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Despite the whispers and the insultingly pitying looks, Angela did not 'lose' her hopelessly dedicated husband to the Jaeger Program.
She didn't lose him to Stacker Pentecost, either.
A tug on the back of her nightshirt pulled Angela from sleep. She lifted her head, blinking owlishly around a room that had no natural light sources (the clock read 05:00) before rolling over. Herc mumbled unhappily as the source of warmth against his front disappeared. But Angela paid him no mind, squinting through the gloom to make out the small figure of a child standing next to the bed. Her eyes softened; she reached out to cup one small, tear-stained cheek in her palm.
"Mako-chan? What's the matter, love?"
Angela's voice was a little slurred, but Mako seemed to understand the mishmash of Japanese and English well enough. She stepped closer to the bed, curling her fingers around Angela's hand like a lifeline.
The sharp crack of thunder rattled through the Shatterdome. Mako flinched violently and let out a half-strangled sob that instantly cleared away the fog of sleep. Angela sat up, leaning over to pick Mako up and pull her onto the bed, depositing her between herself and Herc. She rubbed a soothing hand across Mako's back as the young girl burrowed into her side, trembling and cold. How long had she waited before finally mustering the bravery to seek them out?
A low grunt and movement to Angela's right made the bed dip. A hand reached over Herc's still-sleeping form to curve against Mako's ducked head, fingers stroking gently through short black hair.
"There are no monsters here, Mako," Stacker rumbled, voice low and rough from sleep. "Nothing will hurt you. Do you understand?"
Mako sniffled a little and nodded against Angela's side. Stacker tucked a bit of hair behind her ear; Angela saw his mouth curve into a soft, somewhat sad smile.
"Brave girl."
It was only nine months since Onibaba had attacked Tokyo--and only seven months since Stacker had brought Mako home to them. She would be forever attached to Stacker, but over time she'd started coming out of her shell, offering them small smiles and quiet words in both English and her native tongue. It helped that Chuck had finally warmed to her, and that his and Angela's expedited Japanese lessons were improving.
"Try to get some sleep, sweetheart," Angela said softly as Mako started to relax. "We'll be here when you wake up."
Also, speaking of Chuck...
Angela hadn't even had time to doze off before the mattress was shifting again. She lifted her head to see her son climbing onto the bed, hair tousled and pajamas askew. He caught her amused gaze and flushed.
"It's cold," Chuck muttered defiantly. He crawled--carefully--over Mako to sprawl atop Herc's chest, half-wedged between him and Stacker. But the sullen pout lasted only as long as it took for Herc to instinctively curl his arm around Chuck's shoulders, and it faded entirely when Stacker began rubbing small, soothing circles against the small of his back. Chuck slowly nodded off, face pressed into the crook of Herc's neck and shoulder, and Mako rolled over in her sleep to burrow against Herc's other side.
For a few blessed moments, there was peace.
"Wha...?"
Angela suppressed a snicker. Across from her, Stacker's shoulders shook in silent laughter.
Herc's blue eyes blinked at them in woozy confusion. He'd always slept like the dead, before, and after missions with Scott and Lucky he was nigh-unwakeable for even the most disrupting of circumstances. But now he peered down at the two children tucked against him in exhausted bafflement, unable to parse how he had gone to sleep with three people in the bed to wake up to five.
"Somethin' happen?" he mumbled, forehead creasing in concern. Stacker bent his neck to press a fond kiss to Herc's temple.
"It's nothing."
"Go back to sleep," Angela added. She combed her fingers through her husband's hair until he let out a quiet hum of concession, sinking back into slumber with Mako and Chuck.
Angela made sure they were all out before glancing up at Stacker. The two of them exchanged a indulgent look as they bracketed their small, precious jumble of a family, and Angela was able to lean over just far enough to brush her lips against Stacker's cheek. He gave her an affectionate smile and reached down to pull the blankets up over all of them.
No; Angela Hansen hadn't lost a damn thing.