Prompt. Family

Family

Recommended listening: "Have a Little Faith in me" by Joe Cocker
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He'd been gone for a while now and she was starting to worry – what if they'd gotten him too? Eventually Muse couldn't sit still any longer, and she left the motel room. Stepping outside onto the porch, her eyes were immediately drawn to the clear night sky, spattered with stars. This far away from the city and its lights, the twinkling specks were bright and clear; shining just as they had when she'd been a little girl - as they always had. Muse swallowed, feeling an unpleasant jolt turn her stomach. Why did everything else have to change? Now those monsters had her mother and there was nothing she could do about it. Her only hope was-

"I told you to stay inside." The voice didn't sound annoyed, just tired. Muse's eyes turned to the man sitting on the porch bench, also looking up at the stars, and let out a silent sigh of relief.

"You didn't come back, I…" she faded off before she finished the thought, realising how pathetic 'I was getting worried' sounded. Dominic finally lowered his eyes to look at her when she fell silent, and though his expression remained passive, he seemed to know her thoughts without her having to actually voice them.

"Don't worry kid, I'm not going anywhere."

"I know that…" But she didn't sound convinced, even to her own ears, and feeling rather embarrassed and self-conscious, Muse looked down and shuffled her feet. Dominic sighed.

"Muse?" She looked up at him and he beckoned, "C'mere." He watched the teenager hesitate uncertainly before coming over and sitting on the bench beside him; drawing her knees up to her chin and hugging her legs. Dominic wondered what to say; what did you say to a seventeen-year-old daughter you hadn't even known you'd had this time yesterday, and who'd just had the only parent she'd ever known taken away by the same people who had taken him and tried to kill her?

"I know I'm not what you expected." He wanted to smack himself in the face as soon as the words left his mouth, but Muse surprised him when she just nodded.

She remained silent for a moment before finally murmuring; "She always said I was more your kid than hers… Sometimes I'd do something, or say something, or she'd just look at me, and she'd go all quiet and look like she was going to cry… I think… I think I just reminded her of you a lot…"

Dominic was stunned into silence. Not that he could disagree – he still felt a strange jolt when he looked at her and saw his own eyes and smile looking back at him. Hell, sometimes he could have sworn he was looking at a small female clone of himself… but then sometimes she looked so like Jessica it hurt…

"Do you think I'm like you?" Her tone sounded so sad and imploring, as though the answer to her sudden question was desperately important to her. Maybe it was… It took a lot of effort for Dominic not to look at her, but he could still feel her intent gaze. He'd met her barely twenty-four hours ago, and yet since then… He'd seen himself in her so many times it scared him, confused him, and at the same time brought him joy, made him proud.

This daughter of his who had worked out that his death was just a fabrication and had come half way across the continent to find him on her own. She'd survived the boot camp and its vicious handlers, fought by his side and guarded his back. She looked like him, moved and thought like him, she even liked the same disgusting combinations of food as him. They had their tea the same way…

She was like him, and he was so proud of her.

"Yeah," he said at last, meeting her eyes, his eyes, "Yeah, I do."

She smiled, and Dominic realised he had been wrong. That smile was all her own. It tore at him when it dropped after a moment and she looked away again, her expression suddenly upset.

"Muse?"

She swallowed, and when she spoke, the tears in her voice made his heart crack; "I promised her I'd keep her safe… I promised… and now they have her… and… and I might not ever… ever see her again…" Muse buried her face in her knees and choked on a sob, shoulders trembling as the tears fell. Dominic moved to put his arm around her, but hesitated, fingers curling, before he drew his hand back without touching her, feeling angry at himself; she'd been through so much already, and now when she was finally allowing it to show, he couldn't comfort her.

"We'll get her back." Again the teenager swallowed, and lifted her head, forcefully wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she sniffed back the tears.

"Yeah… Yeah, sorry…" she whispered, and Dominic felt another stab – she thought she needed to apologise for showing her emotions?

