The next few days passed with a careful dance between Scott and Angie.

Angie found that they settled into some semblance of routine. In the morning Scott had her make breakfast with him, and every time Angie was surprised to find she had an appetite by the time they were done. After that, Scott would drive them to the base so he could work out and Angie would climb her perch to read while he did that. After that first day, he didn't spar again when she was watching and they didn't see much of Bravo. Angie heard something about 'spin up' and gathered they were away.

That made Scott go quieter and she got the sense he wasn't happy they were gone without him. In turn Angie got quieter too because she was worried he was mad that he had to take care of her instead of working.

After the work out he would take her somewhere.

One day it was a peaceful hike up the trials. Angie loved the outdoors and it soothed her in ways she couldn't explain. The next day it was to see where she would be going to school on Monday. Her teacher was sick so she didn't get to meet her, but she got a tour of the school and was able to see her classroom while the kids were outside for recess. After that overwhelming trip, Scott took her to the library and she was given free rein to bring home as many books as she wanted. She picked five and hid in them for the rest of the day so she didn't have to think about school.

By the time they finished the outings, it would be time for lunch and they went home again. The afternoons were quiet. Angie would get lost in her books, exhausted from the morning, and Scott would either read too or spend a few hours with his computer. Without fail he would get restless around four and Angie found herself getting dragged outside for another walk.

She'd never walked so much in her life. Her feet were starting to hurt everyday by the time dinner came around, not that she dared to say anything.

Communication was a work in progress. Angie learned quickly that Scott wasn't naturally chatty, so she followed his lead and didn't speak much either. He communicated without words more often than not. The most he ever talked in the day was right before bedtime, when he would read to her. Other than that neither of them spoke at length about much more than the mundane or Angie dutifully answering questions that her dad occasionally asked. She was too afraid to speak without prompting. She didn't even know what to call her dad when addressing him. In her head she'd been alternating between calling him 'Scott' and 'dad', but she didn't dare use any kind of address for fear of using the wrong term.

Those days were exhausting, what with Angie being so anxious to make him happy so she could stay. The fact he seemed to physically keep his distance from her didn't help anything. She worried he didn't want her to be near him the same way he let Jameelah, and she was too afraid to ask despite having this aching inside for someone to hold her close. At this point she just didn't care that she didn't know him well, or that it had been hardly a week. She just wanted a hug so badly.

Overall, her favorite part of the day by far was in the evenings when her dad would read to her. That was the only point at which she could trust herself to relax and she got some semblance of closeness with someone. They would settle on the couch, just like that first night. He would start reading, picking up from where she'd fallen asleep the night before and pretending not to notice when Angie got sleepy. Eventually Angie would fall asleep to the sound of his voice and every morning she woke safely tucked into her bed.

Rinse and repeat.

Today was different though. It was Saturday and they were going to the BBQ that Jameelah practically begged Angie to consider coming to. Scott asked her the previous day if she wanted to go, and Angie, who was desperate to be agreeable and compliant, decided that she thought Scott wanted to go, so she said yes.

The location changed that morning.

A major heat wave had been stifling the world around them for two days now and the party moved down to the beach in order to enjoy the water before it got too cold.

It wasn't until they pulled into the parking lot by the ocean that Angie realized this was where they would be for the day. By the water, playing in the water, swimming . Suddenly it made sense why Scott had asked her in passing about having a swim suit or not. She didn't have one in her suitcase because she didn't swim unless forced.

This was bad. This was very very bad.

"Everything ok?" Scott paused as he moved to get out of the truck and Angie jolted out of the horrified trance.

"Yes." Angie heard herself say automatically.

"Are you sure?"

Knowing better than to not give some kind of explanation, because when adults choose to push a subject they didn't stop until they were satisfied, Angie said, "There's just lots of people."

"Do you want to go home?"

"No." Again, Angie's reply was automatic and careful.

"Ok," Scott gave her a quizzical look, then tracked out the window to the small crowd on the beach. "Well, they're all good people. Give 'em a chance and you might even like some of them, alright?"

Angie nodded and climbed down out of the truck, waiting for Scott to grab the bag he'd packed so she could tuck in just behind him when they approached the group.

The heat was as stifling at the beach, and the moment she stepped into the sun, Angie wondered if maybe she would make an exception for the water just this once, if only to feel cooled off. She would wade in. Wading didn't require being in danger of drowning.

Jameelah was ecstatic when she saw them and instantly dragged Angie to her bag, chattering about playing a game in the water soon with all their uncles and saying, "Mommy packed a suit for you, cause Uncle Scott said you didn't have one here yet!"

Angie remembered her manners well and thanked Jameelah, eyeing the crashing waves with what she hoped didn't translate as fear. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her dad drop the bag and start talking to her Uncle Jason.

"Do you swim much?" Jameelah asked excitedly.

"A bit." Angie answered, trying to match her new friend's excitement and failing.

Jameelah didn't seem to notice, instead she led the way to the little tent that was set up for her and RJ to play in and told Angie she could change in there.

When the girl came back out, Jameelah was dancing on the spot.

"We're going to play water football! It's the best, especially if we get Uncle Scott and Uncle Sonny on our team! They're the best at tackling the others!"

Angie didn't like the sound of being tackled in the water, but she wisely stayed quiet.

It was so hot. She could do this. She could be brave and there was no way she wanted anyone to know she was scared of the water. Not when Jameelah was so keen.

"How strong of a swimmer are you, Angie?" Uncle Jason asked this time, but Angie noted the way her dad watched her like a hawk when she answered.

With the look Jameelah was giving her, Angie opted to not disappoint her friend and said neutrally, "I can swim."

She left out the part where she hadn't been in water past her chest where she couldn't touch before except in a pool with a flutterboard. It wasn't like she couldn't keep her head above water when she wasn't touching. She could do that very well in the shallow end of the pool. The problem was the idea of her head going under and her drowning in deeper water where she couldn't touch if she needed to.

"That didn't answer the question, Angie." Uncle Ray chimed in with a gentle, knowing expression while crossing his arms.

Sensing the truth getting dragged out of her, little by little, Angie mumbled to the burning sand she was squishing between her toes, "I can swim. I just don't like it when my head goes under, so I guess that wouldn't make me a strong swimmer."

Jameelah was way too generous with her and she jumped to defend her, "I don't like getting my ears full of water either! It's the worst!"

The adults exchanged a wordless conversation before Angie saw her dad nod out of the corner of her eye and Uncle Jason smiled at them both saying, "Well, it's a good thing water football is in the shallows then! Let's go!"

Cheering, Jameelah grabbed Angie's hand and started them for the water.

"Jameelah, baby, wait for us." Uncle Ray reminded.

"But Uncle Sonny and Uncle Trent are already out there!" Jameelah protested.

Fixing her with a stern look, Uncle Ray repeated himself, "Wait for us."

Undaunted by the mild scolding and waiting for the rest of her Uncles to toss their shirts with their stuff, Jameelah turned her attention to Scott and asked hopefully, "Uncle Scott are you going to be on our team!?"

Angie was too focused on not being scared to walk into the water to be jealous of the warm smile her dad gave Jameelah accompanied by the carefree growling of, "You bet!"

The waves that swirled around Angie's ankles as she walked into the water slowly next to Jameelah was deliciously cool, but not cold. With how inviting the sensation was to her overheating limbs, Angie kept her terror under control until she was nearly waist deep. Then she stopped and froze up a little, staring out at the expanse and not hearing Jameelah talking Scott and Uncle Jason's ears off while everyone got organized.

Most of the people from the beach came down to play. There was Uncle Eric, Aunt Lisa and Auntie Mandy, all of whom Jess had only met once in passing. And Aunt Naima was there with RJ, all her Uncles from her dad's team, a bunch of other people from another team that Angie couldn't keep track of the names of. Uncle Jason's kids were there too. Mikey and Emma. They were both older and seemed nice enough.

Then the game began.

Jameelah taught her quickly how to dart in when the ball fell in the water near them and toss it to one of their teammates, but Angie mostly stayed on the edges and watched. She didn't particularly notice that her dad didn't stray far from her, opting to play 'defense' rather than going in and joining the wrestling matches.

The Uncles didn't hold back when there weren't kids nearby, tackling without mercy and seemingly drowning each other by holding them under the water. Mikey and Emma were older, so they got roughed up a little more, and Jameelah got tossed once or twice for stealing the ball from the other team.

Seeing that only made Angie stay away from the ball more until, as chance would have it, the ball sailed over her head and landed on the outside of the 'boundaries'.

"Get it Angie!" Jameelah squealed, 'helping' by leaping on Uncle Trent's back since he was closest to them from the other team. Uncle Trent just laughed and flopped back into the water. Jameelah clung on like a leech though and Uncle Ray moved in to help her 'take down' Uncle Trent as she giggled.

With eyes on her, Angie braved her fears in favor of honoring Jameelah's 'sacrifice'. Secretly wishing she could be that carefree, Angie took a few steps deeper, staying on her tippy toes so she didn't go past her chest and reached for the ball. She could almost reach and she was forced to go just a little further. By then the water was up to her armpits while she was on her toes.

The water around her sank suddenly to her upper stomach at the same moment she almost had the ball. She looked up in time to see what seemed to her an absolutely gigantic wave rolling towards her. It would surely crash over her.

Her limbs locked up with paralyzing panic. In the face of being in danger of getting swept underwater, Angie's mind went blank. Primal fear rocked through her and with it came a deep seeded instinct.

The water surged around her and her feet lifted off the bottom.

She heard herself cry out one desperate word that she'd never used for anyone before today.

"Daddy!"

Seconds before her head went under, even as the cry for her dad left her mouth, an arm was locked around her middle, lifting her up and back tightly against a solid chest just before the wave hit. She had no idea he'd followed behind her, never once letting her out of his reach when she went after the ball.

The wave slammed into them with more force than the other small ones had all day. While she had added height now, Angie gasped when he lifted her and inhaled some of the ocean which only added to her terror.

She could feel the way the water rushed backwards around her toes, tugging her body towards the sea. She wasn't dumb. She knew if her father hadn't grabbed her in time she'd be beneath the water and getting swept deeper where she couldn't touch anymore.

Coughing and spluttering as the wave passed, Angie squirmed frantically to scramble up higher in her dad's arms when he shifted her to face him. Her arms twined round his neck tightly and her legs grappled as far around his torso as she could go. Her face buried into the crook of his neck, blocking out the suddenly menacing water around them.

"I have you. Just breathe and cough it out."

Angie needed little prompting on that front. The salt water stung in her nose and throat.

"Guess there's really no point in telling you not to go so deep next time without checking to make sure there's an adult with you, hmm?" He said mild sternness as he locked one strong arm under her legs and pressed a warm palm against her back, rubbing soothingly when she coughed again.

Angie shook her head mutely and didn't loosen her limbs. She wasn't sure if she could have done so even if she wanted to. They were stuck.

"I want to get out." She whimpered, suddenly freezing cold in the warm air and crushed with fear of the water surrounding them. "Please, can we get out?"

"Uh huh," Scott was already moving with slow, steady strides inland. "But, I'll warn you right now, this isn't your last time in the water today. I don't care if it's just dipping your toes in, you're not leaving with this experience as the last."

Angie didn't answer. She just clung tighter as she shivered and kept her face hidden when she heard people asking if she was ok. Thankfully her dad just calmly waved aside the concern and carried her out of the water to where the chairs were all set up.

There was a vague expectation that he was going to set her down once they got to their stuff. Poor Angie's heart was still pounding and there was this hungry need for closeness that had been festering for days. It immobilized her limbs now that she was finally in someone's arms. And not just anyone's. She'd made it into her dad's arms, which was almost worth the terrifying moment in the water. Deep down she silently prayed that maybe if she didn't let go, he wouldn't either.

"She got pretty spooked," Angie heard Uncle Jason comment close by.

"Yeah." Her dad rumbled quietly as he tightened his one arm and stooped over a bit to pick something up. "Give me a hand with this."

"You want a second one? She's shivering pretty good."

Angie felt the chin near her head nod.

"Angie, you gotta let go for a minute."

Shattered, Angie tried to comply without bursting into tears, but a little sob wormed up her throat anyway and she couldn't seem to make her arms loosen.

"Hey," A hand cupped the back of her head and Scott's voice lowered. "I can't sit down with you unless you let go for a minute. I'm not letting you go. Just gotta rearrange you, that's all."

Brain working slowly to realize what he meant, Angie gradually pried her arms and legs loose. Once she'd relaxed enough, her dad seamlessly shifted her body so she was cradled against him and he lowered them both into one of the camping chairs.

Next Uncle Jason was tucking two warm, thick towels around her, blocking the wind that was picking up and creating a heat trap for the warmth that seemed to pour off of the man holding her.

"There you go!" Jason adjusted the towel under her chin and gave her shoulder a compassionate squeeze. "See? Your dad's got you all looked after."

Cocooned snuggly with her head resting under a scruffy chin, Angie gulped back another traitorous sob, closed her eyes against the memory of that terrifying moment where she was certain she'd be dragged under the water, all alone.

