Make Me Yours (Alcina x Miranda x Fem! MC)

The Journey

The walk to her home is silent, yet her mind is buzzing and racing a million miles. All different kind of scenes and scenarios playing out of who her mate is. Does she own a winery? If so, she must be elite, why would the Goddess choose someone like that for her? Carmen is certainly no one to write home about. Maybe her mate works at the winery, that would seem more realistic. What about this woman she keeps dreaming about? She must know something. Or be her mate. Carmen shivers and shakes her head; her body uses muscle memory to keep her from running headfirst into anything due to her mental distraction. When she snaps back to reality, she finds herself on the edge of the communal grounds looking out at all her friends and family. She takes a step back, perhaps it would be best to talk to Ben first.

She finds Ben and Clara sitting on their porch in front of Ben's old home, rocking away and laughing while sipping on drinks. Of course, Alo, Diana, and a few others are there as well including Neyla who catches her first. Carmen approaches and gives them a half wave and smile; Ben sits forward and motions for her to join them. Clara scoots over giving Carmen room to lean against the railing. She crosses her arms and picks at an old scab.

"Well, it's about time you showed. Abuela is pissed." Neyla exclaims.

"Qué pasa?" Ben asks.

"I... I want to go with you. When you leave."

Ben's eyebrows raise in surprise, the two of them look at her silently before Ben chuckles and stands. The others look at each other but their reaction was one she wasn't expecting, they stood up and hugged her. Diana squealed in excitement, Alo slapped her on the shoulder, and Neyla clapped her hands. Ben handed her his drink to finish off and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Okay then! I'll take care of everything, but you have to tell mom."

Shit.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure she'll understand, this is a long time coming. You deserve happiness Carmen." Neyla says happily.

Carmen digs her heel into the ground as Alo and Ben drag her toward the communal area, better now than later they said. Neyla, Diana, and Clara take up the rear and try to sooth her with reassurance and confidence, but it does little to calm her. As they get closer Carmen struggles more, she could easily shift and outrun all of them, especially Alo, but deep down she knows she must. She can't, not tell her mother otherwise that'll cause even more harm, but the second she does the whole island will find out.

She takes a deep breath and walks forward after an 'encouraging' nudge from Ben. The two others helping her mother look up and wave at Carmen who waves back. They look at each other as she approaches and move off to the side to give her and her mother some privacy. Carmen fiddles nervously with the ring on her pointer finger as her mother faces away from her and viciously chops vegetables. Maybe she should wait until her mom isn't holding a sharp object.

"Hi mamá." She says hesitantly.

"Hola mija (hello darling)." She replies while chopping away.

"Can I talk to you?" Carmen asks.

"Depende (depends), is it about you running away from your abuela?"

Carmen stiffens, "you know about that?"

"Cariño (honey), everyone knows about it. You know how fast word travels: Teléfono (telephone), telegrama (telegram), tell an abuela." She snickers.

"Oh..." Carmen fiddles more with her ring, "um yes, and no?"

"Well, spit it out then. I'm not getting any younger."

Carmen twists her ring around her finger until it's raw, she wasn't even this nervous when she came out.