ADWF - Bonus - Estranged (Patreon)

=::= Kaitlyn's PoV =::=

As we slipped into the booth together, I glanced at Claire and asked one more time "Are you sure you want to witness this?"

I couldn't hide how uneasy I was as I added, "I have no idea how she's going to react. I won't let her hurt either of us, but she might be rude or vicious. She might say things that... Well, things I don't really want you to hear."

Claire just nodded and said in a quiet confident voice "I'm sure Katie. I'll be ok, and I know this is something you're worried about? I'll be your moral support."

I gave her a weak smile and tried to look calm and confident, but I'm sure she could tell I was worried.

This was supposed to be a vacation, it was supposed to be fun. And it was, apart from today. I'd flown us both first-class out to Victoria on Vancouver Island. 

I had to buy us plane tickets because I wasn't strong enough to pull us out through the veil yet. I was confident I'd regain that strength in time, and I knew countless locations across Earth we could travel to. But for now, I was restricted to mundane methods. 

It was our last little bit of summer before the two of us had to start university, and it was also my birthday.

As of last week I was now eighteen, according to my ID at least, even though I looked younger due to my small size. I appeared seventeen at best, but in truth I was now five hundred and eighty-two years old. On the other hand any fae who saw me would assume I was a child of about seventy. I had a feeling my age would be a confusing topic for the next few centuries at least.

Anyways, after two days in Victoria we took a short flight over to the mainland and spent the past five days here in Vancouver. It might have been more scenic to take the ferry across from the island, but boats and I do not get along.

Claire had never been out west before, so I was showing her the sights and the two of us took our time touring around. We were staying in the penthouse of a five-star hotel and enjoying all the best restaurants. Needless to say I finally accessed one of my secret accounts last month, since the police interest had waned.

Of course I did have two ulterior motives for coming to the west coast. 

In the wee hours of the morning two nights ago, I revisited the house where I last lived before I was defeated by Lady Tegan and Lady Keira. I had some personal belongings hidden away in that place that I wished to retrieve. I was pleasantly surprised and relieved to discover they were still there, and I managed to recover them without disturbing any of the home's current occupants. 

My cache of fae coins and a small collection of keepsakes were hidden away in my luggage, while my old 'forbidden' spellbooks were taken to a quiet location and thoroughly incinerated.

And now today I was going to take care of my second goal here in Vancouver. I wanted to see my daughter again. 

It was noon, today was the last Friday of August, and I'd got us luncheon reservations at another fine restaurant. I texted an invitation to Kelsey, and I'd given Claire several opportunities and excuses to miss this reunion but she insisted on being here.

I wasn't worried that Kelsey might try and harm my girlfriend, I wouldn't allow that to happen. I was more worried that she would tell Claire things I'd rather keep in the past. Neither Claire or Maddie wanted to know too much about my terrible history, and I was grateful for that. Whenever I was reminded of my past the memories left me horrified and sickened, and I expected they'd feel the same way if they knew.

My eyes continued scanning the restaurant as I sat with Claire in our booth, and after a few more minutes I felt a little chill as I spotted her.

"Here she comes," I whispered to Claire. I was trying to sound calm but my voice betrayed the unease I felt.

Kelsey hadn't changed much since the last time I saw her. She was only half fae, but that was enough that she aged much slower than humans did. She was into her sixties now, but she looked like a woman of perhaps thirty. She and I could almost pass for mother and daughter, if people read me a few years younger and her a few years older. 

My daughter was dressed in her typical casual apparel; a loose top over stretch-jeans and running shoes. She had a large purse slung over her left shoulder and I had no doubt there'd be a handgun concealed inside.

Claire and I were both a little more dressed-up for the occasion, and the venue. I wore a dark green blouse and a pleated black skirt and low heels, my girlfriend was in one of her beautiful black dresses and ankle-boots. We both wore make-up, hers was darker and more goth, mine lighter and more colourful yet subtle.

Kelsey wore a frown on her face as she stalked up to our booth. She slid herself onto the upholstered bench across from us and kept her purse close to her left arm.

Her eyes flicked up and down over me, but she completely ignored my girlfriend. She spoke before I could, and her voice was cold when she addressed me. There was no warmth, no joy. She just sounded bitter.

"Hello dad. It's been two and a half years, I haven't heard a word from you. What brings you here now? And where are your handlers, I don't see Tegan or my girls lurking about anywhere."

I suppressed a sigh as I replied, "Hello Kelsey. Lady Tegan isn't here, neither are Ladies Keira or Kelly. The twins know I'm here, but they and Lady Tegan are all back in Ontario."

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "They let you come here alone? I guess they don't much care what happens to you. What if I decided to put you out of your misery? Or was that the idea? Are you here to let me end your wretched existence?"

"I'm not alone," I stated. I tried not to let her rudeness get to me, but it was annoying. She was treating Claire like she didn't exist. 

I slipped an arm around my girlfriend and pulled her a little closer. Claire did the same, I felt her arm around my shoulders as she held me too. I glanced at her and said "Sorry Claire, I told you she might be like this. This is my daughter Kelsey."

"And Kelsey this is my girlfriend Claire," I added as I looked across the table again.

Claire was anxious now, I could feel it. She gulped then said softly, "Uh, hello."

The look my daughter gave the two of us pretty much said it all, she wore a sneer of contempt and disgust. She continued to ignore Claire and asked me "Don't tell me you've gone completely native. A girlfriend? I suppose next you're going to tell me you enjoy that weak little female human body Tegan trapped you in?"

