie to think of the right words, and moments like these were the ones she wondered if she was really worth it to be her mother at all.

"That's what I thought..." Four murmured, hearing no answer. She let out a hiccup, sighing hopelessly and completely out of confidence in herself.
Marie could not afford to see her Agent in such a condition any longer. She embraced her in a tight hug, caressing the back of her head, in an attempt to calm her down, unsure of what else to do. Four's breathing stopped for a second, her eyes slightly widening. Marie slowly let go of her, as she slowly calmed down...she then finally found the words to answer her question.

"You are ugly when you cry, that's for sure." She smiled at her. Four smiled back, a little taken aback.
"You had another nightmare, didn't you?" Four slightly nodded, turning her glance down to the floor. Marie patted her shoulder.
"Alright, if you want, you can sleep with me. It kills me to see you like this." 
"Would you really...let me sleep with you?" She asked, surprised.
"If it helps you to sleep properly and feel better...yes. I want the cheerful Agent 4 that always swings everyone's mood up, not the ugly and sad one." Marie joked. Four laughed a bit, trying to forget about her nightmare.

"Come on, go into the bathroom and wash your face a bit. Then come back here, so we can rest." 4 obeyed, and in a matter of five minutes, she came back, her eyes re-acquiring the vivacity they usually had. Four quickly slid under the bed sheets.
"Good night, Agent 4." She said.

"I love you, mom." She answered. Marie froze on spot. What had Agent 4 just called her?! She turned and looked at her, but the young agent had already fallen asleep. She didn't want to wake her up again, not after what had happened. So instead, she calmed herself down and stared at the ceiling. She really had lots to think about, now.