2.58

"Now's not a good time dad," Leo's voice woke me. I rolled over to sit up at the edge of the bed, to slip my feet into slippers from my space whilst a cozy dressing gown covered my shoulders.

Decent, I opened the door to see the hallway empty, the door was left open an inch, where on the other side Leo talked to a small group of men.

"Leo?" I opened the door and sleepily poked my head out.

"Hannah," Mr. Clark's confident, politician's voice came out. He wanted something.

"Oh, hello Mr. Clark," I smiled weakly, trying to act as feeble and weak as possible, which wasn't hard considering I felt like I had been run over by a truck.

At least I could breathe and talk with ease. Though I'd breathe a lot easier if I could be forgotten by all these hungry sharks.

"I was just wanting to congratulate you on the babe, Will told us all about her over breakfast."

"Aww, thanks, sorry I was just taking a nap whilst Leo and Holly watched over her," I sweetly smiled, "Silas got called out by his father, so I'm afraid it's just me and the kids."

The name Silas felt foreign on my tongue. That was the first time I'd used his current name out loud.

"Is that so," he beckoned an aide over who was carrying some pink gift bags to hand over to Leo, "just a few gifts to help out." Why did I not feel grateful for his charity?

The bags may as well have been big shiny red apples. Only this Hannah was no Snow White.

Still, maintaining a smile I thanked him.

"Will I see you at home tonight?" He asked Leo whilst pausing midstep...

"Holly's volunteered to help out tonight," Leo shrugged.

"So? What does she have to do with when I see my son?" His voice was hushed, if it weren't for System enhancing my hearing I'd not have heard him.

"Not here," Leo replied through gritted teeth.

Mr. Clark's eyes shifted to me, then his award-winning smile reappeared and he nodded his head, "see you next time."

"Bye," my cheeks felt sore from straining to smile, I quickly turned to enter the caravan.

Leo followed, closing the door he grabbed my elbow, "Hannah, whatever you do, don't ever, ever trust that fucker?"

"That's your dad," I almost laughed with surprise at his words.

"He just donated the sperm, Grandma Jean brought us up," he shrugged "at least I think he donated the sperm… neither of the two was faithful."

"Didn't they marry politically?" From Hannah's memories, I recalled Ivy saying the businesswoman married the politician for none other than money and power.

"Easy for you to say when you're not a child of that political marriage," Leo bitterly spoke, setting the bags on the counter and grumpily sitting beside Holly on the sofa.

Izzy was starting to whinge whilst lying in a Moses basket beside them. Helios sat on the sofa, trying to peer in without falling off the sofa. I clicked my fingers, getting his attention to come over before an accident happened.

"Could you hear me coming little one?" I cooed over the basket, peeling back the blanket to see tiny fingers wriggling.

At the sound of her next grumble, my nipple tingled, then felt wet. "No, you smelled me coming," I chuckled lifting her up to sit comfortably on the sofa, nudging the curious Hellios aside with my elbow.

Leo blushed looking aside whilst I struggled to get the still-fussing Izzy to relax and latch on.

Holly surprisingly positioned Izzy's head at a different angle and guided her to latch.

"Jenny was a fussy baby too, the midwife would do that," she blushed a deeper shade of red than Leo and tried to hide her face.

Just as we all were engrossed in listening to Holly reading out a horror thriller novel Lex burst through the door, his hair damp from the chilly rain outside.

"Why'd you leave the wheelchair outside?" He asked, taking off his coat and shoes.

"Forgot," Leo's face was as white as a sheet, the poor thing seemed easily spooked, yet he was the one who picked the book.

Helios whined beside me as he stretched, then leaped off the sofa to eagerly greet his master, still seemingly whining.

"What happened?" Lex strode forward, crouching to his knees, hands on both sliding my top up to look.

"It's nothing a bit of rest couldn't heal," I smiled rigidly, hoping he would come to his senses and notice the two teenage kids beside us.

His hands let go of the top immediately as he raised them back acting innocent, "good, good, was it that woman, the twin?"

"Victoria," Leo talked before I could reply, speaking her name with venom.

"Really, why?" He frowned, clearly confused.

"She has a thing for Noah," Holly replied.

"How do you know?" I asked, though agreed with her.

"I overheard her and her brother arguing," she blushed, "accidentally I swear."

"No one is judging, carebear," Lex laughed, then turned his attention back to me and Izzy. His finger brushed against her cheek as she still guzzled her dinner. "So small."

"Carebear?" I whispered.

"Don't you have this brat here because you know who she is?" He whispered back.

My eyes drifted to Holly, who sat as if butter wouldn't melt.

"H-"

Holly yawned loudly and stood up, "I need sleep," she bit her lip, her doe eyes looking warily at me, then back to Leo, "you coming?"

Leo nodded eagerly, jumping off the arm of the sofa to follow her to the second bedroom.

Though the room had originally two single beds, the pair had changed it for a double bedroom and took it as their home away from home, or well, home away from Mr. Clark.

"Remember the walls are thin kids," Lex called out jokingly to receive a rude gesture from Leo before he closed the door.

"Who is she?" I almost hissed as soon as I heard the faint muffle of them talking in the room.

"One of your strays," Lex sighed, his eyes drifting to a place I could never see.

The strays were apparently a bunch of youths I'd taken under my wing before, but he would rarely elaborate on it.

"Does she have a System?" Just how many of the people around me were actually alive?

"Yups, Holly didn't survive the fever, but also didn't turn or mutate, just died," Lex explained whilst getting comfy on the floor, still stroking Izzy with one hand and Hellios with the other.

"B-but she has plant powers?" My hands trembled slightly. I'd spent time bonding with her, teaching her how to control the power. Yet it was all for nothing, she must have already known more than I did.

"No, what she does have is an illusion skill, Holly's body is immune to the virus," Lex's smile was wide as he explained, "I found her body intact in the first rodeo, upon testing her corpse I discovered her immunity."

"First rodeo," I scrunched my face in thought, "you never told me you were here during that timeline, why doesn't Hannah remember you?"

"Because I had no reason to follow dear old Dad here when Noah's team rescued him."

"Oh," I leaned against the back of the sofa, my back uncomfortable and shoulders aching.

This was too much sudden information. Why couldn't he just be forthright and honest with me? I'd laid everything bare to him, told him all my grievances. 

"Come on greedy guzzler, come to daddy," Lex reached to pull the half-asleep Izzy from my breast and lifted to wind her over his shoulder.

I smiled faintly at the image of him bonding with her. Then a sudden migraine made me wince as my vision blurred. The sight of Lex holding Izzy turned to Noah holding her, singing a song with a smile on his face.

The System user in Noah's body appeared to have been there the same as Lex in the 'first rodeo'. He had raised Izzy alone mainly due to Hannah's mental health.

Did I, the invader in this situation, really have a right to do what I had done?

Sure it had been General Lee responsible for her turning; however, Noah had no part in it.

If I told Noah the truth of everything Hannah knew, would he have been willing to hide her, protect her, and kill that fucking psychopath before he makes more lives just as miserable?

Or did he already know the full extent of what his crazed Grandfather did, and now still planned to do?

It was too late for regrets now. All that mattered was Izzy was safe. Due to Lex and his body's father being valuable scientist's he'd leave her alone right? Even if he didn't there was no doubt in my mind that between us and Ty we couldn't just up and leave. 

"Shh…" Lex's forehead rested on mine, a warm fuzzy feeling spread through the contact, easing the migraine, "I've put my little princess to sleep, now let me tend to my Queen."