"Daddy I had a nightmare..."
Jack rolled over to the small figure at the edge of his bed. In the darkness, he could discern the shape of a six years old rubbing her eyes, either to chase away the tiredness or the tears. In her other small fist, she was clutching strongly her big stuffed bunny. Jack smiled gently and looked over at the alarm clock by his bedside table. It was only two a. m.
"Poor bunny... You want to sleep in my bed tonight?"
"Yeah..."
She awkwardly climbed over the bed frame, and Jack scooted over to leave some space for the little girl. She laid on her side, in a fetal position, with her fluffy plush against her. Jack tucked her in his bed than draped an arm around her. She didn't close her eyes, however, as if afraid that her nightmare would come back as soon as she fell asleep again.
"You want to talk about it?" Jack whispered.
"I was in the hospital but I don't know why and the doctor told me that you were dead and that I was going to die..."
Hana became to cry again, her throat tightening until she was sobbing. Jack's arm moved until he was caressing her soft brown hair, and tried to calm her.
"I'm here bunny, I'm not going to die, and neither are you. It was just a bad dream."
She nodded and moved to hug her father, pressing the plush in between them. He hugged her back, and slowly but surely Hana stopped crying. Jack already felt better. He hated to see his little girl crying, no matter what was the reason.
"Are you afraid that I'm going to die?" he asked once her breathing had calm.
"No, because you are a super-hero."
He laughed lightly and placed a kiss on Hana's forehead.
"Alright, sleep bunny, we have a long day ahead of us."
But instead of falling asleep again, Hana's mind wandered over some strange topics, until she asked a question that made Jack almost choke on his own spit:
"Did mommy die?"
He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Lena has a mommy and a daddy, and she said that when she has nightmares her mommy sings until she falls asleep. Did my mommy die?"
Jack smiled gently. This was a topic they had almost never tackled. When Hana was younger and she asked about her mommy, he just told her she didn't have one.
"No, you only have a daddy."
"Why?"
"Because I decided to take care of you on my own. And now I'm your mommy and your daddy."
The thought made Hana laugh.
"No, you're my daddy, you have to be a girl to be a mommy."
"Alright, then I'm your super daddy."
Once again the girl giggled, but quickly she found other questions to ask:
"So I'll never have a mommy?"
"Who knows. Now go back to sleep, we have the pool party tomorrow, remember?"
"Pool Party!" the little girl yelled excitedly.
"Alright, keep some for the party. But if you don't sleep you won't even be able to swim."
As if Jack had spoken the ultimate threat, Hana quickly closed her eyes and hugged her plush closer. Jack pressed a kiss to her forehead and draped once again his arm around her.
When Hana woke up in the morning, she was alone in her father's giant bed. She swiftly climbed out and walked quickly to the kitchen. She could already smell the familiar scent of her father's famous morning pancakes. Indeed, she found Jack in front of the stove, making one perfectly round pancake after the other. He had tied an apron around his waist, on which Hana tugged once she was next to him.
"Well look who's up! Ready for the pool party?"
"Pool party!"
Jack looked at the time and declared:
"Alright, we have to be there at eleven-thirty, so you have about two hours to get ready."
"Can I play Zelda?"
Jack sighed but smiled nonetheless.
"Alright, but you eat your pancakes and you get ready to move before you play, alright?"
She nodded vigorously and climbed to sit on her chair. There were four chairs around the wooden table, but she always took the same. Jack placed a pile of three pancakes in front of her and the bottle of syrup, then turned around to make some more for himself. He knew very well that Hana would press half of the bottle on her pancakes, and no matter how much he would try to stop her, she would continue to do it. As he came to sit beside her with his own breakfast in hand, she had already gulped down two-thirds of the pile.
"Oh there, slow down or you're going to be sick."
But that didn't calm her either. In between two mouthfuls she managed to declare:
"The quicker I can be ready the more I can play."
