Welcome to Gaia! ::

Urthemiel was reading a book from the Katarina City Library when she felt the need for a drink. Marking her place, she closed the book, stood up and set it down on the bed before leaving the room. Stepping into the main room of the orphanage, she was surprised to see two familiar faces talking with a matron. Although she was curious what they were talking about, she didn't eavesdrop and instead went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. Upon returning, however, that curiosity increased as the matron looked at her with a smile before leaving.

The two stepped over to her, and she bowed her head to them. "Mr. Lothar, Miss Mary, it's so good to see you again. Has everything been alright these past two months?"

The duo looked at each other with a shared smile before holding up their hands, revealing simple bands of silver on their fingers. Mr. Lothar was the first to speak. "Better than alright - we're married now." At his side, Miss Mary - or was she Mrs. Lothar, now? - grinned.

Her eyes sparkling, Urthemiel clapped her hands together. "Oh, congratulations! I'm so happy for the two of you!" She paused as something occurred to her. "I don't mean to presume, but would you be here because you're looking to adopt?"

Mrs. Lothar - that probably was what she should call her now - nodded. "Yeah, we decided that we wanted to, in his words," she pointed a thumb at her husband, "share the happiness."

Eyes continuing to sparkle, the fourteen year old nodded, and she brought a hand up in front of her face, beginning to count off suitable adoptees. "Let's see, there's Timothy - he's young, but hasn't gotten a family yet. And there's Jennifer, she's a little older - but if you're looking for a girl, she'd probably be your best bet. Girge is kind of a troublemaker, but his heart is in the right place..."

Before she could continue, Mr. Lothar spoke up. "Actually, Urthemiel, we've already spoken with the matron, and she agreed with our choice."

Urthemiel lowered her hand and looked at the two with a smile. "Well, I'm certain whoever you've chosen will be overjoyed to have a family. I'm happy that they're going to such wonderful people."

Mrs. Lothar laughed. "Actually, kid, we were plannin' on adoptin' you."

The matron returned carrying a suitcase and smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Lothar. "This is all of Urthemiel's things. I trust she'll be fine with you two." She turned to the still disbelieving teenager and gave her a hug. "Good bye, Urthemiel. I hope you have a good life."

Oh, Arceus, this was really happening. The tears streamed down her face as she returned the embrace. "Thank you, Mother Freida." The two separated, and Urthemiel turned to her new parents, smiling through the tears. "And thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lothar."

Mr. Lothar extended a hand to her as Mrs. Lothar took hold of the luggage. "Let's go home, Urthemiel." Nodding, she wiped away her tears before accepting his hand.

'Home'. The word had never seemed so magical in her life.

Urthemiel lowered her hands and began to stammer nervously. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear! I was just going to get a drink of water and... I won't tell anyone, honest!"

The rocket duo looked at each other and sighed. Walpurgis was the first to speak. "Urthemiel, we're not upset with you. You deserve to know the truth. We just wanted to protect you from it."

Karina shook her head quietly. "Ah could use a drink, too. Ah'll be right back." No longer bothering with her accent, the woman-who-she-had-known-as-Mary walked towards the kitchen and out of sight.

Walpurgis went to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she unconsciously shirked back, earning a small grimace from the man. Lowering his hand, he sighed. "I'm sorry we kept this from you. That I kept this from you. I told you once that I had no parents, either? Back in Saffron City, in the slums, there was no orphanage. I - we - did what we had to to survive. I stole to survive, and eventually I joined Team Rocket."

The sound of a can of beer opening signaled Karina's return, and the woman handed the teenager a glass of ice water as she took a drink out of the can. Accepting the glass with a little hesitation, she took a sip as Walpurgis continued to speak. "Before I joined Team Rocket, I met Karina. She saved my life. Her father was the reason I joined Team Rocket. But I messed up, and I got him killed." He stopped speaking, but Karina filled the silence.

"Ah said some awful stuff that ah regretted a long time. Glossin' over some details, though, Team Rocket is our home, but it doesn't have to be yers. They're vindictive, an' cruel at times, but without 'em, we'd have nothin'. But we dun want ya to have to live that life, like we did."

"I understand if you think less of us for being members of Team Rocket. I understand if you feel like you can't trust us. We probably don't deserve that trust. But I want you to know, we love you, Urthemiel. Although you've only been with us for less than a year, you're a big part of our lives, and we want you to be happy and safe."

Silence fell over the hallway as their words sank in. Now that the initial shock had worn off, Urthemiel felt stupid. What was she so scared of? Team Rocket or no, Walpurgis and Karina had given her clothes, a home, and their love. Would she have received better if they were actually Siegfried and Mary Lothar? Possibly, but she doubted it. Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked down. "I'm sorry for being afraid. I'm sorry."

Walpurgis stepped towards her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She didn't shirk back. Then he pulled her in close, wrapping her in a hug. Karina joined in, as well, holding her husband and adopted daughter in her arms as the teenager's tears flowed freely.

Urthemiel brought her hands up to rest on the arms of her parents and smiled softly through the tears. "I love you, too. Both of you. And I trust you, so I'm sorry."



The next day arrived, and Karina revealed that she had received a mission, but that she would probably be back before the end of the week. Before she left, Walpurgis and Urthemiel gave her hugs in turn.

Team Rocket or no, they were a family.