#I tried to watch a Muppet Family Christmas this year and had to stop 7 minutes in

[avalindin]

It was a bounty hunter, I swear...

Tom Hiddelston fic

Chapter 7: Mother knows... best

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Previous Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6

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She wanted to say that she could feel nothing. She hated herself for the position she was in. So much time had passed and she knew the time for the alternative had come and gone. Even if she did have time, Kali wasn’t sure if it would have gone through with it. Really, she would have given anything for a joint or a shot of whatever Demi had stockpiled. Her mind raced to many things, not seeing that her cleaning cart ran into the nearest wall.

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath.

Bottles rattled near the edge with soapy water slipping from her bucket. Kali shrugged off her worry and grabbed a dry mop head. She winced at the smell of the mop water on the floor but she was learning to control that and her new moods better. She willed herself to calm and kept her mind focused on two things. Having to tell people soon about her keeping the baby and who the father was. Only a few people knew and they knew how to keep a secret but she would have to deal with being the one to tell her mother. It’s not like it was anyone else’s damn business.

She wiped her sweaty cheek and sat in the nearest changing room for a break. She was too proud to go back to the printing studio and ask for her job back and the she needed a job with some benefits. A wave of emotion almost choked her as she held her stomach. She wanted to say that she tried. Kali was through the first trimester and things were only going to be rougher from the moment she forgot to see if Tom was protected.

She stopped herself, needing to be rid of her self-pity as she sat up straight and pulled her hair into a bun. Her hands pulled at the underarmor to pull it back in place. Kali looked into the nearest mirror and wiped her face.

“You stop this right now. You need to do this. Don’t be her.”

Kali finished off her Fiji and turned her cleaning cart for the last hallway of Oncology. Demi was able to get her a job with the night shift of a nearby hospital. The pay was enough and she had no one to talk to. She preferred it that way. She looked to the clock and counted the minutes when she would be home and revise the speech her mother would have to hear.

So far, nothing was coming to mind that didn’t make her want to burst out in tears.

-

Kali rolled her eyes and moaned into the lumpy pillow beneath her back. There were way too many footsteps in the apartment for a Saturday morning and she hated how they trampled down the hall to her room. Demi hurled her door as the years’ worth of Mardi Gras beads swung from their hooks to the floor.

“Kal! Code Darth! Hide!”

“Fuck off.”

Kali pulled her sheets over her head. She tried to carry on sleeping until a familiar voice filled her doorway.

“Is that my baby girl?!”

“No, it’s not. The person that took her place needs to sleep. I work again.”

“No, you don’t. You took the weekend off remember? I have the holiday weekend off and I got someone watching Nana.”

She groaned as she forced herself to not shift to her stomach. There had to be a right time to tell her privately. The weight of her bed shifted on its springs as the familiar wave of warmth and love she’d known for many years.

“Well, hello there!”

The sheets peeled back as Kali only had enough energy to give the aged smiled above her a half grin.

Peggy could only smile as the little girl buried her face into the social worker’s pants.

“I’m sorry. Does she not speak English?”

She turned her head out for a moment stuck out her tongue and buried it again.

“It’s shock. She hasn’t talked since I met her a few weeks ago. We don’t think she’s talked since she was found.”

“There’s my not born!”

“Hi, Mag. What brings you here?”

Her voice and emotion was flat but Peggy made sure her daughter’s forehead was covered in her kisses. Kali allowed it, swiping away at the bright red lipstick smudges.

“My Kali is back and she doesn’t call?!”

“I’m still adjusting, mom. I’m nocturnal now.”

“I know. I let Demi use it as a Christmas gift.”

Kali lifted herself despite her hair in a mess.

“You told her?”

“You were the one that was supposed to call her.”

“I hate you, fucking Muppet reject.”

“What happened in London? What about Thomas?”

“He was seeing someone else, mom, so just drop it.”

“Well that’s a thespian for you. Get dressed and call Nina. We’re having a girl’s day, the four of us.”

“Nina went back to Dallas and Demi’s dating a girl. He doesn’t count.”

“Bitch!”

“Demetrius!”

“Shit. Sorry, Peg.”

