V IS FOR VENDETTA

The Weeks That Flew By

It's 03:00am and Lena sits in the lounge of she and her sisters shared apartment anxiously chewing on her bottom lip, staring at the phone in front of her and willing it to ring out.

She supposes it's karma for how ill behaved she was as a teenager, but the difference was that her foster parents had no interest in her whereabouts as long as she showed up for inspections so they could have their free meal ticket. It was pure coincidence that she and Emma were placed in the same home at sixteen and were informed of their relation, and if she hadn't met her then she's sure she'd have wound up dead in a ditch by now.

A knock on the door jolts her from the couch and she flings it open, sighing in relief at the sight of her definitely drunken daughter on the arm of a police officer.

"This your kid?"

Grace salutes her and stumbles into the apartment, dropping her purse carelessly.

"Yes, she is." Lena grits out "thank you, officer."

She slams the door in his face and spins on the teen. "Where the hell have you been? I was worried sick!"

"We crashed a frat party." Grace slurs, dropping onto the couch with a wince. "I think I'm gonna throw up..."

Lena manages to grab the plastic bucket she kept on reserve for the weekends in the kitchen cabinet and hold it under the teen just in time, gently running her fingers through her hair to hold it out of the way. "Oh, Grace..."

Her fury is quickly replaced by sympathy as the petite girl heaves again, sweat beading along her brow. "'m sorry, mom."

"It's alright, baby. I just hate seeing you like this." Lena sighs, setting the bucket down and wrapping her arms around her daughter as she slumps into her.

"You love me, right?" The girl mumbles into her chest and Lena chuckles softly, lacing kisses into her hair.

"Of course I do. You're a pain in the butt, but you're my pain in the butt."

"Good." Grace grins, winding her arms around her mothers neck and shuffling into her lap. "Love you, too. Imma sleep in with you tonight."

"I knew you still liked my cuddles." Lena teases, secretly relishing her daughters uncharacteristic clinginess. "But I'm not gonna try to carry you, get your ass up."

Grace snuggles into her further and whines. "But mom!"

"Grace, there's no way!" Lena laughs, trying to stand up. "You're almost as tall as me- ugh!"

The teen swings her legs over her arm and clings onto her neck as she stands, giggling wildly. "C'mon, Lena! You got this!"

"Shit!" She staggers forward and cackles when she knocks Emma's ugly lampshade off the cabinet, but then she trips over the wire and they both go crashing to the floor.

Their raucous laughter is interrupted by a groan as Emma emerges from her room and switches the light on. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Mom's drunk." Grace snorts, wriggling away from the hand that swats at her.

The blonde smiles and shakes her head, reaching her hands out to hoist them both up. "How the hell did I end up with three kids..."

"You love us really." Grace chirps, pressing a swift kiss to her aunts cheek before rushing into the bedroom. "I'm sleeping on the left!"

"Grace, no!" If there was one thing she loved almost as much as her daughter, it was getting a decent nights sleep. She chases after her but before she can tackle the teen, she's already tucked up and giving her that innocent puppy dog look.