It had been a few days since John had met his daughter, and they were slowly getting used to each other. Alexandra seemed to not be as hesitant around him, and John was learning to be more open with the little girl and not as closed off as he tended to be. He thought back to the first night after they'd returned to the park. He had watched as his mother had helped Alexandra through her bedtime routine. Much to his relief, he found out that Alexandra had been potty trained, so he wouldn't have to be dealing with diapers, at least.

"I should warn you, though," His mother had said, "She did have a couple accidents, mostly overnight, after her mom passed away. Kids, especially those new to being potty trained, can sometimes revert when experiencing trauma like the loss of a family member, or a major change to their environment."

John had thought his mother's words over carefully before verifying, "So, you're saying that after we move to California, she might have another regression?"

"It is possible," Helen had nodded, "The thing is to not get mad; she'll likely be embarrassed enough. Just comfort her, assure her that it's okay, and help her clean up, get into some new clothes, and change out her bed sheets if it happens overnight."

John had nodded his understanding and at his mother's suggestion, made sure that he added a mattress protector to the list of things he should get when they made their way to Pendleton.

John and Alexandra would be flying out to San Diego in another couple days, but for the time being, they were making the most of their hotel stay. Since it was raining, they'd opted to take advantage of the hotel's indoor pool. John had fond memories of his father teaching him how to swim when he wasn't much older than Alexandra, and figured it was a good idea to teach her since they would be living near a large body of water, not to mention the pool that was bound to be part of the base's rec center.

Alexandra was nervous at first, but learned quickly, a trait that John was sure came from her mother. As soon as she was comfortable with being in the water, John had convinced her to jump from the side of the pool into his arms. He'd now spent the last 20 minutes or so listening to 'Catch me, Daddy!' excited squeals as she landed in his arms, and then demands to do it again. The amused look on his mother's face from where she sat on a lounge chair, did not escape him.

"Alright, Kid, that's enough for your old dad today," John lightly admonished the girl, "Why don't we go spend some time with Nanna?"

"Okay, Daddy," Alexandra nodded, clinging to him as he made his way to the steps leading out of the shallow end of the pool.

John quickly wrapped one of the pool towels around Alexandra's shivering little body and handed her over to her nanna to dry off a bit as he quickly ran a towel over his body to dry off, as well. As it turned out, Alexandra didn't want to sit with her nanna, instead as soon as John took a seat on his own lounger, the little girl made quick work of climbing into his lap and snuggling against his chest and was soon asleep. He heard the sound of a picture being taken and looked over to see his mother holding a digital camera.

"It was just too cute to pass up," Helen smiled at her son. "I always knew you'd take to being a daddy quickly."

"I doubt that; I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, Mom," John huffed, "I mean, right now, you're here with me, able to make up for my shortcomings, help me when I don't know what to do… what am I going to do when we are clear across the country?"

"You know, there is such a thing as a telephone," Helen chuckled before sitting back and considering her son's words, "I wouldn't mind coming out to California," She shrugged, "I've been feeling a bit pasty as of late, I think the sun could do me some good. Besides, Debbie is finishing up law school and is living with some of her girlfriends now and doesn't really need me. I'm retired, and your father, rest his soul, is long gone. Frankly, that house is much too big for me, anyhow."

"You would do that?" John asked, astonished.

"Oh, Johnny, of course I would," Helen assured him, "Ever since that colonel of yours called me to tell me everything, I've even been looking at condos that are a short driving distance from the base. Two bedrooms; just in case Alexandra needs to stay with me while you're deployed, although you may prefer me to stay with her at your place, so we don't change up her routine too much, but that's something to discuss further later."

"I don't know what to say," John shook his head.

"Say 'Thank you, you're the best mom and nanna ever,'" Helen smirked at him, earning an amused grunt from her son.

"Thanks, Mom for being willing to upend your life to help us out." John stated, earnestly, "I'll make sure you get a 'Worlds best mother and nanna' mug for your next Mother's Day."

"I'd better," Helen snickered.

"How soon do you think you can come out?" John asked.

"I've already got a realtor working on selling the house," Helen shrugged, "Shouldn't take me but a week or so to pack up. I may need to stay with you for a while until I can get a better look at the condos I've been looking at. Online isn't as good as in person for these kinds of things."

"Hey, you could just stay with us and not bother with getting a condo," John suggested.

