Three days ago, Adoraâs world had, once again, flipped on its axis, with the revelation that she had a mother.
Obviously, she already knew that. Ever since she and Adam had found out they were twins, sheâd heard all about the family and world sheâd come from. Sheâd heard so many stories of Eternia, of the battles Adam had fought as He-Man, of Marlena and Randor, of friends like Fisto, of enemies like Skeletor. Her brother wasnât shy, at all. She was pretty sure at this point, she knew Adamâs entire life story and a good chunk of Eternian history, too.
Knowing about her birth parents and having one of them actually here â literally here, sleeping in the guest room she and Catra had hastily made up for her before Adam had brought her back to Darla â were two entirely different realities with different sets of feelings attached, though. She wasnât really sure how to process it all. It felt too good to be true and like a crushing pressure sitting on her chest at the same time.
Honestly, it wasnât all that different than when sheâd first found out about Adam. It was weird. Her brother was so bonded with this gorgeous, redheaded woman; they literally told the same stupid puns and had the same smile, and they just knew each other in this untouchable way. Adora, on the other hand, felt awkward and couldnât find the right words to say. Lucky for her, Catra had picked up on that and designated herself a buffer to help keep the conversation flowing and light.
Not once in these past three days had Adora been alone with Marlena, and sheâd been thankful for that. She didnât know how to talk to her or even what to call her. Adam called her Mom, and she was pretty sure she should be doing the same, but it didnât feel right. Sheâd never had a mom before, and she didnât know how to have one now.
So far, sheâd taken the route of least resistance â which was basically avoidance, trying not to cross her path alone. Sheâd skipped her morning runs in favor of simply letting the dogs out when Catra woke up and they could go downstairs together. She had quickly realized that, like her (and very unlike her twin), Marlena was an early riser, too.
But this morning, she was awake at her usual time and there was no winding back down. She was restless from three days without her regular routine, and she was sure she could just sneak down with Spirit and Pop Tart. By the time she got back, her brother or her wife would be awake for breakfast, and she could miss any chance of blinking at her mother like a dazed moron.
That plan failed abysmally when Pop Tart, who had taken to Marlena instantly, darted off into the kitchen with a joyful bark to greet the older woman. Adora called after him in vain but ended up standing there with his leash in her hand while Spirit bustled in to join his best buddy in assaulting Marlena with obnoxious puppy kisses.
âSorry,â Adora sighed from the doorway. âI⊠I didnât want them to interrupt you. They usually listen better than that.â
What do you say to a daughter that has been taken from you? One that was presumed dead, even if there was a small flame of hope in your heart that refused to be snuffed out? Marlena had thought about it throughout the years; she had obsessed, fantasized, longed for some miraculous reunion that would make her family whole again. Giving up on that dream would have been giving up on her child.
Randor had stopped hoping as a way to protect himself.
But Marlenaâ
âThey can interrupt me whenever they like, canât you?â she cooed, soft and so, so collected in the presence of a womanâher daughterâthat she couldnât figure out for the life of her. Every scenario she had conjured up in her head involved tears, happiness, an instant connection that allowed all those missing pieces of the puzzle to fall back into place. It would complete this picture-perfect image in her mind of what their family should have looked like if what happened didnât happen.
There were tears, and Marlena was happy, and she felt that connection. It was Adora. It was her Adora, grown and alive, and she was the missing half of her heart in the flesh. But she was someone Adora didnât know, and she didnât know Adora either. Even connected by blood, they were strangers.
Gods, how Marlena loved her though.
Setting her mug of coffee to the side (she had nabbed one that said Cranky Gay, who could that belong to), she knelt down and used her hands efficiently to pet both dogs. âI actually had a dog likeââ Oh, pause, that was dog tongue that got into her mouth. Marlena sputtered and put her hand gently on Spiritâs snout to keep that from happening again. âLike this one, Spirit, back on Earth. Heâs been giving me nostalgia.â
Adora gave up on the leash, reaching out to hook it back on the wall outside the kitchen, where she kept all three leashes and an assortment of harnesses for the dogs, before stepping further inside. She couldnât help the little chuckle that emerged when Spiritâs tongue got into Marlenaâs mouth as she spoke â sheâd been on the receiving end of exactly the same thing way too many times since bringing her puppy home. He had been such a little snuggle bug back then; now, he still was, but bigger.
