Chapter Text
The heat of a hot summer evening rolled off windows overlooking the streets below. Peeking out from behind drawn curtains into the streetlight speckled darkness, a pair of big green eyes scanned for signs of a familiar figure on his way back home from a long day of work. They lingered for a time in the hopes of spying something, though ultimately would become disappointed when nothing was found. Light from the living room was muffled once more as the curtains fell back into place, and those same green eyes spun around to find crimson looking down at them.
"Loid will get home eventually," Yor smiled reassuringly to her daughter. "He said he'd be late today, remember?"
"But it's dark, mama!" Anya furrowed her brows. "Papa always says it's dangerous to be out late by yourself!"
"That may be true, but I don't think we have to worry about your papa, Anya," Yor replied, stifling a giggle.
He could have been captured by a mob boss, or locked in a warehouse with no way to escape! Both were equally possible in Anya's mind, since the only time her papa ever stayed out this late was for really important secret missions. She didn't really get a chance to figure out exactly what he was doing that night though, since he kind of took off in a hurry and didn't give her enough time to read his thoughts. All he said was something came up unexpectedly at work and he had to leave. Mama of course thought he was talking about spychiatrist work, but Anya knew better.
She frowned at her mama. Likewise, Yor drooped a little at how put out Anya was without her father. Things were a bit reversed at the moment; Loid was almost always home first, and it was typically Yor who ended up coming home late more often than not. Her gig as an assassin demanded as such and, even though this whole family set up was supposed to just be a cover, Yor felt guilty for always arriving so late and forcing Loid to do most of the heavy lifting when it came to Anya. True, he was her father after all, but...well, at this point, she was Anya's parent, too.
Yor gave her daughter an apprehensive smile. "How about we stay up and wait for him? I can make us tea and coco!"
Anya's face lit up brighter than the streetlamps outside. "Ooh! Can I have marshmallows in my cup, mama?"
"Mhm," Yor nodded. "And we can put on our PJ's and watch Bondman together until Loid gets home."
The complete one-eighty Anya pulled brought an immediate grin to her mama's face. The smallest Forger went from depressed to elated in no time flat, and raced her mother to the kitchen in order to help her prepare their hot beverages. Jumping over the lounging family dog, Anya forgot all about her papa for a brief moment and instead pretended she was the spy in the family. Darting around the corner beam of the kitchen, she stuck her head in to scope the place out and make sure the coast was clear. Once satisfied, she motioned for the mama to proceed; cautiously, of course.
Yor smiled at her daughter's imagination and filed into the kitchen obediently. She started to grab all the things needed to make everything; kettle, pot, milk, herbs, chocolate, and of course, water. It'd take a little while to get it all going though, so Yor instructed Anya to go ahead and get changed in the meantime. Anya flashed her mama a salute and promptly scurried away towards her room. The resulting shuffle of her feet was enough to perk Bond's interest, and he chased after her. The duo disappeared and reappeared a moment later, this time with Anya fully outfitted for the evening's mission. Together with Bond, she scampered into the living room and turned on the TV. She changed the programming from papa's news to Bondman, and promptly hopped onto the couch right after.
Bond assumed his position at her feet. His big, fluffy tail kept smacking Anya in her leg, but she didn't mind. She had everything she needed at the moment; PJ's, cartoons, doggie, and, of course, mama. Anya looked up at Yor as she walked in a moment later, carrying with her two steaming hot cups. She placed the one with coco in front of her daughter with a smile, then explained she needed to go change herself. Anya obeyed her request to not drink until she got back, though that was easier said than done. Anya stared at the cup in front of her with great interest in her mama's absence. It took everything she had not to reach over and partake, but a good spy knew how to restrain herself. Papa had taught her that much, and he was the greatest spy in the whole world.
