A Gilbert or a Parker?

Beautiful Devil (2)

I watched as Jo Laughlin's hand went to cover her mouth in shock. Behind her, Alaric gasped as the words registered.

She walked forward slowly until she was directly in front of me. She reached out and placed her palm on one side of my face.

She did it with such care as if she couldn't believe that I was actually there.

I closed my eyes and leaned into her palm.

For the first time in years, I felt at home.

I felt a tear escape from my eye, falling slowly down my face.

A voice in the back of my head reprimanded me for appearing vulnerable.

But I ignored it, focusing on Jo.

I could feel more tears well up in my eyes as my long lost Mother wiped the lone tear away with her thumb.

"My little angel..." Jo whispered.

The words echoed in my mind and a sob erupted from my chest.

The tears were flowing free now.

And I felt Jo's hands leave my face as she pulled me against her, wrapping her arms around me tightly.

I slowly lifted my arms to wrap around her as well.

Then, I moved my head so I could bury it in the crook of her neck.

She smelled like strawberries, oranges, and lavender with a hint of anesthesia.

But to me, it smelled like home...

I could feel Jo's body shaking as she cried into my hair.

At some point, we both stopped crying.

I had no idea how long we stood there in each other's arms.

It could have been a minute.

Or over half an hour.

But in the end, I didn't really care.

She pulled back first and lifted my chin, looking into my eyes.

Then, she moved back even more and looked me over.

Jo gave a watery laugh, "You are so beautiful."

"So are you," I said, voice hoarse.

A voice cleared off to the side and we both turned to look at Alaric.

"What the hell is going on?"

Jo and I exchanged a look.

How were we going to explain this?

    **TimeSkip**

After we gave Alaric a brief explanation, Jo brought me back to her apartment so we could talk without interruptions.

I took a seat on the couch in her living room and she sat beside me.

I looked at her, "What did I do to make you send me away?"

"Oh, Hunny. It wasn't you...I didn't want to do it but there was no other option, I did it to keep you safe." She said, reaching out to take my hand.

"Why?" I asked, pulling away and standing up. "Tell me why?! For years I wondered what I did wrong. I would ask myself every night before I went to bed, why I wasn't enough. So, please...I deserve the truth."

"When you were a child, you were constantly being watched to see if you were a siphoner like my brother, your father." She started.

"And when you turned two, you siphoned for the first time but thankfully no one else saw it happen except for me. So I kept it a secret from the rest of the family and began to work with you to see if I could help you gain control over your abilities" She looked down at her hands. "I knew the danger you would be in if my dad, your grandfather, found out."