Loving Marianna Book Two

Chapter Ten

I pull Matteo off of the kid and hold him until he finishes thrashing around.

"What the hell happened?!" I ask and he looks down biting his lip.

"What happened Matteo?" I ask again trying to calm my voice enough to get him to speak.

He motions for me to lean down and explains what happened whispering in my ear. I nod and make sure Natasha takes him away from the crowd of kids as I lean down and help the kid Matteo was beating on. I sing pulling water from the air and heal his bloody lip, black eyes and other scratches and bruises.

The kid looks at me with a smirk, "thanks whore."

I clear my voice with a threatening smile bending down to eye level with the boy, magic flows viciously behind my voice as I speak next, "if you mess with Matteo again I will beat your mama up." The kids face falls and his eyes widen in horror as I walk away catching up to my mates who are asking Matteo a bunch of questions. He doesn't answer any of them until I storm up.

"What happened? Are you mad at me?"

"We will talk in the car let's go." I say grabbing his hand Natasha grabbing his other.

Once we sit in the car Matteo and the others all look at me expectantly.

"So? What happened?" T'challa asks sick of waiting.

"Apparently that boys mother thinks I'm a good for nothing whore who deserved what she got as a kid and should've been put down like the bitch I am, and he adamantly agrees." I explain.

"What the fuck he actually said that?" Peter (Q) asks clenching his fists looking to Matteo who nods his head quickly.

"I'm definitely inclined to believe Matteo, not that I didn't in the first place but after I healed him he so kindly called me a whore." Clint squeezes my hand and I smile to him before turning to Matteo.

"You have such a big heart and such a kind soul Matteo and I completely understand the need to protect the people you love even when they're not around but you can't fight everyone who has something bad to say about you or someone you love. You're better than him, I'm better than him, we're all better than him, let's act like it." I say looking into his eyes and he nods in understanding.

"Save that kind of fighting for people who really deserve it, not on that clown." Bruce says with a smirk flashing his green eyes making Matteo smile.

"Besides that whole fiasco how was your day kid?" Tony asks handing Matteo a drink and snack.

"It was actually pretty good, I think I made my first friend his name is Asad and I thought he was a dick at first-"

"Language." We all day Steve the loudest.

Matteo rolls his eyes before continuing, "we sat together at lunch and he introduced me to a couple of his friends, it was weird but fun to be around kids my age." He says with a big smile.

"Well I'm glad the rest of your day was good, what do you think about the schoolwork? Too hard too easy?"

"Too easy. I may not know what everyday things are but the stuff I was reading in the basement was much more difficult then what they're doing."

"Well we can talk to the school about getting you some harder material, they've seen a lot of kids much smarter than their age." I say and he nods.

"We can teach you some stuff too if you'd like." Bruce says and Matteo immediately lights up trying to shoot up out of his seat but is quickly stopped and held down by Pietro.

"Sorry, forgot no moving around while the limo is moving." He says staying put.

"Not just brainy stuff either. I can show you how to really defend yourself so long as you promise only to use it when you need it." Natasha says making Matteo get even more excited.

"I'm gonna be badass just like you guys!" We laugh and only slightly scold him for his language because let's be honest we are badass.

We pull up to the tower and Matteo looks confused.

"We're gonna stay here for the week so all of us can pick you up and drop you off and then next week we'll start a normal schedule at home." He nods getting out of the limo being greeted by the workers on the main level. We go up in groups, Matteo, Wanda, Scott , Stephen and myself going up last. As we get closer to our level I hear my mates voices and another that I recognize all to well. I subtly move Matteo behind my mates and myself as the elevator doors open to reveal my mates looking nervous and my angry mother.

"Bring Matteo to his room now." I say to nobody in particular and I see Stephen quickly usher Matteo away.

"What don't want him to know who his real mother is?" She bites.

"Can you really be called that? You were more just his incubator than his mother." I bite back. She grinds her teeth not breaking eye contact with me.

"Why are you taking care of him?"

"Because I want to. Because the moment I met him I knew he was meant to be with me not with some strangers who wouldn't be able to give him the life we can, the love we can."

"Don't kid yourself Marianna. He can have a fine life with a different family."

"It's really not up to you."

"I don't want him around what do you not get about that?!"

"I don't want you around! Yet here you are!"

"It's different Marianna."

"Then leave Ophelia." She grinds her teeth together again and I look at her with absolute indifference, could not care less.

"He won't ever actually be your kid, remember that Marianna. He will always have Aaron inside of him." I get in her face now.

"He is nothing like Aaron and never will be, and I'm going to raise him up to be the good man he's meant to be. I will love him like my own and be a better mother then you ever were. Now get the fuck out before I remove you myself." She laughs heading to the elevator.

"You look just like your father." She says disgusted to Matteo who I see has snuck out of his room and was hiding behind a wall, listening. She gets on without another word and I immediately take Matteo into my arms.

"Don't listen to anything that woman has to say."

"She.. was my birth mom?" He asks quietly, sad.

My eyes dart around searching his face, "unfortunately."

"She.. really didn't want me? She.. thinks I'm evil like Aaron?"

"You are not evil Matteo. You decide who you are. Not your birth parents, not me, nobody. I can shape you and show you the right way but only you can choose to be good. And you are. You're so good Matteo." He looks at me unsure and Vision leans down with me.

"She's right Matteo. I knew it the first time I met you, and you know for yourself I'm one of the smartest beings on the planet, so if I say it, it must be true." This gets Matteo to smile and nod a bit.

"I'm not evil. I get to decide who I am."