Jack had to shake the bottle a couple of times before syrup finally fell on his pancakes.
"I warn you if you strangle yourself I'm not saving you."
The little girl only stuck out her tongue. She finished her plate and licked the syrup left on it. Jack shook his head disapprovingly and handed her a paper napkin to clean her mouth and nose. She was about to jump off of her chair when he cleared his throat theatrically. She looked at him, and he stood up. She watched him take a glass from the cupboard than bring it to the fridge. He took out the milk bottle and poured a glassful. He took the time to put the milk back in the fridge before placing the glass in front of her. She pouted and crossed her arms.
"Hana, you need to drink your milk," he warned.
"Nah."
"You're going to stay small and weak if you don't drink your milk."
"I don't care. Small is cute."
"You are not playing Zelda until you've drunk your milk."
She grimaced but brought the glass to her lips. She managed to drink half in one gulp, then she looked over at her father as if to see if it was okay to leave the other half. Jack had a serious look on his face, and his arms crossed. She sighed and drank the rest of the glass, but not without many grimaces.
"See, it wasn't so hard now, was it?"
"I don't like milk!" she declared as she jumped off the chair and ran to her room to get ready.
"You'll thank me when you're taller than me!" he shouted after her.
Two hours later found Hana, dressed in a pink tank top and denim shorts, her hair tied in a small ponytail, in front of the TV with her GameCube controller in hand. She had been stuck on the same puzzle for a while now and had decided to navigate around the map as fast as she could. Unfortunately, the Red Lion was never fast enough for her liking.
Jack came out of his bedroom in tank top and Bermudas, his sunglasses already on his eyes and flip-flops on his feet.
"Alright Hana, time to go."
"Another five minutes?" she pleaded, pouting like a puppy.
"No Bunny, we have to go or there won't be anything left to eat when we arrive."
It only took a few seconds for Hana to make her choice. If there was only one thing that she loved over video games, it was food. In an instant, she had her own sunglasses on her nose, her pink cap on her head and flip-flops on her feet.
"Ready to go Bunny? You got everything you need?"
She nodded, but Jack still decided to enumerate everything she needed:
"Swimsuit? Sunscreen? Towel? Extra set of clothes? Jacket?"
Hana nodded every time, then added:
"And my DS too!"
Jack smiled.
"Alright, you're ready then. Let me just take the fruit salad I made, and we are on our way."
Jack took a large salad bowl form the kitchen counter, covered with multiple layers of cellophane.
"I'm trusting you Bunny. Now you need to close the door behind me, and while I'm driving you'll have to make sure the salad doesn't fall. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!" Hana replied with a military salute.
The Morrison family arrived at the pool party with their fruit salad in one piece. While Hana was too small to carry it through the entire ride, the salad bowl had been placed beside her, and from her car seat, she had protected it with an arm outstretched in front of it. They were now walking to the front door of the house hosting the party. A booming music was already echoing down the street, assuring all the neighbors would have an annoyingly loud Sunday. Jack rang at the door, not sure it would be heard. It opened quickly, revealing the smiling face of Jack's coworker, Ana.
"Jack, we were wondering if you would show up before dessert."
"Yeah well, we had to be careful with the fruit salad."
Ana looked down at the little girl who was not one bit impressed by the expert sniper in front of her.
"Hello Hana, how are you?"
Hana completely ignored the question.
"Can I swim yet?"
Ana laughed loudly.
"Not yet, little one, after dessert, alright? But go say hello. Olivia is here, and Fareeha too. She brought her new girlfriend home."
While Hana was not particularly happy to hear that Olivia Reyes, the most annoying girl she knew, was there, she was far more happy to hear that Fareeha was back from college.
"Yeah, Fareeha!"
She ran past Ana, threw her small backpack in a corner of the living room, and jumped through the French window in the garden. Many of the adults were talking on the terrace, and a few kids were already playing around the pool. The pool itself was still safeguarded by a hard plastic cover, to make sure none of the kids would accidentally fall in and drown.
