In Love with a Ghost [closed]

Dakota teetered back and forth on the swings, humming a quiet tune and allowing herself to relax as her small son had finally managed to calm down. He was a fussy little thing, she had to admit, and offered to take him away from the nursery for a bit whilst the other children got their naps in. If it'd been the fault of her and her son for leaving the other children grumpy and sleepless, she'd never forgive herself for it. "You're quite the handful aren't you?" She cooed, teasing. Her foot brushed nimbly against the sand as she shifted around in her seat.

She'd never, ever, ever seen herself as a mother so early in her life. The Spring had did nothing but beat herself up about it for near a year non-stop. She was always supposed to be better than that. If her parents ever knew, she wouldn't put her own murder off the table. At the very least, they would never dare to speak to her again. It hurt to think about, but everything about her son - she couldn't feel bad about. He was perfect.

The people here were so kind too; the nurses, the carelady, Leo, the Headmaster, and Will...

A small smile hit the corner of her lips. And then it dropped. Kota perked up, whipping her head around and pulling Cody closer to her chest.

ooc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKOQDHFLwvA mmm good shit

He heard her before he saw her. He could hear her humming, and the little noises the child, no his son was making. He seemed rather calm at the moment, and so did Kota.. Magic hated the fact that he was going to have to disturb their peaceful moment, but he needed to talk to her.. He couldn't put this off any longer or else the consequences of doing so will become more severe. He had an excuse, but now that he was free from AF, at least for now, he didn't have one anymore.

He let out a small sigh, trying to calm the beating heart inside his chest. He had so much he still needed to do. Escaping Af for the moment was just barely scratching the surface. He had so much he needed to fix.

Pale green eyes looked up to the over cast sky. He let out another sigh, before steeling himself. This had to be done. He shoved his hands in his pockets. As he walked through the streets of Roseury closer to the Daycare.

His eyes met her figure as he arrived just at the gate surrounding the small park. His face had a slightly sad expression as he finally saw his kid for the first time. He had many emotions but he wasn't too sure which one he was feeling the most.. His eyes looked up at Kota choosing to focus on her for now. He opened his mouth to speak but most of his words were failing him. All he could utter out was a simple and soft, "Hello.."

He had such a way with words, she'd thought with the smallest ounce of humor. In truth, there was one part of her that was relieved to see him, sparks from old flames she'd dwelt on for such a long time. She couldn't think about any of that right now, though, could she? Dakota pulled herself up out of the seat, a slight tremble in her step as she ushered away from the gate. "What are you doing here?" She whispered. Her grip tightened around her son ... their son. He squirmed and grumbled, but she couldn't pay it any mind. Not now. Her hand curled over the back of his head, hiding his face away into her chest.

He could sense her hostility or so he thought. Something to put up her defenses around him, and honestly that is smart. "I'm here to make amends." He said staying in his spot, his hand shoved in his pockets. Keeping a relaxed posture. His tired eyes looking down at the small child in her hands for a moment. "I know... I know he is mine." He was never good with words, but even more so now. He never really had to fix relationships with anyone before.

He removed a hand from his pocket and drug it through his hair in a nervous habit, trying to find his words. Being in prison really let him think, but it still didn't help him one bit in this situation. "I uh... I'm sorry.. I did this too you.." He avoided eye contact with her. "As soon I heard I... I wanted to be here.. but I couldn't without bringing a lot of danger to both of you.." He hoped he was saying the right things, but in the end she had every right to be pissed. "And I'm here now because I finally... finally got out of that mess.."

Her green eyes flickered over him, uncertain, wanting to believe him, wanting to know for a fact that he was lying. She hated to think that she had truly known him. Dakota had always thought her gift had given her the perfect advantage over people. They were easy to read when you could see straight through to their minds. Yet, Magic still always confused her so much. She shook her head. "How am I supposed to believe that?" She choked, "The last time I saw you, you were... were..." Murderer. Killer. The words were screamed in her mind ceaselly. Many people who spoke of him didn't forget what happened. There was no way she could either. "How can you make this up?"

He could hear her mistrust in him, but at least she was trying to hear him out. It was a start, and probably more than he deserved. He let out a small sigh, he didn't know how he was going to make any of what he did up.. He didn't intend... He wanted to protect her, and that only lead to worse at the time he was at the school for not so good reasons.. "I don't know if I could ever make up for what I have done... There is no way to equal that out.." He did some stupid things.. but he wanted to protect them, and she was included in that..

"But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try.." He didn't really know how to make her believe him. He was just putting out the truth, and in the end it was up to her. He did as much damage to AF as he could, but there was only so much he could do and stay safe at the same time. If he had stayed longer then who knows what would have happened to him?

"You're dangerous!"

