Althea Brightly

“You can see whoever you want, i’m not your keeper. You see tons of people everyday that I don’t know about.” Apollo knew exactly what she was talking about but he still felt the need to crack a joke. After a second he cleared his throat, “Yeah, I mean - I guess it’s ok. It’s not like it really involves me.”

“Fine, fine. I guess I’ll grow up and be a boring adult like you.” He smiled, happy to get to spend a few moments with his mom before going off to school. “You said you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Allys smile tightened for a moment, finding the words. “Right, yes. I....wanted to talk to you. How...how would you feel if I started seeing someone?”

“No.” He whispered, the word wrenched from him as she reached out. He evaded her hands, barely able to even look at her at the moment, let alone touch her, hold her. He wished he could comfort her, tell her it was okay. But even he wasn’t a big enough man for that. It wasn’t okay, and it hurt too much to face. “I can’t - I can’t do this right now. I have to go get Juliette.” He pushed past her, thinking of his daughter. She had a brother. He shook the thought from his head, pushing past Althea. “I have to go.”

“I thought she was staying at with Terrie for the night.” Ally said softly, her fight gone as he wanted a way out. She sniffled, rubbing her nose. “Right. Okay. Right.” She moved away from his couch, leaving the room to get her coat and shoes. She couldn’t do this, she couldn’t beg him for forgives when he was right. She had hurt him and she deserved this anger. She apperated home, breaking down into tears as soon as she was alone.

Grayson shook his head, rolling his eyes as she snapped back at him. “Is that supposed to help? To make it better? Make me feel sorry for you? You got to watch him grow up, Althea. Do you hear yourself? I missed everything. You took everything away from me.” He wiped angrily at his cheeks, his words bringing a fresh batch of tears from his eyes. It was true - he didn’t know his own son, he had missed out on having a family. A real family. He had missed his entire childhood, and he could never get that time back. “I will never forgive you for this.”

“Gray...Gray please...I’m sorry. I am so so sorry.” She stepped forward to reach for him. Like he was going to disappear if she didn’t catch him. “I’m sorry. I was trying to protect you. I didn’t want to hurt you...I...I’m so sorry.” 

“You would never…” He trailed off, still whispering. “You would never, but you did.” His words were harsher than he wanted, but it was true. They were married mere months after she’d broken up with him - after she’d shattered his heart. “Do you know how much you hurt me, Ally? When you left? For years. For years I missed you, I couldn’t get over you. But nothing’s fucking changed, has it? You’re still hurting me. He raised my boy. I don’t even know him!” That gave him a thought, and he paused, taking a deep breath. “Does Apollo know?”

“I left to protect you! I didn’t choose him over you.” She retorted, feeling a need to fight back. To somehow defend her choices. You don’t think I know that?! That I haven’t hated myself everyday for leaving you? Watching your son grow up to look just like you!? To be so much like you!? Every time I look at him I see you.” His question gave her pause, she couldn’t voice it. As if her voice had been stolen away from her. She shook her head, keeping her eyes down.

“I would have left! I would have left if you weren’t safe! You were supposed to tell me - to trust me. It’s not fair, Ally. It’s not fair, he’s my son.” Grayson found he was shouting, and he took a step back, shaking his head as his back found the wall, helping keep him on his feet. He didn’t want to yell at her. No, he wanted to yell at her, but he wouldn’t. He wasn’t that man. Not even now. He met her gaze, both watery and pained, as she brought up her ex husband. “Did he know?” He whispered, not sure he really wanted the answer. “Did you tell him - the man you left me for? Did he know about my child when I didn’t? ”

Ally closed her eyes as he shouted at her. It hurt, it hurt almost as much as when she broke it off with him all those years ago. “No! No...he knew but...I didn’t tell him. He figured it out and I didn’t leave you for him! I would never have left you for him.” She pleaded, sniffling. she pulled her self together some, crossing her arms across her chest. “He figured it out and...he told me...he told me it would be safer for my ‘blood traitor’ baby if no one knew.”

Grayson scoffed, shaking his head as a humorless laugh escaped him. He couldn’t believe this was really happening - that this was true. “You couldn’t -” He was shaking, balling his fists by his side. “You couldn’t do that to me, but you could do this?” He asked quietly, his heart aching. He wiped at his tears, although they were only replaced by more and he quickly gave up, not caring enough to fight it. “I’d… you - you’re really talking about Quidditch right now? I gave it up for my kid, anyway. You really think I’d choose that over him? Over you?” He closed his eyes, holding his head in his hands, his next words muffled. “It wasn’t your choice to make.”

“I wanted to tell you. So many times I wanted to tell you.” She was still fighting the tears but it was a loosing battle as they rolled down her cheeks. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. “I know you did. I know that.” Ally brushed her face, though it was pointless. “What was I supposed to do?! I was eighteen and pregnant. What was I supposed to do?! Had my dad found out before Andy--” She shut herself up, covering her mouth to try and stop herself. She wasn’t only going to make this worse.