âLike Spirit? Really?â she questioned, eyebrows raising curiously at Marlenaâs reveal. She reached out to gently snag both dogs by the collar, eliciting a little whine from Pop Tart. Once she had them both sitting, instead of pawing incessantly at Marlena, she reached out to ruffle the youngerâs ears soothingly. âI remember when we got him, the shelter worker told us theyâre harder to adopt out sometimes because of their breed.â
Her heart still ached when she thought about that. Her boy was so good and sweet, and she couldnât imagine a better first pet to have. Swift Wind didnât count as a pet, but even if he had, sheâd call him high maintenance at best.
âThey can be,â Marlena replied, and she did give Pop Tart a good scritch under the chin to help assuage that jealousy before rising back to her feet. She and Adora, they were matched in height - and she was still in awe of it all, how she and Adam werenât identical twins but their hair was the same shade of gold, eyes the same blue. It took everything in her power to keep from letting her eyes linger.
She failed, quite a bit. Itâs as if she was afraid that if sheâd blink, sheâd see that flash of bright light - and then Adora would be gone again.
After taking a steadying breath, she picked up her coffee and continued to sip it. âBiscuit came to me as a stray. He didnât like other dogs much but me - gods, he was my shadow. I was military so of course I had to stick with an unforgiving workout routine, and he ran with me every morning. Wasnât very happy when I had to leave for my last mission, either.â
By now he was dead, of course. Marlena wasnât a spring chicken anymore and Earth was over two decades ago. Eternia was home even if she missed the concept of blue jeans. âWere youâplanning to walk him instead of letting him out in the yard?â
She noticed the leash.
Biscuit. Adora smiled; that was a sweet name, and she had a feeling sheâd have liked that dog. She was sure he was gone now, if Marlena had him on Earth. She didnât dwell on that thought, though. She knew someday it would come for Spirit, but that was a long, long way off. Nothing to worry about now; her brain didnât need anything more to spiral through.
âOh.â She didnât think Marlena had noticed the leash, but it didnât necessarily surprise her that she was observant. âUh, yeah, I had planned on it. I usually get up early and take them out running, Spirit and Pop Tart.â That wasnât going to happen now that sheâd been caught â sheâd just take them out front again and maybe slip off to the gym to use the treadmill after breakfast, if only to get some of this restless energy out.
âI donât know about running, butâŠâ Marlena took a quick, large gulp of coffee with an eagerness to finish. âI can walk them with you, if youâd like?â
Yes, she had been observant about the leashâand also observant of how Adora wasnât quite that comfortable around her. There was always someone with them when they talked, whether it was Adam or Teela or her wife (her wife, her daughter was married and on the cusp of being a mother herself and she had so many overwhelming emotions about it) that helped keep the conversation going.
There was tension that wasnât necessarily bad. Awkward, perhaps, as if they were trying to figure one another out still, which - in fairness - they were. Adora had lived a life separate from them in a completely different world locked away in a completely different dimension. Having a family she only recently knew about moving in with her must be overwhelming, and she was doing her best to be patient.
Marlena was also selfishly eager. She wanted to learn and know everything now. She wanted the bonding that was robbed from her. She wanted to be mom.
âIf thatâs something youâre comfortable with,â she quickly corrected with. âI donât want to butt myself into your routine if you prefer not to have chatty company. I can be very chattyâonly quiet during council meetings since theyâre dreadfully boring. Politics irritate me. Iâm being very chatty now, arenât I, Iâm sorry.â
Her dork was shining through.
Adoraâs first reaction was openly hesitant, teeth biting into her bottom lip. She had been hoping to avoid exactly this, making conversation when she didnât really know how to handle this brand new relationship in her life. But she did want to get to know Marlena. She had no idea how long sheâd be around, and she couldnât avoid her forever or the awkwardness would just stick. She didnât want that â and, maybe more importantly, she didnât want to regret that.
