Chapter Text
Faustus was sitting looking out of the large window he had on his office, the top of the building provided him with the most stunning of landscapes.
A knock on the door interrupted him from keeping on admiring the view.
"Come in" he said outloud.
"Mr. Blackwood" his secretary called not fully entering his office "There's someone here that wants to see you."
"Does this person has an appointment?" He asked brow furrowed.
"No, but she says it's really important" his secretary seemed to be nervous of his answer.
"Well, let her come in" he said sitting down at his desk to receive the woman.
His secretary nodded and closed the door. A couple of minutes later another knock was heard and he softly asked the woman on the other side to come in. What he didn't expected was to see a young girl, redheaded, blue eyes, not older than sixteen or seventeen years old approaching his desk slowly.
"Please sit down miss?" Faustus questioned watching as the girl sat down on the chair in front of him.
"Alma" the girl said looking at him "My name is Alma."
"Soul, interesting" he said smiling softly "What can I do for you, Alma?"
"Well, I, I actually don't know how to tell you this" she started and he could see how nervous she was "I don't want you to think I came here for money nor anything alike. I, well"
"Alma, please get to the point" he said feeling his heart beating way faster than it should not knowing why.
"Well, there's no easy way to tell this but" Alma stammered, took a deep breath and finally said "I'm, well, I'm your daughter."
I'm your daughter. I'm your daughter. Those words kept repeating in his head. A daughter. That was not possible, was it?
"I'm sorry, what?" He asked trying to not show how much it affected him.
"I know this is a lot to take, I found out two weeks ago and debated a lot if I should come or not but" she let out a long breath "My mother is Zelda Spellman, my full name is Alma Katherina Spellman. I was born on December 25th, 2004, I'm fourteen years old as my birthday is a couple of months away. I live in Greendale."
Faustus stared at her open mouthed, Zelda never told him. Hell, she never even called him to warn that his child wanted to meet him.
"And you thought that coming here was the best choice?" What the hell was that? Why did he said that?
"What?" She asked clearly confused and hurt.
"I have a life, my wife is pregnant with twins" he kept on talking even when his own brain told him to stop "I'm sorry, but she can't see you so you have to leave."
Alma stared at him with unshed tears in her eyes. The girl looked heartbroken and he immediately regretted his words. He didn't even knew why he said them in the first place. Maybe the shock of the moment.
"Alright" she whispered standing up and wiping a lonely tear that managed to escape her eye, turning around she almost ran to the door and with one last glance at him she said something that completely shook him out of his reverie "I thought that after years of imagining my father, he would be better than all of my fantasies, the hero not the villain."
He stood up and ran after her. Catching her waiting for the elevator.
"Alma" he whispered taking her hand in his "I'm so sorry. You took me by surprise, I didn't meant what I said."
She looked at him and he cursed himself in that moment, seeing her red puffy eyes. She had his eyes.
"Can we please go somewhere and talk?" He asked softly and she nodded "There's a Starbuck right across the street."
"Alright" she whispered.
"Rose" he called his secretary "I'm going out, cancel all my meetings, and go home."
"Will do Sir" she answered going back to her desk.
Alma and him took the elevator and he had the chance to look at her more closely. He could see that she was the spitting image of her mother but the eyes, they were all him.
"Can you stop looking at me like that?" He heard her whisper "It makes me feel uncomfortable."
"I apologize" he said looking at the numbers of floors that were left to get down "You look like your mother"
"Yes, that's what auntie Hilda always says" Alma answered and softly added "Except the eyes."
"You have my eyes" he whispered back.
She smiled softly and he noticed that she even had Zelda's smile.
The doors of the elevator opened and he let her walk first, he screwed up big time. She, his daughter, still had some unshed tears in her eyes and he felt guilty. After all, she was not to blame for anything.
They walked in silence, side by side until they reached the Starbucks. Once inside they ordered their drinks and sat down facing each other, as far away of the other customers as possible.
"Does your mother knows that you are here?" He asked, finally breaking the silence.
The girl looked down, clearly ashamed.
"No, she wouldn't have let me come if I told her."
"She must be really worried" he said calmly. Even though, he worried that Zelda would be desperately searching for her daughter.
"Sabrina has probably already told her" Alma said looking at him with those blue eyes showing a storm of emotions "She was never good at keeping secrets. You remember her, right?"
"Yes, she was just a year old but yes" he said "How are your uncle and aunt?"
"Auntie Hilda spoils me rotten, mom pretends she doesn't like it" the girl said laughing softly "but uncle Edward doesn't like me that much."
"Why do you say that?" Faustus frowned, already not liking that his daughter felt that her uncle didn't liked her "I'm sure he loves you, you are his niece."
"Well, not exactly" she answered looking at her coffee "You see, my uncle apparently never liked you and when he found out you were my dad well, he didn't liked that my mother decided to keep me and raise me by herself."
Faustus rage was bubbling inside him, how dare he, how did Edward dare to do that to his own niece?
"I'm sure he tries not to show but I am a very perceptive person" Alma said and tried to smile for him "Anyways, I'm sure Sabrina already told my mom where I am."
"I would feel better if I call her myself, Alma" he answered and reached out for her hand "please."
"Alright, I will give you her number" she said smiling at him "but please, I, if you want that is, would like to spend some time with you and get to know you."
"After the first impression I gave you I'd have thought you would want to leave and never come back" he said regretfully, after all, it had been the shock.
"You just found out you have a fourteen years old daughter, I think that was a hurtful but normal reaction" she said with a reassuring smile.
"Then, I guess, spending some days with me won't be that bad" he added chuckling.
"Nope" she said showing him her phone so he could dial Zelda's number on his phone while she finished her coffee.
He waited patiently, one, two, three rings before she picked up.
"Hello?" She sounded so worried right now.
"Zelda" he whispered her name "She is with me."
For a few minutes the other side of the line remained silent, he could hear her breathe.
"Is she alright?"
"Yes" he answered looking in front of him, to his newfound daughter who was finishing her coffee "She would like to stay for a few days."
Silence. Again.
"I'm going to New York" she said firmly "If she would like to get to know you I want to be there, I'm guessing you'd want to talk too."
"Yes, I would like that very much" Faustus said with a smile, Alma grabbed her phone and typed something showing it to him "Alma here, wants Milo."
Zelda let out a soft laugh, oh how much he missed that laugh.
"Tell her she is in big trouble but yes, I will take Milo."
"See you soon, Zelda" he softly said.
"See you soon" she answered "Faustus."
He hung up and his daughter immediately looked up from her phone.
"Is she bringing Milo?"
"She said that you" he pointed an accusing finger at her "are in big trouble but that yes, she would bring Milo. What is that anyways?"
"Milo is my cat" she answered as if it was the most obvious thing.
"Oh, a cat" he looked a little uncomfortable "my wife is allergic to cats."
"He is staying with mom" Alma said quickly "and if you are not ready, I could stay at a hotel."
"What?" Faustus looked at her, expression serious "No, you are staying at my house, with me."
"Alright" she answered "it was just a suggestion."
He smiled and she smiled back. Zelda would soon come and he would ask her everything but for now, he would enjoy the fact that his daughter was here with him. Wanting to know him.