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[printfogey.livejournal.com]

Title: Stepping In
Rating: G
Media: fic
Characters: Bellemere
Word Count(if applicable): 295
Prompt: Parent

Spoilers/setting: Set in the past, no spoilers.


The village women told childbirth stories, now and then, when no men were present. To teenage girls, it sounded painful, gruesome, terrifying… but also, sometimes, like the best thing in the world. Like nothing could equal the feeling of having a newborn babe at your breast, flesh of your flesh, after you’d struggled so hard to bring it into the world.

She listened and remembered. But unlike the others, it felt faraway to her. Children might come some day, but first she’d go out in the world and have adventures, fighting for justice.

Being a Marine was tougher and less clear-cut than she’d thought. There were corrupt, power-mad officers; strange orders from the top. It was sickening, at times. Still, she persevered.

Until the battle when so many died and she was badly wounded. She lay there unable to move, seeing nothing but darkness. Enough, then. Let it end now.

But then there were two children there. Not even sisters. The older one had found the younger, picked her up. Their parents – all dead. They’d die soon, too, if nobody did something.

She looked up, looked at the smaller one’s laughing face, at the older one struggling to smile. Saw something more than darkness.

Stumbling to her feet, she looked around for water, food, shelter. Practical thoughts came back. The long trek home began.

She went through fire and blood, hunger and cold to get them all home. Two mothers she never knew had once fought hard to bring Nami and Nojiko into the world. Now, Bellemère had to take over.

It wasn’t a sacrifice. It was the only way back to life.

Perhaps she was an unnatural, artificial mother. But she figured all she could do was try her best – same as everyone else.