Hometown (Dad)

[Andrina]

The joy that Andy had been waiting for apparently did not sink in. She watched as Aiden seemed to melt into some confusing mix of emotions. Still, Andy wasn't expecting rage. She felt a little flutter of nerves. She wanted Aiden to be happy. Even if she was unsure now, she'd be happy later. Couldn't they just skip the questions and confusion and move right on to the happy? Andy had been unsure when she found out. Mermaid's aging process was a bit different than a humans, so the even the doctor had been a bit shocked. He seemed to believe everything was alright and if the baby and she would remain healthy why shouldn't she just be happy? Aiden was such a pleasure to raise. She had her tantrums, sure, but always helped out and they had so many good memories. Andy remembered her singing for them during the holidays and playing the piano with her on her lap. Aiden would put her little hands on top of Andy's so she'd feel like she was playing too. She remembered how often she used to smile and it occurred to her that she hadn't seen that smile much lately. Why had she been crying? Well, hopefully this news would cheer her up, whatever the reason.

Apparently, it did not. The intensity of Aiden's response caught her so off guard that she help her breath. Andy couldn't remember her every being this angry, let alone at them. Why was this happening? It made so little sense, Andy couldn't believe that it was honest. Despite the fact that her daughter was now practically an adult, her crude language made Andy wince. Had they taught her those words? Andy felt her angry rise with Mumble's as she accused them of leaving her places. Yes, so that had happened a few times, but they had always found her! Still, it wasn't great. Sadness mingled its way in when it occurred to Andy that these weren't accusations, but rather facts. Had they really been bad parents? Aiden always seemed to put together, it was part of the reason she had been so sure they could do it again. Andy raised a hand to her mouth at Aiden's final blow and fought hard to hold back tears. She stared at her daughter, all twisted with rage. What had brought her to this moment? What had they done to lead her to say these things? How long had she felt this way? Were they truly bad parents?

Mumble began to fight back and Andy wanted to stop him, but she was afraid trying to speak would open the floodgates. She didn't want them to fight. She didn't want to fight with Aiden. She wanted to understand why this was happening. Despite the things that Aiden was saying that should have angered her, it hurt her more to see Aiden so upset. What was going on in her head? Andy kept thinking about how she had been crying. Why had Aiden been crying? What was her baby going through? Why was so so angry? Was it their fault?

"Aiden..." Andy said softly, after Mumble had finished, she clung to him for support. She thought she might try to appeal to her, to try and understand, but she couldn't find any other words.

[Aiden Mumble]

Aiden stood and listened to her father, still angry, but almost shocked that he fought back. She hadn't fought with her parents in a very long time. Even then, they had had arguments when she was a kid, but this was something else entirely. She'd just unloaded twenty one years of resentment on them. How could she have thought that they would just take it? They were her parent's, after all, and Aiden didn't spend much time avoiding fights. Aiden watched her father with a locked jaw and stubborn eyes. She avoiding looking directly at her mother, fearing her reaction despite her vicious desire to hurt them. She wanted them to know that this was wrong. She needed them to understand that this was insanity that she couldn't condone.

Mumble was fighting back, but he wasn't doing it in the same way Aiden was. She had said things to deliberately upset them, while he was just angrily defending himself and her mother. She huffed at his comments, but didn't rebut them. She knew that they loved her, that was never in question. She knew that they would love this new baby too, but that didn't mean they still wouldn't mess it up. Her heart began to burn and the tears stung her skin as he went on, her anger fighting to stay relevant beyond all her melancholy. She didn't want to think they were bad parents and they were not the only reason she was the way that she was, but it almost felt nice to believe it for a moment.

The last straw was her mother's weak voice reaching her ears. Aiden closed her eyes hard and let out air like the sound had physically wounded her. This wasn't what she wanted. This didn't make anything better. Why had she done this? She opened her eyes again, but this time most of the fight had left her. She stared at her father.

"I'm glad you're not sorry you had me" She said carefully, retreating back into herself. "But I am sorry for the person I've become."

With that she moved to grab her bag off the table and headed out the door.