"No, you need your space, as do I," Helen assured him, "I'll be close enough to help if needed, or just visit."

John grunted his understanding and relaxed back on his chair for a few minutes, "I think it might be a good idea to have Alexandra move into my room for the rest of the time here. Give her some time to get used to being around me at night."

"Her bag is already packed, I can pick it, and Sugar Bear, up and bring it up to you once we leave the pool." Helen informed him, "I was going to suggest it if you hadn't."

John nodded and they sat in comfortable silence for a while longer before Alexandra began to stir in his arms and the decision was made to head upstairs and get cleaned up. When they got up to his room, John filled the tub and helped his daughter out of her bathing suit so she could get in the tub. He quickly washed the chlorine off of her before realizing that he didn't have her special shampoo in the room.

Almost as if she knew, he heard his mother opening the door to the room with the spare key he'd given her, "I got to the room and realized her no tears shampoo was still in my shower," Helen explained, coming into the bathroom and handing him the bottle.

"Thanks, Mom," John grunted, accepting the bottle before turning back to where his daughter sat, splashing slightly in the water. Luckily, he'd had the foresight to grab one of the disposable coffee cups from next to the sink to use to pour water over his daughter's hair to wash it. "Okay, kid, tip your head back."

When Alexandra complied to his direction, he did as his mother had taught him, he placed the side of one hand on the girl's forehead to prevent the water from getting in her eyes as he scooped up water in the cup and poured it over her head until the girl's hair was wet. He squirted a small bit of the shampoo into his hands and quickly washed Alexandra's hair, rinsing off his hands before having her tip her head back again so he could rinse the shampoo from her hair.

"You learn quick," Helen praised him from where she leaned on the doorframe, watching him bathe his daughter. "You know, you're better at this daddy thing than you give yourself credit for."

"Maybe," John shrugged, reaching over to unstop the drain. He grabbed a towel from the nearby shelf and, wrapping it around Alexandra, lifted the girl out of the tub to stand on the bathmat while he toweled her off. When Helen had come back with Alexandra's things, she'd pulled out an outfit for the little girl and set it on the counter in the bathroom. Once the girl was sufficiently dry, her father dressed her.

"Alright kid, let's go brush out your hair," John instructed, "Go sit on the bed and I'll be there in a minute."

"Yes, Sir," Alexandra nodded and skipped out of the bathroom.

Helen quietly observed as John pulled a comb and a hair tie from the small toiletry kit from Alexandra's luggage before walking over to sit on the bed, leaned up against the headboard, legs spread out. Alexandra crawled over and sat down, crisscross applesauce between his legs and facing away from him as she patiently waited for her daddy to comb out the tangles in her hair. Helen couldn't help but giggle at John's terrible attempt at braiding the little girl's hair. It was uneven and messy, and looked like the girl had slept hard with the braid in.

At John's frown, Helen couldn't hold in her laughter anymore, "Oh, I'm sorry Johnny, I don't mean to laugh, I know you're doing your best and you'll get better with practice. I'm sure you can find some tutorials on YouTube on how to style girl's hair, and once I'm able to move to California, I can teach you as well."

John huffed a grunt of consternation

"Oh, don't pout, Johnny, we all have to learn somehow." Helen assured him, walking over to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Would you mind fixing it while I take a shower so we can go for supper?" John asked.

"Of course," Helen nodded, waiting for John to get up before taking his place and quickly undoing and combing out Alexandra's hair.

"It's not nice to laugh at Daddy," Alexandra admonished her, "You shouldn't hurt people's feelings, Nanna."

"You're right, little bug," Helen admitted, "I'll give your daddy a real apology when he gets out of the shower, okay?"

"Okay," The girl nodded.

"Hold still while I redo your braid." Helen instructed, quickly plaiting the girl's hair into a French braid that ran from the girl's hairline down her back. She had just secured the hair tie when the bathroom door swung open and John stepped out, clothed in a pair of jeans and a well warn USMC sweatshirt.

True to her word, Helen walked over to her son and got his attention, "John, I'm sorry I laughed at your attempt at braiding Alexandra's hair. I know you're trying, and I shouldn't diminish your efforts by laughing at your expense, that isn't fair of me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Mom," John assured her, "Thank you for your apology."

"Now hug and make up," A little voice demanded, they turned to see Alexandra watching them, her hands on her little hips.