“Fine. Then you and me. We’ll visit Paga’s before the holiday. Come on. You can sleep in the car.”

Peggy pushed herself from the bed and swatted at her son’s shoulder. Her wrinkled hand curled around his arm and he stopped out of fear of his mother.

“What is really going on,” she asked under her breath.

“It’s not my place to tell.”

“So, do you know?”

“There is a lot she won’t tell me. She’s like a freaking mood ring.”

Peg smiled. He didn’t know but she would have a better look once her daughter got on her feet.

“Okay. I wish you’d stay gay, that way you’d never leave me.”

“I’m still your little boy.”

“Whatever hetero, go procreate.”

“Love you too, Mommy.”

Kali dressed herself in her bathing suit and loose clothes. She was glad that her body wasn’t showing and that she was able to get her one piece out of storage weeks before. She played to her mother’s humor and sat in the passenger’s seat as she tried not to start a conversation that would lead her into an emotion downword spiral. Any word and her shit would hit the fan.

“My goodness. I don’t support Melanoma but you look pale as death. Did you not go out while you where in London?”

“No, mama. I was too busy fucking Tom.”

“Well, I should let you know that Tinder works wonders.”

“That where you met Troy?”

“Yeah and his wife. Very open. Wait a few years if you want to try that...”

“I don’t want to try anything, Mama. I’m in no mental state to be trying anything right now.”

“Well I said that about anal and we know how that turned out.”

“MAMA! I don’t need to hear that!”

“There we go. I knew another emotion was in there.”

The hours passed and Austin was slowly starting to come back to her. Her horn rimmed sunglasses stayed in place as she stripped to her suit and shorts with the sun radiating down on her flesh.

“And turn!”

Kali smiled and turned around with her mother, linking arms with her as they traveled backwards down the sidewalk. Peg tried not her embarrass Kali as they looked in her direction. It was strange for her to be single after a year of being with... someone else.

She didn’t want to think of him but the more she resisted, the more it began to hit her.

Peg stayed at the door as she waved to the social worker. She followed the patter of feet to the kitchen. The boys were still at school and knew they would be getting a new four year old sibling, much to the disappointment of it now being a brother but Peggy had always wanted a girl. She moved around her kitchen and emptied the contents on the counter. She turned on her oven and gave it a kick to get it working properly.

She looked back to the counter of food and the top of her daughter’s head poking up over the edge. Her ehart warmth as the curious sight of her dark eyes staring at her.

“Would you like to sit on the stool?”

She shook her head and began her journey up the tall stool with no success.

“Gyros!”

Her mother hurled her to a greek food truck. There was no time to react as Tom disappeared from her mind and vomit spilled from her mouth. The crowd of peopkle at the front of the food truck screamed and took pictures of her as Peg tried to move her away. Her face turned red as she tried to regain herself.

“Shit, Honey, take some water.”

The water touched her lips and helped bring up more of the emptiness in her stomach. Her mother rubbed her back in circles. With a few coughs and a clean mouth, Kali straightened herself and wiped her mouth. Peg grabbed her arm and sat her on the park’s bench furthest from the scene.

“This night shift if messing with me. I’m sorry.”

“So, what isn’t going to make you sick?”

“I don’t know. I’ll admit I haven’t been taking the best care of myself.”

“What about the baby?”

Kali was frozen as she met her mother’s eyes.

“Don’t bullshit me, sweetie. I knew the minute I pulled that blanket away.”

“It... I’m already too far along.”

Peg looked as Kali held her tears back.

“Do you know what you want?”

“No. I wanted him. I thought...”

“Whatever you want, baby, I’ll support. Just know that you came to us and we will always be your family.”

“May I help you?”

She waited until the child acknowedged her to help her up.

“I’m making leftovers for tonight but he said you hadn’t eaten. Are you hungry?”

Peggy covered her laughter, seeing the little girl with her small teeth already deep into a cold piece of fried chicken. Little by little, she inched closer to her, slow to touch and marvel at her.

“He said your name was Maggie. So is mine.”

Maggie looked up in confusion as it made her laugh more.