Feeling small, she curled in closer, wordlessly begging for comfort. Silent tears leaked out when the arms around her tightened in response rather than her dad telling her not to cry like she feared he was going to.

It was her first time since getting her hand cut that was crying in front of him.

They stayed quiet for a while. Angie cried without making a sound and her dad simply maintained pressure around her shivering body. He had a steady heartbeat and calm breathing while he listened to whatever nonsense Uncle Sonny and Uncle Brock were bantering about as everyone started making their way in from the water.

A comfortable chaos rose up around them for a few minutes as people dried off and started making plans for making dinner.

When the steady trail of tears didn't show signs of stopping, Scott finally shifted so he could peer down at her and asked quietly, "You shook up over the water still or is something else going on?"

Not knowing how to explain the combination of relief at being close to him and the lingering panic from the water, Angie just nodded.

"You were never out of my reach."

Angie's lip quivered and she lifted her head just enough so she could peek up at him.

"I wasn't?"

"Nope. Not for a second. I knew you weren't comfortable out there regardless of how often you pretended to be. There was no way I wasn't staying close."

Somewhere deep in her stomach the knot of fear loosened.

"It was scary." She whispered, finding herself able to make eye contact for once today.

The lines around her dad's eyes creased with compassion and he nodded once. "I know. It's ok. You're safe. I've got you."

Angie curled back in when another shiver rolled through her and she could have wept with relief when those big arms locked around her.

Now that she was here, Angie was scared the moment would end and she would never get it back, like this was a one time deal and she would never have another opportunity to be snuggled tenderly like this again.

As such, she grasped at a way to make it last and came up empty, save for the idea of just closing her eyes and hoping that maybe if she seemed like she was going to sleep, he would keep her.

And it worked. Angie could hardly believe it. The longer she stayed quiet and still in his arms, the more her dad seemed to shift into a more comfortable position and was committed to letting her stay.

"She fallin asleep on ya there, papa bear?" That was Uncle Sonny now.

"If she's tired, we have a tent set up for Jameelah and RJ." Aunt Naima commented.

Angie tried to stay still, but her body tensed at the suggestion of the tent.

"We'll be ok." Her dad's voice resonated through his chest into her ear and the tightness in her muscles left her. Maybe it was her imagination, but those arms seemed like they tightened just a hair when he spoke.

"You wanna beer?" Uncle Jason asked her dad.

"Yeah. I may be here for a while." The thumb resting against her elbow startet moving in slow, soothing circles and Angie focused on it rather than the spike of fear that said she was starting to overstep and he wanted her gone from his lap.

Twenty or so minutes later, Angie's shivers stopped and she was warm again. Almost too warm.

"Is Angie feeling better?" Jameelah's kind voice came from beside them.

"Let's ask her," Scott suggested with that same growl he never used with Angie. "Angie? Are you feeling better?"

Angie nodded shyly.

"Do you want to come play?" Jameelah asked hopefully.

Not wanting to disappoint her, Angie nodded again and emerged from the cocoon of towels, slipping off her dad and onto the ground.

"Angie." Scott stopped her before she could get far and she glanced at him, waiting. "Put a t-shirt on and more sunscreen so you don't burn, please."

Angie nodded again and she followed Jameelah from the circle of adults to do as she'd been told and to play.

As the day wore on, Angie tried to enjoy playing with Jameelah and eating dinner, but she couldn't shake the feeling of loss over not being held anymore, snug as a bug, by her big, scary dad. After a taste and the reminder of what it felt like to be so close to someone else, Angie wanted to climb back into the chair with him and curl up just as she had before.

The cool wind ruffled her hair again as Angie stole another look at her dad in the growing dark of evening. She and Jameelah were just finished roasting marshmallows over the fire.

Wheels turning when Jameelah invited herself into her own father's lap with the huffing complaint that she was cold, Angie considered the excuse for herself as she hesitated to get up from the sand beside the fire. It was getting cooler and the sweater her dad brought for her wasn't keeping the chill away entirely.

"Angie, come here, please."

Without a word, she rose and came to him, keeping her eyes down so she didn't have to look at or talk to anyone else. She stopped closer to him than she usually would have and studied her fingers.

"Do you want to stay a little longer, or have you had enough?" He asked her, gentle gruffness coloring his tone. Angie's heart lifted a little because it was getting closer to how he spoke to Jameelah.

