Chapter Text
Onwards And Upwards
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
Oropher spent a lot of time at his son and daughter-in-law’s home, gushing over Alba and completely losing his reputation of being a wolf in the boardroom. The business-savvy entrepreneur turned into a pile of mush as soon as he set eyes on his grandchild, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Thranduil and Anya.
“You’re a soft old sod,” Thranduil told him, eyeing him over the top of his laptop.
The older man scoffed. “I have two grandchildren, son of mine. One is a boy and is cherished beyond description. He’s been guided and provided for in every way that I can. He’s done sports. He does his computer-technology-babble. He has amazing grades and will go to one of the most prestigious universities, as did you. This little munchkin however…she’s at an age where I can spend a ridiculous amount on baby toys, pink babygros and teddy bears, and adore her as the little Princess that she is. So belt up and do some work.”
Anya burst out laughing, almost choking on her coffee.
Thranduil glared at her. “Thank you for that, Kitten,” he drawled. “You sound like you’re losing your marbles when you do all that goo-goo talk whenever you’re around Alba,” he added to his father.
“And I still get more sense out of her than I do from you,” he shot back, gently tickling the baby’s tummy. “Don’t I, my little diamond? Nothing he ever says makes sense anyway, does it? We get on just fine, you and I.”
Alba blew bubbles.
Her grandfather instantly fell back into making baby noises.
Thranduil rolled his eyes. “Trying to get anything remotely resembling coherent sentences from him has been impossible since the day she was born,” he grumbled.
“Don’t worry about it,” Oropher said without taking his eyes off the child in his arms. “I’m still waiting for you to say anything that makes sense, and have been since the day that you were born.”
“I’ve had enough of this nonsense,” the blond decided and closed down his laptop. “I’m going to prepare lunch and hopefully regain some inner peace in the solitude of the kitchen.”
Anya wiped tears of laughter away. “You two are hilarious,” she chuckled.
“He’s a damned pain in the butt,” he grunted.
His father humorously tossed a few insults over his shoulder, then turned his attention back to his granddaughter.
“I’ll get that,” Anya said, rising from the sofa at the sound of the doorbell. Quick steps carried her through the house to the main door, and she saw Thorin and Galadriel through the glass. “Hi! Come on in,” she greeted them warmly.
“You look well, Anya,” Galadriel said with a smile. “How are you?”
“I’m fine; adjusting to being a mother and coping with feeds through the night,” she answered. “How are you both?”
“As busy as ever with the continual run of felons needing locked up,” Thorin said with a grin. He produced an envelope from his inside pocket with a flourish. “The results are in.”
Her heart started thumping hard in her chest.
“I…Thranduil needs to see this,” she said, and swiftly turned back towards the lounge and the kitchen. “Babe?”
“What’s wrong, Kitten? Oh, hi Thorin, Galadriel,” he said, and emerged from the kitchen.
The DA held the envelope towards the couple. “DNA results,” he said.
The blond glanced down to see dark blue eyes staring back at him. Uncertainty lurked in the depths, shadowed with a hint of fear.
"Whatever the results are, sweetheart, it doesn't change anything," he said softly. "She still is, and always will be my daughter."
She nodded after a moment or two, and lowered her gaze.
Thorin handed the envelope to her.
"No," she said. "It needs to be Thranduil who opens it."
A flicker of surprise flashed across Galadriel's face, but was gone as fast as it had appeared.
The blond swallowed and took the envelope. His steady gaze held Anya's as he tore it open and took out the sheet of paper. He unfolded it before looking down at it.
His chest rose in a deep breath.
The two guests exchanged glances.
Anya's heart pounded harder.
"Well?" she asked, unable to wait any longer.
Ice blue eyes swept up to hers. "Alba is mine," he said.
She screamed, and leapt up into his arms. He started to laugh, taking her weight and turning in circles with her.
"Thranduil, she's yours!" she shouted, tears of elation pouring down her cheeks. "Oh my God, we were right! She's yours!"
Oropher appeared to see what all the fuss was about, and why his daughter in law was screaming and crying. "Good news, I assume?" he queried, with a sparkle in his eyes.
Thranduil nodded and set Anya back onto her feet. He kept his arms around her, and she hugged him as tightly as she could. "Yes. DNA proves that she's mine."
"About damned time too," his father announced. "This calls for a celebration!"
He headed back into the lounge and the group trailed behind him.
"Hold your daughter," he instructed. "There's a bottle of champagne that would seem very appropriate right now."
Thranduil released Anya and took his child, and Oropher hurried into the kitchen.
"Please, have a seat," Anya said, wiping her cheeks. "I'm sorry, my manners are shot right now."
Galadriel patted her shoulder. "Do not apologise," she said. "You're relieved and elated, and have every right to be. This has been a long, hard road, and you've both had blistered feet from the walk. You deserve this."
Thorin settled into an armchair and crossed one leg over the other. "You said that you were right," he said. "I assume you half knew within yourselves?"