"Why, hello, little Hana! Why don't you come and say hello to uncle Reinhardt?"
Hana turned around and found the large German man in front of the barbecue. He had already grilled a lot of sausages, but seeing as the number of people arriving kept on growing, he was probably going to grill a lot more. Hana trotted to him. She was already a small kid but compared to the giant man, she was ridiculously tiny.
"Hi, uncle Reinhardt. Have you seen Fareeha?"
He seemed to think for a minute, while also turning a piece of beef.
"I believe Fareeha was in the hammock with her girlfriend. Did you know she has a new girlfriend? She's a prodigy, a doctor from Switzerland. Her name is Angela."
But Hana was only half-listening to Reinhardt's proud rambling. She was already running around the house and toward the hammock.
Meanwhile, Jack had followed Ana into the kitchen to place the fruit salad on the table, only to find his best friend, Gabriel, peeling apples in a corner.
"Hey, Gabe. What are you doing?"
But before the other man could explain Ana declared:
"Oh, mister 'I don't have time for food I have a daughter to take care of' forgot to bring something. Since I have four apple pies to make for dessert, he is on peeling duty."
Jack couldn't help but wince. He knew first hand how awful Ana's punishment could be.
"Where is Olivia?"
"Don't know. Probably playing Mario Kart in a corner. Hana?"
"Either trying to break into the pool or stuffing her face with chips."
"Gabe, less talking and more peeling," Ana warned as she took a beer out of the fridge and handed it to Jack.
"How much you still have to go?" he asked after he had taken a sip of the cold drink.
Gabriel looked at the large pile of apples beside him, and the small batch he had already peeled.
"Hum... I don't know."
Jack smirked.
"Come on, I'll help you."
Ana instantly handed him a peeler and declared:
"The things we do for love."
As Hana neared the hammock, she noticed two pairs of legs untangled together, one darker than the other, which looked super pale in comparison.
"Fareeha!" she happily yelled as she ran to them.
The hammock moved, and two figures emerged. First, an eighteen years old girl with short black hair and a bronze colored skin. Hana recognized the tattoo under Fareeha's right eye, and the familiar smile the woman gave her. She barely had time to stand up before Hana jumped into her arms and hugged her.
"I missed you!"
Fareeha put her back on the ground and kneeled to make eye contact.
"I missed you too, Bunny."
"Can we have an eating contest? I've practiced, you'll see, I'll win this time!"
"An eating contest?" a voice giggled beside them.
Fareeha blushed lightly and stood up.
"Yeah, it's a thing we usually do at pool parties."
Hana frowned. She had a hard time seeing who was speaking because of the sun, even with her sunglasses on.
"Hana, this is Angela, my girlfriend."
Angela bent forward, her hands on her knees. Hana's eyes grew as wide as saucers. This was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her short life. Blond locks like her father's, but those looked like liquid gold in the sun's light. A perfect pale skin, like snow, and two sapphire-like eyes. She was about Fareeha's age, maybe a bit older, or so it seemed. Hana was mesmerized.
"Hi Hana, it's nice to meet you."
"Wow, you're so pretty. Can you be my mommy?"
The question surprised Angela, who looked back to Fareeha for instructions. The younger woman was just as surprised. Finally, Angela tried to let her down as smoothly as she could.
"Hum... I'm sorry Hana, but I can't be your mommy, I'm too young."
"Oh, it's okay. My daddy is old, but he's a daddy. It doesn't matter if you're young."
Fareeha finally intervened in a fit of panic:
"So, how about that eating contest?!"
That took Hana's mind of Angela, as she turned back to Fareeha with a large smile.
"Yeah! Come on!"
Hana ran to the buffet, and Fareeha walked behind her. Angela stood still for a moment, but Fareeha tugged lightly on her hand and smiled gently at her.
"Come on, you can cheer for me."