I sighed, "Kelsey I didn't come here to fight or argue, or to trade insults. I came to see if I could help you. And I came to apologize."

She scoffed, "Help me? How could you possibly help me?"

Claire and I kept our arms around each other, I could feel she was still uptight. So was I, and I'm sure she knew it too.

I took a deep breath then replied softly, "I've changed since the last time we met. Small, yes. Weak, yes. Girl, yes. But human? No."

My daughter's eyebrows crept up slightly. I could tell she didn't believe me, but she cast the identification spell to be sure. Claire flinched, I'm sure she recognized Kelsey was using magic. Claire wouldn't have seen the light in my daughter's eyes, but Kelsey certainly saw the magic reflected in my own eyes.

She looked shocked as she hissed "How?! Don't tell me Tegan gave you a reprieve?!"

At that moment our waitress finally arrived, and Kelsey acted somewhat civil for the next minute or so. She ordered a bottle of vintage Bordeaux, one of my old favourites. I'm sure she did that to taunt me. I hadn't checked the wine list but I knew that bottle cost four-figures. And there was no way the restaurant staff would let me have a glass, looking as young as I did. Not that I wanted any, but I assumed Kelsey thought I might. 

Claire and I both asked for glasses of cola, and the waitress left to fetch our beverages.

I finally replied to my daughter's question, "Lady Tegan had nothing to do with it. I figured out what her spell did to me, and determined how to break part of it. A few months ago, with Claire's help, I dispelled enough of Lady Tegan's curse to make myself fully fae again."

Kelsey actually looked happy for the first time since she arrived. Her eyes lit up and the corners of her lips twitched upwards into a slight smile.

She half-whispered, "So you're free? And you're here to free me too? What are you waiting for, release me from this fucking geas Keira put on me!"

I sighed again and shook my head slightly.

My daughter's expression shifted back into a frown as she demanded "What game are you playing now, dad? If you're free, why haven't you made yourself normal? Why are you still going around looking and acting like a meek little girl?"

I held my tongue as our waitress returned. She set down my and Claire's soda, and an empty wine glass was placed before Kelsey. The waitress opened the Bordeaux and let my daughter sample it, before she poured a full measure into the glass.

"I'll give you all a few more minutes," the waitress said, as it was clear none of us had opened our menus yet.

Once she'd left us again, I took another deep breath then stated "Kelsey this is me now. I am Kaitlyn Connolly. This is who I am, who I want to be. I'm never again going to be that man, that monster I was before. And I'm not here to unleash you so you can go right back to doing the same things we did before. Like I said, I came to try and help you. And I came to apologize."

Kelsey drank back her glass of wine in a few gulps. That actually got a bit of a rise out of me, though I fought to keep my expression neutral. She didn't like the wine, or at least she didn't respect it. She just ordered it because it was expensive, because I used to enjoy it, and she wanted to rub my face in it. 

My daughter sneered at me as she poured herself another glass, then in a mocking tone she asked "Apologize for what, dad? For being so pathetic? For letting yourself get beaten by that stupid little changeling? For turning my daughters against me?"

"No Kelsey," I replied softly. This would be the hard part. I'd rehearsed it a dozen times, but even alone in the bathroom it was hard to say. Trying to do this now, for real, my stomach was doing flip-flops and my heart was racing.

"Kelsey, I'm sorry for what I did to your mother. I'm sorry for how I raised you. I'm sorry I led you down the path that brought us both where we are today. I'm sorry I was such an awful person, and I'm sorry that's the role model you had growing up. There's so much I've done that I regret, but nothing hurts as much as knowing how I've hurt you."

My voice wavered a few times but I managed to get through it without faltering too badly. Claire still had her arm around me and she gave me a gentle reassuring squeeze.

My daughter however seemed unmoved. She just shook her head in disgust, "Do you even hear yourself? Tegan and Keira really did a number on you, dad. Do you even know how much they messed you up? I've half a mind to just finish you off right now. I'd rather remember the man I looked up to, than the soft pathetic thing you've let yourself become."

I sighed again, then finally had a sip of my cola. I looked at Kelsey once more and replied softly "I know exactly what they did to me, Kelsey. Lady Tegan gave me this body. Lady Keira made a few modest changes to my personality. Neither of them made me who I am today. Their spells let me open my eyes and understand who and what I was before, but I'm the one who decided who and what I'd be going forward."

She drank back her second glass of wine and stated "Then my father is truly dead."

"I'm not dead Kelsey," I replied quietly. "I just grew up. And if you'll let me, I'd like to help you grow up too. I'd like to teach you to be a better person, to give you a chance at a fresh start, a better life."

"Hard pass," she stated. "Either lift the geas Keira put on me, or we're done."

I shook my head, "I won't let you go back to preying on humans."

She glared at me, then stood up and picked up her purse. "Then you've wasted enough of my time. Don't call, don't contact me. I never want to see your face or hear your voice again."

Kelsey took a few steps towards the exit then looked back and added, "Same goes for my daughters, you pass that on to them. I'm done with all of you."

I sighed, but I wouldn't try and argue. "Goodbye Kelsey. I'm sorry."

She didn't hear me, she was already marching away.

"I'm sorry Claire," I said as I turned towards my girlfriend. "I told you it probably wouldn't be any fun."

She gave me another gentle squeeze then leaned in for a kiss. "It's ok Katie. I wanted to be here for you. You did your best."

I kissed her back then suggested, "I suppose we may as well order lunch since we're here."

The two of us finally picked up the menus, but we both kept an arm around each other.