Mother? Who's My Father? (Modern AU)

Chapter 2

Entering their home, Hera ran straight upstairs to her room and lay on her bed. Only then did she allow the trapped tears in her eyes to flow down her face as she sobbed. All she wanted was a normal family, a normal life but nothing was simple with this life. Nope her mother had to have such a tricky job. 

Downstairs Crosshair sighed, he took notice of the piece of paper holding a phone number, one that he had ignored for years only for it to match the one that had been slipped into his pocket earlier. A sigh escaped him as he dialled the number, he waited for the other individual to pick up and hoped that they wouldn't but that was not to be. 

"Hello?" 

"I think we need to talk" 

"Cross-hair?" 

"Yes" 

"Is everything okay? You guys left in a hurry. Did I go over with my words? Look I'm sorry if I did and…" 

"No it's about something else…someone else…" 

"What's up?" 

"The others, are they around?" 

"They are but I'm in a private room, is everything alright? Is it Hera" 

Crosshair went silent, he didn't know whether he could do this. 

"Crosshair? Hey, take a deep breath. I know passing my number wasn't something smart to do, I should have spoken to you about it…" 

"You have another daughter" 

"Wait! what? How?" 

"You remember our summer 99?" 

"Yeah, I was barely twenty. You would have been sixteen, the others around the same ages. What's this got to do with it?" 

"Do you remember that night after you punched Rex for his comment?" 

"Yeah…oh….oh…you mean, when we all got drunk and….slept together?....you aren't telling me…that Hera is….one of ours" 

"Well I don't have DNA proof but I know she is one of yours and she keeps asking to meet her father but..I've been ashamed about it…I was a slut…." 

"Crosshair…you were never that….you shouldn't feel ashamed. Blame your arsehole of a father…you were never a slut, you..we all loved you so much but you pushed us away to protect us from what you dealt with on a daily basis…we had just started our relationship when you took off not even three months later which makes so much sense now…you were pregnant…what do you want to do about it?" 

"I'm going to tell her the truth but I realised something in the bank today. I can't keep Hera from her other parents and with my new mission coming up soon. I can't leave her with strangers and…" Crosshair coughed violently, moving the phone away from his mouth as he almost doubled-over. He reached for something and stabbed it in his thigh which led him to sitting down.

"Cro-ss-hair? You okay?" 

"I'm fine…I just want her to have someone who isn't…." 

"Dying?" 

"How?" 

"I saw the vial you had around your neck and heart pump under your top. Look, I understand. Let me speak to the others, I don't know how they will take it but know that I definitely want to get to know Hera. You can't keep her from me. Send me your address and I will pop along in the morning and we can chat" 

"Okay, sending now. Thanks Echo" 

"Always Silvy" 

Crosshair only rolled his eyes at the old nickname as he hung up on the older man, coughing violently into his arm, he moved over to the sink where he found himself swirling water around his mouth. With a sigh, he took a few pills before he headed up the stairs for his daughter's room. Knocking slightly, he heard a muffled voice.