April 10th, 2028
...
The kitchen was unusually quiet.
The breakfast staff had already finished preparing the morning meal, leaving only the lingering scent of fresh bread, eggs, bacon, fruit, and coffee.
Ivory leaned against the marble counter, absently stirring tea she had no intention of drinking.
Blue stood a few feet away, reading through a stack of reports. He didn't appear to be reading, just memorizing numbers and people. She had learned there was a difference.
When Blue read, he did with intention — to learn and understand a topic or a person. This time, he was memorizing an ID number — Valen's ID number. He scoffed to himself and closed the folder with a cocky smirk on his face.
Ivory knew that Valen was gone; she had no idea where The Seraphyne took rebels, but she knew there was a facility underground; either they were testing to Valen or they had killed him.
Blue's scoff told Ivory that there may have been testing and some torture, then murder. Blue didn't show mercy to those that he felt were easy to break the rules.
Ivory got lost in her thoughts: her file, her mother, the experiments, and her sibling. Everything she believed she knew about herself was a lie — the truth had unraveled in less than a day.
Ivory realized that Viper was right; Ms. Campbell did always favor Ivory. Now, she knew why. She wondered where Viper would be now if she hadn't tried to run away. She'd probably be here with her daughter. Ivory couldn't help but reminisce her former and first ever friendship.
"You're distracted," Blue said.
Ivory looked up at him and noticed he now sat in a chair. She noticed his sweat outfit. It would be a casual day for them.
Ivory sighed. "I've had a lot to think about."
"I know," Blue replied matter-of-factly. "Your life has changed drastically. It's a lot to take in. That's what happens when you're in my orbit."
Ivory nodded and began thinking about how to piece together every single piece of information she had been given. Her father ran a mobster gang that was once thought to have been killed off due to her mother; the reality was that the remainder joined Blue without hesitation because the Irish gang had government connections.
Blue, running what people found to be a gang, was working on taking over Earth, and the politicians were on board. Both gangs met; the mobsters are with Blue today while her mother was a human whose name was stripped, and she had two half siblings because she was deemed compatible.
Blue also had his eyes on her since the day she was born. Blue knew her mother; Ivory knew that Blue waited until she was old enough to marry her, to have her continue both legacies.
Ivory told herself that her life couldn't get weirder than this.
Blue's hand touched Ivory's lower back. "There is a way."
"A way for what?" Ivory asked as Blue's arms wrapped around her.
"For you to meet them."
"You mean, you'd have me meet my siblings?" Ivory asked.
Blue nodded. "Your half siblings and your father's family."
"What about my mothers' family?"
"She was an only child, and her parents died when you were a teenager."
Ivory thought to herself. "My father's family..."
Blue nodded once. "They've asked about you for years."
Ivory blinked. "They... know who I am?"
"They know exactly who you are."
Her stomach tightened. People she had no idea existed knew of her.
"They've always known?"
"They knew you existed."
She looked down at her cup. "And they never came for me."
Blue didn't answer immediately. "They couldn't. You "had joined the gang, and I needed to make sure you were equipped and seasoned with The Blue Dragons before you knew the truth."
She wasn't sure if that made her feel better or worse.
Silence filled the kitchen. Finally, she asked, "How? When and where would I meet them?"
Blue rested his hands on the countertop. "Lyra's second birthday is in two days. I invited them."
Ivory looked up and smiled.
"See? There's that pretty smile I've always liked," Blue pinched her nose.
"I'm nervous. I … I don't know what to say."
"It's like catching up with people you haven't seen in years. Think of when you catch up with Honor, Birdie, and Lily."
Ivory took a moment to think about her biggest concern before asking.
"What if they don't like me?"
"They already do."
She frowned. "How could they?"
"They've heard about you."
Her eyebrows rose. "From who?"
"Me."
That surprised her. Blue kept in contact with Ivory's half siblings and even gave them updates on her and what she was like.
"You've talked about me?"
"I have."
"What did you say?"
Blue smirked. "The truth."
Ivory sighed and looked away.
"I told them you're stubborn," Blue replied.
"Hey!" Ivory protested.
Blue laughed as his hands caressed her hair. "I told them you survived the orphanage and all the tests — the assignments I gave you: the robbery, where you were shot, the strip club and The Red Wolves, where you were shot a second time; the torturing of prisoners; you burned Roxie's body; kidnapping, and our marriage."
"Kidnapping?" Ivory asked. "Yes, Hawks and Lucky kidnapped me and brought me to you, Leech almost took me to Chicago, and you also abducted me."
"Sweetheart, you're my wife. I can't "kidnap" you,
Blue smirked.
Ivory crossed her arms. "You carried me against my will and brought me to a different base."
"I consider it adapting and preserving what's mine," Blue shrugged. His hand cupped her cheek. "You became stronger than anyone expected."
Ivory felt warmth creep into her cheeks.
"You were a sheltered orphan, which was what we all expected. For you to be my wife, you needed to see what gangs are like, the twists and turns that life throws at you, and you needed to see the dangers of being with a man like me. I'm a dangerous man, I get that. Most women couldn't handle that. You have in your own way."