To: @nursedianaklim

From: @interabangs

Happy Holidays, nursedianaklim! I’m thrilled to be your Zecret Santa, especially since I love Sigma/Diana, so I went with a family-themed fic for them. Hope you like it!

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Recursion

“Are you two married?”

Thunk.

Diana hadn’t meant to drop her fork, really. It just happened to slip from her hand, landing on the finely crafted plate her mother only used for special occasions. Diana’s face grew hot, and it took all of her willpower not to look at Sigma.

“Okay, bud,” Liz said, dragging out her son’s chair and turning it at an angle so it faced the kitchen. “You asked for it.”

“Mom, no!”

“We talked about this,” she said as Diana wished her own face would stop looking like a tomato. “Back to the kids’ table for you.”

Looking dour, Taylor took his regular dinner plate and stomped all the way to the kitchen, angrily swatting aside the curtain that separated it from the dining room.

“Sorry, sis,” Liz said with an apologetic shrug as she scooted the empty chair back into its spot.

Diana exchanged a quick glance with Sigma before picking up her fork and saying, in as casual a voice as she could manage, “Oh, um, it’s all right.”

She supposed she was telling the truth. Things at least had been ‘all right’ up until Taylor looked right at Sigma and asked him one of the Forbidden Questions – probably because it might have been true.

Diana couldn’t exactly blame her family for wondering. There she was, back in her hometown, in her parents’ nice three-story in the cul-de-sac at the end of Bishop Street. Just two weeks ago, she’d cut contact with her entire family, and two weeks before that, she was crying her eyes out to Liz about another – well, Diana hated using the word, but it definitely had been an Incident.

Not long after that, and she was sitting next to a man her family never met, after having begged everyone over the phone not to ask him about their relationship status.

To her immense relief, said man reached under the table, where her free hand was trembling on her lap, and he enveloped her hand with his.  Not pushing down on hers, not gripping it. Just keeping his there, for her to feel him.

Her hand stopped shaking, and she smiled down at her plate.

She hadn’t even planned on asking Sigma to come home with her. It had simply slipped out, like the fork from her hand.

He’d been folding laundry while she was peeling carrots for dinner, and it was one of those things she didn’t realize she said, until right after she heard it come out her mouth:

“I’m going to visit my parents and sister next weekend, since I missed Christmas dinner with them. Do you want to come?”

She peeled off a particularly large piece of carrot, watched it hit the sink, then said, her face flushing, “Oh, I mean, I know it’s really soon. You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want —”

Sigma had crossed the room within a few of those giant strides of his, and put his arms around her, gently. “Yes, Diana. I’d love to.”

So, yes, Sigma had been great about it – like he was about pretty much everything, except grocery shopping – but it wasn’t him she worried about.

Before she’d called Liz and broke down crying, Diana hadn’t spoken to her in months. She hadn’t spoken to anyone in her family for longer – not even Great Nana, whom Liz was always quick to point out favored Diana.

And she was back home, sitting in her favorite dining room chair, like she hadn’t snapped at Mom to stop badgering her about the bruises on her arms, and why she couldn’t come to Taylor’s birthday party.

To everyone’s credit, they were warm and welcoming ever since greeting Diana and Sigma at the door. Patrick – Liz’s husband – and Dad might have shaken Sigma’s hand a little too long, and Mom may have squeezed Diana a little too tight when they hugged. But Diana could tell they were all on their best behavior.

As if to prove her point, Dad broke the incredibly long, awkward bout of silence – save for forks clinking against plates – which hung in the air after Taylor’s departure. “So, Sigma, how’s UC?”

“It’s great,” he said, without missing a beat. “I enjoyed my break, but I’m glad to get back to work.”

Patrick asked, “And you’re going for a, what, Master’s degree?”

“Actually, since I managed to get all my paperwork in before the deadline, I’m pursuing my doctorate.”

Liz nearly choked on her steak. “Your… I’m sorry, but how old are you, again?”

Sigma took his hand off Diana’s, but, after she glanced down, she saw that he only did it to wipe his sweaty palm on his black pants. “I’ll be 23 this year.”

