a/n: I completely forgot the term for somebody who came into the family by marrying the mom instead of being the biological father for someone, and i'm not an idiot i just forgot the word step father exists. I'll use that from now on instead of saying mothers husband or your 'non-biological father' because it just sounds weird. Thankfully I remembered the word. I also want to say I probably won't be updating on mothers day, because it's kind of a hard day for me. Ya feel? I don't think I'll update anything on mother's day, but I hope you all have a happy mothers day with your mom, or your grandmother if you can't connect with your mother. But none the less, I hope you all are pretty happy with your parents none the less. And hey, if you are a mom? Happy mothers day to you, you awesome human being. Mom's are great, mom's are awesome.

*Onto the actual story*

"What's the big surprise, and why can't I go into my room yet?" You asked your mother, smiling while you leaned against the door. The house you three lived in was nice. Your mother, you, and your now step father.

The house had two floors, the stairs would creak sometimes but that was expected. There wasn't any carpet on any of the home, so buying rugs was the first thing your mother did. She felt like homes should have life in them, so bright colors on pillows and pots of plants and vases willed with bright and colorful flowers were obviously on every table of the house. And pots outside, some hanging from the rain gutter. She didn't go crazy on it, it's just a couple in every room. Having herbs in the kitchen was a thing she liked too, as well as having a small strawberry plant. She used the mint leaves and strawberries together most often. Especially when she made the tea that everybody loved. Making it for guests, making it with dinner, making it with desert? It was just awesome, and so was your mom.

There was three bedrooms, and you're standing in front of your bedroom door as the two of you speak. There's your room, your mom and step father's room, and then the baby's room. The kid isn't here yet, but he'll probably be here in a couple months. Since it's the beginning of the school year, September, the baby's probably going to be born in November or December, hopefully not October because if the baby comes premature? Your mom just doesn't want to take any chances. Each room has a bathroom connected, just not the smallest room.

"There's two things, actually. Remember before your grandfather passed? The church down the street bought out the bookstore he and your grandmother and Darcy ran?" She asked, causing you to remember the place. God you loved that place so much as a kid, and your friends grandmother also helped run the place. So it was your grandparents, plus your friend Mary's Grandmother. Mary was the one with a religious family to the Wicca religion. So Darcy held a bunch of meetings there too. Sometimes you'd sit through them because it was all just so interesting, giving you a small bit of information about the things your biological father works with. But what he deals with is much more violent and scary, nothing could ever compare to that. So sitting through a bunch of devoted Wiccan's as they did their thing was as far as you have ever gotten to understanding your fathers line of work.

"Yeah, I remember I'd like to climb back behind the counter and sit in the small compartment with a book someone was ringing up, I'd read the last few pages of it before putting it back on the table and handing it to them." You replied, smiling t the memory while you pushed a lock of your (h/c) hair back behind your ear, grazing your finger against the grey baseball cap you wore on your head. Right after the last bell rang, you ran to the girls bathroom and changed out of the uniform and into some more casual clothes. Swapping out the white button up blouse for a grey T-shirt with a small alien design graphic in the right corner. A denim jacket with a grey fleece lining on the inside instead of the fitted black blazer. Some loose jeans with a couple tears in them due to the roughhousing you did a lot back in Portland instead of the black pleated skirt. Taking the ring off of the necklace and keeping it on your finger instead, feeling most comfortable with it on your middle finger. And lastly, a pair of high top vans instead of the short heeled oxfords. More comfortable to walk in.

"Well, I bought a building here in Gotham. There's going to be a cafe', two extra compartments to the building that I can rent out. But mostly, it's going to be a bookstore. And now that you're older, I think I should let you help out a lot-"

"You'd give me an actual job?! Oh my goodness, mom this is great!" You exclaimed, eyes going wide as you dropped the small blue umbrella that was closed to your side. You weren't very old when the place got bought out, maybe you were six, but it's likely that you were five. You remember some things, like the meetings that you and Mary would sit through and enjoy every minute of, and you remembered all of the customers that would gawk at how tiny and adorable you were whenever you tried to help out your grandfather or whoever was behind the counter. Your mom had a job there, along a couple of other people close to the family that you got along with well. Your older cousin even worked there, she constantly brought you strawberry milk everyday you managed to show up and quote on quote, 'help'. IF anything you just brought in more sales because you had a habit to show people around the bookstore and say that every book was great. Even though you never read them until you actually figured out how to read. Maybe it was your enthusiasm, maybe it was because you were a little kid. But it seemed on days that you were at the bookstore? Sales increased a little bit more. There was even an apartment on the top floor that you and your mom lived in, and your biological father.

That was a long time ago. And weird things would happen to the building while he was there. He'd come home late, if at all. One of the stranger things that happened while he was there? You were starting a bath, and you remember this as one of the more terrifying things that's ever happened. But the faucet started to spew out red and coppery scented thick liquid. You started screaming, eventually running to your mom's room to go and get her. Thankfully you had gotten in the tub yet, but your mom only told you it was a rust build up in the pipes.

