Sell you a Bridge chapter 225

April 21st 2016 Doomhollow Hall 3:00 PM EDT

I  wasn't sore when I finally woke up. I'd slept the night, which was  plenty of time to recover. When I finally got up though I was alone, so I  went looking for the others. Zee and Dreamer were with Morana and Jim  in the map room. They lit up when they saw me, Zee running to me and  leaping into my arms with a laugh. "Well hey there sleepy head. We were  beginning to think you were going to nap all day. How are you feeling."  Her tone was bright and chipper but I could see the undercurrents of  worry in her aura.

I put my arms around her and squeezed, kissing the top of her head.  "I'm fine Zee. Just got in a good workout. That was a serious drain but  not in a bad way. Everyone else is ok right? We all got out of there  safe with no casualties? Did anyone fine Metallo's body? I dumped him on  the island but didn't have time to mention it." Whatever Nth metal was,  it seemed valuable given how strong it was and the whole anti magic  thing.

I  felt her relax slightly against me at the confirmation I was ok. She  stepped back and Dreamer took her place, her hug seeming much less  desperate, but her aura just as worried until I held her. My goddess  liked to play it cool so she could take care of everyone else, but she'd  been scared for me too. I held her close, reassuring her, and she laid  her head against my chest to listen to my heartbeat as she spike. "I  told her everything would be alright, but you know how she gets. I think  she was really worried about you."

Neither  of us mentioned the white knuckled grip she had on me, but I held her a  little tighter. I let go after a minute and she stepped back, her  expression calm like nothing had happened, but I saw the tension  bleeding from her too. Jim cleared his throat. "We're all glad you're  doing well, but yes we found the automaton. His form showed up on the  map when he arrived and we went out and collected him a few hours after  our return. Artemis dragged him off to her workshop once she heard. I  checked in with Wally and he says she hasn't left the forge since she  went in."

I  shrugged. She had the experience and if any of us should have ended up  with the metal it would be her. It would be interesting to see if we  could make anything magical with the stuff despite it's inherent  properties. I turned to Morana. "How about you, you do alright out  there? Didn't have a chance to check in really, but you looked like you  were handling yourself."

She  snorted. "Please, between me and Uncle Jim they didn't stand a chance.  You were the one fighting the alien berserker. Caught some of that. It  was badass. Anyway, what's the plan for today? I figure we're going to  take some time before we hit Savage, especially since we don't even know  where he is. You want to go out and do something as a family?" She  seemed wired, even after so many hours, and I had to smile at how  similar she was.

Still,  I did have plans, specifically I had something to do. "Yes and no.  We're going on a little trip. I have someone I need to talk to, and I  want you to come with me." I swallowed heavily. I think it's about time  you meet your grandma." I turned to the girls. "Either of you feel like  coming along?" They both looked away, mumbling something about about  being busy and having things to do today.

I  would have mocked them for it, but I didn't really want to do this  either. Telling my mom she had a fourteen year old granddaughter now was  going to be...interesting. Luckily I had Morana to take up some of her  attention. I rolled my eyes. "Anyway I have to shower and get dressed  and then we'll go." Morana looked nervous, and I didn't blame her. While  I was worried about my mom freaking out, she was meeting one of her  grandparents for the first time. It had to be a terrifying thing to  think about.

I  gave her a quick reassuring hug, then headed upstairs to get washed and  dressed. As I did I considered the situation I was in. I should have  done this a while ago. Probably the day it happened, but I chickened out  and kept putting it off. In all honesty I probably would have put it  off longer, but I needed to talk to Gojo. I'd been doing my own thing  and training mu abilities myself, but Gojo was the person I knew with  the power closest to my own. The conceptual natures of our powers were  similar, and I was pretty sure he could teach me plenty about what I  could do, not to mention being a genuine badass who I was sure knew more  than a bit about fighting.

He  just also happened to be married to my mother, someone I had been kind  of avoiding since Morana was...born, for lack of a better term. I loved  my mom more than anything, but she'd had such a hard time coming to  terms with my relationship with Dreamer. This was going to be even  rougher on her, and I didn't know how she was going to react. As  embarrassing as it was to admit I was afraid. I wasn't sure of what, but  I just knew that I didn't want her to deal with any more emotionally  because of me. I'd put her through enough.