But before she could even think to open her mouth to respond, her mother was going on, and it struck Adora that⊠Marlena sounded like her when she was nervous. She had a habit of getting babbly, so it didnât take much for her to recognize Marlena was the same. It was so odd, seeing a hint of something that was so herself in this woman â literally a Queen â who was so dignified and put together.
She smiled sincerely, her gaze softer and less guarded. âYou donât have to be sorry. I can be pretty chatty, too. I know it probably doesnât seem like it, but, uhââ She cleared her throat and steered the dogs toward the kitchenâs open doorway, trying to recover from her own mini-babble. It must be contagious. âYou should come with me,â she agreed. âI mean, Iâd like that, yes, if youâre sure? Itâs kind of cold out there, so you might have to bundle up.â
She wasnât especially bundled herself. She ran hot so she didnât freeze as easily as her wife and so many of her friends did. Still, she was smart, wearing thick socks and jeans tucked into her boots, a long sleeved thermal with a thick, faux fur-lined hoodie custom made to look like the front of She-Raâs uniform over top. It was cold enough that sheâd dressed more for a walk than a run, anyway. All she wanted was a chance to get out.
Marlena was bracing herself for the very real possibility that sheâd be rejected and that wasâit would be fine if that were the case, she understood. She couldnât hold it against Adora if she needed more time, and she could busy herself around the kitchen instead and maybe attempt breakfast (itâs been so long since sheâs used a kitchen herself) for everyone, and she could work on calibrating part of Darlaâs cannonsâbut wait!
Adora said⊠yes?
She wasnât prepared for that.
âOh,â she blinked, surprised but followed it up with a nod to recover. âYes. Yes. Iâm sure. Iâll grab Adamâs coat and we canâŠâ Her coffee. Marlena washed the rest of it down her throat quickly. âWe can go. Iâll take Pop Tartâs leash!â
Hiding her excitement would be futile. Marlena didnât want to scare her by being over enthusiastic but she wanted her to know how much it meant to her so, yes, she was smiling like the happiest fool in Vallo.
Adora felt her cheeks warm with pleasure at that display of enthusiasm. There was a twinge of guilt, too; all Marlena wanted was to spend time with her, that much was very clear, and sheâd made it so difficult for her the past few days. She was determined to change that now, and this was a good first step. The awkwardness would fade if she made the effort.
âOkay,â she agreed. The dogs were waiting patiently by the hooks, tails wagging enthusiastically. She hooked them into their harnesses, her movements quick and smooth after so long, and by the time Marlena returned with her coat, she had hooked the leashes into place. She handed Pop Tartâs over â it was cupcakes, although the bandana tucked into his harness was his namesake â and wrapped Spiritâs around her wrist.
One elevator ride, walk down Darlaâs ramp, and pitstop in the front yard later, they were heading down one of the familiar forest trails. The sun was freshly rising, and it was mostly quiet, aside from the remaining crickets and the occasional overenthusiastic bird chirping. Sheâd usually go into the city â and might still pop out there with Marlena to grab coffee later â but there was something more peaceful about the forest at this time of day. It would let her attention remain undividedly on her mother.
âSo,â she began, gently tugging on Spiritâs leash to urge him away from the gnarly looking plant heâd paused to sniff, âwhat do you think of Vallo so far? Is it more like Earth or Eternia?â
This was it. A one-on-one. Marlena had been dying for a moment like this, and could not wait. Her cheeks hurt with how hard she smiled. She thoughtâafter everything that had happened and the years that had kept them separatedâthat she deserved to be this happy about her living, breathing, existing daughter.
There was so much to say, and there was no wrong way for the conversation to begin.
âItâs both,â she chuckled, wrapping Pop Tartâs leash around her hand to keep him close. âIt has the normal things of Earth that I missedâlike walking a dog? I havenât done that in years. Jeans donât exist in Eternia. Neither does McDonaldâs and I could probably destroy a few Big Macs in one sitting. The magic and diversity is more Eternian, though.â
Vallo felt like a mix of homes, and her children were here and if it were up to her then she would stay here with themâforever.