But it's the way the faucet was shaking before it happened, the way it was quite literally creaking, as if trying to force out the water.  Some rust build up. Sometimes there was loud scratching noises against the walls, your mother only told you it was animals in the walls. Pained moans through the hallway during the middle of the night? She said it was just the wind. The footsteps you'd hear and then to turn around, only to find nobody behind you? 'Just your imagination, kiddo. Go back to bed.', she'd say.

But one time you got hurt, and that's when your father left. And after he left? So did the weird things. They all just seemed to stop.

Sometimes it seemed like there were more bad memories that surrounded the bookstore than any good ones, but the good ones where so bright and happy? That it outweighed the bad. Like knowing that your mom and dad met at the bookstore, and they got married there. Thinking someday as you got older you'd meet someone special there? No, the place was sold. Just the dreams of a little girl.

The Bookstore didn't just sell normal books, if a customer recognized Darcy? She'd bring them back to another section of the bookstore where different kinds of books where. You loved going back there, you loved running through the tapestry instead of opening  door. Behind that tapestry where all sorts of books related to anything Wicca or Paganism. That room always smelled like old parchment and lavender. It's the room your mom and dad actually met in, as he was buying a book from back there.

You have that book now. He left it for you the night before he walked out.

So yeah, you weren't going to bother hiding your excitement for the re-opening of the bookstore.

"Hey calm down, sweetie. You didn't let me finish." You said, pausing in her words as she pulled back a long lock of (h/c) hair behind her left ear, looking at you with warm and full of happiness (e/c) eyes. You sure got your mom's looks, if somebody set you up next to your biological father and mother? The comment would be made right away.

"I want to keep this place in the family this time. I won't sell the place like your grandfather did, I know he didn't really have a choice in the matter. But I'm not selling the place. I spent a lot of money into buying the building, so that means we're kinda dwindling on fumes now for the house. I'll be doing what I can, unloading books from crates into the building and renting out the two other compartments. One of the people I'm renting the smaller spaces to is a fortune teller trying to make a living, thought it'd make Darcy a little happy to keep something along those lines of the bookstore. But I want you to know that some books we won't be selling. The stuff we kept back behind the purple tapestry, that stuff is staying in the warehouse in the back," She paused. Looking down at the ground before placing a hand over her pregnant stomach. As if trying to forget a painful memory by making some type of contact with her unborn child.

Painful memories, those books remind her too much of your father.

"So after you and dad can't run the place anymore, I get to?" You asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well I mean if you never have kids, that's fine with me. You can bring close friends into the mix if you'd like. Your cousin Julian is actually on his way here so he can help you out in the store. Yes, I'm giving you both jobs. But neither of you are going to be paid until I actually have the money to do that. You know, rent and food first. That means Julian and his boyfriend are going to be staying in the apartment up top." She finished, smiling due to the fact she brought up Julian. You've got three cousins on her side of the family, you don't really know much about your fathers side of the family other than your grandfather from his side wasn't exactly  good person.

"Julian's coming here? Woah, I didn't even know he was gay. That's awesome, how long until they get here?" You asked, grinning happily at the thought of meeting your cousins boyfriend. You really had no idea he was gay, man he's great at hiding things then. He never really gave out any indicators, either.

"A couple hours. The second thing, now you can go into your room." She said, watching as you opened the door quickly and nearly tripped into your bedroom.

On your bed was a blue lace dress, it went slightly above the knees and was an over the collarbones neckline type of deal. Short sleeves, but every inch of the dress was covered in baby blue lace. On top of the neatly sprawled out dress was a silver bracelet with blue crystals on it, some light blue stud earrings and white tights. A grey trench coat like jacket that seemed fit for a girl more so than an actual trench coat. It probably went about two inches longer than the dress, coming to the middle of your knee most likely. And a pair of white kitten heeled shoes that sat in front of the bed.

"What's all this for? This looks like it cost a fortune, holy crap." You mumbled, walking over to the bed and tracing your fingers over the lace design of the dress.

"Read the note, I'll heat up a curling iron in the bathroom while you get dressed." She smiled, making her way to the bathroom connected to your room as you picked up the note.

You're being invited to the Gotham 'For a Better Education' fundraiser charity event, as one of the five faces of students from Gotham Academy that took place in this becoming a reality. All of the money raised from this will be sent to a city-wide charity for a better educations for the children of Gotham. I do hope you can make it, as you're one of the brightest and most impressive out of the many students that had this opportunity.

-Bruce Wayne

The clothes on your bed looked no less than fancy, so you did feel  little pressured especially after reading that letter. But one thing you took notice of in the letter, five students total? You know there's close to a hundred who got in on the scholarship deal. What makes you so much more different from the ninety-five other students who got in? You also took notice of another thing.

It was written in ink, and in penmanship. Not printed out, no. This was hand-written