17The sun beamed through the windows the next morning. Squigly, ever the early bird, sat up in the bed, yawning softly and looking down at Harry, still sleeping soundly in her arms. She gave him a warm smile and rubbed the back of his head gently as she held him close. She knew he had a lot of sleep to catch up on, and so made no attempt to wake him.
It was odd to have a moment of peace like this after all she had been through, but things appeared to be looking up for her. She was among the living once more... somewhat at least, she had a lead on a job that would let her do what she loved once more, and she had someone who needed her. That last thought caused her smile to widen as she slowly ran her fingers through Harry's messy black locks.
"Such a sweet little boy." She mentally cooed, gently kissing his forehead. The action made Harry squirm slightly and let out a happy coo in his sleep. Squigly sighed contently. The poor thing seemed to have finally gotten a decent night's sleep, he had been cleaned up, and his injures were attended to. Those were steps in the right direction.
"I still don't like the few ideas we have about how he got those injuries..." She frowned.
The two stayed like that for several minutes... Before the door was abruptly thrown open, and Squigly felt herself being hugged from the side, thankfully at an angle that wouldn't disturb Harry. She immediately knew who it was and smiled softly. "Hello, Filia... It's been such a long time, hasn't it?" Filia's eyes were practically shining, but before she could release her excitement, Squigly put a finger over her mouth, "We need to speak softly, Harry is still asleep." Filia looked at the little boy and tried not to release a delighted squee on the same level as Squigly's earlier horrified shriek.
"Ohmygoshhessocutewheredhecomefrom!?" She quietly whispered at inhuman speeds. She let go of Squigly and seemed completely focused on the tiny sleeping boy.
"I feel like there's a lot we've missed..." Samson remarked, making himself known, before looking to the other parasite. "Hey old man. She treating you alright?"
"Oh yes, of course." Leviathan nodded. "Lady Squiggly is a most excellent host."
"Geez you're old..." Samson muttered.
Leviathan snorted. "Oh, shut up, you flea-ridden hairball. Frankly, I'm amazed you're still around the lady Medici. I figured she'd have forcibly torn you out by now." Samson laughed.
"Yeah, right. Filia and I are tight, worm. I'm here till the day she dies, ya moldy old snake." Leviathan bristled in anger and was abouf to retort when Squigly gently held his mouth closed. "Shhh... You'll wake Harry." She said gently.
"Apologies, m'lady." Leviathan said with a bow of his head. Samson grumbled out an apology when Filia gave him a light smack instead of her usual punch. Harry mumbled in his sleep while snuggling into Squigly's side, causing her and Filia to smile. Filia cooed as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"I heard he was cute, but this just isn't fair."
Squigly smiled softly at the little boy in her arms and nodded her head. "Yes... He really is the most darling thing I've ever seen..." She carefully shifted her hold on him so that she was cradling him like a baby and rocked him back and forth in her arms gently. He cooed and snuggled up.
"So like, off topic here, but why are you awake?" Filia then asked. "I thought you went back to your grave after all that stuff with the Skullgirl blew over."
"Well, I did." Squiggly frowned. "And... I can't explain why, but I believe little Harry here woke me up. He just... appeared in the graveyard a few nights ago."
"...I'm sorry, what?" Samson asked flatly.
"Yeah... he was in the graveyard?" Filia asked, confusion and a slight hint of fear in her tone. "Was he lost? Okay, I mean, he was. But-"
"I don't know for certain. I feel poor circumstances led him to me. But... It doesn't matter right now... What matters is that he's here... Safe and sound..." Squigly said.
Filia smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder even as their respective parasites glared at one another. "So, Peacock mentioned that you were thinking about taking up the singer job at the casino." Squigly smiled as she closed her eye, imagining being on stage again.
The girls looked at Harry in a comfortable silence for several minutes before Squigly turned to look at Filia with a rather concerned expression on her face. "Filia, is Cerebella doing well? I know Vitale Medici was on the same level of awful as his father, but he did raise her, and she was so devastated when she was forced to kill him..."
Filia sighed as she looked down, "Things were definitely rough for her at first, but she had Feng and surprisingly Beatrix to help her through it. After that, she started to throw herself into running the casino and trying to reform the parts of the Medici that weren't complete scum." Squigly bit her lip. Even after all the Medici had done to her, she would not wish such a task on her worst enemy.
"I think she's doing it because she feels guilty for not having seen the truth sooner." Filia added. "And to be honest, she seems to be doing a good job."
"Oh, well, that's good then." Squiggly nodded. She was about to say something when she felt the tiny boy next to her stir. She smiled down at the sleepy boy who slowly began to open his eyes and look around in confusion.
"M..mm whereamI?" He mumbled, confused, then when he looked up, he seemed to relax somewhat. "Miss Squiggly?"
"Good morning, dearie... I hope you slept well..." Squigly cooed softly. Harry nuzzled in closer to her, resting his tiny head over her breast. She giggled and kissed his head. "Hmm... I think it would be best to get this little one some breakfast... I wouldn't mind a bite to eat myself, really... I haven't eaten anything in such a long time..."
Filia blinked. "Won't that be hard, with your..." And then she saw the stitches were gone.
Filia's smile could light up the kingdom as she wrapped her arms around Squigly, causing her to smile as well. With a chuckle, she patted her back, "Valentine has a very deft hand." Filia pulled back slightly.
"I'm so happy to know that they're gone for good." Harry blinked in surprise when he noticed Filia smiling at him, and leaned against Squigly nervously. She smiled and helped him sit up.
"It's ok, Harry, this is Filia and she is a friend. She won't hurt you." Fiia's smile widened as she gave him a little wave, trying not to spook him. Unfortunately, Samson decided to take that moment to introduce himself.
He got right up in Harry's face and studied him closely. "Huh. Not really much to look at, is he?" Squigly visibly bristled and Filia looked mortified. "Probably the blandest kid I've ever-"
Leviathan butted heads with Samson and forced him out of Harry's face. "Still your tongue, you greasy hairball! I'll not have you insulting this child!"
Samson growled and held up two wads of hair like fists, "Bring it on ya oversized, bony toothpick!" Leviathan growled and held up his tail like a fencing foil as small jets of purple flames erupted from his mouth.
"I think I shall do lady Filia a favor and remove you from her, you spit end riddled, dandruff infested, mangy cur!" Samson let out an indignant squawk as Filia, meanwhile, had her face in her hands and was repeatedly apologizing to Squigly and Harry.
The two parasites argued for another ten minutes before their hosts broke it up. Filia grabbed Samson and yanked him as hard as she could, the two screaming at each other, while Squigly was far more calm with Leviathan. "I know you mean well, Leviathan, but you can't keep fighting with Samson like that... Besides, Harry is frightened, see?"
Leviathan looked down shamefully as he saw Harry's frightened face, "I am so sorry Harry, but my temper becomes rather volatile when dealing with Samson."
Squigly sighed and hugged Harry close, doing her best to calm him. "Aww... he's so cute..." Filia cooed, her eyes wide again. Harry peeked up from the hug he was currently held by and looked at her.
"H..Hi." He said timidly. He didn't like the other parasite, he seemed mean. But maybe the woman was nice... Squigly looked down and saw his somewhat hesitant look, then kissed his head before handing him over to Filia. The younger woman let out a suprsesed squeal of delight as she took Harry into her arms. She hugged the tiny boy close and nuzzled the top of his head.
"Hi cutie!" She cooed.
