Loid put the phone down with a soft click and sighed. He had just finished talking to Yor after receiving confirmation that Eric was with her at City Hall. The panic and worry that nested in his stomach dissipated when he heard his son's voice. Loid thought Eric to be mature enough not to go anywhere on his own, but it would seem he is just as reckless as all kids his age.

"Papa, are you okay?"

He looked down at his daughter who clutched her Chimera to her chest as she stared up at him with her worried gaze.

"I'm alright, your brother had me worried sick is all." Loid assured her.

"Brother will be back with Mama tonight. He's safe." Anya stated.

"Yeah."

"Big brother says you'll take me somewhere fun today. Is that true?" Anya asked hopefully as she looked up at her father with pleading eyes.

"Uh." 'Of course, Eric would tell his sister that I would do something with her. That's why he suggested the park just now. Clever boy. Still, she has been doing quite well at Eden all things considered. I at least owe her this much.'

Anya's eyes continued to sparkle as she listened to her father's thoughts.

Loid hummed as he gave a thoughtful look, "I believe there was a park with a swing set I saw some time ago. Though it's a bit farther than the one we usually go to."

"I wanna go!" Anya exclaimed as she raised her hand enthusiastically.

Loid smiled, "Well, put on your play clothes then we'll go."

"Okay." Anya ran back to her room to do as she's bid.

Loid sighed as he scratched the back of his head.

"She wants your attention too, you know."

'Have I been neglecting Anya lately?' Loid thought to himself as he tried to remember the last time he and Anya spent time together. Aside from the times he picks her up from school and helps her understand the basic knowledge a four-year-old should attain, they haven't truly taken the time to be alone together.

'I've been so focused on Operation Strix that I inadvertently ignored Anya.' Loid frowned at his folly. 'I can still fix this though. Anya's still young, so she probably won't remember this part of her life. I just need to make sure not to favor one child over the other.'

"Papa, I'm ready!" Anya dashed into the living room in her outdoor clothes.

Loid smiled, "Alright, let's go."

Anya took her father's hand and excitedly left the apartment with him for their Papa-Daughter Date.

It was a thirty-minute walk to the park, but Anya didn't mind as she talked animatedly to her father. "See, all you gotta do is put your paper flat on top of the leaf and just color right on top of it, and it looks like the leaf jumped onto your paper."

"That's really good." Loid praised her when she showed him her artwork. "Your teacher taught you?"

"Nope, brother did. It's so much fun, I'll teach you." Anya offered, making Loid smile at her indulgently. Though he knew the process, he decided to humor her and let her teach him.

'I need to focus completely on Anya today. This is part of my mission. If Anya believes I favor her brother too much, jealousy may develop, and she'll start rebelling. That, in turn, will put the mission and world peace in jeopardy.' Loid thought to himself, he knew he made a few mistakes as a father, but he's willing to make up for lost time if it meant keeping Anya from straying. He remembered from previous missions how destructive envy between siblings can be and how they often it leads internal war between families and economies. He doesn't want Anya to fall into that category. For the sake of his mission, he needs to divvy up his time with his children equally.

Anya stared up at her father as she listened to his thought process. He honestly believes she's jealous of how much focus he spends on her brother and is afraid she'll rebel and start a war? 'No way Papa, I want world peace too!' She screamed inside her head as her mouth dropped in shock before she shook her head. 'I need to prove that I'm not jealous. For the sake of world peace, I must show Papa I am the happiest and most loyal daughter he's got!' She said with a look of determination as she took on a new mission.

Father and daughter stood before the park with all the equipment any child could want, swing sets, monkey bars, slides, tunnels, merry-go-round, etc.

Anya's mouth gaped open in wonder and amazement. Everything looks so big and exciting and is just waiting to be played on by her.

"Papa, I am going to conquer every inch of this playground!" Anya declared, shaking on the spot.

"Go for it." Loid said before she shot off like a bullet.

Loid sighed, "Well, this is one way to expel all that energy."

"Join the club, I got two boys."

Loid turned to see another man in his thirties sitting on a bench. He had black hair and hazel eyes, wearing casual day clothes.

"Haven't seen you here before." The man said waving at Loid.

"First time in this park." Loid sat down on the far end of the bench as he kept an eye on Anya as she ran around the structures.

The man laughed, "First timers here have a hard time leaving. I should know, my two sons practically glued themselves onto the monkey bars."

"Is that right? And two boys?" Loid asked incredulously as he noted the tired look on the man's face in spite of the smile.

"Yep, right over there." He pointed at the two smaller versions of himself spinning on the merry-go-round. "The little heathens are Jasper and Michah."

"They look like fine young lads." Loid noted as the brothers pushed the merry-go-round together.

"This is them on their good days." The man chuckled sheepishly, "I'm Victor."

"Loid. That's my daughter Anya." Loid pointed at the pink-haired child going down a swirling slide.

"She's lovely, and a bundle of energy in that one." Victor observed as Anya ran at a very fast pace around the structures.

"You have no idea." Loid sighed as he leaned into the bench with one arm draped over the back.

"She's the only one you got?" Victor asked as he glanced at his boys, keeping them within his sight as he talked with Loid.

"Two actually. She's the younger one. My son is spending the day with his mother. He's the...calmer of the two." Loid explained as he watched Anya balance herself on the beam, doing some strange cat-like poses.

"But he's no less trouble than your daughter." Victor said with a knowing smile.

Loid was silent for a moment, "Yeah."

Victor nodded, "It's never easy. Fatherhood, I mean."

"No, it's not. Parenting books didn't prepare me for two." Loid grumbled to himself.

