Second Chances: Flash

Chapter 33

Crystal still couldn't believe that she was doing this, but Caitlin had begged her to do this. Plus she'd cheated and used Kayla, who Crystal just couldn't say no to. One of the disadvantages of them being separate people now was that Caitlin could weaponize her daughter against her. Especially when Caitlin pointed out that she didn't want to have to explain to Kayla why Auntie Crystal and Grandma couldn't be in the same room without getting into a fight.

Which was why she was currently sitting at her usual table at one of her favorite restaurants in Central City, a place called Trashawns, which was one of the most expensive restaurants in the city, but considering how rich Crystal was, the price wasn't any issue for her. That was part of the reason why she'd chosen Trashawns for the meeting was to show her mother how wrong she'd been about her career, since growing up, Carla had always considered Crystal's dedication to art a waste of time, and yet now that waste of time had made her rich. Something Crystal wanted to throw in her mother's face.

But all thoughts of that were thrown out the window when her mother actually sat down at the table across from her.

"I wasn't sure you were gonna show up." Crystal said coldly, enjoying how nervous her mom looked.

"I could say the same thing about you." Carla said.

"Caity guilted me into this. I swear, if I'd known that she was going to weaponize Kayla to get her way all time, I never would've encouraged her to adopt." Crystal said.

"Yes you would've. We both know that being a mom is a part of who Caitlin is." Carla said.

"True. After all, she may be my twin, but she was more of a mom to me than you ever were." Crystal said.

"I did my best." Carla said.

"If that were true, I probably wouldn't have spent so much of my teenage years in juvie. After dad vanished, you basically shut me out. Always made me feel like I was stupid and that I didn't belong. Dad may be a lunatic right now, but at least he always supported me." Crystal said.

"Your sister told you about that." Carla asked.

"Caity and I have no secrets from each other. Especially since she was concerned that I might go the same way he did since I have the same powers as him." Crystal said.

"But you haven't, right?" Carla asked, since Crystal had shown signs of powers as a kid after Thomas had performed his treatment on her.

"No, I haven't. I think it's at least partially because the treatment dad did on me was more refined than the one he did on himself. But it's also because I have people in my life to keep me from going bad. Including the good things that came out of juvie. The fact that I met the love of my life there." Crystal said.

"Yes, Caitlin told me about your boyfriend Mark. It sounds like he's been the only other constant besides your sister in your life." Carla said, sad that she hadn't been one of those.

"I'm not the one who made things this way. You are." Crystal said right as their waitress came up and while Carla ordered, Crystal just said her usual before they resumed their conversation.

"I know and I'm truly sorry Crystal." Carla said.

"You were my mother. You were supposed to protect me and love unconditionally, but the second I started to get serious about pursuing art, you acted like I didn't exist. You told me that art was a waste of time and that I'd never accomplish anything worthwhile because I wasn't a scientist like you and dad and Caitlin. What kind of mother says that to her own daughter? Especially since you were wrong anyways, considering the fact that I'm rich and my art is in galleries all over the world now." Crystal said.

"You're right and I was wrong. I should've accepted that you were different from the rest of our family and I should've been proud of you for following your passion. And I am proud of you. In fact, I want to show you something." Carla said as she pulled out her phone to show Crystal an image.

"What's this?" Crystal asked before she saw that it was an image of one of the first paintings she'd ever sold back when she was first getting her career off the ground.

"I never did know who bought that painting, since they stayed anonymous." Crystal said.

"It was me. I stayed anonymous because I wasn't sure how you'd react to me being the buyer." Carla said.

"You have a piece of my art?" Crystal asked in shock.

"I have a small gallery of it in fact. I'm so proud of you Crystal. Everything you accomplished on your own, without any help. And your father would be too if he was in his right mind." Carla said and Crystal felt like the ice over their relationship, no pun intended, started to melt and something started to heal as she put her hand over her mother's.

"I think that maybe we can start to rebuild things between us." Crystal said and Carla smiled.

"Baby steps. But I would like to finally meet this Mark guy and make it clear about exactly how I expect him to treat you. Especially since I already gave your sister's fiance the same treatment." Carla said and Crystal chuckled.

"Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night and I'll also invite Caitlin and her family over to serve as a middle ground." Crystal said, since she and Mark lived together.

"I'll be there." Carla promised.

"Great." Crystal said as their food came.