Harry blinked, then nuzzled in closer, clutching to Filia's shirt and closing his eyes. This was nice... Miss Filia was nice... Filia cooed softly and rocked him in her arms, planting the occasional kiss on his little face. "Aww... How could Samson think you're bland?" She cooed before returning him to Squigly and looking stern. "Now, Samson... You WILL be apologizing for being rude to Harry, or I won't buy those fudge balls you wanted." Samson groaned, then muttered a barely audible 'Sorry'. Sighing, Filia yanked him as hard as she could, causing him to yell out.
"SORRY, SORRY! I SAID SORRY, JUST LET ME GO!" He yelped. Leviathan smirked as Filia released him.
Filia sighed as she rubbbed her forehead. sometimes Samson was as blunt as hitting someone with a wrecking ball. Meanwhile, Harry was looking at Samson curiously after having calmed down. "Um... Mr Samson, is he like Mr Leviathan?"
Leviathan barked out a laugh. "Oh, if ONLY he was half the parasite I am, young Harry. Perhaps then he'd be more respectable."
Samson was about to retort, but Filia yanked on him again. "OWW! OWW! OKAY, DAMN IT, LET GO!" She did so. "But yeah, we're both parasites. I'm just obviously cooler than snakey over there."
Leviathan let out an amused huff, "At least I don't have to be cleaned like a shaggy dog, or should I tell everyone here about the time you were infested with fleas?"
Samson actually looked embarrassed as he grumbled, "I thought you promised never to speak about that." A silent truce was called between them for the time being to be civil to one another in Harry's presence, and Squigly decided to change the subject as she turned back to Filia.
"I heard from Valentine that Dr Avian has been looking for a way to help your friend."And so the two ended up catching up for about half an hour, Harry contently resting in Squigly's breast. Eventually, however, the growling of Harry's stomach caught their attention. As the two girls and Leviathan smiled in amusement, Harry blushes in embarrassment and shushed his stomach.
"Aw, you must be hungry." Squigly smiled. "Come, dearie, let's get you something to eat."
"But... did I already eat for this week?" Harry asked, timidly. That did cause those present to freeze. Even Samson and Leviathan blinked in surprise at what Harry had said.
"E..excuse me?" Squigly finally got out. "Sweetie, what are you talking about?"
"I...I thought I already ate for this week." Harry replied, as if that was normal.
"...holy crap..." Samson muttered, before looking to Leviathan. "What happened to the kid?"
"We're still not completely sure ourselves." The older parasite replied. "But we're pretty sure that 'plain child' as you put it spent most of his live being abused by his own family." Samson was going to reply, but then seemed to realize something and shrunk back. He seemed embarrassed over something. But what that was, no one knew or really cared at the moment.
"...Harry... It's not healthy at all to only eat once a week... You need your strength, sweetie... I intend to make sure you're properly fed from now on." Squigly stood with Harry still in her arms, followed by Filia, "Perhaps we should move this conversation to another locale, perhaps one with some food for a grumbly tummy?" Filia giggled as Harry looked at his stomach in betrayal.
"Follow me, I know where the cafeteria is!" Filia began to cheerfully explain all the different foods available as they walked along.
The group went downstairs and encountered the lab eight staff. "Heya, kids." Big Band greeted. "Cafeteria's just over next door. Grab a meal before ya head out."
Harry was happy to be with Squigly. He had sort of believed it had been a dream, and he was still with his family, or was in the middle of nowhere without anyone to help him. But there was something about Miss Squigly that he really liked. She was kind, and he felt safe around her. He didn't want to talk about his family with her though, she had done enough for him already.
He smiled softly as Squigly carried him into the dining area, only half listening as Filia informed Samson that he would not be eating the entire spread. Filia scowled and rubbed her temples, "No means no Samson, I'm not letting you drag me on another of your feeding frenzies." Squigly chuckled as she looked over the food. It seemed she and Harry were still in time for breakfast. She smiled down at Harry as he nervously looked around.
Harry looked up at her and shook his head. "I um... I dunno what to pick..." Squigly smiled softly and kissed his nose before picking his meal out for him. She chose a couple soft boiled eggs, some bacon, some sausages, and a couple pancakes. The group sat down with their breakfast, and Squigly focused on feeding Harry. Harry was timid at first, but seemed to warm up once he tasted the food. Squiggly smiled in relief as she saw him finally stop trying to avoid eating and began to happily accept the food. She didn't know how he got like this and she'd figure that out at a later time, right now he needed food. And Squigly intended entirely to give him as much as he wanted.
She cooed lightly at the way his eyes lit up as he tried each of the foods, no doubt for the first time. Filia couldn't stop smiling as she watched Squigly feeding Harry while he sat in her lap. Even Samson couldn't bring himself to interrupt their moment. Breakfast ended soon enough, and the group of five were ready to leave. Ben and Peacock were there to see them off. "Good luck out there, Sienna. I'm lookin' forward to seein' ya on stage." Ben said with a nod.
"And if ya need anything, gimme a call! I'll totally go an' bust a few heads if ya want!" Peacock chirped.
"Thank you both so much... And please, tell the others we thank them from the bottom of our hearts." Squigly said with a small bow.
"Thank you..." Harry said shyly, yet gratefully. And with that, Filia led her to a parked limousine. The driver surprised Squigly...
"She's aliiiiive!" Came the overdramatic tone of Nadia Fortune, seated in the driver's seat of the limo.
"Oh, Nadia! How lovely to see you again! Have you chosen to give up the life of a thief?" Squigly asked. Nadia smirked.
"Yeah, her royal highness gave me community service for like three months after we beat the Skullgirl, and...eh... Needed a more...'legal' line of work, so the head honcho over there gave me a job!" Filia huffed.
"And yet, in spite of that, she just refuses to wear the uniform she was given." Nadia snorted in response to that.
"I'm not wearing some fancy-pants suit. My clothes are fine."
"Honestly, Nadia, I'll never understand how you can be so comfortable wearing such sparse clothing..." Squigly said softly.
"Well, it's better than that Yeti guy..." Nadia muttered.
"Who?" Squiggly asked.
"Weird dude. I think he's in his twenties, might still be late teens. He's got snow white hair that's nearly the length of half the limo. He's also kind of an insane conspiracy theorist, also he believes the government tracks you if you wear clothes so..."
"Alright, I understand." Squigly said, not wanting to hear more about this newcomer.
"Hey, who's the little guy? That the kid people were talking about?"
"...I'm sorry, are people already talking about him? Most of them only met him last night..." Squigly sighed, exasperated.
"Yeah, well. Word travels fast." Nadia shrugged in response. She gave Harry a smile and a wave, and Harry tentatively waved back. "Cute kid."
"Indeed." Squigly smiled, tucking Harry into her arm next to her. She felt the tiny boy hold onto her arm as if it was a lifeline to him.
"Sooo, the boss lady's pretty stoked you took up the singing job. It's the one position she just couldn't seem to find anyone to fill." Nadia explained.
Squigly perked right up. "Oh yes, I'm so excited! I haven't sung for an audience since my mother's birthday party, I can't wait to see their smiling faces! Oh, when can I start, Filia?!" Filia giggled.
"Weeell, first we need to work on advertising. We need to spread the word for a little while, get everyone interested, keep you in the shadows... Then your debut can be extra special!" Nadia chuckled softly at how enthusiastic the two women were. Filia was a cinnamon roll, but she also had a terrifyingly sharp sense for business. She still remembered that one poor sap that tried to rip her off... Filia and Squigly talked for a few moments before Squigly noticed soft snoring and looked down to see Harry leaned against her, lightly dozing, sucking his thumb and clinging at her dress with his free hand.
