Trials of a New Life

It was not even seven in the morning when they landed. Jenny couldn’t sleep, Hettie had fallen asleep eventually and even Sally had been sleeping at some point, but Jenny couldn’t close her eyes. Despite what Sally said she was still scared that she was failing everyone involved. She didn’t want Hettie to miss her too much while she was still at her dad’s, that Sally would regret to have gotten together with her in the first place and that Mark was so unhappy about her being gay and in love with a villain that in the end he would turn into the Mark she knew from her memories. Once they got their bags Jenny kissed Sally.

“I call as soon as I can, let me know that you arrived at the hotel safely.” Jenny whispered, before she kneeled down next to Hettie. “Listen Kiddo, I need you to look after Mommy for a little while. I’ve got some things to do and I can’t see you every day. You got to be good for Mommy and you have to try to keep your flame under control. I’m not there to control it. I love you.” Jenny stood up and looked at Sally. She smiled and played with the other girl’s pink hair. “I do like it pink, but if you wanna change it maybe a lighter pink you know like cotton candy that way it is different but still the pretty pink.” Jenny sighed deeply. “Don’t change too much and don’t forget me, please.” She kissed Sally one more time and then quickly turned around and hurried off, if she would go slowly she wouldn’t leave and she had to, she had to leave to build their life together.

"I love you Jenny! And I'll never forget you!" Sally promised as Jenny left. She wanted to run after her, to stay with her, but she knew what a disaster that could lead to. Tears were threatening to build, but she kept them inside. Mainly for Hettie, who was starting to sob already as she waved after Jenny.

"Don;t worry Sweetie," said Sally pulling Hettie into a tight hug. "Mwma will be back before you know it. Now, let's get a cab and head to the hotel."

A wide grin appeared on her face when she saw her dad standing tall in the crowd. She ran and hugged him tightly like a little girl would, like Hettie would hug her.

“Dad! I missed you. Come on lets go. I cannot wait to get home! This trip was amazing, exactly what I needed.” Jenny had hugged Mark quickly and then walked of talking like a waterfall until she suddenly realized. “Where did you part the car anyway?”

Mark grinned happily as Jenny launched herself at him, hugging back. In some ways it was like she hadn't gone at all, that she was still the little girl she had been despite being older. "It just outside, managed to get one of those short term space. Wasn't easy!" Mark comment. "But Jenny, it's great to see you, but please try not to drop off the grid like that! I was so worried about you."

Jenny wanted to him right away, she wanted to tell her dad that she met a girl she loved but how? He looked so happy and once she told him that would change she was quite sure of it. “Yeah sorry about that. I forgot my phone at the hotel and I got lost in a temple. It was quite an adventure but it was a bid odd. But I was quite safe, I wasn’t alone and together we go back out of the book.” Jenny didn't look at Mark she never knew how to tell someone a secret. Last time she tried to share with him something she screamed at him.

"Out of a book?" Mark raised an eyebrow as he drove home. "Look Jenny, something is clearly bothering you. Once we get home, you tell me the whole story, okay? From the start. Don't worry, I won't be mad." Mark added the last part knowing his daughter still had a few issues with him.

Jenny smiled shy but didn’t say anything until they were home. There it was her bike that Mark had fixed for her. “Maybe we can just stay here in the truck? I… I don’t wanna repeat… the scene when I first ended up here.” Jenny looked down at her knees. “I know you won’t be mad, but… it is odd, I remember you saying this to me and then rather the opposite happened… Okay listen I don’t know how to tell someone anything careful so I just say it as it is. While I was in Egypt I ran into this girl she was looking for something in a temple but instead of what she was looking for she and I fell into a magical book. I… I fell in love with her, before we were in the book where we were a couple, we were the queens and we have a daughter Sekhmet… Well we managed to get out and take the girl with us. She lost a few years she is just three now. We call her Hettie… What I try to say is, I’m gay and have a child.” Jenny had her hand on the door handle ready to jump out in case he would get angry with her, but she hoped he wouldn’t.

The first words out of Mark's lips were 'you're joking'. Then he saw how tightly Jenny's hand was on the door handle. "You're not joking.... O-okay..." He mind raced through what she had said, trying to take it in.

"You're gay? I always thought you and Dirk...er... nevermind..." he began, then stoped.