The words escaped her mouth with surprising force. She'd never talked to anyone that way before. Dakota could be snide, but she never never raised her voice, never shouted. It was as if a years worth of frustration had begun to bubble up again. She'd spent so long alone, living in fear with the rest of the school, and he'd left her with nothing but his child - if you could even considerate his at this point. The red-head bit down on her lip, hard enough that she thought she'd felt the slight bitter taste of metal. Cody began to whine and squirm in her arms, but there was little she could do to comfort him then.

She clenched up her fist, taking a few heavy steps closer to him, staring into his eyes. "Don't try and lay it on easy or beat around the bush," she muttered. "You owe me so much more than that." He didn't even have to talk if he wanted to. She was watching him closely, her gaze searching. "What have you done? Why are you back now? Why should I let you anywhere near...?"

Her grip tightened around the baby.

Magic flinched when she had shouted, but he tried to not let it bother him too much. She deserved to yell at him. He wasn't going to even deny he was dangerous. He knew he was dangerous for a long time. He kept his gaze on her even as she moved closer to him. He only dropped it to the ground when she asked what he did.

"I.." He wasn't going to dance around this anymore.. even though he didn't really know he was. In the end either way it was going to piss her off even more. "I killed alright? I went and joined them, the bad guys as you would call it. I earned their trust, and I murdered every one that ever went out alone with me. I tried to reduce there numbers but it just seems they have plenty of people to join their cause." He clenched his teeth tightly. "I did it to protect this place. Yes, I had to do some bad things at the start, but it was to earn their trust. I'm back here because if I had stayed with them they were going to kill me any second. It is only a matter of time before they find out I betrayed them."

Yes he knew that he potential brought more danger this way, but the school was already in danger, and this was the safest place for him to be at the moment, he could help them maybe. "They think I'm in jail at the moment.."

He didn't really know why she should let him near Cody. He wanted to be but that probably wasn't a good enough reason. "and why? Well.. I want to be there for him.. I want him to have a father, and know his father unlike what my dad did for me.." He said. He was pretty sure he had already been replaced though..

Replaced already? Is that what he imagined? Is that what he thought of her? She'd spent so long mourning over him. Dakota knew she was stupid for falling so hard, so fast, and she liked to think she'd know better now. She wasn't going to rush into something else again, or make the same mistake twice. It wasn't just her she had to think about anymore. "I don't think I can let you," She said, bouncing him nimbly to try and ease the small infant. The words cracked quietly between her lips. "I have to keep him safe above anything else, and if that means raising him on my own..." She bit her lip and turned her head away. "I've done fine with him so far."

He couldn't deny that he felt disappointed at those words, but he wasn't about to give up just yet. "His safety is my priority too, along with yours." The former student said. He wanted to keep everyone safe, that was the reason he was here now.. and not off god knows where. He could have left the school behind a long time ago, but even when he disappeared he was still doing things to help keep the school safe, even if it wasn't the best option in the world. He wanted to be here.. He finally found a place he wanted to be.. well in a good light.

For some time, the Spring said nothing. She turned her head away, quietly brushing her fingers against Cody's back, whispering quiet songs to him to keep him somewhat at ease as she thought. It was impossible to not believe him, but at the same time, all she could picture was him standing there at the school - tearing it down and facing off against that girl. She'd almost died for him then. What would have happened if she hadn't been lucky enough to make it? What would he say then? What could he say about all those others who had actually died?

"If... If somehow, we are all still alive after this is all over," Dakota muttered. "Then, you can be there for him ... after they're gone for good." Until those people in black were out of the picture, she would never truly rest easy, not around Magic - or anyone else. There was no where in the world she would feel be truly safe for them. But if they weren't a threat anymore, then what more threat could he be?

And if he made good on his word, she would be good on hers. Her emerald eyes looked over the small baby, loosing him up in his grasp and taking a few uneasy steps forward. She caught Magic's eye, inviting him closer.

Was she actually letting him near their son? He could tell she was uneasy, and so he was uneasy about it. He approached her and the child slowly, getting a better look at Cody for the first time, something about him, reaffirming his want to do as he promised, to keep them safe. "Then I will make sure they are all gone for good.." He said quietly to the both of them, even if Cody couldn't understand yet.

Though this is where he wasn't too sure on what to do. He didn't know what being a parent was like. Sure he helped those children back when he lived in chicago but it was nothing like this. "He is so.." Small? Pretty? Fragile? There were a lot of options but he couldn't find any words. His words were failing him once again. He could feel his emotions welling up inside of him but he choose to keep them down. He just hoped Kota knew what he was getting at, and leaving the sentence unfinished was a good thing.

"Stubborn," She finished for him, holding back a slight, nervous laugh. Cody squirmed in her arms and she shifted him around in her grasp, bouncing between rocking him gently and trying to let Magic get a good glimpse of his face, if only the small baby would cooperate. "He's a little fussy, and a nightmare to put to sleep." She let out a quiet, exaggerated sigh, glancing back up at the young man beside her. " The tiniest noises will wake him up."