Chapter III - Together At Last

LEVI'S POV

Well, I wasn't sure how everything happened so bloody quickly. "And this must be you right here," Cosette pointed at Mary's drawing. "Yes, and I'm going to give this to Mummy once we see each other again!" exclaimed the little girl excitedly. "She always loves it whenever I give her my drawings," I focused on the sound of the clock of my dining room as we were all seated at the table. "I'm sure she would love this one," my sister smiled. Okay, where to start... I listed down all the events that happened two days prior at the back of my mind. Eponine arrested the father —whose name was apparently Adam Parks— and I accompanied Marybelle during the car ride to the station, as to make  sure she wasn't alone. She was very silent the whole time and I didn't know what to say to her after everything that happened.

I remembered thinking after seeing how scared she was when I saw her for the first time, "There is something wrong with this girl and I shouldn't let her out of my sight." I didn't know what went over me and why I bothered to help Mary but not once in my life had I seen such a pitiful and horrified expression on a child before, thus, I felt the burning need to help her; I took her in my arms and threatened to beat Adam's head into the ground if he took her from me. And speaking of Adam— I hadn't felt so much anger in me before him; just the sinister look on his face and how he carried himself as an innocent father just wanting to take his daughter home.

After Adam was arrested, the police had to take even more time to search for the mother, Ann Dickens, and so, I offered to take Marybelle home with me to take care of her just until they find her. However, what Mary failed to mention was that her parents were actually divorced for about a year now and their daughter stayed with Adam due to Ann's financial situation. Thus, that was how the kid ended up with her monster of a father. You could only imagine the look on Cosette's face when she saw me walking into the house with a little girl. Funnily enough, 'sette was still in the middle of her date, so Julia had to leave early. I explained everything that happened and my sister was fortunately more than happy to have Marybelle stay over. Cosette always had this fondness for children, unlike me, thus why she wanted to become a child psychiatrist. I thought Mary staying with us was perfect because even if the knowledge of caring for a child was absent from my mind, I had a sister whose future job was circled around the well-being of children.

Eponine said that no matter how many times they asked Adam, he kept saying he had no idea where his ex-wife was and the two cut ties after their divorce; Ann only came by once a week to pay her child support and she never once gave him her new phone number. Eponine and some other officers searched Adam and Mary's house and signs of abuse were very evident. Not only did they find several bruises on Mary's body but the state of the house as well. Eponine said that it was small and yet so filthy and disorganised; there was barely any food in their kitchen, only empty bottles of alcohol, and the officers found dried blood in some areas of the house as well.

They even found a cabinet with a lock from the outside big enough for a child to fit in and said Marybelle definitely spent a lot of time in it because they extracted several traces of her DNA and fingerprints from it. When Mary was asked about it, she quietly answered it was where she stayed if she was being "bad." To top everything off, they found several kinds of highly addictive drugs just laying around the house unattended that Mary could have very easily used them on herself. So, Adam was a junkie as well. That was all Eponine told me; she said she would update me more through the phone but I haven't received a single call since we left the station. But after they find Ann, we were going to have a court day to trial Adam and I had to come in order to testify.

So far, Marybelle had been a very well-behaved child. She had been sleeping at our guestroom these past two days and it took a while for her to adjust to things. The kid couldn't stop asking about her mother and if they found her yet; for someone who didn't take care of her daughter at a regular basis, Mary loved her too much. Cosette did a good job of making the little girl comfortable at our house and Mary absolutely adored her, while I just sat there. I couldn't exactly do much for Marybelle since my sister was already doing everything for her single-handedly and I wasn't certain what else I could do; I had no experience with taking care of children but I do often cook for Mary and she always loved my food. Moreover, Cosette and I hadn't smoked inside the house since Mary came.

The state of her family made my stomach turn; no child deserved to ever go through shit like that.