Thankfully though, it didn't take Yor long to finish changing. She arrived a little bit later, sporting the same nightgown she always wore to bed. Brandishing a blanket, Yor took up the spot next to her daughter and covered them both with it. Anya gave her mama an open-mouth grin, and Yor likewise beamed back down at her. Quickly, Anya fell into place with her mama; she found a good spot and cuddled up next to her, though not before Yor pulled her feet up like she was riding side-saddle on a horse. Legs tucked underneath her, mama became the ultimate soft pillow.
And that's how it went. For a time, the sounds of capguns on the TV were all that could be heard along with Anya's pointed laughter at whatever shenanigans followed thereafter. Yor sipped her tea pleasantly, not really paying attention to what was going on in the cartoon but smiling at Anya's excitement all the same. Hearing her daughter laugh was the highlight of her time as the Forger mom, and she'd have been hard pressed to pretend otherwise. There was no real shame in it, anyway. After all, Anya was an adorable little girl (despite what Loid might have acted like sometimes).
Thoughts of her fake husband soon captured Yor's attention, though. She admittedly was a little concerned about how late he was; it was far past Anya's usual bedtime and, even though it was a Friday and there would be no school in the morning, Yor still found it odd that he wasn't back to at least tuck her in to bed. For all the grumbling and bemoaning Anya's father did, Loid was very good about making sure she had everything she needed. That included much needed sleep which, Yor supposed, she wasn't being very respectful towards at the moment. He'd probably be upset seeing her up so late, now that she thought about it...
"Papa will be happy to see us, mama!" Anya chimed without breaking eye contact with the TV. "Don't worry!"
Yor blinked. She pried her eyes away from the front door and stared at her daughter for a moment. The little girl continued to snicker at Bondman's antics, and didn't even so much as spare her a glance. With that said, Yor eventually relented and smiled to herself. Loid was right; Anya was very perceptive for a little girl. Perhaps that's just how it was with small children. Yuri was always smart as well, although maybe Yor just lucked out and happened to have a rather intelligent family. A knowing daughter. A dedicated younger brother. A smart, handsome doctor for a husband.
Yor became flustered; she didn't need to add on that handsome part. Embarrassed, Yor sucked her tea down just a little bit faster. She ultimately didn't realize that Anya had heard her thoughts and secretly gave her mama a side-eye grin. Before she could notice though, Anya went right back to being the cute, unassuming daughter again. Besides, reruns of Bondman beckoned. It was the only thing keeping her mind off her papa's absence, besides of course her mama's hot coco. She greedily sucked some down as she sunk deeper into the crook of Yor's lap.
The Forger women remained that way for a time. Despite the lingering mugginess outside, inside their apartment was downright frigid with the A/C on full blast. The blanket became a necessity as the evening progressed, as were refills of tea and coco. It was pleasant and cozy. A Friday night that was almost complete, save for one glaring omission that became more and more noticeable as time went on.
At a certain point, Yor looked up at the clock on the wall and frowned. It was close to 9 o'clock, and still Loid hadn't shown up. Even she started to worry, though made sure to keep a straight face for her daughter's sake. At the very least, Anya seemed too preoccupied with cartoons to realize how much time had passed. And, Yor supposed, it would make it all the more satisfying when her papa finally did come home from work. That is, of course, if something hadn't happened that would cause him to be so late...an accident on his way back? Muggers? Robbers? Murderers?
Yor's head started to spin, but she pulled herself out of it; of course Loid was fine! There was no reason to assume otherwise. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, and she refused to entertain the idea that he'd let himself become the target of some ne'er do wells. Yor shook her head and shirked off any remaining doubts. Loid was probably on his way back right now. Yup, he was probably walking up the stairs at that very moment. Soon, she and Anya would hear the jingle of keys. The knob would turn. Door would open. There, standing in front of them, would be-
-A sudden knock.
