Promises

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Cyro would last 5 years, Jake and Marie's aging stopped. All in preparation for Pandora and their new bodies. Marie was kept separate to the adults for closer examination, and left asleep even after cyro. Her resting body brought down and wheeled into the lab by Doctor Patel and a few other scientists.

Waking up for Marie was painful. She was awake before any of the adults and allowed to recover from the deep sleep. Princess Aurora didn't say she felt this bad when she woke up, Marie cried to herself rubbing her small forehead. She kept her eyes shut, even behind her lidded eyes the bright light from around her bothered her.

"Marie, Marie, can you open your eyes for me? We have to check your vitals," the soft timbre of a mans voice coaxed Marie into opening her eyes. She blinked hoping to adjust to the bright light, encouraging words from the doctor making it easier. When her eyes finally adjusted she found a man in a lab coat in front of her. He was a brown man with a full beard and curling black hair. He looked like a kind man as far as Marie could tell.

"Hey Marie. My name is Doctor Patel. You've been asleep for awhile now. I'm just going to check if you're healthy. Is that okay with you?" Marie nodded, following the doctor's instructions. Answering appropriately and listening to what he said.

"Everything looks good Marie," the doctor beamed, "how about we go get you something to eat."

"Where's my daddy?" Marie had allowed the man to do his health check up, but her fathers absence was obvious to the little girl.

"He's on his way here, I promise." The man's kind nature putting Marie at ease.

She followed the doctor, asking about everything and everyone they crossed paths with. From the lab to the cafeteria and back to the lab for her to eat.

"Go ahead and eat on my desk. Your dad should be arriving soon," Doctor Patel said pulling out a chair by his desks and sitting Marie on it with her lunch. He pulled out his own chair and sat beside her. Clicking away and writing about who knows what. Probably sciency stuff, Marie mused.

The next 15 minutes was the quietest the little girl had been the whole time she was with the doctor. The only sound was her chewing.

"All done, doc!" Marie muttered, wiping her hands on the napkin she was given. The doctor directed her to a trash can. As Marie threw away the last of her trash she heard the familiar sound of tires wheeling on the floor. Looking up towards the entrance of the lab she saw her dad. Without a second thought Marie ran in his direction, "daddy!" Jake looked exactly like the last time that Marie had seen him before being put into cyro.

Jake felt his heart swell at the sound and sight of his little daughter. He swung her up in the air into his arms when she was close enough. Smothering her into his arms, pulling her so tight into a hug he almost wished he could cocoon her into him "Hey baby hey."

"Ohhh, I missed you so much," Jake muttered against Marie's head. He planted various kisses all over her face. "Let me get a look at you."

Both father and daughter leaned their foreheads together, Jake giving her an Eskimo kiss, "just as cute as you were on earth." Neither Jake or Marie felt the five years like the rest of those put in cyro, but both the father and daughter still missed each other deeply. Norm looked down at the little girl, a face he became familiar with through photos. Tommy was always boasting about his brother and little niece. Seeing her in person warmed his heart. Pieces of Tommy.