“Holy shi – I mean, good for you,” Liz said, coughing as Patrick patted her back.

It was Mom’s turn to grill Sigma, and when she opened her mouth, Diana suddenly wished Sigma hadn’t taken his hand away from hers. “And your field is… engineering, right? I wasn’t quite sure how that got you into the same fundraising event as Diana.” Mom laughed in that slightly disconcerting way where you knew you did something wrong and she was pretending it was fine, but it wasn’t.

“Well,” Sigma said, after taking a few moments to chew his food, but Diana knew he was remembering what they’d prepared for the past few nights, “my passion is engineering, yes, but I’d like to study diseases – and their cures, as well. There was a seminar about a particularly disturbing disease at the event, and I happened to sit next to Diana.” He paused to exchange a brief, but knowing smile with her. “She’s heard all about the details, but I’ll give you the short version: when I was in high school, there was a deadly outbreak in my hometown, and if I could help prevent something like that from happening again, then I’d do whatever I could.”

Diana exhaled a long, slow sigh of relief as Mom, Liz and Patrick nodded in polite sympathy.

Dad took a sip of wine, peering over the rim of the glass at Sigma. “You’re from Michigan, you said?”

“That’s correct, sir.” Diana had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the irony of Sigma saying ‘sir.’  He’d told Diana beforehand that he would be as honest with her family as possible, without explaining all the time-travel stuff that she knew they’d never believe. She and Sigma had to make up an entirely new story about how they met – in actuality, it could very well be true in one universe – but Sigma didn’t mind being open about his past. And, in this case, alternate future.

Dad put down his empty wine glass. “How come I’ve never heard about this disease outbreak?”

“Well, it will happen – it happened a long time ago, and the government made sure it didn’t spread in the news, so it wouldn’t cause any panic.”

“Really?” Patrick said, starting to become skeptical – he was so much like Dad it wasn’t even funny; no matter how much Liz protested – and Diana glanced at Sigma, unable to hide the worry from her face.

Sigma kept his gaze on her father and brother-in-law, and, as he launched into a far more detailed and boring explanation, his hand slipped back over hers.

Diana picked up her fork, smiling again.

—————————————–

“How long you known him, sweetheart?” Dad asked her not two minutes after Taylor and his three brothers yanked Sigma and Patrick out on the front lawn, turning them into human jungle gyms.

Diana stirred her hot cocoa, remember what she and Sigma had practiced in the car ride. She couldn’t have said three years, or even a year, when she felt like she’d known him much, much longer. She hadn’t mentioned anything remotely related to Sigma when she called Liz.

“I told you, it’s been a couple weeks,” she said, watching the dark liquid swirl in her cup after she lifted her spoon.

“Diana,” her mother said, gently.

“Okay – a few months.” It wasn’t a lie if both answers could be true at the same time.

“You really think it’s the best time for you to, y’know, be shacking up with someone new?” Liz asked.

“I’m not —” Diana protested, but the flush in her cheeks that she knew was visible, was about as obvious as if her nose began growing.

“Darling,” Mom said, the worry lines creasing between her eyebrows as she scooted her chair closer to Diana’s and brushed her hair back behind her ear. “I understand why you want to be with him. Really, I do. I mean, he’s polite, he’s intelligent, and good Lord, if Adonis was made flesh —”

“— Okay, let’s not get too carried away here,” Dad said gruffly, and everyone else laughed, even Diana.

“And the way he acts around you,” Mom went on, continuing to stroke Diana’s hair, like she did when there was a thunderstorm. “I can tell he’s taking this, taking you, very seriously. But what if he turns out to be like… well…”

“He won’t,” Diana said firmly. “I know he won’t. And I know you want what’s best for me, but please don’t worry about us. We’re taking things slow.”

“Hmm,” Liz said, chin resting on her hand as she watched Diana take a long sip of cocoa. “If ‘slow’ means making out in his car for five minutes down the street, I’d hate to know what ‘fast’ means.”

Diana’s cheeks burned even more at that. She set down her mug. At least she didn’t spit out anything.

