Carried Away on a Moonlight Shadow [Semi-Open]

It had been three months.

Three months since she had given up her son.

Three months since she had left her son to Leo.

And now, she would finally see them both.

With lots of contact between her and the headmaster, she was finally permitted to visit Beata, specifically, the Daycare. She had gotten news this was where Leo was more than ever, if he wasn't in classes or working. She sent whatever she could to Beata to be spent towards Shepard- While she may have left the burden of raising the child to Leo, it didn't mean she wanted to leave either of their lives entirely. Care still filled the young womans' heart, and she would carry such out.

Having to fly the rest of her way to Rosebury from a station in North Dakota, the strawberry-haired lass was thankful to finally touch the ground. It had been too long- the confines of being in normal society meant she couldn't exercise her gift but in private. She had advanced very little in her abilities because of such. Yet, she still did whatever she could in the dead of the night to keep her abilities in check. She held herself responsible for at least doing that much, even if she wouldn't be allowed to return to Beata yet, if at all.

The downpour of the rain had made flight hard, as a cloak was drawn around her so she couldn't be identified. Even then, her hair was soaked, blue eyes scanning the oh-so familiar town around her. Memories flashed through her mind. The devastation of what she had found out. The joy that she had from her sons' birth, but also the depression that came along with it. She couldn't believe herself to be a good mother for him. She just couldn't. How could she be a mother to a dear boy, who didn't even have a mother of her own? She owed Leo so much, and yet... She couldn't repay it. He would have every right to fight her tooth and claw. If he saw her tonight? She doubted a warm welcome.

Yet, here she was.

Wings disappeared as she strolled in the rain. Her legs slowly grew soaked, both from her running towards the building and her stepping in puddles. On numerous occasions she had to replace the hood of her cloak onto her head, and relief flooded her once she finally made it to the doorstep of the daycare.

The doorstep to Leo Herman, and Shepard Herman.

Seeing lights flooding the outdoor world through the windows, the young woman allowed herself entry. The scent of baby powder and baby food filled her nose, and she released a sigh as the door shut behind her. Leaving the cloak upon herself, her vibrant blue eyes immediately found who it was she knew she would see during her short stay. Indeed, he was there.

It had been three months.

Three months since he was given a child that he was not entirely prepared to have.

Three months since the responsibility had been solely rested on his shoulders.

And now, he'd rather not see her.

Leo hadn't been told of her arrival, nor was he ready for it. His days were spent in a routine. Wake up, feed Shepard, dress him, burp him, prepare him for the day, get ready himself, head to school, work at the cafe, come back to the daycare, finish homework while spending time with his son, help around daycare, dinner, bath, then bed. A routine. Which was not only what babies needed, but what he did too. Shepard woke up at nine, ten thirty, and two. Every. Single. Night. Everyday felt like a blur, his head felt like cotton, and the only way to clear it up was to spend time with the little blond bundle that stared up with him with sanguine eyes. His giggly smile made everything worth it.

Well, except the moments at almost eleven at night where he refuses to ever sleep. These times felt like his son just wanted to keep him awake just to spite him. It took a good half hour for Leo to finally put him to bed. The child's soft breathing filled the ever so silent nursery air. The sounds of patting against the windows was soothing, not only for Shepard, but for Leo too. Although, the older of the two lived in constant fear that one of the lightning strikes would wake Shepard up. Nights like these were not restful.

The father's head drooped to the side, mouth hanging open as he dozed off. Just as he was about to fall asleep, the door of the daycare closed shut, and his eyes shot open. He gave his son a glance before tip-toeing out of the room careful not to wake the baby, but also to get to the door as fast as possible. Had the storm blown it open? Or had a parent come to pick up their child? Normally they don't do it so late at night, as the kids whose parent's leave them there are on missions and don't come back until during the day. Eyes narrowed, he stepped into view of the door. What he saw caused him to take a few steps forward, carefully preparing his energy.

"Look, just letting you know, there are children trying to sleep. A random person coming in will not help them at all. I know it is raining and all, but this isn't the place to get out of the rain." This was definitely not the place for someone to come in so late at night. Leo's suspicions were high. Blue eyes tossed a glance to where Mikaela should be sleeping. She'd agree that it was off too. "I'll have to ask you to leave."