The two chuckled and embraced.

"I love you Mom," John said quietly.

"I love you too, Johnny," Helen smiled up at him, "Now let's go eat, I'm hungry."

John agreed and scooped up his daughter in his arms, following his mother out of the room. They decided to split a pizza from a nearby pizza place before heading back to the hotel.


John did his best to follow Alexandra's normal bedtime routine. Brush teeth, get in bed, read a story, say prayers, then lights out. Alexandra seemed to go down okay and was soon asleep. Since it was still early yet, John decided to read quietly for a couple hours before turning in, himself.

He'd just closed his book and was about to turn out the light when he noticed that Alexandra was tossing and turning in her bed, whimpering in her sleep. Not sure what to do, but determined to save his daughter from any anguish, real or imagined, he quickly got out of bed and sat on the edge of Alexandra's, shaking her awake with his large hand on her back.

"Hey kid, wake up," He spoke softly so he wouldn't startle her.

Alexandra shot up in bed and immediately threw herself, bodily, at him, barely giving him time to catch her as her little body was wracked with sobs. He held her, letting her cry, not knowing how else to handle what was going on. He never knew what to do with a woman's tears, not his mother's, not his sister's, not Kathleen's, and not his daughter's, so for now he'd let her have a good long cry, if that's what she needed.

"What's the matter kid?" John asked softly when her sobs began to ebb a bit. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Uh-huh," Alexandra whimpered pitifully, "I dreamed that the bad man who took Mommy away came and took Nanna and Daddy away, too." She began to cry again.

"Hey, kid," John coaxed, lifting her face to look up at him as he spoke, "The bad man isn't going to take me or Nanna away, I promise. He's too far away to hurt any of us anymore, and in a couple days you and me, kid, we're going to move so far away from here to California. Granted it's a state full of hippies and weirdos, but it's also far, far, away from anyone who wants to hurt my little girl." He gently wiped the tears from Alexandra's eyes with the sleeve of his t-shirt, "And you know what else?" Alexandra shook her head, 'no.' "After a while, Nanna is going to come join us. She's going to live with us at our house for a little bit before she finds her own house. So, the bad man is not going to get us today, tomorrow, or ever, okay?"

Alexandra nodded quickly, "Okay."

"Okay, now let's get back to bed," John instructed, laying the girl back down in her bed before going over to his and climbing in. Just as he was about to turn out the light, he saw Alexandra lift her head a little bit.

"Daddy, can I sleep with you?" Alexandra asked quietly, as if she were afraid of his answer, "Nanna lets me sleep with her when I have a bad dream."

"Alright, kid," John scooted over and lifted the corner of the comforter from his bed as Alexandra climbed out of her bed and made her way over to his, climbing in and snuggling up to her Daddy's side. John dropped a kiss on her little head before turning out the light.

"Good night, Daddy," The disembodied little voice of his daughter sounded in the darkness.

"Good night, Kid," John echoed, and the pair soon fell back to sleep.


The next couple days sped by in a blur and soon John found himself back in the lobby of the hotel, Alexandra's tiny hand in his own big one, their bags on a bell cart being loaded onto the airport shuttle. Helen had driven in from Aurora and had already taken her bags out to load up in her car before returning with Alexandra's carseat. Over the course of the last week, she'd made sure that John knew how to secure the seat into a vehicle as well as how to properly secure Alexandra in the seat itself. The carseat itself also sat on the bell cart, waiting for John to collect it and secure it in the shuttle.

"I'm going to miss you two," Helen sighed, hugging her granddaughter and then turning to embrace her son.

"We'll miss you too, Mom," John assured her, wrapping her in a tight hug, "Thank you for… well, for everything the past couple weeks. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd figure it out," Helen stated confidently, "Now go catch your ride to the airport before it leaves without you. I love you both and I'll see you soon."

The three of them shared hugs and kisses before Helen shooed them off to catch their ride to the airport. Not being able to bear watching them drive off, she turned and quickly made her way to the parking garage to retrieve her car and head back home.

"Ready to go, kid?" John asked, squeezing her little hand in his.

She gave him a tentative nod and they walked over to the shuttle. He helped her up then had her stand next to him as he strapped her carseat in. "Alright, up you get," He lifted her into her seat and quickly did up the straps which vaguely reminded him of the harness he'd use on military aircraft, only with plastic fittings rather than metal. Once he was sure she was secured in her seat, he took his own and waited for the one or two others who were heading to the airport to board and take their seats.