âYou seem⊠so settled here,â she gently broached, the smile unwavering. âThis is home to you now, right? Do you miss Etheria?â
âVallo is home, yeah,â Adora agreed. It was a strange home, not one she always enjoyed, but it was home without question. Sheâd put down roots here, inasmuch as an Outlander ever could. Her entire relationship with Catra had unfolded here, and they were in the midst of growing their family, becoming parents themselves. Maybe they had that back on Etheria, but she didnât know, and it wasnât a risk she was willing to take.
âBut I miss Etheria,â she confirmed. âNot the same way I used to, but I think about it. We get memory updates from home sometimes, but itâs been a year and a half since Catra and I last had ours. We defeated Horde Prime, and then justâŠnothing. I wish we knew what was going on back there.â
She knew she and Catra had found their way to each other back on Etheria, too â they had seen that. But she had no idea what had happened since, well over a year later. Had they gone off on their space road trip? Had they stayed
there to work on repairs? There were so many parts of their tiny little planet that needed it, after the destruction the Horde had wrought.
Adora, a fighter. It hadnât surprised Marlena. The trait ran in the family, but her children had been destined to be a step beyond simply fighters. They were heroes of legend, wielding a power that she struggled to understand and yet knew it wasnât hers to understand, either - that this path was theirs to walk. She didnât want them to walk it alone. And she certainly didnât want that path to lead them to their deaths.
âLet me guess - itâs the âunfinished businessâ kind of feeling?â she asked, kicking away some stray twigs from their path before Pop Tart tried to eat them. âThat there is still so much left to do and not having closure from that drives you a little bit crazy?â
Briefly, Adora wondered just how transparent she was, but the thought faded away for kinder notions quickly. She and Adam were alike in a lot of ways, and while he was less likely to dwell than she was, she knew he worried about things unresolved â like with Teela. She wouldnât be at all surprised if it was a family trait, carried by all of them.
âA little bit.â Her smile was sheepish. âThey say that weâre back there even while weâre here, that the people weâre missing donât notice weâre gone. So, Iâm sure Iâm helping in whatever way I can, but it would just be nice to know.â
Marlena hummed, sticking her free hand into the coatâs pocket as she thought.
âYour father would probably be the same in a situation like that,â she answered after a beat of silenceâshe needed a moment to decide if she wanted to bring that up. âHis mind always overthinks. Worries. Iâve been telling him for years he needs to accept the things he canât control. It seems as if you may have the best of both worlds, in a way? Knowing that youâre out there making a difference, and that youâre here, too. Making a life.â
It was rewarding to see. The pressures of He-Man and She-Ra didnât cripple them here, and they had the luxury of learning about each other as siblings. They found some rhythm of normalcy here that allowed them to live like a family. If Marlena spent her time in Vallo simply watching them interact, sheâd have no issues. She would exist in a state of perpetual contentment.
âYour home is beautiful. This world andâthe home you made for yourself, on Darla? I love it. The animals, and the art, and the way you have things arranged.â Marlenaâs eyes watered but in a good way, and she would not cry. Donât worry. âIt says a lot about you.â
Those words struck a chord for Adora, ringing familiarly in her ears. Catra had told her the same, many times. Richie, Dan, James, her new therapist. She needed to accept the things she couldnât control. She thought, overall, she was better than sheâd once been in that respect; sheâd put the work in. Some things would always niggle at her brain, but she would always keep pushing forward. She had a good life here, and she didnât want to ruin it.
Hearing that her father was the same way, though, was strangely reassuring. Sheâd always expected it was just self-inflicted, a product of the crushing pressures Shadow Weaver had placed on her shoulders growing up in the Horde. That hadnât helped, obviously, but knowing it was passed down from her father made it feelâŠless bad, somehow? Her therapist would probably say she was genetically predisposed.
She was still a little shy, responding mostly with nods, but warmth crept across her cheeks again when Marlena complimented Darla and their home. What theyâd made of the spaceship Mara had left behind when it had come to Vallo meant a lot to her. Sheâd never expected to live there full time, but it felt right, something cozier and theirs in a way that Castle Bright Moon, although she loved it, didnât quite match.
