//------------------------------// // Ch-3: Reunions // Story: Hearts As Strong As Chaos // by JasminePosey //------------------------------// Maria's eyes twitched beneath her eyelids. Her head no longer throbbed, and all the aches in her body were no more than a faded memory. She sighed and rolled over to her side, keeping her eyes closed. The only thing that was off was the heavy feeling that made her body feel heavier, like it was sinking deeper into the mattress. She tried to recall memories of the night before, and was curious as to why she was unable to. Maria vaguely wondered if she had been introduced to alcohol of some sorts, something that would make her feel the way she did at this moment. After lying in bed for a few minutes more, she tried to open her eyes. She wasn't in her bedroom anymore. Instead, she was lying in a Queen-sized bed in a master bedroom, with boxes without labels stacked up against the walls, and an empty closet that stared at her openly from the other side of the room. A bit panicked, she sat up, throwing the covers from over her. She was dressed in her regular night shirt and shorts, which relaxed her a bit, yet at the same time confused her more. Her eyes gazed over her surroundings, trying to clear up the fog of confusion that clouded her ability to think. After taking a few deep breaths, she slid off the bed, her toes curling into the soft plush rug on the floor. She stepped tentatively towards one of the boxes closest to her and peeled back one of the flaps of the cardboard. She recognized more of her outerwear that she typically wore around the house. She sighed, concluding that she was in the house complex her parents had given her for her birthday. Still, that presented more baffling questions that poked at Maria's mind. How'd she get here? Where were her parents? And, more importantly, what had happened last night that caused her to forget everything to have taken place last night? She rubbed her temple to soothe the headache that was starting to build up. She walked towards the bathroom, yawning. She opened it and stepped in. The air was foggy, probably from the hot shower someone had taken not too long ago. Maria's skin prickled with goosebumps at the sudden heat that rushed her. It made her step back with surprise. Her eyes blinked as she saw a figure, his back to her as he leaned over the sink, brushing his teeth. Dressed in a casual black T-shirt and what looked like male pajamas, it appeared that he had made himself at home. He was still rather tall leaning over, and Maria noticed the vague familiarity of the stranger. She was overcome with the urge to confront him, and, if it came down to it, to kick him out of her home. But she was unable to speak. The man finished up at the sink, wiped his mouth and glanced in the mirror at his reflection. He noticed Maria standing behind him then, and turned to face her. His hair was still shiny with water, helping to conclude that he had indeed taken the shower. His eyes met hers, and Maria felt her heart skip a beat. They were a light crystal blue, and seemed to light up when his gaze fell upon her. Was it happiness? She couldn't breathe, let alone think about why he was looking at her the way he did. He gave her a toothy grin. "Good morning, Maria." "Who are you?" she asked shakily, finding her voice. His smile disappeared, but the gleam in his eyes did not. "You don't know?" His tone had filled with hurt. She suddenly felt bad. Apparently, she was important enough, but she couldn't even bother to remember who he was. She tried to choose her words carefully. "I'm sorry. I don't. But listen, whatever happened last night..." She trailed off as a realization hit her. "Oh my god. Did I sleep with you?" She asked in a horrified whisper. Now he was confused. One of his dark eyebrows disappeared under the hair that fell over his brow. "Maria, what are you talking about?" She didn't hear him. Now she was sitting on the edge of her bed wither hands over her mouth with a scared and panicked expression. "What if my parents found out?" He knelt down in front of her. "What are you referring to, m'dear?" "Listen, whoever you are, I'm so very sorry about this, but you're going to have to leave. I'm glad I don't remember anything last night. I just hope that you can forget that anything ever happened, because I want to...." She perked suddenly, looking down at him. "What did you call me?" "M'dear." He answered, adding in a lower voice, "I've always called you that." Maria looked into his eyes again. That gleam became familiar again to her. It was a happiness. Happiness mixed with something else. Love, the word came to Maria. But then, only one person was capable of looking at her that way... "Who are you?" Maria asked again slowly in a low whisper. Her voice shook a bit. The familiar stranger smiled faintly, reaching up to take her hand. He kissed the top of it gently, making her heart skip. "I'm Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. Do you still remember who you are?" Her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. A sudden weight was applied to her left hand in his, and she glanced down at it. A golden band was now on her finger, along with a beautiful diamond ring that twinkled and sparkled happily in the light that streamed in from the uncovered window. "Discord?" She whispered. His toothy grin returned, and this time, she returned it, sliding down off the bed and into his