The ride to the airport was quick, and the other guests were on the same airline as he and Alexandra were, so the driver didn't seem any more rushed than they usually would be when dropping off passengers. Much to John's surprise, the shuttle driver had even fetched a skycap for the airline and the two of them made quick work of loading up the cart while John unfastened his daughter and her carseat and led her out of the shuttle. John tipped the driver a little extra for the additional assistance and gave his information to the skycap so that their luggage could be tagged.

"Are you checking the carseat, sir?" The skycap asked.

"No, it's coming with us," John informed him.

"Alright," The skycap nodded, turning toward his computer and typing a few things in before luggage tags came spitting out of his printer, "Will you be needing your boarding passes?"

John nodded with an affirming grunt and waited for the skycap to print off their tickets and slip them into an envelope, attaching the claim tickets for their luggage to the exterior of the envelope before handing it all back to John. "Thanks," He nodded, then led his daughter into the terminal.

He nearly laughed at his daughter's awed expression as he led her into the large airport. Seeing how busy it was, and concerned that Alexandra might be bumped out of his grasp, he knelt down and picked her up in one arm to carry her through the terminal. He set her down briefly to pull out his ID to match against the boarding passes before picking her up to carry her over to the security check point. Every time Alexandra had her feet on the floor, John had told her she had to either hold onto his hand or to the side of his pants so she wouldn't get lost. Clearing security, he collected their shoes and the carseat before guiding the girl over to a set of benches nearby to put their shoes back on.

The whole process from arriving to the airport, to taking the tram to their terminal, and arriving at the gate, took longer than he was used to, now that he had his daughter with him. He made a mental note to call and thank his mother for recommending they leave early to give themselves some extra time. They still had another 45 minutes before their flight was schedule to board, so he guided her to a nearby fast food stand and bought them an early lunch; a burger combo for himself and a chicken nugget kids meal with milk for Alexandra.

The boarding area was full when they arrived at the gate, so John scoped out a patch of floor near the ticket counter for him and his daughter to sit. "Alright, kid we're going to have a little airport picnic for lunch." He made quick work of opening the containers of ketchup and barbecue sauce for their fries and Alexandra's nuggets, then opening her little carton of milk and putting a straw in it for her. "Eat up, then you can play with your toy."

"Yes, Sir," Alexandra nodded, the pigtails he'd painstakingly put in her hair bobbing with the motion as she tucked into her meal. He must have redone her hair at least three times to get the part straight, his Marine pride wouldn't allow for anything less.

They'd just finished their lunch and tossed their garbage when their plane arrived, Alexandra watched in fascination as the jetway was moved over to the airplane, although she wasn't too fond of the loud ringing it made as it moved. John knew it would take a bit for the plane to be unloaded and cleaned for them to board, so he collected his daughter and their things and headed toward the restroom.

"I don't have to potty, Daddy," The little girl protested when he led her into the large handicap stall.

"You need to at least try," John told her, "It's a long plane ride and we don't want to use the airplane bathrooms unless we have no other choice."

Alexandra let out a very Casey-like grunt of protest before letting him help her up onto the seat. "Daddy, why are there water fountains in the boy's bathroom?"

John could hear a chuckle from a nearby stall at the question and had to hold in one of his own before explaining, "They're not water fountains, kid. They're special potties that boys use because they can pee standing up."

"Can I pee standing up?" Alexandra asked.

"No, you ain't got the right plumbing for it," John stated simply. "Are you just about done?"

"Yeah," Alexandra nodded.

"Alright," John nodded, "Let's go wash our hands so we can get on our plane."

As they were washing their hands, John spotted a man looking at them out of the corner of his eye. "You got a problem?"

"No," The man shook his head, he was shorter than John with dark, short hair and glasses, "I just couldn't help overhearing you and your daughter. I've got three girls at home, and I can't tell you how hard it was the first time I had to explain to my oldest about what a urinal was. I'm actually on my way home to Portland to see them."

John grunted his acknowledgment and, once their hands were dried, scooped Alexandra into his arms and quickly made his way back to the gate for their flight. The gate agent had just started her boarding announcements when they walked up. "...parents with small children, those who need a little more time getting down the jet bridge, and active military are welcome to board at this time."

