Chapter Text
"Custody? Don't tell me you and your wife are already fighting over your unborn children" the voice on the other side of the line said. Luke Morningstar, the most ruthless lawyer he knew.
"Actually no, turns out I have a daughter, a fourteen years old daughter and I am afraid her mother's going to take her away from me again" he answered while walking to his office. Once inside he locked the door and sat at his desk.
"Man, I can't believe you don't know what a condom is" Luke said laughing "But I can help you, is your name on the birth certificate?"
"Not that I know of" he sighed "But I need the reassurance that I will not lose her now after she found me."
"It is going to be difficult to win a custody case if you are not legally her father" Morningstar sighed "But we can start the process of legally recognize her as yours."
"What would that entail?" Faustus asked with a serious expression.
"A DNA test and present the results to a judge" the other man answered "once that's done, you will be legally recognized as her father."
"Start the process then" he ordered "and it doesn't matter if you have to pay to speed things up, pay whatever amount you have to."
"Will do" Luke answered and then hung up.
Faustus sighed, he didn't wanted to go behind Zelda's and Alma's back but he needed to be sure he wouldn't lose her, not when it took him fourteen years to know of her existence. He still couldn't believe that Zelda could hide something this big and important from him.
He heard a knock on the door and looked at the door "Yes?"
Lilith came in "I was just told that we are going shopping."
"Oh yes" he smiled when he saw Alma coming in after her aunt "Alma needs clothes for her stay here so we are going shopping."
"I always wanted to go shopping with my favorite niece" Lilith said smiling brightly, taking Alma's hand.
"She is your only niece" Faustus added with a small chuckle, making his daughter softly laugh.
"Oh you are right" his sister said smiling "Alright, let's go so we can have lunch outside. I can't handle your wife's snide comments today."
"Did she said something to you, Alma?" He asked hoping that Constance hadn't said anything too hurtful.
"Nothing I haven't heard from Uncle Edward before" Alma whispered "Anyways, I have never visited New York. Can we eat out today?"
"Absolutely" he said firmly "well ladies, let's go."
Lilith took Alma by the hand, while Faustus closed the door to his office. He would have to talk to Constance to make sure she held her tongue in Alma's presence. Especially now that he wanted to have an active role in his daughter's life.
He was doing the driving now, he smiled while he heard Lilith and Alma talk about different clothes styles and colors. Alma was definitely Zelda's daughter, he could notice that they had a lot in common.
The drive to the city was calm, with laughter and some stories Alma had to share with them, after all, Lilith hadn't been part of her life in her earlier years and he hadn't been part at all.
He parked and they made their way to the first store: Prada.
"Don't you think this is too expensive?" Alma asked already showing interest in a beige dress she could see from outside.
"Well, I wouldn't have guided us here if I thought it was too expensive" he answered encouragingly while he opened and held the door for them.
He sat in one of the couches the store had for, definitely, husbands or in this case fathers while their daughters shopped. Lilith helped Alma to choose some dresses he absolutely considered too short but that Lilith said were totally fine. He rolled his eyes at his sister's comments about boys.
Once that store was done, three dresses later, he decided to take them to another store where Alma could buy some jeans and tshirts. Then he took her to buy snickers and by lunch time, he carried severals bags because his sister couldn't help him, fortunately Alma carried some to the car and they took off to a restaurant nearby.
"What can I bring you today?" The young waitress asked once they had read the menu.
"A salad and a water please" Lilith answered quickly, giving the girl a small smile.
"Alright and to you two?" The girl asked smiling.
"A cheeseburger with fries and a coke" they answered at the same time, looking at each other in shock.
"Great, the both of you can't eat healthy for lunch" Lilith said rolling her eyes.
The girl smiled and left.
"I just eat that for lunch and on Mondays" Alma said defensively.
"Oh, he does too that is the reason for my comment" her aunt answered laughing "can't deny you are a Blackwood."
"Lilith believes she is a rabbit, that is why she eats salad and drinks water" he said teasingly and smiled when Alma laughed out loud.
"Hey!" Lilith exclaimed while hitting her softly since they were seated side by side.
"Sorry but he is right, besides I eat a lot of healthy food at home. Mom only lets me eat junk food on Mondays" Alma said rolling her eyes "Although auntie Hilda always gives me sweets behind her back."
"Hilda seems to spoil you rotten" Faustus said smiling. He would have to thank her for that.
"Oh she does, ever since I have memory. Aunt Hilda and aunt Diana, mom pretends she doesn't like it but I know she does, especially since uncle Edward ignores my existence" she ended with a fake smile "and four years ago I won another aunt that spoils me just as much."
"Oh I can't believe I can finally call you niece and spoil you openly. These days are going to be amazing" the brunette said excitedly.
"I'm glad at least Lilith could spoil you and now it's my turn" he softly said "Alma, is my name on your birth certificate?"
"No, that is why it was difficult to find out who you were" she answered frowning "Mom knew I would look for it and when I did, her name was the only one there."
"Oh" of course Zelda wouldn't name him "I would like to do something, if you agree that is."
"What?" She asked confused and Lilith glanced at him the same way.
"I want to legally recognize you as my daughter" Faustus said nervously, but at least he had told her, not everything but some.
"Oh" she said letting out a long breath "I would love that, what does that entail? A DNA test, right?"
"How did you knew?" He asked clearly confused.
"She is smart as hell, Fausty" Lilith laughed at his face when she said his nickname.
"Yes, and a judge giving me the right to put my name on your birth certificate" he added.
"Oh, yes, I would like that very much" Alma answered smiling.
Just in that moment their food arrived, they ate in between a small talk about school. His daughter was a very intelligent, sensible girl, he found out that she liked horror movies, mystery books, learning other languages. She told him that she rescued Milo from a dog, getting hurt in the process, showed him the almost not visible scar on her arm. They finished their food and decided to go home.
Lilith stayed with them for a few more hours and left, Faustus and Alma ate alone since Constance said she wasn't hungry. Now they were sitting on a couch in his office while they talked, they had fourteen years of things to cath up.
"Why did you never go back to Greendale?" She asked after a long time of silence.
"I, honestly? Your mother and I had a big fight, we said some things that hurt each other and decided to part ways" he answered truthfully "I regret it now, she was already pregnant when that happened."
"Yes" Alma whispered "she was."
"I would have stayed, had I known" he reassured her "I wish I had come back."
"Aunt Hilda always says that we can't change our past but learn for the future" Alma smiled at him "we missed a lot but we have enough time to make up for it."
"Indeed we do" he said taking her hand and smiling. He got closer and hugged her, tightly, it took her by surprise but she hugged him back closing her eyes. This is what it felt like to hug your father.
They kept talking a bit more and then said good night to go to bed. Smiling, Alma closed her eyes. While Faustus decided to sleep in another guest room to avoid an argument with Constance, he didn't wanted for anything to ruin his good mood.
"Why didn't you told me sooner, Zelda?" He whispered to the loneliness in the room "I missed a lot of her life."