There he was indeed. Tire-stricken. He looked aged, and a soft stroke of pity hit her heart.

I'll have to ask you to leave.

He had every right for saying such a thing. The authority in his voice certainly carried the tone that he didn't recognize her in the slightest. Of course, why would he? She was covered in a cloak that would make her unrecognizable, and she doubted strongly that he would recognize her based on height alone. "My sincerest apologies." She said in a soft tone, instantly cueing as to who she, a mystery stranger, was. Even if it had been three months, which were a mix of depression and guilt, her voice had changed little. Sure, her skin was a little more pale and her eyes a little less vibrant, but she still carried a bout of life to her.

The graceful fingers uncovered her face, the cloak's hood falling to her shoulders as her strawberry hair was revealed first, then her eyes, and the rest of her facial complexion. Keirsta Chree was once more at Beata, face to face with Leo Herman, the man whose childhood she had taken away the rest of with the birth of Shepard.

Sure, that probably wasn't a very good way at saying things, but what else could there be to describe the situation? She had taken away a freedom of his he should still have. She dumped the child upon him, and she would carry that forever.

"Although, I hope you can spare me an exception."

Mikaela awoke at the same sound that Leo did. However, she did wait a moment, eyeing a shadow tip toe to where the door was. After making sure that the over-night children were still asleep, she herself tip toed towards the door. "What is somebody doing here this late at night?" she whispered, standing next to Leo. "Please tell me it's important, otherwise there's no need for you to be here." She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she tried to get a look at the newcomer, however she couldn't distinguish many details, once the newcomer had taken off the cloak. Mika stifled a yawn as she leaned on Leo slightly, still half-asleep. "Do you two know each other?"

"I-"

He knew that voice. The moment she spoke, the cloak falling over her shoulders. His heart wrenched. His lips were parted slightly, a shaky breath was inhaled. "Keirsta." Managed his voice, the name dripped out in awe. Eyes narrowed and widened as he considered what was happening. He couldn't understand. Why was she here? Why? He swayed in his spot, with Mikaela's weight against him he was able to bring himself out of his stupor. His lips trembled before words spilled out. Each dripped with venom. "Why would you ever do that? To me...To Shepard. What gave you the right to up and walk away?" A hand was clenched to his side, and his throat closed up.

"Even past all of that, why are you here? What- Why?" His voice wavered as he not only struggled to keep himself together, but to restrain his volume. There were children sleeping after all. The father's head dropped to the floor. He leaned into Mikaela.

"More than I would ever want to." Leo answered softly, he could practically feel the tears in his heart reopening. Splitting as if anew.

The air was quiet, even as Hosa gently glided though the sky on silent wings, although the rain made it a bit hard. It was another sleepless night for her - they sometimes happened and she tended to pass the time by going out for nightly flights. It reminded her much of her days before Beata, when she would spend the nights sitting on the roof of her house and gawking at the lights of the city. In the form of an owl, her feathers mostly black with white splotches throughout in order to not draw attention.

But what did draw her attention was the sight of something approaching the daycare. Cloaked in shadows..And a cloak, she couldn't make out who it was. She started to circle the daycare when the stranger went into the building. Hosa's eyes widen as she quickly dipped her flight, landing in front of the daycare shortly after the door came to a shut. She heard voices. Leo's voice didn't surprise her but the second voice that spoke up...How could she forget the voice of the person who replaced her as Autumn Prefect before disappearing one day? She flared her wings, hopping up to one of the windows near the door and peered in with narrowed eyes.

There she was, Keirsta Chree. Hosa ruffled her wings, her eyes flickering from Leo and Keirsta as the two faced off within the daycare, Mikaela appearing behind Leo. She titled her head, wondering if she should join when she heard Leo almost start spitting venom at her. It shocked her, it truly did. Leo had been nothing but kind-hearted and sweet, she didn't know he had a bad bone in his body until this very moment. She leaned forward, attempting to gather all of the words she could - the window in between her and everyone else muffled the voices.