"Don't… don't be, kid…" This time he didn't hesitate wrapping an arm around her back, "Let it out…" Muse squeezed her eyes shut, and for a second he thought she wouldn't allow herself to cry again, but then she'd buried her face into his shoulder and great, heart-wrenching sobs shook her frame. Even when her sobbing eased and quieted, she tightly clutched at him as though he were the last person in the universe.

"W-why couldn't they have just-just left us alone?" Dominic curled his other arm around her and gently stroked her back as her tears finally ran dry and she sniffed softly into his shirt.

"I don't know… but we'll get her back. I promise, we'll get her back…" He leaned his cheek on the top of her head as he pulled her into a hug, glaring into the darkness as a helpless fury percolated inside him. They had abducted him, used him like a lab rat, told his family he was dead, and then poisoned his wife and tried to hurt his daughter… and he was going to make them pay dearly for it. He was going to hunt down those that had taken his wife and hurt her and his daughter, and rip out their hearts with his own hands, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

Muse pulled away, wiping her eyes, and offered him a tremulous smile. Hiding his anger, Dominic smiled slightly in return and cupped her cheeks in his hands, wiping away the tears lingering on her cheeks and lashes with his thumbs.

"Feel better now?"

Muse nodded and sniffed softly, when Dominic dropped his hands, she curled into his arms again and closed her eyes, just needing to be held. "Thanks, dad…" Her whisper brought a lump to his throat; she'd never called him that before, and he hugged her firmly.

"It's alright, kid."

A little later and Dominic carried a sleeping Muse back into their motel room; taking off her shoes and tucking her into one of the single beds. Gently he untangled her arms from around his neck, and sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her hair as he watched her sleep.

It was still mind boggling, even now. His daughter. They had all but surgically removed all record of his existence, but here she was; proof, the one thing they hadn't gotten rid of. No matter what else they had taken, Muse still matched. He'd wanted children for so long, and this girl was a part of him and the woman he loved more than anything.

"Sleep well, kiddo." Careful not to wake her, Dominic rose and retreated to his own bed; lying down and watching the sleeping girl for a moment before he closed his own eyes and drifted into oblivion.

Muse was screaming, and Dominic's eyes snapped open. Immediately he knew he was dreaming, but knowing that didn't make the nightmare any less distressing. He was back in the station, and beyond a wall of reinforced glass he could see a horribly familiar medical laboratory. But inside of himself strapped unconscious to the surgical table, it was Muse; thrashing, screaming, crying out for him… Dominic roared and slammed both fists against the glass, but neither his voice nor the impact made a sound, and he could only watch his worst fears play out before him in horror while he was helpless to stop it…

"MUSE!"

And he finally awoke, panting and sweating. Immediately his gaze found Muse, only to find his daughter still sleeping peacefully; untroubled by nightmares or fears, and Dominic exhaled slowly in relief. Calming himself and slowing his breathing, the man rolled out of bed and quietly dropped to his knees beside hers, watching her in silence. With her eyes closed, long dark lashes resting lightly on her cheeks, and her face relaxed in slumber, his baby girl looked just like Jessica and Dominic gently touched her cheek as a ream of emotions flooded through him. He drew his hand back sharply when Muse's eyes cracked open, fearing he'd woken her, but relaxed when it became obvious she was still half-asleep.

"Hrm… da?" he smiled at her young voice and sleepy tone as it reminded him once again that his daughter was really still a child. He curled his fingers around her hand resting beside her pillow.

"I'm here, kid." He said softly. Muse blinked languidly and yawned a little.

"What's up?"

"Nothing," he smiled slightly, sensing that she was drifting closer to wakefulness, "Everything's fine, go back to sleep."

"M'okay… love you…" The natural words of a drowsy child, but Dominic smiled anyway, feeling inexplicably touched.

"Yeah, love you too," he told her fondly, "Go back to sleep, my Museli." Muse smiled sleepily as he used her nickname, and then her eyes slid closed again. Dominic stayed where he was until he was sure she was asleep again, then stood, slipping his hand from her, before he sighed and stretched and dropped down onto his own bed again.

He didn't sleep again that night, but instead sat and watched the sleeping girl. His Muse. His daughter.