Her arm drafted to Kali’s shoulder to pull her close. Kali broke down in tears into her mother’s shawl. Peg sighed and ignored anyone walking by.

“We need to get food into you. I know someone that can sqeeze you in for an ultrasound and then we’ll get our feet done.”

“Sounds good.”

Her fingers ran through the curls that fell from her daughter’s ponytail.

“Does he know?”

“Even when I was there, he chose to be with someone else. He had his chance. He doesn’t get to know.”

“That’s my girl. Reminds me of my second husband. This will be a fresh start for my baby and yours.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Everyone calls me Peggy. You can too if you want.”

“You won’t get mad if I don’t call you mommy?”

Her voice almost brought her tears as she took a seat next to her.

“No! I would never do that. I may be your new mom but I can never replace your her.”

“Okay...”

“Peggy.”

“Peg. Egg.”

“That’s right! You are wonderful.”

She kissed her forehead and made the small child smile.

“You don’t have to be Maggie if you don’t want to either.”

“Really?”

“For now, I’ll call you whatever you think your name really is.”

“C-Carmen Sandiego!”

“Oh my goodness! That is an extraordinary name indeed, Carmen.”

She saw her crumb filled cheeks spread into a smile as Peggy pushed more food in her direction.

Peggy pulled Kali to her sandals and led her away to towards the heart of Austin.

“Before I forget, your email got hacked so I made you a new one.”

“Thanks, I never liked email.”

“You may not like it now but you’ll get through it.”

“I was already through it. Now I just need to clean off the shit. I think I’ll go back to Clix.”

Peg squeezed her hand with excitement.

“I knew you were always strong, my girl.”

“I was taught well.”

They linked arms and walked on into the hot summer afternoon.

-

Kali sat in her mother’s clawfoot bathtub and swirled her fingertips in the bubbles. Her hand drifted down to her stomach and held her healthy baby.

11 weeks.

Her ears were cotton when the Doctor explained everything to her. There were fingers and toes and the shape of her baby moving on the screen. Peg squeezed her hand, joyous at the picture. Kali’s eyes were glued, smiling to the screen and she knew she was going to be alright. She rested her head on the side of the tub and listened to her mother outside the door.

“You good, Sweetie?”

“Yeah!”

“I put some clothes out for you. Are you sure you want to spend the night?”

“Yeah, I’m tired.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, hun. I love you.”

“I love you too, mama.”

Peggy kissed the door and walked away to her den. She locked the door behind her and forced herself to sit down at her desk. She knew her daughter’s internal clock by heart and knew she would have half an hour, more from her fatigue so that she was left alone. It broke her heart to think of her daughter as a single mother but she would be loved and so would the baby.

Peggy’s fingers flew across her keyboard and sneered at the attachment on one of Kali’s emails. A little white lie on both of their parts. Peggy was aging but she kenw a thing or two about technology. She looked to a five month photo obviously frmo Valentine’s Day of her daughter and the man she left her life behind for with his arms wrapped snuggly around her. She clicked to the next photo to see his face clearly. She opened a new email link and typed what she needed. No one was going to make a fool of her fucking daughter.

Peggy pressed send and waited as she reached for her full second glass of wine.

A musical chime made him turn as an old but familiar email address got his attention. Tom excused himself from the group of his friends that planted themselves on the shoreline. His thumb pressed the screen of his email account and only saw a phone number.

“I don’t know this number.”

Under the number was a single sentence.

We need to talk.

He sparked his own curiousity as he dailed the number and let the line ring. He got wrong numbers all the time.

“Hello?”

There was some silence with a small cough.

“Who’s there?”

“Let’s just say I could be your worse nightmare young man.”

“Who is this?”

“Do you make it a habit of impregnating young women, then hopping off to the next one? They aren’t gallery pieces for you to horde.”

“I’m hanging up.”

“Just like you did with Kali?”

The blistering evening heat couldn’t have comforted him as his skin chilled.

“Who is this? W-Where is Kali? I di...”

There were too many words that just wouldn’t stop.

“Did you intentionally mean to knock her up or were you saving that for the other one because she doesn’t look like she has the right birthing hips. ”

“She’s pregnant?”

