Rupture // h.s au

"I almost lost everything."

Harry

We were driving back from the bureaucrats' camp. Marianne, Louis and I were in a vehicle, Autumn following behind us in another vehicle that she was giving a test drive to, to make sure it was suitable for mass production. She was supposed to test it with as little weight as possible, then start strategically adding weight every time she took it out on a drive, which was why she was driving it back alone. Liam had to stay back at the camp because there were a few more things he needed to deal with before coming home.

Marianne was seven years old now, and she was excelling in all her classes; whether they were fighting-based or otherwise. So, after about a year of non-stop denied requests and pleas made by Marianne, Autumn gave in, decided to start occasionally taking her along on trips to the bureaucrats' camp to teach her about her history; where her mother's roots were and how far the camp had come. Marianne was ecstatic the first time she was allowed to go with her mother, she wouldn't stop talking about it all week. It gave her an insight into a side of her mother that she hadn't seen before. Her mother was always a leader in her eyes, always capable of handling any space she found herself to be in, but that camp was different. It almost brought out things in her that she didn't need outside of that zone. Marianne was always proud of her mother, in awe of her, wanting to be just like her. And going into that camp and seeing her take over so effortlessly, receive the respect she deserved, amplified that. Gave her another thing to connect with her mother over. It warmed my heart to see my daughter fall in love with her mother all over again, the same way I seemed to every single day since I laid eyes on her.

" Autumn, everything okay back there?" I asked into the radio attached to the car. It was one of the reasons why we decided to take this car on trips from one camp to the other; it was steady on the road, big enough to hold more than one person, and it had a radio that could pick up signals as long as they were within a small radius. Autumn's vehicle had one of those too, and she promised to follow closely behind so that we could use it.

" Yes, Harry, everything is fine. Like it was five minutes ago when you asked last."

" Daddy, let me talk to her!" Marianne exclaimed, poking through the space between the backseat and the front seats, taking the radio out of my hand before I could say anything about it.

" Hi, mommy! It's me; Marianne."

" Yes, baby, I know it's you. Are you having a good time?"

" Daddy is driving too slow, I am getting bored. I want to be in the car with you." I rolled my eyes, made sure Marianne could see it. Autumn's laughter filled the air, pulling a smile out of me.

" I know, angel. Next time you can ride with me. Is your uncle Louis passed out yet?"

" Would you blame me with these driving skills?" Louis leaned his head close to Marianne's, for his voice to carry through the radio.

" Asshole." I whispered under my breath, shaking my head playfully. Autumn laughed some more. I snatched the radio back from Marianne, told her to sit back and fasten her seatbelt.

" If everybody is done bullying me, is everything feeling how it's supposed to with the baby?" Autumn was six months pregnant with our second child. It happened organically, and it was going a lot smoother than her pregnancy with Marianne. There had been no complications, no red flags of any sorts. We still worried though, after the experience we had the very first time. It was always looming at the very back of our minds, but her bump was showing and pregnancy was looking so good on her this time around. There was this unmistakable glow to her, you could just see how happy she was to be doing this again.