"Levi, look at what I drew!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Mary called for me. I lifted my head and she was holding up a drawing of...I was guessing her and Ann, drawn with crayons. I sometimes forgot how sloppy kids drew. "That's...very lovely, Mary," I tried to smile. "I hope Mummy will like it," expressed the child. Well, I supposed only a mother could love. "I want to see her. Now," Mary declared in an almost demanding tone. Shit, here we go again. "Darling, we already told you we have to be patient and wait for Eponine to ring us," Cosette explained calmly. I was surprised at how long it was taking the Metropolitan Police to locate this woman. I often wondered about Ann; what sort of mother doesn't check up on her own daughter? I understood that she and Adam were divorced but there was no way that she didn't notice the scars and bruises on Mary. Or perhaps she just didn't care. Mary said that the times Ann did visit, she didn't stay for long.

Cosette and I agreed that the little girl was unaware of what divorce even meant and she just thought that Ann was no longer going to live with her and Adam anymore but the two were still together like always. Bloody hell, this family was fucked up and Mary just had to be part of the mess her parents caused.

Cosette's usual answer disappointed Mary, hence she grabbed her things and left the dining room. "I know what you are thinking, little brother, but please be patient and understand that she is only five," 'sette reminded me. "I am not thinking of anything, Cosette," I claimed. "I'm worried about the kid," My sister looked down at the table with a sigh. "Most children, especially the ones at Mary's age, find the concept of divorce difficult to understand. And especially in Marybelle's case, she was being abused by the person she thought she could trust— the same person who should had been protecting her. Hell, her mother, the only person in her life whom she believed was her only source of protection, was never there for her. It's going to take a long time for the girl to heal from all of this and it's most likely going to follow her as she grows up,"

"Nobody was there for her, 'sette," I said. "Adam said she does go to school and yet probably none of her teachers, or even anyone at all, bothered to check on her," I clenched my fist as I furrowed my eyebrows. "And that's what sickens me," But who the hell was I to speak; I've always had it easy as a kid. My parents treated me well and I had all the money imaginable, and yet I was also the screw-up. Suddenly, my cellphone rang and when I checked the caller ID, I was relieved to see that it was Eponine. I answered and said from my line, "Eponine, any updates?" with a tone of urgency. "We found Ann yesterday," Eponine answered from her line, in a rather stoic way. Upon hearing this, as if my legs had a mind of their own, I stood up to my feet, making the chair I sat on be pushed back. "She is ready to talk now, so get your arses down to the station as soon as possible," With that, she hung up on me without even a goodbye but I didn't care. "They found Ann," I looked at Cosette. My sister breathed a sigh of relief with the good news. "Oh, thank God, I was worried Mary might snap had she waited another day," she expressed.

"Go and get her while I ready the car. Make sure her emotions are in check," I instructed my sister. Cosette raised an eyebrow at my rather rude demand. "Simpleton, not even a measly please, Levi?" she smirked at me. I rolled my eyes at her need for politeness at a moment like that. "Fucking please," I swore. Cosette smiled at me before patting my shoulder. "That is more like it,"

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LEVI'S POV

"Can't you go any faster?" Mary whined from the backseat. "If I go any faster I will get pulled over and then we'll get even more delayed," I explained. "Sit down and put on your seat belt," Mary let out an exasperated groan and sat back down. "Be a wee bit patient, darling," Cosette turned back to her with a smile. "Rest assured, we're almost there and you will see your mother," The drive from our house to Eponine's station was fifteen minutes but time seemed as though it was moving quicker than usual and before we knew it, we arrived. Unfortunately, Mary couldn't had been patient and got out of the car before Cosette and I could even unbuckle our seat belts.