“And you will never see that child or her for that matter. Don’t try to play anything like she was sleeping around. My little girl is better than that, believe me, I’m the family whore. She is far too good for you and honestly I should have expected something like this from another celebrity but you all must be the same. If I find out that you come into contact with my daughter, believe when I say that I will contact TMZ and any willing evening entertainment news show with these lovely V-Day pictures with my daughter’s face blurred out for the whole world to see how much of a pig you are.”

“Is she at least all right?”

“I’m sorry, bastard, it almost sounded like you gave a shit for a second. She is hanging on by a thread. You drained my daughter of all possible way to love anyone else. Kali is one more bad day from becoming God-fucking-zilla. I wasn’t able to push her out but I made sure she became the person she wanted to be and any chance of her returning is fucked because of you, Thomas William Hiddleston, so thank you for shattering my beautiful child’s world, you fucking prick!”

Peggy ended her call and slammed her phone down enough to hear the glass break. She finished off her glass and powered off her computer. She sat alone for several minutes until she jumped at the knock on her door.

“Mama?”

“Oh, Sweetie. Give me a minute.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m going to sleep. I wanted to say I love you.”

“I love you too, Angel. Good night.”

Peggy held her breath until she heard the guest room door shut for the night. She gasped and sobbed as quietly as she could.

Tom wasn’t able to breathe as he left the bonefire behind him and turned for a random direction. He absentmindedly shoved his phone into her pocket and started off to the darkness of the beach ahead of him to... run. His sandals thumped between his heels and the wet sand.

Thump, thump.

He thought back to the many times he pushed Kali to any surface of his home without wearing a condom. It had been thrilling and irresponsible...

Thump, thump.

He always woke up before her so that he could watch her sleep, mixing with her hair and his bedsheets. He never wanted to leave the bed as long as she was there with him

Thump, thump.

He felt her hand let go as she walked away from him. His eyes always stayed on the strange, beautiful glow of her face.

Thump, thump, thump.

He pushed himself hard to force the tears back.

“She’s pregnant?”

“And you will never see that child...”

He broke into a sprint fast enough to make his tears stream behind him as he fleed deeper into the night. Tom stumbled in the wet sand and fell almost face first into a patch of weeds. He tumbled and stayed on his side. His body curled up and he felt his heart ready to explode from his chest.

His head filled with Kali and the child he was never going to see because he wasn’t able man up and love her like she deserved. He sobbed and gasped, needing the air in his lungs to stop stinging but the pain in his chest needed Kali so that his surroundings would stop closing in on him. He wanted her. He needed to be with her again.

Peggy wiped her eyes and let her memories of Kali roam her mind.

She looked in on her daughter sleeping under the bed again. Peggy didn’t know what to do but be there when she needed it. She laid on her stomach next to the bed and reached for the small hand that stuck out under the bed.

She opened her little eyes and smiled.

“Sorry...”

She clutched at Donovan’s stuffed Yoda. Her sons were more than welcome to have a little sister to geek out with.

“Why? You actually went to sleep like the boys did.”

“They smell.”

“I know, Carmen.”

“No,” she smiled sleepily, “Kali.”

“Kali?”

“The Destroyer. Donovan stays I need a strong name so kids won’t pick on me.”

“Well that was nice of him.”

“I like it here...”

“I was hoping you would, Kali.”

“Kali...”

She pushed the guest room door open and come see the sight of Kali. She was propped up on the wall with one of many baby books she’d bought earlier in the day, all smudged in yellow highlighter. Peggy moved quietly around the bed to fix Kali so that she rested correctly on her bed and not a Barnes and Nobles fort.

Peggy sat at her side and brushed back her clean hair.

“Everything will be alright, baby. I promise you.”

She turned off the side table lamp and rested on the bed next to Kali, wishing that though some things were fine but that some things were different for her sweet little girl.

“I love you, Kali.”

“I love you too, Mama.”

Peg waited tearfully until she, her strong Kali was fast asleep to pull her out and placed her on her soft mattress. Her little hand let go of Yoda to clutch at her cardigan and she was more than happy to stay by her side forever.

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