Angela decided to follow, although she was still confused about Hana's question.
"Why did she ask me to be her mommy?"
"Don't ask me. Hana was adopted by one of my parents' friend, Jack, and he's been single for as long as I can remember. Maybe she's decided she wanted to find a mom or something. You know how kids are. Our only problem now is that when Hana has something on her mind it's hard to make her change it."
Angela smiled.
"She reminds me of someone."
Fareeha blushed lightly, but didn't have time to reply, as Hana yelled from the other side of the garden and over the loud music:
"Come on Fareeha, there's almost no food left!"
Back in the kitchen, and after a small peeling contest, Jack and Gabe had managed to get through the entire pile of apples in less time that it takes to write it. They emerged proudly from the house, their apple smelling hands holding a beer bottle. Ana crossed her arms when she noticed them:
"You better be done and it better be good work."
"Oh you can check every single damn apple in the pile, they are all clean."
She frowned for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, I believe you. Jack, take over from Reinhardt, he's going to cut the apples."
"Have you done anything for this party, or has Reinhardt been working day and night for you?" Gabriel joked.
Ana turned around with a killing smile on her face, and Gabriel instantly regretted what he had just said. But her features quickly smoothed, and she replied:
"Oh no, I'm made the mashed potatoes. If you want some, go ahead, it's really good."
On those passive-aggressive words, she disappeared in the kitchen. The two men exchanged a look.
"Let's agree to not eat the mashed potatoes."
"You got it, babe."
"Alright, I'm gonna go take care of the barbecue. Can you make sure Bunny doesn't strangle herself with a crisp or something."
"Sure, no problem."
Half an hour later, Hana laid on her perfectly trimmed lawn, her stomach on the verge of exploding. While she had trained, her stomach was still far from being able to handle the quantity of food Fareeha could gulp down.
"I want a rematch..." Hana pathetically declared.
Fareeha sat beside her and cleaned Hana's sauce covered mouth.
"Next time, Bunny. Don't worry, one day you'll win."
"But I wanted to win today! I wanted to impress Angela!"
Fareeha looked over at her girlfriend, who had decided to sit in a corner until Fareeha was done because it had become rather boring to watch the two girls stuff their faces with everything they could find. She was currently talking with Brigitte, her father's mechanic.
"You really want Angela to be your mommy?"
"Yes. She's very pretty."
Fareeha laughed and ruffled Hana's hair. Her ponytail was already slipping away. Hana sat up even though her stomach protested against it, and undid her ponytail.
"You do know that it's not because she's very pretty that she would make a good mom, right?"
"But every mom is pretty! Lena's mom is pretty, and your mom is pretty, and grandma is pretty too. So moms have to be pretty!"
"I don't think that's how it works, Bunny. Why do you want a mom so much?"
"Because I have a dad but no mom and I'm the only one."
"You're not the only one. Olivia also only has a dad."
Hana crossed her arms.
"Olivia is mean. She always cheats when we play!"
Fareeha chuckled and ruffled her hair once again.
"Alright, why don't you give the whole mom thing a rest for now? Go sit somewhere until your stomach feels better. I heard there's apple pie for dessert."
"Apple pie! Yeah!"
As Jack was cooking yet another batch of ribs, wondering if there wasn't too much food already, but not daring to ask Ana, his little girl pulled a chair to sit beside him. She looked quite perplexed, perhaps a bit sad, but at least she had not died from choking on food yet, so there was already that.
"Hey Bunny. How are things going?"
"I lost at the eating contest again. And Angela doesn't want to be my mommy."
Jack frowned and decided that should Ana kill him for having deserted his cooking post, at least Hana would be smiling again. He placed the cooking pliers beside the already cooked meat and kneeled in front of his daughter.
"Who's Angela?"
"She's the prettiest girl I have ever seen. She's Fareeha girlfriend, and I asked if she could be my mommy but she said she was too young."
