//------------------------------// // A New Life, And Lessons Learned. // Story: Phantasm // by Debonair //------------------------------// I never thought I would be the Fatherly type but I'm sure taking it better than my father. No I can't tell myself that anymore, he was in over his head. Why hasn't he found me yet? I may not remember much about him but I know he cares. Nina was stopped at a door by two guards but they kindly let her through. Myself however, had been blocked. "It's okay guys he's with me." They seemed reluctant to let me pass but they did. After a few moments Nina sat at a table stacked high with books and scrolls. "So Dad, how are you taking this whole thing?" After a moment to make sure there were no witnesses I returned to my human form and set the coat in a bench. "What do you mean?" "Well, Mother sends mixed signals. Like he's mine, but he can have any woman he wants, I don't mind sharing. And Feelings while pointless do indeed have merit. She's a Sentimentalist, someone who wants the luxury of emotion, without paying the price. And not to mention the off chance that you actually become friends with this Armour guy, could you even bring yourself to finish the job. I don't want to say it but I've had nightmares. What it must have felt like to pull that trigger, all that guilt, all the remorse you must feel dead inside." "I am dead sweetheart." I cupped her chin in my hand. "Oh you know what I mean, I don't know if I could go what you went through, and still be in one piece, well I might have been able to do it if I didn't have this conscious, I don't see why she puts all her faith in us. She keeps Manny and Mari around because of their fighting skills, She loves you, why am I here, you guys have the important jobs. I'm stuck in here organizing these dusty old books." She stood up and returned human. "I don't have anything that sets me apart, I mean how would you feel if your parents didn't love you?" "No digan eso." "Why it's true, Mother doesn't love anybody but you, and you never show any." "I don't want you to grow up like I did. I killed three people and if Gregory hadn't I would've killed myself eventually. I don't want to get caught up in something over my head like my Father." "What was he like?" "I don't really remember much, after my mother died I had to learn pretty quick to fend for myself, with Father away on business for weeks at a time, and in Cartel territory no less. I spent years alone, hiding, running. I don't want to show you love and compassion until I know I can finish this, without hurting anyone again. I can't bear to see you go through the same pain I did." "In a way she has." A voice I hadn't heard in a long time, came from around the corner. A few seconds later I saw my father for the first time in years. "Hijo, it's bittersweet to see you." He removed his coat and laid it next to mine, sporting a fanged grin and open arms said. "I haven't seen you for twenty years, can't I get a hug?" For some reason I was reluctant to hug my father but I gave in. "I've missed you Antonio, or should I call you Tony." "How did you know?" "You don't think I wouldn't know my own son?" "What brought you here?" "Well it's a long story, and it would bore you. Now I must meet my granddaughter." "Hello Mister Allegro sir, I'm Nina." "No need for the formalities, call me whatever you want dear." "Okay," "Now what do you say about some family bonding?" "You can't be serious." What he was asking, after twenty years, sounded like madness. He's asking us to drop everything just to go with him. "I know I should have been straight with you from the start, but my life is just getting back on track, and it wouldn't be right without you. After some time together I'm sure you'll forgive me. I'm not asking as your father, I'd settle for just friends." "He's telling the truth, he's sorry. He has to be, he still loves you." "I wouldn't be risking my hide, with someone I couldn't trust," "What are we going to be doing?" "An outbreak of Mothmen has turned up in Fillydelphia, there seems to be someone pulling the strings Death is unsure if it's a Wraith or a Sentiment, but whoever they are they need to be stopped, and I remember how much you used to love playing with bugs." "What's a Sentiment anyway, I heard Dad talking about them with Redgrave." "Well from what I gather, they are creatures driven by emotion, so strong that they live on beyond the grave. Each one has special powers, that upon killing them you gain them, this can only happen once per wraith the I'm aware." That's what he meant, if I get a Sentiment I'll become stronger and maybe strong enough to protect Nina, and Chrys. "So are you in or out?" "We're in." "Thank you, Tomorrow night, the three of us will board the last train out of Canterlot." He grabbed his coat.and looked at mine with a raised eyebrow. "I always saw you as more of a black coat. Wait a minute, feliz cumpleaños," "It's your birthday?" "Esta Manana, I'll have a gift for you," Father sounded happy he needed this, I couldn't bear to tell him about the dreams. They would only worry him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, I just wanted what's best, but what do I know about what's best?" He seems to feel the same way I do, maybe we can start over. After all this is a new life.