"He's so cuute..." Filia cooed, her eyes wide again. "It's not fair. Why is he so adorable?"
"I wish I could answer that." Squiggly smiled, gently placing a hand on his back.
"So, you said you found him in the graveyard. Did he say anything about where he was from? Does he live a few towns over and got lost?" Filia then asked.
"Again, I wish I could answer that." Squigly frowned. "The poor dear's been rather quiet, and for one reason or another, I believe due to the abuse he may have suffered, he's starved for any sort of affection."
Carefully, she shifted her hold on him so she was cradling him like a baby. "Poor dear... He has so much sleep to catch up on."
Filia looked at Harry sadly before reaching under a seat to pull out a blanket, "Here, something to make him a little more comfortable." Squigly murmured a quiet 'thank you' as she carefully wrapped Harry in the offered blanket while trying not to wake him before once more cradling him. Thankfully, the limo was quite sound proofed, so they didn't need to worry about road noise or other outside noises waking him up. Filia lightly coughed into her hand, "Perhaps we should work out the finer details at the casino, that way you can tuck Harry into a proper bed and his nap won't be disturbed." Squigly smiled softly and nodded her head in agreement.
Eventually, the limo stopped at the casino, and the group stepped out. Squigly noticed a few goth girls staring at her, and briefly thought it was because she was a zombie, but they turned back to each other and she heard one of them saying "Just take a look at her! Now THAT is goth!"
Squigly tilted her head as she looked at their outfits. "...Goth... Is that what that clothing style is called...? I rather like it... It has an elegant...vampirish feel to it..."
Filia seemed to notice what she was thinking and smirked.
"Pretty much." She nodded. "Goth kind of goes in one of two ways. You're either obsessed with death and darkness and you believe that your obsession counts as a personality, or you pull off what you're doing."
"I...I don't know how I did though." Squigly admitted.
"Well, it doesn't much matter, if it works, it works." Filia reasoned with a shrug. Squigly didn't reply, she just smiled and ensure Harry wasn't awoken.
Filia giggled softly. "Juuuust don't make the 'vampire' comparison in front of them. This book series came out a few years ago and it caused a new group calling themselves 'vamps' to pop up and the goths take exception when they are mistaken for vamps, but it's pretty easy to tell if you pay attention and look for fake vampire fangs." Squigly blinked as she tried to understand just what sort of strangeness had occured while she was asleep.
She shook her head, then looked down at Harry. "Hmm... Well, regardless... Let's get this poor little darling tucked in, shall we?"
Filia led her friend down a hallway, opening a door. Squigly walked into a decently sized room. She nodded thankfully to her friend and gently tucked the little boy into the bed. This time he didn't seem to notice when she set him down. But as she left, she left the door open to ensure some light would get into the room. "Sleep well, cutie." She whispered.
Squigly placed one last kiss on his forehead before walking out to the living room of the suite she had entered with Filia to find that a few more familiar faces had appeared. Cerebella and Feng smiled when they noticed her, with Cerebella rising from the couch to greet her. "Filia said that you were up and about but I still can't wrap my head around how it happened."
"Yes... It's just lovely to be out..." Squigly said softly, hugging the green-haired woman tightly in greeting.
"Well, it's great to have you back." Cerebella grinned, returning the hug. "And Filia told us you were considering taking the job."
"Yes, of course." Squiggly smiled. "I'd love to be singing again, it's been so long since I was last able to..."
"Hey, that's great." Cerebella admitted. "We can't find anyone who either has the talent or is willing to do it." Filia felt like Samson was grinning mischievously at her, and she subtly hit herself in the back of the head to keep him quiet.
"Well, I'd be happy to do it. Just so long as I have a place to keep Harry safe." Squiggly replied, and Cerebella blinked.
"Harry?" She asked.
Squigly smiled warmly. "He's the sweet little darling that brought me back... I just put him to sleep in another room, you'll meet him soon..."
"Yeah, but for now... I just need you to sign some papers for your new job." Filia chirped. Smiling, Squigly nodded her head... And her smile quickly dropped at the sheer size of the stack of papers she was presented with. Filia could only smile sheepishly.
Squigly, however, just shrugged and set to reading it over. If her friend was going to get her a job, the least she could do was read through the paperwork. It took her about half an hour, but she read through it, signed it all, and handed it back. "Great. Now there's this." Filia said embarrassed, handing another stack to her undead friend.
"What is this all for?" Squigly asked, confused.
"Insurance. Medical and stuff. It's for your benefit, trust me." Squigly shrugged and simply got to signing. She let out a sigh as the final document was signed and rolled her wrist, even if she couldn't really feel pain anymore, certain actions helped her feel a little more human, and Filia smiled as she finished stacking the hefty stack of paper. She would have to run a few things past the princess due to Squigly's... not quite alive status but it shouldn't cause more than a couple raised eyebrows. If it wasn't a full on undead invasion, most of the officials wouldn't care with Lab Eight vouching for Squigly. "And with this you are officially the casino's headline singer, so allow me to formally welcome you to the team!"
Squigly smiled in response. "Thank you." she said with a respectful bow. "I'll do my best to assist you in any way possible."
"Hey, after all you've done for us before, I don't doubt that." Filia shrugged. "Speaking of assitance, do you need someone to check in on Harry?"
"If it's alright, I'll do it myself. I feel responsible for such things." Squigly replied with a bright smile.
"Yeah, of course."
Filia gave her friend a hug. "Oooh, I can't wait to finally get around to some girl time!" She squeed softly. Squigly giggled into her hand.
"Yes... We'll have lots of time for it, Filia..." She said softly. "But for now... I'd best help the little one settle in. As he is under my care, it just wouldn't do to leave him unattended for too long."
"Okay, Squigly! Go back to the little baby." Filia said, getting a smile from Squigly.
And with that, she made her way back to the room she left Harry in. She opened the door slowly... and she saw Harry tossing, turning and whimpering in his sleep.
Her expression turned to sorrow as she gently sat down on the bed and picked him up, still feeling him turning in his sleep. "Harry? Harry, wake up." She said, gently shaking him somewhat. Harry gasped and seemed to bolt upright, looking around in confusion before finally seeing Squigly and taking a deep breath.
"M..Miss Squigly?" He whimpered. "Did... did I wake you up?"
Squigly shook her head. "No, sweetie, not at all... I wasn't sleeping, I was just talking to miss Filia..." Trembling, Harry pressed himself against her, clutching tightly to her dress. Squigly rocked him gently in her arms, rubbing his back to help him calm his breathing and heartbeat, humming softly into his ear to soothe him. Leviathan offered his support as well, resting his tail on the boy's shoulder. Eventually, Harry relaxed and buried his face into her chest, whimpering softly. She smiled sadly and slowly ran her fingers through his hair. It was a gradual process... But eventually, his trembling did come to a stop. She heard Harry whisper in a voice so soft she almost missed it, "You weren't there..." Squigly blinked in surprise as he continued, "You weren't there and no matter how much I ran I couldn't get away." She stayed silent while Harry slowly told her about his nightmare.