"Mary!" both Cosette and I cried. My sister and I hurried out of the car and Cosette caught the little girl by the arm. "Let me go!" Mary whined impatiently. "I need to see Mummy! She's probably so sad right now!" 'sette got on one knee and looked Mary in the eye. "Mary, please calm down," she spoke in her most sincere tone. "I understand that you want to see your mother but you mustn't run around without Levi and I or else you might get lost or worse, hurt. If you get lost, then you won't be able to see your mother at all but you also wouldn't want her to see you hurt, would you?" Mary stayed silent. "No, I'm sorry..." she apologized. "I couldn't have done it better, 'sette," I thought. I wanted to help out Cosette with Mary, I truly did, but I never knew how. She always managed things with the kid and not once had 'sette requested my help. Damn, I felt useless.

Cosette smiled and patted Mary's head. "That's a good girl," My sister took the girl's hand before standing up and nodding at me. I walked right next to them and all three of us made our way inside the station. But suddenly, Mary held my hand in hers and showed me a bright smile. "You'll be okay, just stay with us," I assured Mary and squeezed her hand. "And don't get into any trouble," We all entered the building and Cosette and I knew exactly where to find our sister. Okay, well, Cosette did as she visited Eponine there regularly, hence why she knew the place very well. "Levi, Cosette," Eponine and a few other officers walked towards us. "I appreciate you coming,"

"Where's my Mummy?" Mary immediately asked. "Mary!" I scolded her for being impatient once more. "No, it's alright," Eponine assured. She then leaned down to Mary's height and gently said, "Your mother is right there in the interrogation room, darling, you can go see her," With that, Mary didn't hesitate to let go of our hands and rushed towards the door. We followed and stood right at the opposite side of the eerie room and watched from the two-way mirror. The interrogation room was everything you would expect; metal walls and a single table at the centre that was paired with a chair that had a red-headed woman who looked to be in her late twenties sitting on it. "That is Ann?" Cosette asked Eponine. Ann looked stoned; her eyes were red and her pupils looked as though they were dilated, her clothes consisted of a simple grey jumper and black trousers but one thing was for sure— she was a spitting image of Mary; red hair, green eyes, chubby face.

I had an unpleasant feeling about this woman. Just the state of her made me uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, Mary burst through the door and finally saw her mother. Ann looked back at the little girl before covering her mouth and gasping upon seeing her daughter.  "Mummy!" cried Mary and rushed into Ann's arms. "Oh, Marybelle!" Ann wrapped her daughter in a warm, tight, motherly embrace, the embrace that Mary had craved. The girl sobbed, burying her face into Ann's chest. "I missed you so much, Mummy! I've been waiting for you all this time!"

"I am so sorry, baby! I should have known what that monster was doing to you!" the mother took Mary's face into her hands. "But everything is okay now; I'm here and we're together," The moment felt bittersweet for me and I sensed that it also was for Cosette. We both knew this was probably going to be the last time we would see Mary now that she was reunited with her mother. "How did you find her?" I questioned Eponine. "Well, we didn't exactly find her," my sister answered. "Ann went to us, screaming and crying where her daughter was as if she wasn't the one who never bothered to check on her in the midst of her and Adam's divorce,"

We watched the mother and daughter as the smile on Mary's face grew bigger and bigger with each embrace from Ann. "We can go home now, baby, and it will be just the two of us, together, like how it should have always been," Ann lovingly said to the girl. "I suppose this is where we say our goodbyes to Marybelle," said Cosette, disappointed. I was going to miss Mary as well, honestly. It was a treat having her around the house for some time, especially since it was usually just me and 'sette either arguing about whose turn it was to cook breakfast or smoking our lungs away. Eponine faced us and answered, "Not exactly, Cosette," Cosette and I looked at Eponine, surprised. The small woman knew we were looking for answers, hence she continued, "Ann had just gotten out of rehabilitation yesterday and afterwards she came running down here,"