Anya waited until Thranduil had seated himself on the sofa with Alba and then sat down next to him. "We sort of knew, in a way," she told him. "I noticed after her bath the other night that she has webbed feet - between her second and third toes."
"And that's hereditary on my father's side," her husband spoke up. "He has it, and Legolas does too. We have been holding on to that so tightly since we realised."
The two visitors exchanged looks.
"What?" Anya asked, feeling a slight sense of panic.
Galadriel smiled. "It's nothing to worry about, I promise," she said. "But we sort of... knew this morning."
"We didn't look at the results," Thorin stated. "But we did find some very interesting information."
"Brandon had claimed that he'd been using money from your inheritance to pay for medical treatments. So we had his medical files subpoenaed," the ADA said.
"He's shooting blanks," her colleague informed them. "He can't have children."
"Good," Oropher stated, appearing with a tray holding five glasses of sparkling champagne. "That bastard doesn't deserve to be a parent. In fact, I hope his balls rot and fall off."
The four adults spluttered with laughter. His random add-on had been the last thing they'd expected him to say.
"For what it's worth, I had a call from the University Hospital in the early hours of this morning," Thorin said. "And everyone put their sympathy faces on, because he was rushed in late last night after taking one hell of a beating."
"He deserves it," Thranduil growled. "I hope he felt every fucking agonising blow. What he did to Anya was beyond despicable."
She reached over and put her hand over his, holding their child.
"Not to put too fine a point on it, but his odds aren't brilliant," Thorin continued. His gaze moved to Anya's. "I spoke with the head of neuropathy. If he pulls through, they're pretty certain there's some devastating brain damage."
A hush fell over everyone, during which Oropher silently handed everyone a glass.
"You might not have been a minor when he attacked you, Anya," Galadriel said. "But inside, he's been viewed akin to those who prey on youngsters, because you were in his care. He's not had an easy time since the verdict."
Anya shrugged. "As callous as it may sound, I couldn't give a shit," she said. "He put me through hell. He made me suffer. Whatever happens to him now, he's brought it on himself."
Thorin nodded approvingly. "And while we're on the rather toxic subject, his esteemed attorney is facing jail time too."
"Good!" Oropher shouted. "What for? In fact, it doesn't matter. His balls can rot and fall off too for all I care. Sneaky son of a bitch."
"Father, can you disassociate yourself from other peoples' testicles for more than a few minutes?!" Thranduil demanded with a laugh.
His parent sat down, grumbling under his breath.
"Gandalf ordered a review of the documents from the trial," Galadriel said. "Guess what was among said paperwork? Statements from the trust fund. And a notebook with dates and weird numbers. We investigated further, and found that Brandon had slipped a quarter of a million his way to withhold evidence."
Thranduil and Anya gasped in horror.
"Bastard!" Oropher yelled.
"What a dirty, lying fuck," Thranduil said, shaking his head.
"They'll both get what's owed to them," Anya decided. "I really believe in karma, and I think it's going to kick their backsides so hard."
"Well this is just damned depressing," Oropher said. "I say it's time for a toast!"
"Yes!" his son agreed, and raised his glass with his free hand.
Everyone around him did likewise.
"To justice!" Oropher said.
"And fatherhood," Anya added.
Thranduil looked at her and smiled. "And to family," he said softly.
Her eyes fluttered closed as his mouth brushed over hers.
"To justice, fatherhood, and family!" Thorin and Galadriel cheered.
*****
The legal team stayed for half an hour, both taking a turn at holding Alba. Thranduil offered a meal, but they turned it down, having planned a long afternoon in the office to prepare more paperwork for cases.
Anya told both of them about her plans for the company she was in the process of setting up, Alba's Advocates. Both Thranduil and Oropher were on board with her plans, and had brought in advisors and attorneys to set things up.
Her father in law left for home just after Thorin and Galadriel left, and the house was peaceful again. The couple had lunch, and she fed Alba.
"I'm going to pop her into her crib for a sleep," she said after winding her. "I think she's worn out with everyone being here earlier."
"That's a good idea," Thranduil said. "How about cuddling up on the couch and watching a movie? That way, we might doze off too."
"Oh, I like the sound of that," she said. "Just let me change her diaper and get her settled."
"I'll bring the crib closer to the sofa," he replied.
Within a quarter of an hour, the baby was settled comfortably and her parents were snuggled together scrolling through movies.
"Oh, just pick one, I forgot something," Anya said suddenly.
"Is everything alright?" He asked, as she bounced out of his arms to her feet.
"Yes. I won't be a second."
He continued scrolling until he found one that he knew they'd both like, and his thumb hovered over the select button on the remote. Sounds of her feet indicated her coming back through, and she flopped down beside him again.
Ice blue eyes watched her lean over the crib and place a toy in beside Alba.
"All settled," she told him, and leaned up to kiss him.
She leaned back against his shoulder to watch the movie, and he glanced into the crib.
Anya's stuffed cat lay beside his daughter.