Jenny was about ot open the door when she heard her best friends name. "What? Me and Dirk? Maybe if I hadn't died but I died and he moved on and... before I never thought about it then once I was back and sort of thought about it well lets just say it never seemed to be right... and..." Jenny looked up. "You don't seem angry?" She asked shy.

"Of course I'm not angry," said Mark. "What difference does it make who you love? As long as you are happy." He leaned over to give his daughter a suportive hug. "But you didn;t need to make up the story about the book. You could have told me you had a child a few years ago."

Jenny felt like she took the first breath since she got in the truck with her dad. “I haven’t made up anything about the book. My girlfriend said we probably have seen the mummy of the first superhero. Hettie came from the book she is mine and Sally’s, no man was involved and we just met three days ago.” Jenny got a bit pale when she realised she used Sally’s name, she really hoped that her dad would not put two and two together and find out who her girlfriend is. “Hettie is overly smart for her age and she shows sign of fire control and regeneration.”

"You've really got to learn how to drip-feed information," said Mark. "So Sally is her name? That's nice. But... three days and you already have a kid?" Mark suddenly looked very worried.

"I never had anyone to tell them any information or anything that was worth telling. Yeah her name is Sally." Jenny grinned, she was slowly calming down. So far Mark was taking the news rather well. "Okay so we were in this temple, found a secret passage way, at the end found the magic book which sucked us in. In that book I guess we were married or something and had a daughter. Well we got attached to her and brought her back with us. Technically we know each other since five days, in he books two days passed while outside the book just one. It is really not as bad once you think about it. Hettie is a great kid. She is dying to meet you. Sally wants to meet you too but she is working something with techic that I don't understand so not sure when she can meet you." A little white lie, Jenny was hoping her dad didn't see through it.

"It sounds very farfetched.... but then, I have heard stranger things," said Mark. "I'm... looking forward to meeting them too. If your Sally is a techie I'm sure we'll get on great. I just want you to be careful Jenny. From the sound of things this is your first serious relationship, and you already have a child. It... might not work out," he warned.

Jenny smiled. "What makes you think this is my first serious relationship? I know it won't just magically work out. But then it might does. Er Dad there is one other thing, because we have Hettie and we want a stable home for her Sally and I are looking for a house. Somewhere close to here. We just got to safe some money for a downpayment. You are not losing me. I like having my dad in my life. I like it very much."

Mark sighed. "I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just always hoped it would be later, and you'd stay my little girl a bit longer." He looked up, then smiled. "You're growing up."

Jenny laughed and hugged Mark tightly. "I accepted that I'll be your little girl forever but even when I do grow up a little bit you still are the most amazing dad ever. Do you think someone could build a machine that can read minds and maybe fix my memories?"

"Thanks Jenny," grinned Mark. "And I suppose it could be possible. Outside my area of expertise, but it could be done."

Jenny nodded. "To me is sounds like magic so far no one managed to fix my head unless you count horrible headaches as fixing it. Dad do you have files on your old missions and jobs and stuff?"

"Of course I do, but what does that have to do with anything?" Mark asked.

"Nothing just curious. I noticed that well I left school the day I died and I thought reading them sort gives me some kind of history lessons. And it gives me a reason to come back here. I hope you planned breakfast I'm starving and I got a present for you."

"And odd sort of history, but if that's what you want to do, okay. And I'm sure I can rustle up something to eat. I might have expected you'd be peckish." He opened the car and got out. "You didn't need to Jenny."

Jenny followed him widely grinning. "I know but I wanted to. Here." They reached the kitchen when Jenny handed him a stuffed camel and something orange fabricy thing. "It's a Jallabaya a long gown worn by men; a great piece of clothing for hanging around the house on a lazy Sunday at home. You will look great in it." Jenny giggled, she also was checking her phone again hoping for a text from Sally.

Mark laughed. "I'm sure I will. Thanks Jenny." He moved over and hugged his daughter again. "Now let's get some breakfast."

There was a beeping from Jenny's phone as a message arrived.

Jenny smiled when she finally got the text message from Sally. "Oh, Sally you know I don't know how to open pictures." She pressed some random buttons until the picture suddenly opened. "Look Dad, that Hettie." The little girl was grinning while she was bouncing on the hotel bed. "Ha! Now I know why you think I'm not ready for a kid. If this kid makes me a mom it makes you a granddad."