May 21, 2006
Tucson, Arizona

Happy was sitting on the couch watching his daughter play on the floor in front of him. He watched her viciously push her dark locks over her shoulder and he smiled.

He heard Hanna walk into the room and he looked back at her, silently summoning her to him and she sat down beside him.

"She's just like you…" He murmured, squeezing her thigh.

Hanna nodded her head, smiling at him. "Yeah, yeah she is but she's got your short temper so I guess she's even for it."

"Haven't seen her bad side yet, she's not bratty is she?"

The blonde shook her head. "Not really, sassy though… Good god, she's the queen of sass. How long are you in town for?"

"She gets it honest, beauty, you know that though." He smirked at her, leaning toward her to press his lips to hers. "I'm here until you're ready to go, baby and not a second sooner."

Hanna turned her attention back to her daughter who was now looking at them. "Mommy?"

"Whatty?" Hanna moved from the couch so she could squat in front of her two year old hellion.

The dark-haired, dark-eyed two year old smiled, faint dimples on display as she did so, at her mother. "Is he one of Snow's dwarfs?"

"Who, him?" Hanna pointed to Happy and he cocked an eyebrow at the pair. The blond looked at her daughter again who nodded her head. "No, baby, he's just someone that really really cares about you."

Veronica looked at Happy, staring at him for a few minutes. "Really? Why?"

"Why don't you go ask him?" Hanna held her hands out for Veronica to grab and the girl did so, standing up and walking over to Happy after she fixed her dress. "Be nice, Hap." Hanna quickly left the room, going outside.

Veronica looked at the man before climbing her way own onto the couch, ignoring his hand of help. "My mommy says you care about me, is that true?"

"Very much so, kid." Hap nodded his head, his dark eyes connecting with the matching stare of his two year old baby girl.

She turned to look directly at him, a look of confusion now on her beautiful little face. "But I don't know you."

"I gave you that…" Hap's large hand grabbed the necklace that held the charm of a heart, an L in the middle of it. "And this." Hap's fingers skimmed over the bracelet with the words Little Beauty engraved on the plate of the bracelet, he had it specially made for Veronica.

She stared at the bracelet, confusion still written all over her face. "How do you know me?"

"I've known you your whole life. I was there the day you were born." A faint smile appeared on Happy's face as Veronica's dark gaze connected with him again.

The tiny beauty's mouth formed an O-shape as she heard him. "Do you know where my daddy is then?" At that question, Hap bowed his head. How could he possibly explain this to a two year old? He suddenly wished Hanna hadn't left him alone with Veronica.

"Does your mama ever mention him?" Hap found a question of his own, trying to steer the little girl elsewhere.

Veronica nodded her little head. "Uh huh, says that we look alike and that he loves me a lot." Veronica pushed her hair out of her face again. "I think I look like her. Do you think I'm pretty like my Mommy?"

"Just like her, you're the most beautiful thing." Hap smiled at his daughter, he couldn't stop himself at this point, whatever questions the two year old had would go answered.

Veronica smiled, her dark eyes trying to look elsewhere. "Do you like her?"

"I love her."

She shrugged her shoulders, looking confused again. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"Nope…"

Veronica's eyebrows leaped into her forehead at this sudden revelation, her world suddenly meaning something else before her features softened, her dark eyes looking down at her hands in her lap. "What about me?"

"I love you too. With all my heart, kid." He grabbed her chin, lifting it up so he could look into her eyes. "I've loved you since the moment I found out about you."

Veronica's eyes lit up, a dimpled smile forming. "How come that yellow headed man called me Happy Jr.?"

"Because you look a lot like me." He smirked, only hoping the girl would understand everything now. "How come you're so chipper and talkative?"

The tiny dark-featured beauty's face fell at his words before she shrugged her tiny shoulders, her hands upturned in the air. "I dunno what that means…"

"Come here." Happy held his hands out as he stood up, picking up his baby girl as she reached her arms out to him. He carried her to the bathroom in Hanna's room, standing her up on the counter in front of him once he had her turned around to face the mirror. "Same dark eyes, same tan skin and when I do have hair, it's the same dark, curly way that yours is." He flipped her hair over her shoulder. "In a nutshell, we look exactly alike, kid."