It broke her dead heart to hear it. Harry was chased, tormented, harmed... how much had they done to this poor child? Squigly sat on the bed, holding Harry tightly and close to her chest. She wanted the child to know she was here, and she wasn't going anywhere. When he finally finished, Squigly held him up and gave him a long kiss on the forehead. "It's alright dear. It was just a nightmare." She said soothingly. "I get them too, and I promise, I'll always be there to help you through them."
She rested her cheek atop his head. "Now, sweetie... Why don't you tell me who was chasing you, okay...?"
Harry hesitated, afraid to answer... But the kindness on miss Squigly's face was enough to convince him to speak up. "My... My uncle..." Squigly sighed.
"Oh, Harry... I can't even imagine what you must have been through..." Harry whimpered. "...Harry... Do you want to talk about it?" He looked up at her. "You know you can talk to me about anything... And I think it's best if you get it off your chest." Harry hesitated. Could he really just... tell her everything...? It was hard to keep it all bottled up... But what if he got hurt? But... would Miss Squigly let him be hurt...? He... wanted to tell, but...
"M-Miss Squigly...? If I tell you... will someone hurt me...?" Squigly shook her head sadly. "No, sweetie... No one will hurt you if I have anything to say about it..."
"That goes for me as well, little one. Come now... Let us hear your tale." Leviathan urged gently. With his fears quelled... Harry spoke.
Squigly was appalled at everything she learned from Harry. They were supposedly his family and they treated him like a slave! The cooking the cleaning, the washing? They forced him to do everything under penalty of physical abuse and starvation and even then his cousin ruined much of his hard work because he knew he could get away with it.
Then he started to go into further detail of just how awful the abuse was. Constant beatings... Being locked outside in inhuman temperatures... Spending up to two weeks in his cupboard with nothing but a bowl of lukewarm water... Then it got truly disturbing. He revealed his uncle began using weapons on him. It started with a belt. Then a frying pan. Then a cricket bat. It continued to escalate until it reached a 2x4 full of rusty nails. Then he told her of other awful things, such as letting him get mauled by his aunt's dog on multiple occasions to strangling him to unconsciousness to throwing him out a window. Her breaking point was the reveal that he was forced to drink chemicals.
Squigly broke down into tears, and Harry was now trying to hug her. Having been abused and manipulated, Harry had honestly believed that Miss Squigly was being nice so she could hurt him later. Or use him a slave, or... whatever else he had been through. He had been honest with Miss Squigly out of a tiny hope of pure desperation for someone to save him. Someone to love him. and now as he saw Squiggly crying, he believed he had upset her. "M'Sorry." He mumbled, his face buried in her shirt. "I didn't mean to make you cry."
"No... it's not you." Squigly finally got out, tightening her grip once again on the small boy. He needed this comfort, he needed this love...
A terrifying thought came to Squigly's mind... If Harry didn't have his magic, without a doubt, he would have died. His own family would have cruelly tortured him to death through increasingly painful methods. Harry whimpered softly as he clumg to her. "Oh... just look at me... crying my eye out when I should be comforting you, you poor little darling..." She tightened her hold on him as she whispered to him, "I promise Harry... they will never hurt you again." Horror was replaced with a heavy sense of maternal fury. At that point, she felt like a mother bear, desperately wanting to track down the ones that hurt her little baby bear and tear them apart violently and painfully. She held Harry protectively, trying not to let her fury show. Right now he was far more important than them. She would deal with them if she ever had the opportunity, but she wouldn't go hunting them down like animals. Harry needed her far too much for her to lose her composure so she forced herself to breath slowly to try and cool her anger.
She looked down at Harry, who was looking up at her with his big green puppy dog eyes, and she felt her rage turn to sadness. She leaned down and kissed his cheek gently. "...M-Miss Squigly...?" Harry asked timidly. She smiled.
"Yes, dear?" He looked down.
"I...I...I really wanna cry...P-Please...?"
"Yes. Please do." Squigly nodded. "You need to." Harry whimpered, then broke down crying. He buried his face into her chest again and let everything out. All his pent up fear, all his buried sadness, all his repressed emotions all came out at once. Squiggly simply sat, rubbing Harry's back to try and soothe him, but she had no intention of stopping him until he was done.
"You poor, poor thing..." She whispered, rocking the boy back and forth.
"There there... it's all right... You don't have to hold it in anymore... Just let it out, sweetheart... Let it all out..." Harry clinged as tightly to her as he could while she rubbed soothing circles on his back, humming softly. She knew the sobbing boy loved to hear her sing...
She held him and sang softly for several minutes before he started to slowly calm down, eventually hitting the point of just trembling violently in her embrace. She ran her bony fingers through his hair and gave him a sad smile. Reaching into her dress pocket, she pulled out a small handkerchief and gently dabbed at his face. He sniffled. "M'sorry for getting your dress all wet..."
Squigly couldn't help but let a giggle out at that. "Oh, it's fine precious." She said with a grin. "And you needn't apologize for that. You're a sweet little thing, but you don't need to apologize for everything. Besides, you needed to get it out."
"I... i did?" Harry asked, somewhat confused.
"Mmhmm." Squigly nodded. "Do you feel better now?"
Harry nodded, sniffling and giving her a tiny smile. Squigly grabbed a nearby tissue and used it to wipe his face. She smiled as she carried him from the bed, after all she still needed to show him their new home. She noticed Leviathan hadn't said anything and lookd over to see him disturbingly still. She tilted her head and gently grabbed him by the chin and tilted his head up to look at her. "...Forgive me, m'lady... I simply hardly trust myself to speak... I'm just... so...UNSPEAKABLY angry..."
Squigly smiled and gently restrd her forehead against his, "It's alright, I know that you're a gentleman at heart." Leviathan chuckled as he relaxed and let his boiling rage cool for the moment. While what Harry had endured was truly an unspeakable evil, he was safe now, and his so called family could be brought to justice later.
She stopped by a bathroom and cleaned his face off, earning a slight giggle as she cleaned him up. Squigly loved hearing that tiny laugh, it gave her hope. The two kept walking through the halls, Harry looking curiously around, but also seeming disheartened by something. "What's wrong dear?" Squiggly asked, holding Harry up with a tilted head.
"It's... it's so big. Do I have to clean it all?" Harry asked.
"Ooh... no you poor dear." She cooed, hugging him close again.
Squigly smiled and held Harry to her shoulder, "The only cleaning you have to do is to make sure your toys are properly put away and to pick up after yourself. The casino has cleaning staff to handle all the big jobs, while Leviathan and I can handle the little things." She gently bounced Harry in her arms to reassure him while she frowned slightly, another thing to add to the list of what those animals had forced Harry to do. She saw the look of relief in Harry's eyes and smiled softly before coming to a realization. "Oh... Harry, you don't have any toys, do you? Oh my... You don't even have a proper wardrobe... Only one pair of pajamas..." Harry looked down slowly.
"I...I had a teddy, but he's at my aunt and uncle's house..."
"Hm, we'll get you another then." She said softly, trying to sound reassuring to the small boy. Harry looked up in utter disbelief at the remark.
"R..Really?" He blinked.
"Of course." Squigly said, giving Harry a hug. "As long as you're staying with me, you'll be well taken care of."
"Hey Squigly." A woman, Beatrix, Squigly believed, remarked. She believed this woman was the magician who helped Feng and Cerebella deal with Vitale and the others. She paused when she saw Harry. "Aw, cute kid."
Harry blushed and buried his face into Squigly's chest with a squeak, not used to compliments. Squigly giggled. "Why thank you, ma'am."
"Hey, have you seen Cerebella anywhere? We were supposed to meet up tonight and she's late."' Beatrix asked.