âWell, thatâs mostly Catra,â she demurred, leading Spirit around a root in their path. The trees were lessening as they walked, headed toward one of the little forest villages she and Catra roamed frequently. âThe art, especially. Iâm not really artistic or creative. Like, not at all.â
âYouâre her muse, though,â Marlena teased and leaned in to playfully elbow at her. âI know you donât have many pictures of yourself growing up.â Knowing that stung. They had given her some details about the Hordeâperhaps glossed over, and the overall impression was of a difficult childhood. She could tell some specifics were being withheld. âBut she said some of it is little scenes she painted from growing up with you, some of the better moments? The way she draws your little ponytail, itâsâŠâ
Was she going to say it?
Yes, she was.
âAdora-ble,â she said, the emphasis on Adora. It was a pun. Marlena was proud of it, like she was somehow very original for coming up with it and she was giving her daughter a cheesy grin.
(Guess they know who Adam got it from now.)
Adora smiled and allowed herself to step in a little closer as they wound their way down the path, becoming a more solid road as they passed by a farmhouse with a long expanse of fenced-in land. She let out a laugh when that pun slipped out, looking over at Marlena and taking in just how delighted she was with herself for making it.
(It wasnât anywhere near the first time sheâd heard that pun made, but she wasnât cruel enough to rain on her motherâs parade.)
âGood one! I have been known to be adorable,â she joked. But with that comment in mind, she reached up to pull her hair free of her signature ponytail. Sheâd been doing her best to style it differently, make sure it was cut regularly and often down. Catra kept telling her sheâd be bald by thirty if she kept it up, and she was so vain about her hair. She couldnât allow that.
âYou have my genes, of course you are,â Marlena scoffed. Insinuating otherwise would be a great offense but gods, yes, she was delighted. Happy. Her cheeks were pink, and it could be joy, or it could be the chill. Or maybe it was both.
Her walking began slowing to a stop, though.
âListen, um.â That smile dropped. She licked her lips, looking at her boots before meeting Adoraâs eyes with a squint. âI love you. The moment I found out I was having you and your brotherâit was instant, and this instinct clicked into place, and when I didnât think I could love you any more, you and Adam were born. Iâve flown planes and traveled through space and became⊠queen of a planet Iâve never heard of before, but having you? Nothing compared to it.â
Adora might know a little bit about what she was talking about. Finn was on the way, and Catra was beginning to show, and she could see the love in Adoraâs eyes.
âI loved you when I lost you, and all I could do was hope that you were okayâand it was the most helpless feeling, not knowing what happened to you. But looking at you these past few days has been everything to me, and I know I may be a lot. I know Iâm still a stranger. But please tell me if I am too much, or I⊠cross a boundary. Anything. If you need space, or if you need me to go to the apartments. I wonât hold it against you. I want to make sure that youâre okay, and if I have to do that at a distanceâIâm fine with that, I am.â
Adora fell into step with Marlena, letting their pace slow to a stop with only a curious look on her face. It was early, and there werenât many out at this hour, so she wasnât concerned they would be blocking anyone. The dogs, for their part, were happy to just sniff around and do their business, taking advantage of the long leads to explore a little further while Adora turned to face her mother. To listen, like she was asked.
Immediately, guilt wrapped around her heart and squeezed, like a cold hand. The smile dropped from her face, too, and her eyes fell to her boots. She knew Marlena didnât mean to invoke that feeling, nowhere near it, but it was the first connection her brain made. Despite how sweet the words Marlena was saying truly were â she loved Adam, loved Adora, loved them more than all the incredible things sheâd done in her life, most of which very few others would have experienced â all Adora could think was Iâve disappointed her.
It wasnât surprising, really. For three days, she had done her best to avoid her. It wasnât as if sheâd left a room when Marlena entered, but she had never allowed them to be alone together until now. She always had Adam or Catra or Teela (thank the gods she was back) to share the attention with. The two of them alone had felt like an awkward struggle; all she could think about was who her parents had wanted her to be, who she might have been, who she should have been, and how sheâd failed to live up to those expectations.
Maybe there was a part of her that had feared a conversation like this, the realization that she had let her mother down after knowing her for such a short period of time. It was inevitable, after all, wasnât it? When had she ever successfully lived up to a mother figureâs expectations?