Veronica stared at him through the mirror, confusion eating her alive now. "But Mommy says I look like my Daddy…"

"And you do…" Hanna's voice flowed through the room and the identical pair turned to look at her. "If I say you look like your daddy and Happy just pointed out all the things that make you look identical to him, what do you think that means, baby?" She stepped closer to the pair, her hand coming to rest on Hap's lower back. She shrugged her shoulders. "I told you your daddy loves you very much and Happy says he loves you the same amount, what do you think that means?"

Veronica looked between her parents, her mind still trying to put it together. "Happy's my daddy?" Her head fell, her bottom lip beginning to poke out. "Since when?"

"Since forever, kid…" Hap leaned against the counter in front of Veronica, their foreheads met making them level with each other. "Do you understand all of this?"

She mumbled a yes as her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs wrapped around his torso. Hap's arms wrapped around the little girl and he backed away from the counter, leaving Hanna standing closer to it. "Why don't you put her down for a nap?" Hanna's ocean blue eyes stared at Hap, watching him kiss Veronica's head. "Lay her down in her bed."

"Can he lay with me?" Veronica raised her eyebrows, looking at her mother. Hanna nodded her head and Veronica laid her head down on Hap's shoulder, burying her face in his neck.

"That was interesting… Why'd you tell her?" Hap asked, approaching the bed where Hanna was sitting with her head in her hands. "What's wrong?" Hanna shook her head, trying to ignore the man. "Either you tell me or I get physical…"

She slowly looked up at the man, tears running down her face. "We wouldn't have to even go through shit like that if I hadn't left Charming."

"You left for a good reason." He pulled the blonde off the bed and framed her face with his hands. "I was a dumbass and fucked everything up between us, you were just trying to punish me like I deserved."

Their eyes never left each other, Hanna's small hands landed on top of his that still rested on her beautiful face. "You know this won't be easy, right?"

"When has it ever been easy for us, Hanna? Being with you is the best and worst idea I ever had, baby. You're fuckin' bat-shit crazy and so smart and beautiful and I don't know how to make it safely without you." He kissed her lips, briefly. "You are so foolish and I should beat the hell out of you for taking off and leaving me and taking that kid from me. Goddamn, Hanna, I missed you so fucking much, I missed her and I missed a year and a half of her life. I didn't get to see her do anything, walk, talk, and the birthdays. I wanna kill you, baby… You took away so much from me and I was all over this damn coast looking for you." His hands fell from her face before his head landed on her shoulder. "I was so stupid, I shouldn't have ever did that… I was just lost and pissed off and I don't really have any excuses for that shit but Hanna, I'm sorry, I am." He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her neck. "Just come back to me, baby, please."

Hanna's arms wrapped around his neck, trying her best to be close to him, comfort him and hold them up but his weight won out as they started to fall on the bed. She laughed as he hovered over her, shaking his head as he tried his hardest to hide his smile. "I'm sorry I took her away from you, Hap… I'm sorry I even left. I know we should've worked that shit out and I'm sorry we didn't… I'm sorry you missed so much, that's all my fault. I was just so angry at you, you betrayed me and broke my damn heart." He lowered his head to her chest, pressing a kiss to her collarbone before resting his head against her breasts.

"I love you, baby, I love you so much. I'm sorry, baby, please, please forgive me, come back to me." Hap whispered, wedging her legs apart and intertwining his legs with hers as her hands found their way on the inside of his t-shirt and down his back, slowly rubbing his back.

She pressed a kiss to his head, continuing to rub his back. "I'm not going anywhere this time, I'm here, Hap." She pressed another kiss to his head. "It's gonna be hell but I'm staying."

AN: Here's one for you beauties ;)

Let me know what ya think (: