Annika stared at the man who took her in. At her father. He looked...different.
Confined to a bed, while her mother sat across the room.
Scott took her hand. "Annika, you look...sad."
She looked to at him. "You look like death."
He smirked. "I am."
Annika just shook her head because it was just like her dad to say something creepy and egotistical like that.
"You're gonna be okay though, right Dad?"
Scott nodded. "Of course. As you know, my brain is a little...for lack of a simpler term, fucked up right now. But your mother's taking care of me. Don't you worry."
Scott patted the space next to him and Annika smiled, sitting on the bed, laying her head on her fathers shoulder.
Her father was by no means the best. She knew that. But he wasn't bad.
Every since she was younger, whenever he saw her, he would sit down, talk to her, tell her, that if she ever felt bad, she should call him.
That he would come get her no matter where he was.
Scott put his head in Annika's head. "You're growing up so fast, Annika. I remember when you were just a little girl."
Annika smiled.
"I may be a little weaker than I used to be," he said, Lia on his lap, his arm around Annika. "But you know, if you ever need help, if someone makes you feel unsafe, or unhappy, you can call me."
He smiled. "And I will kill them," he promised.
Annika shivered a bit. Because she knew he wasn't exaggerating.
"There's terrible people in this world. Luckily I'm one of them, so that means, when you need help, or you don't know what to do, even if I'm far away, busy, or it looks like I don't understand you, you just say to me, Dad, help me. And I will. Do you understand?"
Annika nodded. "I will."
"Good good. And you know, to trust no one. You're the oldest, Annika. You have teach Lia these things. Everyone is horrible. Everyone will hurt you. Everyone will take advantage of you," he smiled, "So be careful."
"I'm gonna spend years undoing this moment in therapy," Annika joked.
Scott just patted her head.
He was never the best father. There was no question about that. But if it was one thing he would not stand for, it was his children being unsafe.
No one would hurt his children. Not his.
"Ana," he called her.
She glanced up.
"You watch them. You have to."
Ana looked away.
Scott rolled his eyes. "Now, give me a smile. Both of you."
Annika smiled, tickling Lia as she did the same. Scott looked at them, before heaving a sigh, smiling back.
"God you are two of the ugliest f-ing kids I have seen in my life," he intoned with a grin.
"Oh my god, you're the worst!" Annika pushed him as he chuckled, musing her hair, as she protested, telling him she absolutely would be telling her therapist about this, and mentioning him by name.
He just laughed, a sort of calm filling him. At least they were fine. And soon, he would be too. Everything would work out fine.
He looked up at Ana, who's been avoiding him for a while. He wondered how much longer he had until she changed him back.
He asked, with his eyes but she wouldn't meet them making him sigh.
"Alright, alright kids. You should go to bed. Sweet dreams, good night and don't let the child molestors bite. They will."
Annika facepalmed. "I want you to know you're ruining not one but two daughters. Who says shit like that?"
Scott shrugged. "People who have met child molestors. Get. Go on now. Sleep well, really! There's no child molestors here. Just a murderer. But it's just me."
Annika grumbled. "Yeah, just you. I should testify against you."
"It wouldn't stand," Scott reminded her as she closed the door behind him. "You have a mental health record remember?"
"This house is a fucking nightmare!" She screeched.
Scott chuckled. "I think we're doing great with that one."
Ana said nothing. Scott sighed. "Why so serious?"
"Ana...Morgana?"