Then it hit her. Hosa knew about Shepard - it was a bit hard not to when you work in the Daycare he lives in but she had never bothered to learn the identity of the mother. It wasn't her place to know and she feared it would be a sore spot for Leo. Now she could see that she was right never to ask about it and everything made sense. Her feathers fluffing up as she let out a small hiss from her beak. How dare Keirsta come and bring up feelings that Leo no doubtfully was trying to bury! It wasn't hard to see that this whole thing was unplanned. Did Keirsta not think about sending a letter to announce her visit? Or did she fear that he would not allow her to see Shepard? And really, sneaking in the middle of the night? Did she not have common cursory or was she attempting to avoid Leo?

Hosa turned to look at the door, half wondering if she would make her presence known or if she should wait this out. After a few seconds, she decided upon waiting. If things got out of hand, then she would intervene. Of course, she was tempted to have words with Keirsta one this was over - she wanted to know what the ex-Autumn member was thinking.

The words Leo spat at Keirsta did little to her. She felt bad, there was little he could do to plummet her mind into a further darkness. She was guilty. Nothing could remove her guilt.

What hurt her though was how he leaned into the young woman beside him. Surely a friend, but Keirsta still did love Leo. Why should she have the right to, though? "Yes. I know Leo very well." Her response was in a hushed tone, as she removed the still-wet cloak from her cold and soaked frame. Casting her hair over her shoulder, she looked back towards Leo. Her eyes pleaded with guilt, although an acceptance towards his bitterness.

"Nothing gave me the right to leave either of you behind. I can't repay what I've done. But the decision I made was one that I felt would be the best for our son. I can't be a mother, Leo. I never had a motherly figure to show me what was right, and what wasn't. You had both there for you... You had a mother, and a father... You have a wonderful sister who I'm sure would be ready to kill me right now if she saw me for the hurt I've caused you. You have such a better chance at raising him to be as great as you are, Leo. I don't. I should have stayed here... But I did." Her last words were filled with her emotions. Guilt, apology... She expected nothing of Leo to give her any sort of leniency as to say sorry.

"I came here because there's more to this then you know. I came here because I still care and love both of you. Yes, I left you both. It took time convincing the Headmaster to allow me here. I came here because I want to see my son, and the great man I still care about. It's taken me so long to finally be able to do this, and that's not an excuse. Leo, I'm not asking you to forgive me. I never will. I'm only asking to spend some time with you, and Shepard. If you want me to leave, I will." Her voice cracked as she spoke, her words still spoken in a soft enough tone as to not wake the other children. But, they were loud enough to hear.

Mikaela listened in shock at the venom of Leo's words, then the guilt-ridden words of the pink-haired girl. So this was Shepard's mother. She had never asked Leo who the mother was, since she knew it would be a very bad subject. She stood there, her leaning on Leo and Leo leaning on Mikaela just as much. She was glad she was there to support the older boy. The Summer girl didn't say anything, not wanting to overstep a boundary. She looked up at Leo and noticed that there was a look on his face that she didn't know he could make. Mikaela could only imagine what he was feeling. But even then she couldn't do it. So she stood there and became Leo's "rock" to lean on for support if he needed it.

"Even if I let you see him, I just got him to sleep. I'd hate to wake him up." The blond didn't look up, eyes glued to the floor board. It would hurt even more to look at her. Leo hoped it would be a bad dream, that Shepard's cries would wake him up. That he would be asleep on the rocking chair overlooking his son's crib. Clinging to that thought, he closed his eyes and slowly breathed in and out.

It was real, he figured. The pain in his heart was real. He hated it. It was too much. The young man didn't want to cry, so quickly he opened his eyes. His vision swam with tears. "You know, I've been thinking what I would say to you if you ever came back." He let his words hang in the air for some time, his eyes staring up at the ceiling in a attempt to keep from tears flowing. "My first thought was to yell, or say how much you broke my heart and made me feel worthless. Or maybe even how much I had to sacrifice." The father's lips pressed together and he met Keirsta's eyes. "But, I figured that wouldn't do much in the situation. So instead, I..." He took a breath, and a stern and resolved look was plastered onto his face.