He let out a sigh.
"Hana... Does it really matter so much to you to have a mommy?"
"If I have a mommy and a daddy I can be like my friends."
"But why would you want to be like your friends when you are special?"
"I am special. But I can be special with a mommy!"
Jack let out a sigh. This was harder than he thought it would be. Ana, who overheard their conversation as she came to pick another batch of meat, smiled gently at Hana and declared:
"I can be your mommy, Bunny."
Hana seemed to consider it for a moment.
"But you're too old."
Jack couldn't quite stiffen his laughter in time, as Ana seemed not only surprised by the statement, but also quite offended.
"Why would you say that? I'm only two years older than your daddy!"
"Yeah but you have gray hair and he doesn't."
Ana took a deep breath.
"I warn you, little gremlin, another word and I'll throw you in the pool."
That seemed to quiet Hana, who had no intention of taking a dive in with her clothes on. Jack smiled back at his daughter.
"Alright, why don't you go and play with the other kids, and I'll call you when dessert is ready, okay?"
She nodded and went back inside, probably to fetch her DS Jack assumed. He then turned to Ana and declared:
"I got to talk to Gabe, can you take care of the BBQ?"
"Well, usually I would say no, but this is an emergency. You better be back in ten minutes, though, or else you'll be the one diving in the pool."
"Got it."
As he walked away in search of his friend Ana called him.
"Hey, Jack."
"Yeah?"
"It'll pass, don't worry. Remember that time Fareeha was into boys? It passed."
Jack smiled and nodded.
"Thanks."
Jack quickly zigzagged between the many guests, until he found Gabriel talking with Olivia, probably about socializing with the other kids. She was about as different from Hana as could be. Taller than most kids, with a skin tone lighter than Gabriel's and long dark hair. The large glasses balancing on her nose hid the mole under her left eye. She had her arms crossed, like Gabriel, as she listened to the same lecture he gave her every time.
"Why don't you go and play with Hana, then?"
"Because she's a crybaby! Every time we play Mario Kart she gets mad because I win."
"Liv..."
As he noticed Jack approaching he sighed.
"Alright, go. Just, try and make some friends, for once. Please?"
She shrugged and walked away, only to take the same spot she was occupying before he had called her over.
"Seven, and already acting like a teenager. I don't want to know what it will be like in seven years..."
"Have you told her yet?" Jack asked in a half-whisper.
"About what?"
"About us?"
"No. Why?"
"Hana's been asking questions about why she doesn't have a mommy and I... I don't know what to do, what to tell her..."
"So you want to tell her."
"I thought she wouldn't be ready, but then again she just asked Angela to be her mommy, so, you know..."
"Angela? Fareeha's girl?"
Gabriel laughed all-heartedly, to the point tears came to his eyes.
"Gabe, come on, she's six."
"Why did she ask Angela to be her mom?"
"She said she was the prettiest girl she had ever seen or something."
"Well, you should be proud of her, she's precocious."
Jack slapped Gabriel's arm with the back of his hand.
"Come on, be serious!"
"Yeah, sorry. So, you want to tell her this afternoon?"
"I think I have to. You want to tell Olivia as well?"
"Why not. After lunch?"
"Well, I was going to say before dessert."
Gabe shrugged.
"No, I'm okay with before dessert. Are you going to be okay with before dessert?"
Jack took in a deep breath.
"Yeah, I think I am."
Jack glanced around the garden to find Hana but found Ana glaring at him instead.
"Oh god, I should get back to the BBQ, or Ana is going to rip my head off."
Gabriel laughed again in that rich laughed that had first captured Jack's attention in another life.
"Why hasn't she got you back to work anyway?"
"Oh, I told her I was kid watching. I don't know where they are, but I'm watching out for them!"
Once Jack had cooked every single piece of meat in the Amari-Wilhelm household, he asked Ana if there was a quiet place he could speak with Hana. She told him to go in the guest room. He then asked Gabriel to find Olivia while he would find Hana, so they could meet in the guest room.
