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[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190711/87008b871fd60a65defb1b3dec454b29.png[/img][/center][right][hr][color=gray][b]Smith's Rest, New Anchorage | Inside HQ[/b]
January 16th, 2677[/color][hr][/right]
[indent][indent][indent]For the first time in a [i]long[/i] time, Percy Moore was having a quiet, but still pleasant, moment with the little human being he held dearest to him. He was sat down on the bed of their shared room, brushing Ana's hair for her while she colored in a coloring book Zach sent with them. There's really not a lot of fun kid stuff on the base, but Percy would rather her be bored with him than at risk with Zach - not after how badly he'd failed Ana [i]and[/i] Percy the day of the attack that nearly stole his daughter away.

Oh, why Percy has a room to himself while the others have to deal with barracks? Simple, actually. During the switch-over from Sophia to Graham, Percy took that moment of confusion amongst the higher-ups to [i]demand[/i] that he gets his own room with Ana - again, he didn't trust Zach to not fuck up again, so he figured the best move would be to just move Ana here with him. Obviously he won that small victory - likely because there were far more important matters for them to attend to than to argue with him about room arrangements, not because he was a smooth talker. He didn't care why he won, though, because [i]he won[/i] and that's what mattered.

After he'd moved Ana's essentials and made sure she was all set that day, he 'stole' a couch-bed from the empty room down the hall so they could both sleep comfortably - while Percy didn't care about sharing a bed, especially if it was just his child, Ana was beginning to. That's normal, of course, and Percy wasn't [i]offended[/i] by it. It was a sign of her growing up, but... Percy stopped mid-brush stroke. God, Ana's [i]eight[/i] now. He remembers when she was just an itty bitty baby, still wrapped up in blankets and huffy from crying her little heart out - the lil chubby cheeks, the cute little button nose that absolutely had to be squished, and her hands - god, her hands were so, so very small. Now look at her. His tiny, squishy baby girl was [i]eight[/i] now. [color=lightsteelblue][i]Where the did the time go?[/i][/color] 

Oh, wait, he actually knows the answer to that - or, at least, he knows where the last year or so's gone. It's gone [i]swirling down the shitter[/i]. It started with when he got that positive compatibility test, and it only got worse from there. The recovery period from the surgery was hell on them both (Ana had to be his little nurse for a good while); the first few missions he, Eli Jackspar, and Madison Cole went on together were.. well, nobody [i]died[/i], but it wasn't a walk in the part - the first mission definitely was not, given how non-cohesive the trio were; then the attack on Smith's Rest happened just this past June - Ana [i]still[/i] has nightmares about it.

Setting the brush down at his side, he wraps his arms around Ana in a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. He felt her trying to turn and look at him, but she is sufficiently trapped in his embrace. She giggled a little, flinching in obvious preparation for some kind of silliness to go down.. But then she relaxed again, curiosity prompting her to ask, [color=ffc8f9]"You ok?"[/color]

Percy didn't reply right away  - he needed that second to gather all of his thoughts. He knew that Ana [i]knew[/i] all of the things he was about to say, but given the hell she's been through lately, maybe she needs to hear it all over again. Maybe she needs to hear how she's strong, intelligent, resilient, hard-working, persevering. Maybe she needs the extra reassurance that everything's going to be alright now. Maybe she needs to hear him say [i]I love you.[/i] Shit, how long has it been since he's just said those words out of the blue to her? He used to do it so much, but then everything went all fucking [i]crazy -[/i] he could only say them just before he had to go off and do something that could kill him. [color=lightsteelblue]"Ana, I-"[/color]

[color=556b2f][i]"This is Commander Graham."[/i][/color] 

The both of them just about leapt out of their skin when those words boomed over the intercom.. Well, not [i]literally[/i] boomed, but it was loud enough to shatter the relative quiet that was there.

[color=556b2f][i]"I know many of you are still adjusting to the change in military administration, but the new pilots will be arriving within the hour and I need things to be in order. I want all personnel to look busy by that point. I will be reassigning the NC squadron sometime following the acquisition of these new pilots. Thank you."[/i][/color]

Percy mouthed a bit of a mocking "Thank you" and grimaced, causing Ana to stick her tongue out with him in solidarity. After about a beat of silence and recognition, they both giggled. Ruffling up Ana's just-brushed hair, Percy stands up, stretching from sitting there cross-legged for so long. He's already gotten bitched out a couple times for not doing what he was told to do - not usually by Graham himself, but by other staff - and he'd rather not [i]continue[/i] to get bitched out - or worse, getting bitched out by the Big Guy himself. Yeah, nah. Not today.

[color=ffc8f9]"You better go, Dad,"[/color] Ana says, apparently having the same idea as Percy.

[color=lightsteelblue]"Yeah yeah, I know,"[/color] Percy leans down to kiss Ana on the top of her head, [color=lightsteelblue]"You sit tight, ok? I won't be gone long."[/color]

[color=ffc8f9]"I love you."[/color]

Well, shit. She beat him to the punch. He smiles anyway, though - something about hearing your kid say [i]I love you[/i] makes everything feel... [i]right[/i]. Just before he shuts the door behind him, he replies to her, [color=lightsteelblue]"And [i]I[/i] love [i]you[/i], ya brat."[/color][/indent][/indent][/indent]