Both my and 'sette's eyes widened in shock as our jaws dropped slightly. "Rehab? For what?" I questioned. "Drug addiction and being an alcoholic according to her and her reasoning checked out with the rehabilitation centre she was staying at," explained Eponine. "We interviewed her doctor at the rehab centre and apparently, Ann had been in and out of rehabilitation for a year now ever since her divorce. Though, Ann mentioned that she's been an addict even during her marriage with Adam but she only bothered to seek help recently and spends a lot of her money on her long stays at the rehab centre. For the first few months after she's out, Ann is going to be okay but after that little honeymoon phase of hers, she goes right back to her bad habits. Her addiction is the main factor of her poor financial situation and the judge recognised this. Thus, after Adam is trialled, another court day will be held to discuss if Ann is in the right state to take care of her daughter or if Mary should be taken away to foster care, seeing as though she has no living relatives,"

Cosette and I couldn't say anything, as we both didn't know what sentence would even be appropriate at that moment. After desperately waiting for her mother, there was a chance Mary wouldn't even be able to stay with her. "After knowing this," Eponine continued. "Ann went berserk, screaming and yelling, demanding to keep Marybelle. We couldn't let that woman see her daughter in the state she was in! Moreover, Ann's personality wasn't very pleasant either; she said things such as she was Mary's mother and that she'd done everything for Mary which was why she deserved to have the girl with her. It was funny because we received confirmation from both Adam and Mary that Ann never once checked on their daughter and never seemed to care for her even before their divorce was finalised, and yet she fucking behaves as if she is the most deserving mother in the fucking world,"

"So, she only wants Mary as a reward to claim after her ex-husband is finally behind bars," I realized. "Ann is a piece of shit, why does Mary love her so much?" Cosette observed Ann and Mary through the glass as she explained in her most professional tone as a psychiatry student, "Marybelle is just too young to understand the weight of her mother's actions as an unloving parent, Levi. To her, as long as Ann is her mother then she can do no wrong because children don't know any better,"

"Whatever the hell it is, no matter how much Mary wishes to stay with Ann, the judge will not take her feelings into consideration due to her young age upon making his decision. No matter how good their lawyer is, I see no chance that Ann will win Mary over in court if we combine her addiction and financial state. She has no college degree and I am willing to bet that she is high as we speak," Eponine sighed. "And if you ask me, Mary going to foster care instead of staying with her mother is for the best, for both her and Ann. Mary deserves better parents and Ann needs to get her life together before being a proper mother," Cosette and I looked at each other with the same thoughts. We'd been living together for five years now; we always knew what was on each other's minds. "Eponine," Cosette looked at our sister. "Tell the judge that if he decides that Mary is best off without her mother, then she is free to live with me and Levi for as long as necessary instead of sending her to foster care,"

"What?" I stared at her. "What did you think I was going to say?" Cosette stared right back at me.

"I thought we somehow subconsciously agreed that we were going to find an adequate guardian for her rather than letting the government move her around constantly like she's some piece of furniture,"

"Levi, just why the hell would we do something foster care can easily do to her as well?"

Cosette never liked the idea of the foster care system; she believed that it never properly managed to care for children or their welfare. "Make a decision you two," Eponine instructed us. "Adam's court day is next week and Ann will have hers three days after," Cosette took my hands in hers and spoke in a gentle tone, "Levi, come on, I know you don't like foster care as well and I also know that you pity Marybelle for everything she had to go through. So, don't you think it will just make things worse for her if we hand her over to somebody she doesn't know rather than taking her in ourselves?" I stared at my sister as her words were getting to me as always.

"Think about it, little brother! You were the one who took Mary away from Adam, we're both very financially stable, and most importantly, the girl trusts us," Cosette tried to convince me. I gulped. "Big words for somebody who only pays for the water bill," Cosette furrowed her eyebrows before grabbing me by the collar and yelling, "You bastard, you insisted on me living with you rent-free but I obviously couldn't do that!" I pushed her away as Eponine stared at us with a look of disapproval. "Calm down, you bitch, I'm teasing. And...I suppose there really isn't any harm to it and I see that...we can raise Mary to be a good-hearted girl as she grows older, I hope..."