Anya hopped in her mama's lap. She blinked, as did Yor, and the two ladies looked at one another. Unsure as to whether or not they heard correctly, they both waited to see if it happened again. The sound of knuckles against wood came again a moment later, except this time as a string in quick succession. Hurried. Forceful. Yor raised a brow and and squeezed her daughter's arm in a silent command to let her up. Anya scooted over obediently and continued to stare at the door as her mama made her way over. More knocking, this time followed by a voice.
"Dammit, I know you're in there Robert! Answer the door!"
A woman. She didn't sound all too happy, either, though Yor had no idea who Robert was. Wrong door, most likely. Yor deflated slightly; she felt a little less on edge now. She wasn't particularly thrilled about answering the door at such a late hour however, and couldn't help her expression from souring a little as she unlocked it and turned the knob. A blonde woman's face appeared as the door swung open. She stood a little taller than Yor, and wore a short haircut that went just above her shoulders. A fancy coat covered her, and she gave the impression of someone...not pleasant.
The moment Yor appeared before her, the stranger's eyes zeroed in on her. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Excuse me?" Yor narrowed her gaze. What a rude woman. "I'll ask you to watch your language in front of my daughter."
"Daughter?" the woman's eyes widened. She looked over Yor's shoulder to find Anya there staring from the couch. "...I need to talk to Robert, now."
"There's no one with that name who lives here," Yor replied tersely. She gripped the doorknob tightly. "Just my husband and I, our daughter, and our dog."
Bond boofed at the mention of him. He stretched on the floor before standing tall as he always did. The Forger hound waddled over next to Yor and sat obediently, ready to look intimidating should the need arise. The woman glanced at Bond and seemed only slightly put off by his presence. She was still mostly focused on Yor though, and gave the woman a look that did not at all seem friendly.
"I've been looking for Robert for months," the woman growled. "I know he lives here! You can't fool me!"
"My husband's name is Loid," Yor corrected coldly. Her fingers twitched. "I told you, there's no Robert here. Please leave."
The woman tilted her head slightly. She scanned Yor up and down, then Bond, then gave Anya one final glance. "If that's the case, can I talk to Loid?"
"No, he's out at the moment." At this point, Yor was already starting to shut the door. "My daughter and I are waiting for him to come home, now if you'll please excuse us..."
Silently watching from the sidelines, Anya clamored over herself to get a better look at the stranger before mama closed the door on her. She gave a nasty look before being unceremoniously evicted from the Forger residence, and Yor gave a heavy sigh as she locked everything up behind her. Again, Anya didn't get a chance to read anybody's thoughts. It all happened too quickly. Even if she had enough time, Anya probably wouldn't have; admittedly, she was a little shaken up at the moment. It must have been obvious, too, since mama looked at her and smiled reassuringly.
"It's alright, Anya," Yor eased. She flattened out her nightgown a bit. "Some people just don't know how to act when they're clearly mistaken."
"Who's Robert?" Anya piped up. She hid her face in the armrest, with only her eyes peeking out to view her mama with.
Yor shrugged. "Well, whoever he is, it sounds like the two of them had a falling out."
"A falling out?" Anya furrowed her brows in confusion. "What'd they fall out of?"
Yor shook her head and smiled. "That just means they got into a fight or argument and stopped talking to each other."
Anya's eyes widened. "Promise you and papa won't have a falling out, mama?"
"Of course not," Yor reassured her. "I don't think there's anything Loid could do that would make me stop talking to him."
Anya picked her head up and smiled in relief. Yor giggled a little and motioned to the shared spot on the sofa. There was quickly a reshuffle of bodies; Yor assumed her position, followed by Anya atop her and Bond at their feet. Within a minute, they had picked back up where they left off. Lukewarm drinks. Cartoons. Cuddling. Still no papa, but neither Yor nor Anya focused on it too much. Mama was more than enough at the moment, Anya thought to herself fondly. Sometimes she forgot how cool she could be sometimes, and it took things like her handling the crazy lady to make her remember that from time to time. Anya pried her eyes from the TV to look up at Yor, and spared her a pink-faced smile. Mama gave her the same look, before both looked back to continue watching Bondman once more.