He saw her reflection moving, standing, but he couldn’t look at her for very long - not even distorted the way she was reflected through the glass. It hurt too much. It was too much to get a handle on. His tears fell from his eyes finally, hot and heavy, as she said it out loud. Apollo is yours. And suddenly he wasn’t upset anymore. He wasn’t heart broken over the time he’d missed, the way he barely even knew his own child. He was angry. Angrier than he could ever remembering being - and definitely angrier than he’d ever been at Althea. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me?” He tried to keep his voice calm as he turned back to her, and it came out low and hard. Had she not thought he would be a good father? Had she wanted more for her son? For herself?

“I..I wanted to, but..we were so young and you had so much ahead of you Gray. I couldn’t do that to you.” She tried to explain, though it was weak and not the full truth. She put her hands to her lips, trying to find some way to make this better. “We were teenagers Gray....barely over Apollos age now. You had a chance at your favorite team, a baby would have ruined that. An...and my father...he couldn’t know...” 

He knew her to well for her to lie or deture the topic. But when he finally got the question out she couldn’t answer him. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. It wasn’t supposed to be a slip up like this. She looked away, trying to stop the tears. “I….I’m So sorry Grayson. I’m sorry.”

“Oh my God.” He whispered, her tears all the confirmation he needed. He could feel his own stinging his eyes, and he wiped a hand over his face, pursing his lips as he tried to keep control. He had a son - they had a son. He had had a son for seventeen years. Grayson stood, walking away from her, stopping at his window and looking outside without really seeing anything. He couldn’t wrap his head around it, even knowing it was true. She needed to say it - he needed to hear the words. “Say it.” He whispered, his voice shaking. He met his own gaze in the dark glass, his breaths coming faster. “You need to say it.”

Her stomach fell like a rock as she watched his expression change. Had he caught whay she said? Did she just ruin everything? She tried to search her brain for some way out of this, playing dumb the first thing that came to mind. “I-is what? Baby are you okay?” She asked, trying to calm her own panic and hide it.

Originally posted by olivcrstark

He shook his head slowly as she talked, not buying it. Grayson knew her too well, and right at this moment, she was full of shit. She was trying to play it off, brush it aside and distract him - and it was probably because what he was thinking was right. “Stop it.” His heart was pounding and he sat up straighter, scooting further back, away from her as he tried to wrap his head around his own thoughts. He took a deep breath, swallowing around the lump in his throat, scared to death to voice it, but he had to. He had to know, and she was apparently not about to tell him if he didn’t make her. It had to be - now that it was in front of him, he knew it had to be true. His words were hushed, a whisper, but in the silence that had fallen between them he knew she could hear him. “Is he mine?”

Ally looked at him confused by his response. “ You’re the only person who ever watched this with me. Who else would i have…oh you meant…no, he uh hated our movies.” Ally said before the lightbulb went off in her head. She tensed, hoping, praying she could laugh it off and distract him. Pretend this conversation never happened. “It’s been sixteen years think we can still qoute it?“She asked, afraid silence would let him think on that comment.

Originally posted by jokersmithjr

“He didn’t like our movies?” He scoffed, shaking his head. “Good thing I -” Grayson paused, the rest of his sentence lost to even himself as her words started to sink in. She was still talking, but he didn’t hear her. He was replaying what she had said, trying to make sense of it. It meant something, there was something he was missing - it was right in front of him, but he couldn’t figure it out. “You….” He swallowed, what he was grasping at finally hitting him. No, it couldn’t be. But… If he was the only one she had watched it with, and she had gotten pregnant during this movie, there were no other options. “Ally.” He whispered, his expression falling as he met her gaze, finally. He didn’t know how to word what he was thinking - how to ask if Apollo was his son. “You don’t - is….” He licked his lips, struggling. 

Her grin grew as he listed them off, plopping down on his couch. “Where did you even find Mortal Kombat?!” She asked with a laugh and shake of her head as he set up the movie. “I haven’t seen this movie is years. You know this is the movie that got me pregnant with Apollo.” The comment was candid, she didn’t even realize she’d said it. Fond memories of close nights together watching terrible films and getting distracted. 

“It wasn’t easy, I’ll tell you that much.” He laughed, glad to see such a bright smile on her face. He held on to Mortal Kombat, tossing the other two on his coffee table as he popped open the case, turning to put it into the DVD player. He hoped she couldn’t see his reflection in the dark television as she brought up getting pregnant - her ex husband was not really what he wanted to talk about. “You really made that poor man sit through this, too? One was not enough?” He teased, replacing his smile before he turned back to her, coming to sit next to her on the couch.