Peacekeepers

Chapter 34: Healing and Growing

June 29th, 1893

Dan was tired of being in bed all week, restless and annoyed that he couldn't do anything. Poppy was more than capable of helping the kids, that much was obvious, but it felt strange to him to let her just take over like this. He felt strangely guilty, even though he really shouldn't. He didn't ask her to help them, she'd offered to do so.... So why was he guilty?

He looked up as the door creaked open and he saw two pairs of eyes peek in from the opening. He chuckled and sat up, motioning for them to come in.

Emma and Annie opened the door further and looked to each other nervously before they quietly shut it behind them, before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed next to him.

"We wanted to talk." Annie said, looking rather nervous.

He looked between them curiously, the girls the ring leaders of the whole clan. He wondered if they knew how much they took after their mother- particularly the soft spoken Emma.

"Poppy told us about... her magic." Emma said quietly.

He inhaled in alarm, knowing this talk was eventually coming. Poppy had warned him ahead of time, at least. "You two haven't told anyone, have you?"

"We're not stupid." Annie scoffed.

He chuckled and set a hand on her head affectionately. "I know you're not. I'm just worried."

"Like always." Emma grumbled.

"Well, this is important. There are rules that people without magic can't know about magic... and we're breaking those rules. Poppy risked it enough with me, but I don't want you two to be in danger, either." He explained softly.

"Danger?" Emma looked to Annie nervously. "Is it dangerous?"

"Poppy said there's magic that makes you forget things, if people find out that we know. You would forget about the magic, but you'd probably also forget about Poppy." He said, unable to keep the strain out of his voice at the thought. It was something he feared, because he never wanted to forget these life changing moments he had with her. She was the best thing to ever happen to him.

Annie inhaled sharply and shook her head. "No... I'd never want to forget about her." She whispered urgently, Emma letting out a soft sound of agreement from beside her.

Dan smiled softly and leaned forward to wrap his arms around the girls and brought them closer to him on the bed, hugging them reassuringly before letting them go. "You two have gotten pretty close to Poppy, huh?"

"She makes sure we're safe, and... she doesn't treat us like little kids." Annie said quietly.

"She listens to us." Emma added. "Annie had her read fairy tales to us." She looked over to her sister with a little smile. Annie elbowed her angrily that she'd told Dan that, who looked at Annie in shock.

"Fairy tales... you gave her mom's book to read?" He whispered in shock.

Annie gave him a sheepish look before nodding ever so slightly.

Annie was fiercely protective of that book. She didn't even let the other kids touch it for fear of it being damaged, yet she'd let Poppy read from it. He'd been the only other one she'd ever trusted the book with. It was the last and only thing Annie had ever gotten from their mother, and she treasured it more than anything else. More than anything else it showed him how much Annie trusted Poppy.

He looked between them thoughtfully, because he knew things between him and Poppy were starting to get pretty serious. They had a ways to go yet, but he wasn't the type of man to just bed a woman without intentions. Sure the wizards had those fancy potions so she wouldn't get pregnant, but it was still an important moment to him. He'd opened up the idea of a future with her in that moment, and now he wanted to see how possible it was.