Hana was easy enough to find. She was with Lena, who had arrived slightly late because her father was always busy. He found the two girls seated on the lawn, talking about something he didn't really catch. The loud beating of his heart in his ears was mostly obstructing any other sounds. He realized it had been a while he hadn't been this nervous. The last time had been when he had gotten back with Gabriel, after a few years apart. The time before that was the moment the lady at the adoption center in South Korea had placed a little pink bundle in his arms. Now those two choices were about to collide in what could become the biggest moment of his life.
"Daddy?"
Hana's voice brought him back to reality. He kneeled down and said:
"I wanted to talk with you. Can you follow me?"
"Now?"
"Yes, now. I'm going to tell you a secret."
The girl's eyes shone with wonder. She loved secrets. She jumped to her feet and looked over at the little brunette with messy hair.
"I'll be right back Lena!"
"Okay!"
Hana excitedly followed her father into the house, and up the stairs, and inside the guest room. She instinctively sat on the big bed and looked at her father.
"So, what's the secret?"
"Hum... just, wait a bit, it's not ready yet."
She crossed her arms and waited, a bit exasperated by her father. She really wanted to go back outside to talk with Lena. The other girl had been telling her about this super cool movie she had seen last afternoon, about a guy driving a car in the future.
The door opened again, and Hana frowned. Gabriel walked in, Olivia in front of him. The other girl cocked her head in surprise.
"Why are they here? You told me you had something super important to tell me."
"Yeah, yeah, sit down and I'll tell you."
Olivia shrugged and sat down next to Hana, who looked with the same confusion to her father.
"Why is Olivia here? You said it was a secret!"
Jack nervously scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah well... it's a secret about all of us."
Now Hana was intrigued. The two men exchanged a look, and Gabriel asked:
"You sure?"
"Yeah, alright, let's do this..."
As if to give himself some courage, Jack took a hold of Gabriel's hand, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Olivia.
"Oh my god, really?! I knew it!"
Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"What really, you knew?"
"Well, kinda... I had my doubts, really. Come on, you were not even subtle about it!"
Jack gave a look at Gabriel who laughed awkwardly.
"I may have talked about you, often."
"Often, more like all the time!"
Hana had looked the entire interaction with confusion, and finally screamed:
"What is going on?!"
Jack let out a nervous laugh, and kneeled before his daughter, without letting go of Gabriel's hand.
"Gabriel is my boyfriend."
Hana's eye grew wide of surprise, but soon her smile turned even bigger.
"Does that mean I have two daddies?"
Jack chuckled.
"You could say that..."
"And two daddies is better than a daddy and a mommy! Yeah!"
Hana jumped from the bed and hugged her father before she jumped to Gabriel and hugged him too. He was surprised at first but returned her hug with a smile. He looked over to Olivia who was just watching the interaction with a disapproving shake of the head.
"You want a hug too, honey?"
"No, I'm okay."
As Hana let go of Gabriel she seemed to understand something.
"Wait, does that mean I have to be sister with Olivia?"
Both men exchanged a look. They both knew how their daughters did not get along at all. They shrugged.
"I don't want to be sister with Olivia!" Hana complained.
Olivia readjusted her glasses and crossed her arms.
"You don't have a choice, Bunny."
Hana would have probably replied something angrily hadn't Ana called loudly for dessert from the bottom of the stairs. Hana then looked over to her father.
"Can I go get dessert?"
"Of course. Both of you go down, we'll catch up."
Olivia stood up and went out the door, closely followed by Hana, who looked longly at the other girl shirt.
"Is that a Star Wars shirt?"
Sophia barely spared her a glance as she proudly arbored her shirt.
"Yes. I just saw all of the six movies, and my dad bought me this shirt."
Hana's eye once again grew wide, as if her world had been opened to an infinity of possibilities.
