You'll always be a part of me... (Lydia, Peter)

[father-peter.livejournal.com]

Lydia was in her room, bustling about when Peter appeared in the doorframe holding...for some unknown reason...a rattling baby toy and a sandwich. "Little Girl." Peter said, calling Lydia the pet name he hadn't actually used for a long time, considering she was hardly little anymore.

Lydia looked over at him and she smiled. "Hi, Dad. Are...those for me? I don't really want a rattlefish."

Peter blinked at her and he looked down at his hands in utter confusion. "Oh...I don't know why I have this..."

Lydia gave him a sympathetic look and she walked over to him, relinquishing him of the sandwich, which had actually been his but he didn't mind. He'd been in the middle of making himself lunch and he'd decided to go see Lydia. He hadn't thought to put the sandwich down. Or the rattle, apparently... "It's 'cause Mum's not here." Lydia said, taking a bite of the sandwich. Then, with her mouth full she added, "You always lose your brains when Mum's not here," making wild one-handed gestures which signified 'crazy'.

"Heh." Yeah, that was probably part of it. But you know...there was that other 'my daughter, cousin and niece could have been killed yesterday and Tamm's sister actually was' part too. Lydia, however, seemed to be okay. She'd dealt with a lot in her nearly thirteen years of life. But Peter had at that stage too. Not quite in the same ways, but he had. And he still felt every trauma like a blow to his heart that would never be reconciled. "I came to make sure you were alright."

Lydia smiled at him. "I am, Dad. I mean...yesterday...that was bad. I was...scared and people were screaming and dying and it was horrible. And icky. But Dylan and Hayley are okay. I feel bad for Tamm. But right now, I feel relieved is all."

Peter nodded and he sat down on her bed, finally putting down the toy he still didn't know why he had. Yesterday, he'd been in the hospital, waiting for Devon to be patched up as well as waiting to see if Dylan was going to be alright. Hayley had come over to him and Peter had ended up speaking to her father, only to find out that he was the very same Neil Waterhouse that had done translating for him for the work on his PhD. Neil was there because his daughters were injured, but thankfully they were alive. While they'd been talking, another person had approached them. Lydia's history teacher. And she'd explained that her class hadn't moved into the halls yet. Or most of them hadn't anyway. And the second Lydia had heard the gunshots, she'd gone into action, making sure her classmates were safe. "I understand that. I feel pretty damned relieved myself, Lydia. Your teacher told me about what you did. For you classmates. You had them escape out the window. Lydia...I'm so proud of you."

Lydia hadn't expected that. She hadn't told anyone about it because she didn't really feel like it was something she should brag about really. That was Brianna's thing, not hers. "She told you?"

Peter nodded again. "That was very brave of you. To put other people first like that." He wanted to say that she shouldn't have gone back, running off into the school again after she'd gotten the rest of her class out, but he didn't want to cheapen what she'd done. Besides, he'd have done the very same thing. And she'd saved Dylan. Dylan meant the world to her. She'd made the right decision, despite his parental post-traumatic worry.

Lydia put the remaining half of Peter's sandwich on her desk and she walked over so she could sit beside him. Then she leaned against him heavily and she smiled as he wrapped her arms around her. She'd known he would do that. Of course he would. She loved that she could expect affection like that. It wasn't something she took for granted. "I heard the gun. And I was scared, but then I thought, what would Daddy do, you know?"

"You..you did?" Peter asked, blushing dramatically. "Me?"

"Don't be silly, Dad." Lydia said with an arched eyebrow. "Of course you. You're always like...Hero Guy. Except when you're 'Confused Brings me a Sandwich and a Baby Toy' Guy."

"Lydia...I...actually have nothing I can say that would actually express what I am feeling right now..." That was Peter. Absolutely open and honest.

Lydia leaned up to kiss his cheek. "It's okay because I know already. Yesterday. You came for me and I never even asked you to." Peter had been in Spain on a romantic get-away trip with Aly. Lydia knew he was away. But that hadn't mattered because she knew her father too. He would do anything to get to her. "And you want to know something? I knew you'd be there. I was running through the halls, looking for Dylan and Hayley and anyone, and I just knew you would be there after it was over. So I didn't have to be afraid. I was able to help other people because when that was over, you'd be there to help me. And then you were. You showed up just like I knew you would. Thank you, Dad." That was why she was okay. Because Peter loved her.

And again, there were no words. So Peter wrapped his arms around her tightly and he buried his face in her hair. He knew that Lydia just knowing Peter would be there for her was no small thing. He hadn't been for the first ten years of her life. He'd been off helping everyone else, serving his time as a priest. That Lydia now felt that security...trusted him that much, especially after everything she'd gone through...it was priceless. Absolutely and completely. And so he sat with her and he hugged her. And then finally he whispered, "You're welcome, Little Girl."