"I want to stay a little longer," Angie mumbled, fighting the urge to shiver because she didn't care how desperate she was, she wasn't going to fake being cold. Except…she was starting to genuinely get a little chilly as the sun sank. Maybe a shiver was ok.

"Ok. We can do that," Scott scrutinized her silently for a brief moment longer before asking, "Are you warm enough?"

Shoulders tucking as she gathered all courage she had left today, Angie whispered in a rush, "I'm a little cold…c-could I sit with you again?"

That softness flickered through his face and he nodded while wordlessly beckoning her to him. Her feet moved on their own and she soon found herself drawn carefully back into her dad's lap.

Once she was curled up against him like before, she felt her dad's chest rumble with more sharpness, "Sonny. Blanket."

"What?" Uncle Sonny looked at them as if he were about ready to argue about giving up his blanket, but when he saw Angie curled up with her dad, he stopped. "Oh! Yeah, of course! Here you go, little bear!"

"Thank you," She managed to make the words audible enough for Uncle Sonny to hear them when he came over and tucked the blanket around her.

Uncle Sonny's smile grew suddenly, as if her speaking to him were some great triumph. "Any time, little bear. You just snuggle up with your Papa Bear there. You'll be nice and cozy."

They stayed another hour before Scott made the decision around the time that Jameelah went home to take her home too. Angie didn't protest. She was getting sleepy anyway and it had been another long, exhausting day.

Once their stuff was packed up, Scott tossed it in a pile on the beach and turned to her.

"Come on. Before we leave, you have something you need to do." He held out his hand to her and Angie took it, letting him lead her back to the water's edge. After being allowed back into his arms, Angie didn't want to make a fuss about going close to the water again.

They stood just close enough that the waves washed over their toes. It was a clear night, and the moon was rising in the sky now, glinting on the ocean.

"What do you see when you look out there?" Her dad asked softly.

"Danger." Angie whispered, not even needing to think.

"What part? The ocean itself, or the water."

"Both." Angie rolled trembling lips between her teeth and clung tighter to her dad's hand. In the dark it was somehow easier to confess and hold onto him.

"Why?"

"Because I drowned once." Angie whimpered.

There was a pause before her dad lowered himself onto his haunches and turned her gently to face him. Angie dared to lift her head enough to see his face. The crease between his brows was deep and the frown lines around his mouth were visible in the moonlight.

"When did you drown?" The question was neutral and unreadable.

"When I was little, in a pool. They…they had to pull me out and make me breathe again." Angie rubbed at her eyes, trying not to cry again and failed. "I used to love the water, and I…I thought I could swim in the pool at a friend of mommy's without help. I was wrong…m-mommy said I almost died."

"Angie, kid," Scott squeezed her fingers with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other. "That is something you needed to tell me when we got here today."

"I thought maybe you w-wouldn't let me play with Jameelah in the water and I didn't want to disappoint her." Angie told him, her voice wobbling dangerously.

"Is that the only reason you didn't tell me?"

Angie gulped back a sob and tried to pull herself together.

"I think so."

"Are you sure?"

Wiping her eyes uselessly, Angie whispered, "I didn't want to cause trouble."

"How is telling me that you are terrified of the water because you drowned once causing trouble?"

"I don't know!"

Shaking his head, Scott's growl deepened. "You don't know. Shi-shoot, Angie. What am I going to do with you?"

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorr-? No. Come here." Angie was pulled a step closer and her dad lifted her chin gently so she would look at him. He was firm and serious. "That's enough of that. You don't have anything to be sorry for. I should have asked more questions when I suspected you were scared and not confident in the water. This is on me more than you. I'm your dad. I'm the adult."

Tears leaked out of Angie's eyes and she tried to rub them away without success.

"I-I didn't want to tell you, b-because I didn't want you to think I wasn't brave."

"Angie," The hand holding her chin moved and closed around the wrist of the palm rubbing a little too aggressively at her right eye. "Stop that. You're allowed to cry, stop fighting it. And I know how brave you are, Angie. You don't ever have to prove it and I will never think that you aren't brave."

With the spoken permission to cry, Angie broke and she started crying harder almost against her will.

"Hey…come here, shh," The hand clasping her own tugged her closer again before letting go and arms wrapped around her. "I've got you. It's ok."

Angie gave in and her arms were clinging around his neck and shoulders for the second time that day. Her dad stood up, hooking an arm under her legs and supporting her.

"Let's get you home."