"Oh my... Um... I believe she was talking with Filia last I saw her."
"Great. Thanks." Beatrix nodded and saw herself out. Squigly watched her go with a tilted head. The magician was truly an enigma. So curt and slightly rude, yet she had helped the woman she hated...
Shaking her head, she looked back at Harry. The poor thing got put in a graveyard all alone at night, without even his teddy bear to offer him comfort... She would get him a new one, but... she would also find a way to reunite him with his original teddy. There was no doubt he valued it on a sentimental level. However, at the moment, she had more pressing matters to attend to. Hopefully Filia would be willing to give her a small advance because it wasn't just Harry that needed a few things, because she only really had the clothes on her back as well.
Thankfully, she saw Filia sanding near the end of the hall, reading something over. She cast a glance up, and her face brightened when she saw the two.
"Did he have a good sleep?" Filia asked, smiling at Harry.
"The poor thing had a bit of a bad dream." Squigly admitted, and Filia seemed saddened by that.
"Awww... I'm sorry to hear that sweetie..." She cooed softly, pushing some hair away from Harry's face.
Harry smiled shyly and leaned into Filia's touch like an affectionate kitten, getting a giggle out of both women. "Um... Filia...? I was wondering if perhaps you could assist me with something... You see, our wardrobe is so limited at the moment. I have my dress and a nightgown, and Harry only has his little pajamas..."
Filia grinned widely. "That's why I sent Feng out on a little shopping spree for you. She'll be returning with a bunch of those gothy clothes you were fond of... Plus some nice new little clothes for Harry."
"R..Really?" Squiggly asked, genuinely shocked. "Filia... you didn't have to..."
"Squigly, after..." Filia began, seeming downcast. "After what my family did, and has done, I feel like there's a lot I need to atone for."
"But you didn't do any of those things." Squigly frowned.
"That's what I've been telling her!" Samson remarked. Filia ignored her talking hair and replied:
"I know, but you're also a friend."
Squigly gave her friend a teary smile and hugged her gratefully. "Oh, Filia... Thank you so much..." She said softly.
"Anything for one of the best friends a girl could have, Squigly..." Filia replied, hugging back.
Then Harry and Squigly's stomachs growled. "'Oh dear... is it dinnertime already? I can't pay for room service..."
"Employees eat for free, silly!" Filia giggled. "But don't worry about that just yet... Because Nadia, Cerebella. Beatrix and I are taking you out to dinner!"
"Thank you." Squiggly said, she almost felt tearful. Sure, she knew people were kind, but it had been so long since she had felt it. And all they were doing to help Harry as well.
"Hey, it's fine Squig." Filia smiled. "It's what friends do. Besides, I don't want to see the little cutie starve." She leaned forward and kissed Harry's head, making him blink in confusion.
"Th-Thank you, Miss Filia... You're doing so many nice things for us..." He said softly. Filia giggled.
"Oh, you're welcome, sweetie... And I even have a few things prepared in advance! Case in point..." She reached behind her and grabbed something from Samson. Squigly saw that it was an elegant dress for her, and a nice shirt and some jeans for Harry.
"Oh, Filia... Thanks again." Squigly smiled. "When are we heading out?"
"In about an hour or so, so you've got time to get Harry changed and settled in here." Filia remarked. "We'll let you know when we're heading out."
Squigly nodded and headed back to her room, carrying Harry as she went. Harry was somewhat confused as to why people were doing nice things for him, but at the same time, Miss Squigly had explained that everything wasn't his fault. Maybe that had something to do with it.
When they reached the room, Squigly handed Harry his clothes with a warm smile. "Okay, sweetie. Go get dressed for me, okay?" Harry nodded and stepped into the washroom. Squigly took a seat on the bed, smiling softly as she waited for him to finish.
"M'lady... If we ever meet those miscreants that harmed young Harry, I would advise you cover his eyes, as they are going to meet a most gruesome end at my hand." Squigly smiled and scratched under his chin.
"You're sweet, Leviathan... Thank you for caring so much for the little darling."
"But of course, m'lady. Young Harry is a part of the family now, after all."
Harry came out a few minutes later and looked up at Squiggly. His tiny eyes seemed to be asking if he had done it right. Why was everything he did so cute? "You look lovely dear." She said, scooping him up and setting him on the bed. "Just wait here, I'll be right back." Squigly disappeared into the bathroom to change. "Hey, Leviathan? Do you think Harry would ever call me his mother?"
Leviathan chuckled softly. "M'lady, if he does not call you his mother by the end of this very week, I will be astounded."
"Hmm... To be his mother would be just amazing... He's such a perfect little angel..." She cooed softly.
"Yes, young Harry is a very well behaved boy... Goodness, m'lady, your dress looks simply ravishing on you!"
"Thank you, Leviathan." Squigly smiled. Despite having known Leviathan for so long, he was always a reassuring presence, and she was thankful for him. She left the bathroom, and picked up Harry, sitting on the bed and putting him on her lap. Harry looked up and gave her a small smile, before leaning into her as she wrapped her arms around him.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Squiggly asked.
"Better, thank you Miss Squigly."
She giggled softly and kissed his head. "You look very handsome in your new clothes." The way he lightened up at her praise warmed her heart. She heard a knock at the door, and opened it to find Filia standing on the other side with a bright smile.
"You guys ready to go?" She asked. "The other girls are waiting for us down by the limo."
"Yes." Squigly nodded, holding Harry close to her side with one arm. "Out of curiosity, has the city changed much since I was last here?"
"Well, some of the places got fixed after... uh..." Filia began but trailed off. "The place everyone called the Sklakk District got renovated. Before you ask, that was the really, REALLY bad part of town."
"Which is saying something considering how this place used to be." Samson remarked.
"I believe this may be the first time I've ever agreed with you." Leviathan added.
The group stepped outside to find the limo, where Nadia, Cerebella and surprisingly enough Beatrix were waiting for them. Nadia was silently snickering to herself as Beatrix fussed over Cerebella's dress collar. "Gimme a break, Trixie, we're not going to a wedding..."
"It's a celebration, Cerebella, you need to look nice for it."
"Well... Oh, hey. There's the guests of the hour!" Breaking away from the fussy magician, Cerebella rushed forward to greet them. "Heh... So I get to meet sleeping beauty now, huh?" She said, patting Harry's head gently.
"This is Harry." Squigly said, smiling down at the tiny boy. "Harry, this is Cerebella."
"Hi Miss Cerebella." Harry said timidly, giving a slight wave.
"Aww... he's the cutest little thing!" Cerebella cooed, making Harry blush and try to hide it.
Both women giggled softly. "Yes, he is a precious little bucket of sunshine..." Squigly cooed softly, stroking his back.
"Heh... I'll bet." Cerebella snickered. "Oh hey... You meet Beatrix yet?"
"Briefly. I would like to know just how you two became friends though..."
Beatrix snorted. "Friends? We're way more than just friends..." And then, the magician pulled Cerebella into a brief kiss before they showed off matching wedding rings.
"Oh!" Squigly remarked, surprised. "I was under the impression that you two couldn't stand one another..."
"Heh, that's true." Beatrix remarked with a smirk. "But... after the whole Medici thing, we kind of got to know one another, and... there was a lot more we had in common than we would've expected."
"Well, I'm glad you're happy."
"Heh... Yeah... We're as happy as can be... Hard to believe the perfect partner was right next to me all this time..." Cerebella chuckled.
"Ooh, you must tell me everything during the drive! I want to hear all about the wedding!" Squigly gushed excitedly.
Cerebella began to weave a greatly exaggerated version of the events leading to their wedding with Beatrix cutting in on occasion to tell the real story. "Sometimes I still wonder how I said yes to marrying this amazonian goof."
Cerebella grinned before scooping her up like a princess, "I think it's because you secretly like the fact that I can bench press you with one hand," Beatrix smiled back at her but lightly smacked her on the shoulder.
Harry, in the meantime had remained silent, but was listening intently to the story, looking from Miss Cerebella to Miss Beatrix. They seemed nice, but Miss Squigly was nicer. Filia noticed this and gently patted his head, smiling down at the tiny boy, who seemed a little bit more comfortable with his surroundings. That was good... He had clearly been through too much...
Squigly sighed dreamily. "That wedding sounds like it was wonderful... I do wish I could have been there... Oh! Can I see pictures?!"
Cerebella chuckled. "I'll do ya one better! We got the whole thing on video! You can watch it sometime!"
Squigly let out a squeal of delight. "Ooh, I just love weddings..." She smiled down at Harry. "Perhaps one day I'll see you on your wedding, Harry."
Harry, understandably, remained quiet. He had never thought about getting married, granted, most of his thoughts were ones based in fear of what would happen should he do anything wrong, but with Miss Squigly? That wasn't the case. Miss Squigly was kind. She cared for him, it felt like a mothers love... But she had done enough, Harry didn't want to overstep his boundaries.
"All right, ladies and cutie pie, where are we headed?" Nadia asked. "And remember, we gotta be a little more family friendly tonight."
"How about pizza?" Samson asked.
"We just had pizza last night, Samson." Filia groaned.
"Oooh, Yu-Wan's place!" Nadia chipped in.
"I'm not feeling seafood tonight. I'd prefer some nice Italian food." Beatrix chipped in.
"Okay, but I'm telling you, we should get some burgers." Cerebella insisted.
"Now ladies... This is to celebrate Squigly and Harry joining the family. We should let them decide where to eat." Filia said. Everyone wordlessly agreed and turned to Squigly for her opinion.
"...Is Sir Winston's Restauraunt still in business?" Squigly asked softly. Everyone blinked.
"Huh... I figured you'd want some fine dining, but you just wanna go to a small town cafe?" Beatrix asked.
"Oh yes! I just love the way they prepare their food... And the atmosphere is so very cozy..." Squigly said with a warm smile.
Harry looked up, and decided he was happy to be with Miss Squigly. Eventually, they found a small café not too far away and began driving over. In the mean time Squigly was holding Harry like a lost kitten, and to Harry, this seemed to be the greatest experience ever. Squigly liked this feeling, she loved seeing Harry seem so happy to just be next to her. She noted he hadn't spoken much since they left, but then again, that was understandable, it was clear he wasn't used to large crowds of new people.
The small group took a seat at one of the tables. Squigly looked around with clear delight in her eyes. "Oh, it hasn't changed a bit!"
"Yeah, the owners always seemed to make it a point to keep that simple charm." Filia giggled. "The only real change is that the food's gotten better by the year!"
The group sat around a large table. Harry sitting between Cerebella and Squigly. The green-haired woman occasionally cooed over how cute he looked, and Harry tried not to show it, but he liked it. "He's such a cutie..." Cerebella cooed.
"Indeed he is." Squigly nodded.
"I am?" Harry asked confused.
"Oh, of course you are, darling." Squigly cooed, patting his head. "Oh! The waitress is coming..." And so everyone placed their order. Harry chose the grilled cheese, Squigly picked her favourite burger, Cerebella took a rib-eye steak Nadia the salmon, Beatrix a salad, Filia ten burgers (most of which were for Samson), and Leviathsn was content with a bowl of soup. Squigly was delighted at just what a sweetheart Harry was to the waitress when making his order, remembering his 'please' and 'thank you's. He was such a good boy...
Harry seemed a bit hesitant to eat at first, and that didn't go unnoticed by Cerebella. "What's wrong little guy? Not feeling so good?" She asked.
"Oh, Harry, it's alright dear." Squigly said reassuringly, smiling down at Harry, who nodded and began eating. She looked up to the weightlifter and smiled sadly. "I believe the ones who had him before I did weren't the best people..." Cerebella blinked, then seemed to realize what she was getting at.
"Riiight. Say no more, just ignore me, heh." The acrobat said awkwardly. Squigly nodded in appreciation. This was not the time to bring up Harry's awful past...
She looked at the boy and gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't eat too fast, dearie. You might choke,." She chided gently.
"Oh... M'sorry..." Harry mumbled. Squigly cooed and hugged him. The other girls chuckled at the sight.
"Sooo, how d'ya think folks'll react to our resident goth mom singer?" Nadia whispered to Filia.
"Huh... I guess that is an interesting combination... Well, I'm sure it'll be fine as long as no one catches onto the whole zombie thing." Filia replied.
"Hey, I've seen people accept weirder things." Beatrix remarked, having overheard the conversation. "She'll be fine. If she's as good a singer as you say she is, once she begins singing, people won't care what she looks like."
"Weirder things?" Filia asked.
"Samson." Beatrix and Nadia said in unison.
Filia nodded in understanding, remembering the public knew that Samson was more or less her chief enforcer. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Things will turn out okay."
Squigly, meanwhile, was fussing silently and making sure Harry was eating enough to satisfy his hunger. The state of his body worried her deeply, and she wanted more than anything to put some meat on those little bones...
Harry still seemed nervous, but Squigly could tell that he wasn't used to being out in public. "Is this your first time being out in the town dear?" She asked.
"Um... sort of..." Harry mumbled. "I've been to the town before, but I was told not to be seen..." It seemed like every time Harry said something about his past, Squigly's anger rose. Not at Harry, absolutely not. But at whoever or whatever kind of monsters had been raising him beforehand.
She sighed softly and hugged him close against her side. "Well... I certainly have no issue with you being seen..."
"Y-You don't ...?" Harry asked softly.
"Of course not, dearie why would I?" Squigly cooed.
"C-Cuz I'm ugly..." Harry said softly, looking down.
"Harry..." Squigly said, genuinely saddened. She pulled the tiny boy close and placed a hand in his lap. "How could they tell you such awful things?"
"I...I..." Harry stammered, clearly not wanting to say the answer to the question. Squigly put it together and put a hand on his head.
"You are absolutely not ugly." She said reassuringly. Harry looked up and sniffed quietly. He felt safe with Squigly, but that didn't change his fear. Still, when he was with Miss Squigly, he felt... secure. Loved even. It was an odd feeling to him.
Squigly picked up his sandwich and held it up to him with a sad smile. "Here you are, precious... Just finish your dinner, all right?" Obediently, Harry took the sandwich and finished the last few bites before quietly leaning against Squigly's side, trying to soak up as many of the positive vibes as he possibly could.
The undead woman was happy to hold him, and greatly enjoyed seeing his content face. He had eaten something, and now was being cared for. Good. 'So this is what being a guardian feels like.' She thought. 'It feels... right. I'm glad I found the poor dear.'
She realized she'd been fussing over Harry so much, she had neglected to eat her own food. Grabbing her burger, she took a bite. "Mmm... I never realized just how much I'd missed eating a good meal..." The undead singer hummed.
Cerebella was going to say something, then seemed to remember that Squigly was a zombie. "Well, you better get used to it, because it's what you'll be eating from now on." Cerebella smiled over at her. Squigly smiled in response. She didn't know Cerebella too well, but she seemed nice.
Filia brandished the menu with a toothy grin. "And I hope you have room for dessert, because your old favourite is still on the menu~!"
Squigly gasped. "The... double fudge sundae with nuts... Oh my goodness it's been such a long time since I had one..."
Harry looked up at her curiously. Squigly blinked and looked down and her dead heart shattered. "Oh you poor thing, you're going to LOVE this!" She said with a warm smile. Harry blinked, then smiled and leaned into her side, deciding to trust Squigly. She hadn't lied to him yet, he decided to trust her. He nodded.
And so the group placed their dessert orders, all taking the same sundae. Beatrix had tried to get out of it, as she was on a diet, but Cerebella insisted she take just one cheat day. Their sundaes arrived, and Squigly decided that the first thing she wanted to do was see how Harry reacted to his first bite of the ice cream. Taking a spoonful, she moved it to him. "Say aaaaah!" She encouraged with a warm smile. Harry obeyed.
She let Harry taste the food, and he seemed almost confused by it, confirming her suspicion that this was a new thing for him. But after a few moments, his eyes seemed to widen as he tasted the dessert. "So good..." He said quietly, looking up at Squigly. She grinned and took a bite.
"It is, isn't it?" She smiled down at him.
She relished in the taste of her own ice cream. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed it until now... The group finished their dessert, and now were chatting animatedly, everyone in high spirits. Squigly hadn't felt quite so cozy in a very long time...
She looked down and felt relieved to see Harry looking around the group, more with curiosity than fear now. The tiny thing seemed to be coming out from his shell, good... if she could help him feel comfortable around her friends, that was good enough for now. Squigly blinked as she felt something holding her hand, she looked down and gave a barely audible gasp as she saw Harry was trying to hold her hand.
And not the hand that was still covered in flesh, no... Harry was holding onto her skeletal bone hand like it was nothing. She felt a warmth in her heart. Smiling softly, she gently squeezed back, looking at him tenderly. He looked up at her with a cute smile. "Aww... So adorable..." Squigly cooed before leaning down and kissing his forehead gently.
"So... you think the kid's called her 'mom' yet?" Beatrix quietly asked Filia, who gave her an annoyed look.
"I don't think so. If he had, we'd have all hear the screams of delight." Filia answered.
"Fair enough." Beatirx nodded.
They finished their food, and they were now prepared to leave. Harry sleepily rested against Squigly's shoulder as she carried him from their booth while enjoying having a full tummy. Cerebella smiled and reached over to gently ruffle his hair, "This little guy looks like he needs to be tucked into bed." Her smile widened and even Beatrix smiled a little when Harry closed his eyes and leaned into her touch like an affectionate kitten.
Squigly let out a quiet giggle and stroked the back of his head gently, humming softly into his ear to lull him to sleep, smiling brightly when it worked instantly. "Aww... He really loves it when I sing to him..." She cooed. "Just a few notes is all it takes to calm him down and put him to sleep..."
"Well, you certainly have the voice for it." Filia nodded. "And he looks so happy... he's so sweet..." Squigly smiled as she adjusted the sleeping boy, seeing he had fallen asleep with a small smile on his face. The undead signer grinned and held him close to try and let him rest. Harry seemed more relaxed now, maybe he had finally warmed up a bit more to her. Anything she could do to help him, she would do her best.
Filia smiled and looked at her watch. "Ok, the bill's taken care of and Nadia is bringing the limo around, so I guess all that's left is to head back." Just as she finished that sentence, Nadia pulled up with her window down and a smile on her face. "Once again your timing is perfect Nadia." They stepped into the limo and began the ride back to the casino. Squigly noticed Beatrix whisper something into Cerebella's ear that makes her blush and grin from ear to ear. She softly giggled into her hand, knowing quite clearly that Cerebella was getting some tonight. Looking down at the sleeping Harry, she kissed the top of his head. Harry mumbled happily in his sleep and turned to snuggle into her chest while Cerebella wrapped an arm around Beatrix's waist. Up front, Nadia sent the happy couple an amused but warning look to not get too frisky in her ride.
Meanwhile, with Filia, Samson was quietly growling at someone over the phone, trying to not make too much noise, "I'm sorry, am I the one who misplaced the shipment? No, wait, that was you!"
It seemed like with every passing minute, Squigly remembered more and more how much she missed this. She felt like she had a family again. She always had Leviathan, and was extremely grateful for him and everything she had done. But now, she had met someone who clearly needed help. Someone who needed love and needed a family, and Squigly intended to give him that. Even now, she could sense that some of the ice-like fear one could describe themselves covered in during times of great fear was melting away. Things weren't perfect, far from it, Squigly knew there was going to be hard times for Harry ahead, but when it was done, there wouldn't be more bad times ahead.
Upon arriving back home, Cerebella bid everyone else goodbye before grabbing her wife and rushing off eagerly. Nadia grinned cheekily and leaned over to Squigly. "Make sure to keep the kid's ears covered. They get pretty dang loud."
Squigly turned beet red. "That's... That is highly inappropriate!"
Nadia giggled before leaning over to pat her face, "Oh you are just adorable." Her amusement echoed after her even as Filia spoke after her,
"Don't worry I paid for top of the line sound proofing!" Squigly kept walking as she tried to get her blush to fade. Hopefully she could get back to the room before the happy couple... started, and that just brought her blush back at full strength.
Harry was now held with his head resting on her shoulder, leaning into her neck somewhat as she headed back to her room. She walked briskly before closing the door behind her.
"Eep!"
...a bit too harshly.
"Wh..where?! I'll get to work!" Harry exclaimed, suddenly seeming to have a panic attack. Squigly quickly hugged him close and began setting to calm him down.
"No, no... it's okay... it's okay..." She said soothingly. "I didn't mean to startle you dear."
"M..Miss Squigly?"
"Yes, sweetie, it's me..." She cooed softly. "My poor little Harry... No one will hurt you anymore..." Harry nuzzled in closer to her. Smiling, she grabbed his pajamas from the bed and set him down. "Go get changed for me, okay, sweetie? Then I'll tuck you in for bed."
"Um... Can...Can I stay with you...?" He asked timidly.
"Of course, dearie, of course. We do share the same room, after all. Now go on, get dressed for bedtime." She shooed him into the bathroom gently with a warm smile on her face. When the door closed, Squigly set aside her nightgown on the bed, as she was planning on taking a shower before sleeping.
Harry came back out a minute later, and looked up at Squigly, who picked him up and tucked him under the blankets. Harry let out what sounded like a whimper as she walked towards the bathroom. "I'll be just a minute or too sweetie." She cooed softly. Harry nodded, he clearly wished she was staying with him, but he understood. Squigly gave a small wave as she entered the bathroom. Harry lay down on the bed, thinking about what had happened in the past few days. This WASN'T a dream... you couldn't sleep in a dream, right? He really hoped it wasn't, Miss Squigly was so nice! She was like a mommy... but she wasn't his... Harry sighed sadly and curled up under the warm blanket. Still, she was kind. She fed him, sang to him... that was more than he deserved.
The comfy bed caused his eyes to grow heavy, and with a soft yawn, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
As Squigly took her shower, she reflected on all that had happened. Even if it was seven years ago she helped defeat Marie, it felt like everything since her death happened in one day. The Skullgirl outbreaks took place over a matter of hours and once finished she went back into her grave. Just another reason to add to the list of why she was grateful to have met Harry. She was drawn from her thoughts when she looked at her bony hand. She sighed softly and touched the exposed boney fingers. She sighed softly as she looked down at her boney fingers. "I'll need be sure to wear gloves in public..." She said softly. "And, just in case, be careful which hand I touch others with...Yet Harry doesn't seem to mind." She murmured. "He doesn't see me as some sort of freak. But the poor thing considerers himself one... why would he think that? He's just a sweet little boy."
While she was thankful Harry had brought her back, she was also thankful Harry hadn't brought her back during the last Skullgirl incident... He was already a timid little boy, she couldn't imagine what the experiences she and her friends went through would do to him.
Squigly quickly finished her shower and stepped out in a cloud of steam with one last sigh before she quickly toweled herself off. Harry didn't seem to mind and the girls didn't mind her being a zombie, but other people? She cut those thoughts off to focus on the moment, right now Harry needed her and that was the most important thing in this moment. As she stepped out of the washroom, she put on her nightgown, then noticed Harry tossing, turning and whimpering in his sleep. She was saddened, yet unsurprised, and she gently picked him up and hugged him close, rocking him back and forth as he slowly woke up with fear in his eyes.
"Miss... Miss Squigly? I'm sorry..." Harry mumbled. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
"No dearie it's fine." She cooed softly, nuzzling the top of his head. "If you'd like, you can tell me what was bothering you. I want to help in any way I can."
"You've already done so much for me..." Harry mumbled sadly. "I don't wanna ask more..."
"Awww, you're such a sweet little thing." She cooed, kissing his forehead reassuringly.
One of his tiny hands clutched at her nightgown while she continued to rock him. She didn't bother to ask if he had a nightmare or what it was about, because she knew the answer for the former and could make an educated guess for the latter, "Harry, I'm right here if you want to talk about it, ok?" Harry just nodded his head and leaned against her. He wanted to talk but he was also emotionally drained. She gently kissed his head. "Take your time, sweetie... There's no rush..." She whispered softly into his ear. Then he teared up and let out a soft whimper. "Oh, Harry..." She said sadly, tightening her hold on him. He was silent, but trembling. "...Harry... If you want to cry, you don't need my permission..."
Harry cried again, but it was quiet. He seemed worn out, and he almost seemed happy as he cried as well. Squigly pulled the blanket up over the pair, until Harry's face was peaking out (and buried into her chest). After a few minutes, Harry's tiny face peeked up, and seemed to be falling asleep. Squigly smiled and patted his head.
Leviathan gave the child a sad gaze, thinking to himself 'Such a young child should not have to endure such hardship...' Squigly grabbed a nearby tissue and gently dabbed at his face.
She smiled softly at him, then kissed his cheeks, followed by his forehead, then just sat with him. "All right, sweetie... If you want to tell me about your bad dream, I'm listening... If you don't, then that's okay too..." He took a deep, shaking slightly, then described to her the most horrifying dream she'd ever heard of.
He was running down the hallway of the Dursley house, but the hallway stretched to an impossible distance before tying itself into a knot before his eyes. However, that wasn't the truly terrifying part. That belonged to the horribly twisted version of his uncle chasing him. A troll like creature even fatter than he was in real life and carrying an equally twisted version of his preferred weapon for hurting him, a cricket bat that had been made even more dangerous with the addition of screws and nails jutting out of its length.
Squigly listened patiently with a sad expression as he explained that his uncle beat him and yelled and told him he didn't deserve to be happy, and that she didn't actually like him and was going to get rid of him the first chance she got, all while getting bigger and more grotesque to look at. Remembering it scared him so much that he started to cry again.
Squigly didn't know what else she could do... this child had been through such hardships at such a young age... She wasn't going to act like he was the only person in the world who had suffered, but the problem was, in most other cases, one could talk it over with them, and help them move on and grow stronger by overcoming their trauma.
Harry was a child.
He hadn't just been hurt once, or verbally abused, they had borderline tortured him. The only, ONLY silver lining to this horror was that there was no way he would ever end up back with his 'family' again, but that didn't change the fact that it HAD happened. Her mind wandered to Carol, the poor girl had been experimented on, and it was clear the effects would follow her for the rest of her life. Maybe she and Harry would get along, or at least be good for one another... she shook her head, bringing herself back to reality, and to the terrifed boy in her arms.
Squigly held him close and placed her forehead against his. "It's ok, Harry, he can't hurt you ever again and everything he told you was nothing but lies. You do deserve to be happy, I do love you, and I am never letting you go." Harry let out one last sniffle before hugging her and burying his face in her neck. She hummed softly into his ear and gently ran her boney fingers through his messy dark hair, offering all the comfort she could give. Harry cried very softly into her embrace for about ten minutes before calming down. Squigly pulled him away gently so she could wipe away his tears. "There... All better?" Harry nodded slowly. She smiled and hugged him close once more. She climbed under the blankets and held him close.
"M-Miss Squigly...?" Harry asked very timidly, prompting her to tilt her head.
"Yes, dear?" He tried to get the words out, but was clearly stressed out. "Go on, little darling. It's okay." She encouraged. Harry took a deep breath and spoke.
"Can I call you mommy...?"
Squigly's eye widened, first in disbelief, then in joy. She looked down at the tiny boy- no. She looked down at her son, and let a wide smile form. Holding him close, she repetitively kissed his tiny head before saying: "Yes, yes! Of course you can sweetie!" Harry was a bit frightened at first, but when he realized she said yes, he began to tear up again, but this time, he was happy.
Squigly felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest she was so happy! Harry had called her mommy and she just couldn't wait to tell everyone... Harry teared up in joy, thrilled to finally have a mother. He buried his face into her chest and clutched tightly to her nightgown, crying for the third time that night, only this time, for a very positive reason, that being pure joy. Squigly caught on to this and smiles softly. "It's okay, dear... Mommy's here."
She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair as she gently rocked her body back and forth. She was a mother now, something she never though she would ever have the chance to be and it nearly brought tears to her eye. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Harry sleepily snuggling against her.
She let herself snuggle down into the sheets, holding her son close, with a huge grin on her face. Giving her son one last kiss, she let herself be taken into slumber, holding her son close and safe. Leviathan smiled at their interaction, knowing Harry would be well taken care of from here on out, and knowing Squigly would be happy.
Squigly gently kissed his forehead and rested her chin on top of his head, smiling contently with closed eyes. "Sleep now, honey... Mommy's right here with you..." She said softly. He leaned his head against her breast and closed his eyes.
"I... I love you, mama..." He said softly.
"I love you too sweetie." She cooed in response. "Now sleep tight my little one. Mama's here to keep the bad dreams away." Harry did as he was told, falling into a deep sleep, and Squigly was soon to follow, holding her boy close, knowing things were going to get better.
Leviathan carefully tucked them in so he didn't disturb them. He smiled at the newly formed family, both the child who had found a place to belong and his niece who finally had a little one to call her own. As he made himself comfortable next to Squigly, he began to think to himself about what he could possibly be to little Harry now that Squigly was his mother. He considered the role of uncle, but that felt slightly off. Then he wondered if grandfather would be an acceptable role... He chuckled softly at the thought as he slowly closed his eyes. All three smiled in their sleep and curled around one another, with Leviathan's tail coiled up on top of the covers. Harry's nightmares didn't bother him that night with his new mother holding him in her arms