"Wait, there are six Star Wars movies?!"
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. Everyone had apple pie and took bits and pieces from other desserts the guests had brought. The pool was then opened, and Hana was one of the first in. She was completely mesmerized when Fareeha and Angela joined them, as Angela was absolutely magnificent in her swimsuit. Fareeha threw her in the pool for staring at her girlfriend and threatened to do so to everyone who would dare to do the same. She had the muscles for it. Reinhardt laughed about it for a long while.
Once Hana was shivering out of the pool, Olivia proposed to play Mario Kart together, for their first games as sisters. Hana accepted, only because she never backed down from any challenge. Olivia cheated anyway, and Hana almost managed to push her in the pool for it, if Gabriel had not been quicker. Needless to say, Olivia was less than happy about it, and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to drown, quite unsuccessfully, her father.
Hana fell asleep from exhaustion some time before the sun started to dip over the horizon. One after the other, the guests began to leave, until Jack decided that it was time to leave. Gabriel left as well, only because he didn't want to help with the clean up afterward. Ana threatened them, but this time they ignored her and told her that she was in luck because not only she had a husband, she also had a daughter who had brought an extra set of hands home.
Hana slept through the entire way home, and only woke up when Jack parked in front of their house because her tummy was rumbling. Jack carried her inside, and she slumped on the couch until he called for dinner, and once she had gulped down her pasta he sent her straight to bed.
While she was putting her pajamas on, Jack went back to his room and fetched her stuffed bunny she had left there in the morning. He went to her room and found her climbing in her small bed. He handed her her bunny, which she hugged strongly, and tugged her in. He then kneeled beside her, and lightly caressed her hair.
"You had fun today?"
She nodded, then asked in a tired voice:
"Am I going to have to share my room with Olivia?"
"Don't worry Bunny, we are not moving in together just yet. Plus, I think here is too small for four people."
"We need a bigger house then. With a pool."
He chuckled.
"You got it. Now sleep, there's school tomorrow."
"Can I tell my friends I have two daddies now?"
"If you want to."
"I already told Lena, she said it was super cool."
He kissed her cheek to put an end to her tired rambling.
"Alright, sleep tight, Bunny."
"Goodnight daddy."
"Goodnight Hana."
As silently as he could, Jack walked out of the girl's room and turned off the small lamp beside the door. He left the door ajar and turned off the hallway's light. He went back to the living room, where he turned on the TV and lowered the sound as much as possible. He took out his phone and texted Gabriel like he usually did once Hana was sleeping.
Jack "Well, Hana is already ready to have us all move in in a big house with a pool."
Gabe "Why not?"
Jack "Seriously?"
Gabe "I have the day off tomorrow, you want me to look that up?"
Jack "I don't know if I should kill you or kiss you right now."
Gabe "Oh you can do both, but you should wait until we've signed the contract."
Jack "Contract?"
Gabe "Oh, and Olivia said she wanted to be the ring bearer. Guess Hana will have to carry your train."
A/N: Hi guys! Long time no see I guess! So, a little story for you. After I had finished Guilty (which was a while back, mind you), I began working on a Modern AU about the Morrison-Reyes household. It was supposed to be called Hana's Diary, and was basically Hana writing down her day in her diary. I had a few chapters down to paper before I lost interrest. Now this morning, I woke up with this very cool concept, of Dad 76 having to deal with 6 years old Hana asking every woman she encountered if they wanted to be her mommy. You just read what came off of that concept. What I accidentally (or not) did, however, was making it a prequel to Hana's Diary.
So here's a question for you guys: Do you want more? Because I can totally rework Hana's Diary, which would take place about ten years after this story, to make it a full fledge series. Your choice. Because I've noticed that people usually want more, so here you have the choice. Please let me know, leave a review, so I can work on it as soon as possible, should you want more that is. I think I kind of want more too, anyway :)
Thank you for reading, and I'll see you soon, I hope!