"It takes two to raise a child, and I'm not going to do it with you." His words were not harsh, or degrading in anyway. Only stating facts, emotion was peeled off of his face. Only a bare look. "I won't deny you visitation, but-"

BOOM

A thunder struck not too far away, rattling the daycare and startling those within it. Immediately a wail erupted from the nursery. On instinct, he rushed for the child, partially glad that he was out of the conversation but also felt bad that his son had to awaken so suddenly. Knowing the others might follow in, Leo picked the child up out of the crib and began making a 'shhhh' sound. A familiar white noise to the baby. It was supposed to remind them of the blood flowing in the womb, a comforting sound that reminds them of safety. Carefully, he wrapped Shepard into a swaddle, providing more security.

"I guess you get to see him then, Keirsta." He muttered, although made no move to let the mother hold him.

Thunder continued to rattle.

Hosa blinked as she watched it all take place, silent on her perch. Her feathers slowly started to lay back down as Keirsta begged to spend time for them, only for agree but to deny any chance to be together again. Then the thunder rang out. Hosa squawked, fluttering her wings as she turned her head to stare at the sky. Perhaps it was unwise to stay outside...Her eyes flickered back into the Daycare only to see Leo dart away as a baby's cry echoed from within. Hosa hopped down from the windowsill and moved toward the door, shifting back into her regular form and opened up the door. She was sure that everybody had followed after Leo as she shut the door behind her, deciding if she should follow suit. She started to move forward toward where everybody else was, shape shifting into a cat as she went. She peaked into the room where nursery, flicking her black tail as she lingered in the shadows. She waited to see how everything would play out.

If Shepard had just gotten to sleep, Keirsta wouldn't mind leaving. She wouldn't put forth the burden once more of putting a crying child to rest, something she herself knew from the few nights she did spend with the baby boy. She reached for her cloak, draping the drying cloth over her arm.

She looked at Leo as he spoke. How he thought about what he would say. How she expected what his first thoughts would be, and even though that didn't happen, she expected any moment for it to occur. But why would he? They were standing in a room with sleeping children. Why would he wake them? His words were still filled with a venom only true anger held. She didn't blame him.

As his eyes met her own, she saw reflected in them all the anger he held towards her. Even if emotion left his face, his eyes told more then she could ever hope to know. Tears threatened to spill out of her own eyes, but they stayed locked away. She had braced herself well for this. Many nights of crying had done so.

The words that had come next were daggers in her skin, reopening old wounds.

She never expected him to allow her any sort of custody with Shepard. At most, she would get Leo to let her spend time with him. Which is what seemed to be the case. She was fine with that, something she had accepted with her decision to give full custody of Shepard to Leo.

The clap of thunder made Keirsta jump, her wings appearing out of habit as she had fluttered upwards. Even after flying in such a storm, she hadn't expected that. Quickly taking her place back down on the ground, the feathers disappeared before she silently followed Leo. He said he wouldn't deny her visitation, right? So that meant she could at least see him before leaving once more.

Looking at the small boy, she saw him and her gaze softened. Approaching Leo a bit closer, her gaze mainly focused upon Shepard, her wings once more appeared. The nights she had spent sitting with him in the corner of her room, her wings were always a part of her. A feather daintily grazed his cheek, and Keirsta sighed softly. Her lips parted as she sang softly- Come to me my sweetest friend,
Can you feel my heart again?
I'll take you back where you belong;
And this will be our favorite song.
Come to me with secrets bare,
I'll love you more so don't be scared.
When we're old and near the end
We'll go home and start again.

While the song was typically meant as a love song- Keirsta sang it with such a purity in her voice that it was an apology. An apology for her son that he would recognize. She would sing this to him as he slept, or even when she played with him. The ending lines of the chorus were her begging for forgiveness. "If only your sisters could hear it..." Her voice was hushed, targeted at the young child alone.

Mikaela flinched as the thunder shook the building, the vibrations causing her to be put on edge. She almost lost her balance as Leo ran into the room to comfort Shepard. The Summer merely stood there as Keirsta made her to way to see the baby. As she turned to walk in with her, she stopped in her tracks as the pink-haired girl began singing. She had a beautiful voice, and Mikaela could tell the voice was full of emotion. The brown-haired girl stood in the entrance to the main room and looked at the three, knowing that her presence near them would only interrupt. She didn't hear what Keirsta had said, however, as it was too quiet and it was only meant for the baby boy.