They got into the line with one or two others and made their way to where the gate agent stood collecting tickets. The woman smiled and tore off the small part of their boarding passes before sending them down the jetway to their plane. Due to his long legs, John had made sure to get them seats in the extra leg room area of the main cabin. He had Alexandra sit in the aisle seat while he strapped her carseat into the window. Once it was secure, he strapped her in and took his own seat, hoping that no one would have booked the middle seat between them.

The rest of the boarding process took another 20 minutes or so to complete, and thankfully no one was booked in the seat between himself and his daughter. Thankfully he hadn't had to keep her occupied as Alexandra was more than entertained watching the little people with their tractors and trailers moving around the tarmac. He heard the announcement that boarding was complete and heard the thunk-thunk of the doors being closed and locked before the flight attendants began their safety briefing as the plane lurched into motion.

They taxied around the large airport for a while before it was their turn to take off. He heard his daughter gasp as the plane began to pick up speed and eventually rise into the air. The plane rocked back and forth a bit as it rose, not terribly surprising for the windy city, but a little jarring for those who weren't used to it.

Alexandra mostly slept during the flight, but John saw her playing with her ears from time to time. As the flight began to descend into the San Diego Airport, Alexandra began to get more irritated, whimpering and repeating, "Owie… owie, Daddy."

John asked her what hurt, but the little girl just kept repeating herself. By the time they landed, Alexandra was crying, worrying John even more. Since it was an awkward process to get the car seat in and out of the seat, he waited until most of the passengers had deplaned before unbuckling Alexandra and disconnecting the seatbelt that had been looped through the base of the carseat. While he was doing so, Alexandra sat in his seat, still whimpering.

One of the flight attendants took pity on him and gently explained that Alexandra's ears might be hurting because of the changes in the cabin pressure, especially during take off and landing. "Once her ears clear, she should be okay," She assured him with a kind smile.

John grunted his thanks and led his daughter off the plane. Once they were in the jetway, he scooped Alexandra up once more and carried her down to the baggage claim area to collect their bags. When he arrived, he found a stack of carts waiting near the carousel where their baggage would be brought up and set the carseat on it, pushing it with one hand while carrying Alexandra in his other arm.

"Okay, Alexandra, I'm going to have to put your down when our bags come around, but you will need to stay close by me when I do," John instructed. "If for some reason you can't find me, you go over to that room there," He pointed to the baggage service office for the airline, "And tell them you lost your daddy."

"Yes, sir." Alexandra nodded.

"Good," John grunted and turned back to watch the carousel start up, and a slow parade of luggage drift past them on a conveyor belt. As bags were claimed, the amount of people hovering around the belt lessened, allowing John and Alexandra to move closer to the carousel. A few minutes later, John spotted their luggage, thankfully close to each other, with a bag or two in between. Setting her down, he told Alexandra to hold on to their cart while he put the bags on it.

Once their bags were collected and the carseat was stacked on top of their bags, John scooped Alex up again and headed out to where the taxi stand sat. Just as they were about to exit the building, they were stopped by the sound of a woman calling out, "Captain Casey! Captain Casey!"

John stopped and turned to see a female enlisted Marine in her service uniform, walking briskly towards them. "Can I help you Lance Corporal?" He asked evenly.

"I'm your ride to base, Sir," The woman stated, "I would have been here sooner, but there was an accident on the I-5 that delayed my arrival. If you'll follow me, I will take you to get settled."

Casey grunted his agreement and turned to follow the younger woman out of the terminal.

"Would you like me to take the cart so you can just carry your daughter, Sir?" The woman offered.

"Sure," John nodded, they walked a few more moments before he spoke again, "You got a name, Lance Corporal?"

"Bricker, Sir, Emily Bricker," She informed him.

"I knew a Bricker some time back," John stated, "Gunnery Sargent, if I'm not mistaken, good Marine."

"My great aunt on my father's side, Sir," Bricker informed him, "She retired a couple years ago. She was my inspiration to join the Corps when I started considering going into the military."

John grunted his understanding as they made their way the parking structure where the SUV that Lance Corporal Bricker had driven was parked. She unlocked the vehicle and, under Casey's instruction, loaded the luggage into the trunk of the SUV while Casey installed Alexandra's carseat. Luggage loaded, cart returned, and Alexandra secured, Casey and Bricker got into the SUV to head towards Pendleton.