âIâm sorry,â she said quietly, raising her gaze tentatively to Marlenaâs. âI didnât mean to make you feel unwelcome. It really means a lot to have you here on Darla. I donât want you to go to Morningside, I swear.â She wound her hand a little tighter into Spiritâs leash, blue eyes shining more earnestly. âI just⊠I know Iâm not who you thought Iâd be, and I didnât want you to have to see howâŠmessed up I am and be disappointed in how I turned out.â
Marlenaâs hands went to Adoraâs face, and maybe it was slightly awkward with a leash wrapped around her hand â thankfully it was long, Pop Tart had the liberty to step away from them if needed â but the way she was looking at her absolutely murdered her heart.
âYou exceeded every expectation and then some,â she whispered fiercely, making sure Adora kept looking her in the eye. âIn the past three days, Iâve learned about your braveryâyour selflessness. Iâve learned how hard you love those around you. You beat every odd stacked up against you, and I know itâs left its mark but weâre all fucked up in our own way, my darling.â
She and Randor werenât perfect parents, either. They loved their children but there was always something more they could have done. Marlena could have confronted Adam about He-Man, she could have done something to keep him from dyingâanything. Randor could have looked closer if he wanted to and not dismissed his son the way he often did.
Her mouth wobbled, and she forced the threat of tears away as she ran a finger through Adoraâs hair. âI wouldnât change a single thing about you. Selfishly, Iâd change the fact that someone stole you from meâbut look at you, and your friends from home and your friends here. You made a family for yourself, and I donât know if I can put into words how lucky I am to meet you and see it firsthand. Iâm proud of you. Your father would be proud of you.â
The tears started before Adora could put up a fight to stop them, spilling down her cheeks and over Marlenaâs hands. She couldnât pinpoint what it was that finally pushed her over that edge, exactly; she had been a bundle of raw emotion for days now and especially since she ran into Marlena in Darlaâs kitchen. She liked to think sheâd done a good job of keeping it all at bay, but her fortitude in emotionally tough times had seen better days, pre-Vallo.
âReally?â Her voice wavered. It was silly to question when Marlena had her face clasped in her hands, refusing to let eye contact fade. But this was new for her, having a parent in her life so readily admitting to being proud of her. âHow do you know, though? Iâve⊠I havenât always done the right thing or made the right choices. I really⊠You probably shouldnât be proud of me.â
âSometimes doing the wrong thing, or picking the wrong choiceâthat doesnât make you a terrible person. Did you expect me to think you were flawless? That youâre incapable of making a mistake? Several mistakes?â Marlena wiped her daughterâs tears so delicately, like Adora was made of glass and the slighter pressure could cause a crack. âThatâs a ridiculous expectation, my love.â
Randor was the more stern parent. He had expectationsâstrict rules to abide by that he tried to push on Adam, and that was a wound between father and son that hadnât had the opportunity to heal. They often clashed when it came to parenting styles. It wasnât easy, but even Randor could accept mistakes as long as you learned from them.
Their children were given a destiny against their will and goddamnit, Marlena knew they did their best. Randor knew that too when he finally got his head out of his ass about Adam.
âEvery single decisionâthe good, the bad, the ones where there are no winnersâled you to this life you have. I am proud. Your brother is proud, your wife is proud, and your children will be proud.â It was that queen voice in effect now, strong and assured like a speech meant to address the masses. âIf I vanish from this world, remember that. Youâll never let me downâand when Finn is born, and you hold them in your arms as a baby for the first time, youâll know exactly what I mean.â
Adora no longer had words. She searched for them, even tried to open her mouth and hoped something would come out â something thoughtful, intelligent, and insightful. Instead, she took a shaking breath, because if she didnât, she would end up sobbing. She leaned into Marlena, lifting both arms, leash and all, to wrap around her and squeeze.
It was a first from her. Sheâd gotten plenty of hugs from her mother in the past few days but none sheâd initiated. And this time, she buried her face in Marlenaâs neck and just clung. What had hit her, perhaps harder than the queenly speech given to her â one that was true, she knew that deep down, even if sometimes it felt like the most impossible lie â was if I vanish from this world.