In my head, I thought, "What in God's name did I just agree to? Taking care of a kid, seriously? I can hardly take care of myself... Well, I suppose I hardly have anything to worry about since Cosette always has Mary under control."

Cosette showed me a smile and we both looked at Eponine. "Alright, I will make sure to tell the judge but for now..." She looks back at Ann and Mary. "Mary goes home with her mother until the court makes a decision,"

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LEVI'S POV

"Levi, Cosette, wait!"

Eponine and I were just about nearing my car when we heard Mary call us from behind. We both turned around and saw the girl dragging her mother around with her. "You didn't even say goodbye yet!" Mary pouted. "When I asked Miss Eponine where you two were, she said you already left the station! Good thing I managed to catch up!"

"We're sorry, darling, you were just having so much fun with your mother that we didn't want to interrupt," explained Cosette. I looked at the mother and thought that by seeing her up close then, Eponine was right, she was definitely high. "So, this is your mother, Mary?" I asked the little girl with a small smile. "Yes! Isn't she the prettiest, Levi?" Mary exclaimed excitedly. "I bet you have never seen a woman as pretty as she is!" I would beg to differ. "Oh, don't flatter me, Marybelle," Ann giggled. "Lord Churchill, Lady Cosette, I'm sure we all know each other by now,"

My sister and I did not respond. Ann approached us and expressed, "And especially you, Lord Churchill. I can never thank you enough for saving my daughter from that monster and it was just too kind of you and your sister to take care of Mary while I was still gone. Honestly, I knew that Adam would be capable of something like this but my circumstances after our divorce stopped me from taking custody of our little girl," I presume Eponine still hasn't informed her yet about us taking Mary. I raised an eyebrow as I remarked, "Eponine informed me that you are an addict and an alcoholic who is failing to go clean," Ann's expression changed and she stepped back from me. With that, 'sette punched my shoulder and scolded, "Levi, mind your manners!" She then proceeded to laugh it off as if I was joking. "I am very sorry about that, Ann, Levi and I just had a long day and I'm sure you did as well. So, you and Mary should go home after you're both done here,"

"Oh, no, it's quite alright. I'm very much aware that I haven't been the best mother for Mary but once all of this blows over I'll buy us a big house and be the best mother in the world for her, isn't that right, love?" Ann lovingly looked at Mary, to which the girl hugged her mother's waist and nodded excitedly. Ann snuck me a glare before smiling back at Cosette. "Mummy, can I visit Levi and Cosette once I go home with you?" Mary asked sweetly, making me happy because then I knew she still wanted to see Cosette and I. But it seems Ann didn't want that. "Oh, I don't think that would be necessary, Mary—"

"Of course, you can, kid," I smiled at her. "Anytime and any day. Right, Cosette?" I turned to my sister. "That is correct. Mary is always free to visit," said Cosette. I could have sworn Ann's eye was twitching. "YAY! Thank you so much you two! And you need to visit me and Mummy as well!" Mary beamed. "We will try to, Marybelle," I nodded my head. Ann took Mary's hand and spoke in a hurry, "It was very nice to meet you lot but Mary and I still have much to do and I'm sure you two do as well,"

"Levi and I appreciate the opportunity for us to spend time with your daughter, Ann, she is a very lovely girl," Cosette expressed. The two of us wished the mother and daughter good luck with everything and that we would see them again in court before getting into our car and driving away. "I don't fancy her," I said to my sister, making a sharp right. "Ann is still Mary's mother, Levi, no matter how we look at it," Ann reminded me. I sighed, feeling even more frustrated. "I know, 'sette, but she is so bloody unfit. Mary deserves better," Cosette placed a hand on my shoulder, as she would always do to calm me down. "Look, I am frustrated too but if the judge deems Ann truly unfit then we can do whatever we can for Mary,"