Once her foot touched concrete, Karen spun around to look up at the stairs she'd just descended.
Maybe she'd handled things a bit too roughly. Maybe Robert wasn't living in this particular apartment building like she thought he was. The info that some of her daddy's boys had given her seemed reliable at the time, but at the end of the day nothing was one hundred percent. They'd warned her as much, but she didn't listen. All she wanted was to see Robert again. That woman, the one who answered the door, kind of got caught up in things. For once, Karen felt a little guilty. She should've let up, at least for the little girl's sake, anyway.
She still didn't like the look that woman gave her though.
Karen had half a mind to confront her further, but knew that wasn't the way to go about things. Over the past few months, she'd admittedly learned a little bit of the importance of patience. If not, she'd have simply given up on the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. It would have been a very Karen thing to do; toss something aside and get something new, just like her daddy used to do for her when she was a child. Toy broke? Get a new one. School was too hard? Drop out and get a private tutor. Even as an adult the same held true, except with the one thing she really wanted.
Karen gave a frustrated sigh. She turned back around to start marching home. Back to the hotel where she'd only just arrived at hours before, and would continue to remain until she finally could track down Robert. Confront him. Ask him why he left in the first place, before begging him to come back with her. Make amends to daddy. Clear up the static. Get back together and, ultimately, live happily ever after.
She wasn't a starry-eyed little girl. Her time orchestrating small time crimes from her daddy's shadow had toughened her up somewhat. Things weren't so blindly cut-and-dry, but they could be for the right price. Money. Resources. Power. Everyone was looking for something and whatever the reason was that Robert had left her for, Karen knew she could sate it somehow. She was so sure of it, in fact, that she'd come all this way out on her own. No entourage. None of the usual goons to surround her and make her seem more intimidating than she really was. She didn't need it.
She'd find Robert with her own strength, relatively speaking of course. Being rich was certainly a strength, as was being well connected. A quick ring on the phone was all the insurance policy she need should things turn south for whatever reason, and it was enough to make Karen more than confident in herself. She smirked before taking off; she dug her hands into her expensive fur coat and resolved herself to try again tomorrow, preferably much earlier in the day. She couldn't restrain herself from immediately coming over, though admitted it was a bad idea doing so this late.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't really pay attention to what was going on in front of her. There were still people in the streets, and she absently walked past many of them. Lamplight made things difficult to see on top of that, so there was little reason for her to really pay attention. Karen came to the intersection and waited for the sign to cross, casting glances here and there to pass the time. No one was on the other side of the street, save for one person in a long coat and bowler hat. Again, not worth the time to pay attention to.
The light turned green. She walked forward with several others around her.
As she came to the middle of the street, she passed by the individual as he walked in the opposite direction. By complete chance, she looked over at time just in time to catch his half-obscured face; piercing blue eyes, with frayed blonde hair poking out from underneath his hat. Karen continued to walk. It was late. She'd had a long day. It didn't hit her until she arrived at the other end of the crosswalk, but by then it was already too late. She spun around and found the man was already walking away, in the same direction she'd just departed from.
Karen's eyes widened. She watched him, breathless, as he shambled towards the apartment complex from before. Tired. Haggard, he removed his hat before opening the door to let himself inside. A face, one she hadn't seen in so long, revealed itself under the streetlights. He didn't have his glasses on, but he couldn't fool Karen. She'd seen him many times before without them, and if Robert thought that would be enough to shake her off his tail then he had another thing coming. In a split second he disappeared from her, and immediately Karen knew she had been right.
"That bitch!" she hissed under her breath. Karen's blood boiled. She wanted to march over and confront them, but stopped herself.
She knew for sure where he lived now. Robert wasn't going anywhere, and she could stay in town as long as it took.
Patience. It was still new to her. Without another word she turned to walk away, resolving herself to return.
This was far from over.