arms, slinging to him with a small sob of joy. Discord wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried into his shoulder, soaking his shirt. But neither could care less, and Discord was simply happy to be able to hold his one true love again. Maria pulled back a bit, and gently caressed Discord's cheek as her emerald eyes slowly took his appearance in. His own heart jumped when he saw the gleam in her own eyes. He leaned down and kissed her gently. She melted into the kiss, and both sighed contently. A thousand words were silently exchanged between them through the kiss; I love you, and I missed you. Discord pulled away a bit, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that slipped down her cheeks, she pressed her cheek into his palm, relishing in his touch as more tears fell. He gently shushed her, kissing her briefly again and wiping her eyes. "It's okay. I'm here now, my love." Maria bit back another sob that got caught in her throat, and simply clung to him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. Deep inside, however, she was still afraid. Afraid that all of this was still part of her dream, and that when she woke up, she would be alone once again. He heard this, and kissed the top of her head, holding her to him tightly. After a while, Maria had calmed, and was close to drifting off when Discord shifted slightly, nudging her awake. "Do you want to see them?" he asked her softly. She felt her heart clench a bit at his question, nodding mutely. Discord nodded, getting to his feet and helping her up in the process. He took her hand and led her out the door of the bedroom, walking her down the hall and in front of a pair of bedrooms that Maria couldn't remember if they had always been there or not. He opened the door to the first bedroom, revealing a smaller room that seemed a bit empty, save for the bunk bed in the corner and a toy box across the room. As if in a daydream, Maria seemed to feel herself floating to the lower bed, seeing a small lump underneath the blankets. She reached out carefully, peeling back the layer to reveal a tiny little boy's face. His dark hair was messy from sleep, falling over his face. He looked to be about 3 years old at most. She blinked away the tears that pricked at her eyes and gently rubbed her thumb against his cheek, then brushed some of his unruly strands from his face. He stirred almost immediately, opening his eyes a little. His eyes were a dark blue, like his father's, with little grey specks in them. "Mommy?" he asked, reaching a hand out sleepily towards her. Maria smiled softly, taking his small hand in hers and rubbing the back of it tenderly. "Yes, Chaos, it's Mommy." She whispered to him, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. By this time, Chaos had woken up some, and had rolled onto his hands and knees, crawling to her and reaching for her. Maria took him in her arms and hugged him tightly. She stood upright, peering into the upper bed. "Random!" Chaos called to her. "Look! Mommy's here!" he said exci6tedly. The little lump fidgeted, and a little girl's head peeked out from beneath the blankets. Her hair was also dark and curly, falling down to her shoulders and sticking up in odd places. Her eyes were a lighter shade of blue, however. "Mommy?" she asked, excitement in her voice. Her sleepy eyes caught onto her mother and she grinned. Maria smiled and reached for her, pulling her into her arms. The twins hugged her tightly, their faces stretched by the huge smiles they wore. Maria herself was almost overwhelmed with the reality of this. "Mommy, does Big Sissy know that you're here?" Chaos looked up at her. "No sweetie, Screwy doesn't know yet." She told him. The door hinges creaked softly behind her and she turned, seeing Discord holding a little girll to him. She had her arms around his neck and her face against his chest as she resumed the sleep she had been disturbed from. From behind, Maria could see that the 6-year old's hair was the same shade as her own, falling down to her mid-back in loose natural curls. She put the twins onto Chaos' bed, and Discord motioned for them to be quiet as he helped Screwy down to her feet. Still overcome with sleep, she swayed a bit before gaining her balance. Her mother got to her knees behind her, putting an arm on her shoulder and turning her to face him. She gasped quietly. Screwball was almost an exact replica of herself, even down to the freckles that Maria tried so hard to forget she had. In that moment, she was proud of her freckles. Maria pulled Screwy to her, rubbing her back and running her fingers through her hair gently. Screwy murmured something, sleepily wrapping her arms around her mother. Maria smiled, kissing the top of her oldest daughter's head, muttering her name. "Mom?" Screwy pulled back, blinking in both fatigue and disbelief. Her dark green eyes widened a bit, and she pushed herself back into Maria's arms, sobbing quietly. Maria felt herself starting to tear up again as she held her tightly. "Daddy, why is Sissy and Mommy crying?" Random asked. Discord gathered his youngest daughter and son into his arms. "It's a girl thing." He chuckled. "You'll understand when you get a bit older, I promise." The twins nodded. Discord sat next to Maria on the floor, and the kids all climbed into her lap. He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Do you believe it's a dream now, m'dear?" She sighed, wiping a tear. "I never did."