As  I got out of the shower and got dressed I thought about all the things  she'd had to deal with because of me. Danger, poverty, heartbreak. I  wasn't exactly a careful person. I kind of just blundered through life  doing my own thing, and my mother had dealt with more than her share of  the fallout for my choices. I liked to think this would be a happy thing  to find out, and maybe it would be. But after losing five years with me  I was worried that not getting to be there for the first fourteen of  Morana's life would hurt her even more.

Still,  it wasn't like I could undo that. So I brought my daughter through a  corridor that only we could walk through, and on the other side, I  knocked on the door of the penthouse I'd gotten my mother a year ago for  me, and five for her. I waited a minute or two before my mom finally  opened the door with a smile. "Morgan!" She had Hana on one hip and  pulled me in with her other arm. "There you are, I haven't seen you in a  few days, nice of you to finally stop by." her tone was chiding, but  mostly in a good natured way. Looking back it had only really been five  days, despite how much had happened.

I  hugged her, kissing her head and then Hana's. "Hey ma, hey little  sister. Can we come in?" She seemed to notice something in my tone  because she gave me a searching look, but of course nodded and gestured  us inside. I waited until she closed the door and then decided to come  out with it. "So...I haven't been by in a few days. I've had a lot going  on. But I wanted to introduce you to someone." I gestured to my  daughter. "Zee and Dreamer and I were doing a ritual a while ago, and it  had some...unintended consequences. This is Morana. Your grandaughter."

Her  jaw dropped. I tried to say something else but no sound would come out.  She stared at me. Hard. She set Hana down to go play and then walked up  to me, staring into my face intently. "You are absolutely terrified  right now aren't you?" I just looked down at her, not sure what to say.  She stared hard for a minute and then pulled me into a hug. "You're such  an idiot sometimes." She pulled back, holding me at arms length. "Did  you think I would be angry? I know I didn't deal with Drea's arrival  well, but I didn't think it was that bad."

She  shook her head sadly, kissing my cheek and then let me go to turn to  Morana. "Well, let me look at you. Your father...wow that is actually  really weird to say about my eighteen year old son...was able to deal  with having a new sister, I think I can handle a grandaughter to spoil."  She brushed Morana's hair out of the way. "You are beautiful. I can see  a bit of Zee and Drea in you, but my boy is in there too." She pulled  her into a hug. "Welcome to the family. I'm so happy to meet you."

She  turned to me, giving me an arched eyebrow. "Of course, your father and I  will be having a discussion about doing strange rituals without knowing  the outcome or taking precautions, but now isn't the time for that  discussion. For now, I have a granddaughter to get to know. Morgan, pick  up your sister and watch her while Morana and I get to know each  other." I did, mostly because I was kind of in shock over how well this  was going, and my mom took Morana's arm and led her into the living  room.

I  had to laugh as all my worry melted away. My mom had a way of doing  that. Surprising me. I probably should have expected something like  this. My guilt had convinced me I was going to break her heart with  this, and while I knew from her aura she wasn't as unflapped as she  might be pretending, I also knew she was going to be ok. She was  focusing on Morana right now, which was pretty nice, but she would work  through everything. I'd underestimated her again, and I'd never been so  happy to be wrong.

I  heard a chuckle over my shoulder and turned to see Gojo. "She was never  going to get angry. Not at you. After feeling what it was like to lose  you I don't know if she's even capable of doing something that might  chase you off. Anything the world throws at her aside from losing her  son just feels like a walk in the park now." I winced and he shook his  head. "Not saying it to make you feel bad. It's just the truth. But in  the end I think this will be good for her. She's going to spoil that  girl rotten."

I  smiled at the two of them, sitting on the couch as mom pulled out a  photo album and started showing Morana pictures of me as a baby. I  looked down at Hana, and thought about how much my family had grown  after all of this. I think we came out ahead. My sister stared up at me  happily through her adorable pink sunglasses and I grinned at her. "You  excited to have a new niece?"

She  gave an adorable nod. "There's a new girl in the house." It always  threw me when she talked, her speech was a bit rambling and hard to  follow but she was whip smart for her age. "She's too tall." I snickered  at that but didn't bother to contradict her.

Gojo  leaned in to take her from me. "That's true. My Hana is the perfect  height." He kissed her on the forehead before putting her down. "Go see  mommy, your brother and I need to talk for a minute." The three year old  ran off to my mother, who turned to glare at me for pawning her off on  her after telling me to watch her, but stopped short when she saw how  serious I looked about my coming discussion with Gojo. My stepfather  turned to look at me from behind his sunglasses. "So. Are you going to  ask me to train you? Or just stand around like an idiot?"