Liz lowered her hand from her chin and reached it out toward Diana, across the dining room table. “Hey. I’m kidding. Look, you’ve been to therapy —”

“— And I’m still going,” Diana said, a bit hastily, but she was glad she sounded firm. It was one of the truths she and Sigma went over, like him being able to pursue a doctoral degree.

“We’re all incredibly glad to hear that,” Liz said, her hand still outstretched on the table. “If you know, for sure, that you really wanna be with this guy… If you feel safe with him and can trust him after such a short time, then…” Liz felt silent and looked to Mom for help.

She was as quick on the draw as Sigma had been earlier. “Then I suppose we can trust him, too.”

Diana looked out the window, toward the front yard where her nephews were hanging from Sigma’s arms and laughing as he flexed. Then she looked at her family’s faces, at the mingled concern and hope in their eyes.

Then, slowly, she reached her hand across the table, and pressed her palm against her sister’s.

—————————————–

“He doesn’t know about your family, does he?”

Diana studied Sigma’s expression, one of her favorite past times. He was starting to be more animated – not as much as she was, or most people, really. But she was fascinated with noticing each miniscule change in his face.

Liz, Patrick, and their kids had left ten minutes ago. Diana planned on heading out with Sigma soon, too, but not before giving him a more detailed tour of the house. Her room, which somehow still looked like it had years ago, was the last stop.

“He’s a good guy,” Liz had whispered in Diana’s ear as they hugged goodbye. “Tense, but I think it’s because he’s one of those old souls, y’know?”

Diana laughed, squeezing her sister tighter. “Thank you, Liz. I’m glad you like him.”

“He’ll take care of you. At least, he better. And if you ever stop banging him, I know at least twenty single moms who’d give an arm to be with him.”

“Liz, come on!” Diana said, but it took her a while to stop laughing.

As she looked up at Sigma while they stood in her old bedroom, he was gazing intently at the objects on top of her dresser drawer.

“No,” he finally replied, “I don’t think he knows. I’ve tried not to think about them lately, just in case. But I think if he meant them any harm, he would’ve gone through with it now.”

Diana nodded.  Neither she nor Sigma had uttered the name of their son, not since escaping the shelter. She wondered if they ever would.

Sigma’s breath hitched before he spoke again. “I’ll make sure he won’t touch anyone in your family.”

“He won’t.” Somehow, Diana was certain of that.

“Have you always had these?” Sigma asked, his gaze fixated on the row of dolls arranged neatly in a row – probably by Mom – and facing him with an identical expression.

“Since I was little, yes.” Diana had to stand on her toes to reach out and run her fingertips over the dolls, from the largest to the smallest. Most Matryoshka figures, Diana thought, were old women, but this set featured a wide-eyed, innocent looking red-headed boy.

“Do you know where you come from?” she whispered to the smallest one. “Do you care?”

She remembered holding the newborn boy, during the long hours it took for them to die.

Diana blinked, and when her vision cleared, there was a teardrop next to the smallest rd-haired doll.

“Hey, Diana,” Sigma said, bending his head so he could murmur in her ear, “let’s lie down for a little while, okay?”

She was about to protest before an uncontrollable yawn cut her off. “Oh, okay.” She turned off the light and guided Sigma to her bed. They settled down on the covers, facing each other – it was a bit cramped, but Diana didn’t care one bit.

Sigma wrapped his arms around her back, tracing slow, small circles on her sweater with his thumbs. “Thanks for asking me to come. I had a great time.”

“You were wonderful,” she told him with a wide smile. “I’m really glad you came with me.”

“We should bring Phi next time, if that’s all right with you,” Sigma said, closing his eyes. “I’m sure we could come up with a story for her.”

“Yes,” Diana said, stifling a yawn, “and then we can visit your family.”

“That sounds nice,” Sigma said, though his words were beginning to run together. “I’d like that.”

“Ten minutes,” Diana told him, “then we’re leaving.”

“Of course,” he said, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head before settling his back down on their shared pillow. “Whatever you say.”

“I mean it, Sigma,” Diana whispered as her eyelids fluttered close. “Ten minutes… and then… we’re heading home.”