Marlena was here now, eagerly trying to get to know her, and sheâd denied her at every turn. It was never meant to be cruel; every bit of it was born from fear and uncertainty. She didnât know her, but she was too scared to try. She could vanish, and there was a very high possibility she would. In her time here in Vallo, her one constant was Catra. They had friends who had been here long-term but so many others whose names had ended up on the disappearance list. It was always a toss-up, whims and luck and nothing remotely within her control.
She didnât want to let Marlena disappear without getting to know her. She didnât want her mother to think of her as stiff and uncomfortable and not even trying. She was trying now, from a place of reluctance, but she was determined to change that. Marlena had said she loved hard, and gods, no matter how hard she fought it, she already loved her hard, too.
Marlena could have sworn her heart just about exploded if it werenât for the fact that she was holding half of it in her arms, right here and now - in an embrace that she hadnât initiated. There had been a part of her that worried she and Adora wouldnât connect. That maybe, somewhere deep down, her daughter thought her parents hadnât tried enough to find her. That they didnât love her enough to push and push, exhausting every possible option in every possible, reachable corner of their universe.
It most likely came from the thought even she thought she could have done more.
âI love you,â she repeated, and she would refuse to say anything less to her and her brother; she had lost them both once, and she loathed to suffer through that feeling again. Marlena didnât have Eternia to concern herself with so sheâd pour every ounce of herself into them. Her family. âAnd my godâyou are strong, your arms.â
Marlena wasnât complaining. She was laughing, hot tears streaking down her cheeks as she hugged Adora back with ferocity. She didnât want to forget this moment. She feared she would one day, if Vallo took her elsewhere - but she had this moment now and she would relish it.
The pups began to whine with impatience. Still, she refused to loosen her hold.
Adora let out a watery chuckle when Marlena remarked on her arms, but it wasnât until she heard the puppies whining that she lifted her face from her neck and started wiping the wet tears away with the sleeve of her hoodie. She didnât particularly want to pull away, not now that she finally felt at home hugging her mom, but they were on a mission here, she couldnât deny that.
âSorry,â she chuckled. âI didnât mean to squeeze too tightly.â Catra teased her that she underestimated her strength sometimes, not just as She-Ra but as herself. It really only happened when she got too excited or overwhelmed, and right now, she was feeling both of those things in spades. âI guess we should keep walking before Spirit and Pop Tart revolt.â
âI want more hugs like that,â Marlena decided, thinking it appropriate that she wipe her own face too. Crying has been a recurring theme these past few days. She didnât expect it to stop anytime soon (and her daughter-in-law seemed to have knowingly stocked up on tissue boxes).
This particular cry made her feel floaty, however. Weightless.
Adora hugged her.
Pop Tart demanded attention with a tug on the leash and she obliged, bending over to rub him behind the ears. âIs there a⊠stop for breakfast nearby? We can pick something up for everyone.â
Adora smiled, her cheeks turning a pleased pink once again as she reached down to give Spirit a few reassuring pats. She urged him forward so they could begin walking again and, after a second of hesitation, she leaned in and looped her arm through Marlenaâs. She and Catra had walked through the forest like this plenty of times; it was easier to keep pace together, and she could share some of her overabundance of body heat in this cold.
âThereâs a little tavern once we get past this farm and into the village that serves a really great breakfast. They even have things Catra will eat.â A feat lately, since her appetite was still a little out of whack. âWe can grab something to-go and head back. That should be enough exercise for all of us, I think.â
âTavern breakfast to-go it is,â she acquiesced, squeezing Adoraâs arm with hers while theirs were looped together. Marlena would offer to pay and spoil the household butâmoney. She made a note to take care of that soon. âI expect you to fill me in on what everyone likesâwell, I know Adam but there may be new things. I plan to memorize everyoneâs favorites.â
They had staff in the castle for kitchen duties so she was rusty, but she was fairly confident it couldnât be that hard.
âI can do that,â Adora agreed easily. âIf thereâs one thing Iâm good at, itâs food. Thatâs important to know, too.â She flashed Marlena a grin and led them forward, feeling the shy awkwardness ebbing with each step and her usual confidence returning.