The babe's cries softened to hiccups, his bottom lip jutted out. Blue eyes opened as a soft yet familiar voice filled his ears. The child hushed, only the occasional sharp inhale showed of his outburst. The baby couldn't place where it was coming from, he couldn't yet place where sounds came from. But he remembered the sound, is if vaguely. Focused eyes stared up from his father whom's face he knew easily.

Figuring it wasn't him, the child's eyes rested on the second biggest thing in his field of vision. Keirsta. Shepard wasn't too excited about being woken up, the child still looked upset about his sleep. Yet, not as bad as he could have been. The infant went to raise his arm, though found it snugly within the swaddle, instead he wiggled in his father's arms. His face began to mock what he had seen from others. A happy face, solemn face, awe face, anger, anything he could remember. With that over and done with, the baby let out a sigh and shut his eyes, ready to fall back asleep.

Leo was silent as Keirsta sang, his eyes only leaving Shepard's face to give Mikaela a glance. Before he could mouth anything to her, Keirsta spoke. While it was directed toward Shepard, Leo could hear. His face scrunched up in confusion. "Sisters?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. Shepard didn't have any. Unless siblings were born before him, which he doubted. So what...?

As the infant seemed to calm from her voice, Keirsta did slightly herself. Watching him wiggle in Leo's arms, Keirsta had taken a small step forward to hold him, although paused as she knew Leo would probably refrain from allowing her to do so. He looked so innocent in his tired state, and she wished him the blessing to keep such an innocence. Brushing some of her pink hair away from her face, Keirsta briefly looked at Leo.

She had heard just enough of his voice to know he wanted to know more. Her mind raced. Had she put that in the initial letter she had sent? Probably not. Upon thinking about it... She hadn't.

Standing up more straight, she looked at Leo's face. The confusion in his face told her everything she needed to know. Extending her arms slightly as a silent question of- 'May I hold him?' -she braced herself to tell the story.

"Yes, sisters. When I arrived home, there was an ultrasound that revealed that Shepard wasn't the only one... There were also two girls. Triplets. T-The girls didn't thrive like Shepard did... I couldn't keep them all alive... Annabelle Sophia Herman and Mackenzie Aleta Herman... They died before Shepard was born." Her head hung, her eyes looking away as tears fell. "I couldn't take care of Shepard, I can't help but think about them... How could I provide a good life for him? I-I'm sorry I never told you about them, Leo... The girls..." Keirsta wiped away her tears with the back of her hand before inhaling deeply, looking down at the face of the sleepy child.

Hosa's ears flickered at the song that Keirsta started to sing. It was beautiful, but yet she felt unsure. Could she blame Keirsta for abandoning her son? As far as Hosa knew, her own father had done it to herself. Granted, it was perhaps a bit more complained seeing how her mother was married to her 'real' father when that whole affair took place...But knowing the pain of learning how screwed up her familly really was caused her to be angry - that Keirsta seemed to think that giving up her son was a better choice then to let him have a mother who truly loved him.

Her ears slicked back on her head, only to pause when she glanced up to see Mika standing next to her. Her breath caught in her throat, wondering for a second if her 'cover' was blown but she didn't seem to notice her. Hosa frowned, but decided to chalk it up to the fact that the room they were standing in was still a bit dark and thus causing her to blend in with her black fur. Then, Leo spoke.

The confused word that left his mouth caused Hosa to spin her head around, watching the ex-couple as Keirsta started to explain that Shepard was not the only child. But he was the only living one. Hosa's mouth hung open as took in all of the details, before she shook her head. She spun, silently padding away toward the entrance of the daycare. It wasn't her place to hear this, was it? So, upon reaching the middle of the room she sat down and faced toward the nursery in silence and darkness. She would be there waiting for them once they left that room. Her eyes narrowed as she decided upon what she would say to Keirsta. So, she threw her tail over her paws as she waited.

Occ: Feel free to skip me now until you guys go back to the main room and spot Hosa. I'll try to keep track of this topic thought so I know when I should post.