"Those books can only do so much to help guys like us for the road ahead. But experiencing it firsthand makes war look like a breeze." Victor said with a humorous smile which then turned melancholy.

Loid let out another sigh, "Tell me about it. I'm still trying to figure it all out. Honestly, there are times I feel I'm a terrible father to my kids."

"That's normal actually." Victor stated, making Loid turn to him. "Every parent feels as though they're messing up. Did I change his diaper right, have I put enough sunscreen on him, how do I get him to stop staring at his own thing." Loid raised an eyebrow at the last part. "My point is, no matter how many times we make mistakes, we always learn from them. Besides, the one who fears they'll be the worst parent ends up being the best parent."

Loid listened to the man's wisdom and felt a sense of enlightenment. He acknowledges his mistakes as a father and is trying very hard to learn from them and how he can be a petter provider and caretaker to his children.

"How do you know if you did a good job?" Loid asked the man.

"When you see your children grow into fine young adults, then I believe we did better than most." Victor said with an easy smile as his boys fell down after getting dizzy from the merry-go-round.

Loid smiled and turned back to the playground, but his heart stopped when he couldn't find a hint of pink hair anywhere. He shot to his feet and looked around, "Anya?" He ran around the structure, looking within tubes before running out of the park until he found Anya across the street talking to some girl who looked to be 12 years old.

Loid let out a sigh of relief upon seeing those baby horns as he waited for the cars to thin out. The hairs on his neck stood up when he felt that familiar sense of danger stalking him, and in some cases, get close to his target.

His blue eyes swiveled left and right until he saw a heavy-set man across the street with a sparce beard, a cap and an over coat with his hands deep in his pockets. Though his cap was pulled down to cover his eyes from the frontal view, Loid saw a hint of a perverse grin and lust filled eyes as the man approached the two girls. Getting too close for his comfort.

Loid's eyes widened as his body moved on instinct as he leapt into traffic, hopping across the cars' rooftops much to the drivers' chagrin and confusion.

As Loid got closer to his daughter, the man reached his fingers out to grab the older girl while his other hand pulled out a pocketknife and flipped it open to use as a threat to keep his target compliant.

'POP!'

The criminal stumbled back onto his butt in surprise when something hit him on the forehead.

"What the?" His hand went to his forehead to feel something rubber with a plastic stick attached to it stuck to his skin.

"Not another itch (inch) creep." A small voice made him look down to see a small child with pink hair and horns sticking out of her head. Two toy guns were in her hands as she stood in front of the young girl protectively. "The next one goes in your heart." She threatened, aiming the second gun at the man.

The young girl behind her was frightened and confused when she saw a knife in the man's hand as he stood up, smiling mockingly down at the tyke.

"Hehe, is that really supposed to scare me you little brat." He sneered while Anya smirked, not backing down.

"Nope, I'm just distracting you." Anya smugly explained.

"Huh?" The creep couldn't get another word out when something landed behind him. He failed to turn around in time before the hand holding the knife was twisted backwards rather painfully before he was kicked to the ground with a weight on his back pinning him down.

Struggling to turn his head to look at the person holding him down, he was met with the vicious vengeful blue eyes of a man in a green suit and red tie.

"If I were any other person, I'd put you down like the rabid animal you are." Loid growled menacingly at the stalker who was now terrified.

Victor appeared with his sons and sighed as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs, "This was supposed to be my day off." He said as he knelt down and cuffed the perpetrator.

"You're a cop?" Loid asked as Victor pulled out a walkie and radioed the police station to their location.

"Yeah, I probably should've mentioned it earlier. You?" Victor asked Loid.

"Psychiatrist. I normally subdue the mentally ill patients at the hospital." Loid explained his profession as police cars showed up faster than anticipated.

Loid watched as Victor escorted the stalker to the police car while another officer talked to the girl who was nearly a victim as she recounted the event as a key witness.

"Hey, I can't seem to get thing off his forehead." Victor said as he tried to pull the rubber dart off the criminal who yelled in pain, "You're taking the skin!"

"Oh, I used super glue." Anya proudly explained.

Loid turned to his daughter, "Super glue?" He asked incredulously.

Anya shrugged, "I'm too young for actual bullets, so I gotta mark the bad guys."

"Hm, good idea, and nice aim." Victor said, impressed by the little girl before shoving the criminal into the car.

"Thank you." Anya said very proudly.

Loid sighed, he needs to have a serious talk with his daughter.

"Um, excuse me."

Loid and Anya turned to the child who was nearly attacked. "You and your daughter saved my life. I can't thank you enough."

Loid smiled, "I'm just glad you're alright. Though my daughter should know better than to wander off on her own." He said as he gave Anya a stern look.

Anya bowed her head, "I'm sorry Papa."

The young girl smiled at the duo, "She's very lucky to have you. You make quite a team."

Loid's eyes widened slightly while Anya looked happy at the compliment.

After that whole debacle, the afternoon at the park ended as Loid and Anya walked home hand in hand. Anya hummed the Spy Wars theme song all the way home.

When the father and daughter duo finally got home, they changed out of their day clothes before Loid sat on the sofa with Honey Ninja right next to him.

"Anya, come here, we need to talk." Loid called as gently as a father should.

Anya bounded up to him until she stood in front of Loid, "Yes Papa?"

Loid sighed as he calmed himself down. "Anya, what you did was very dangerous today. You could've been hurt, or worse kidnapped." Thoughts of what that creep could've done to his youngest child flew through his mind before he shook his head to rid himself of such things.

Anya frowned at the myriad of horrific images in Loid's mind. "I know, but I already knew you would come save me and that girl. When I saw that man watching her, I knew he was a bad guy, and I had to do something. I was only trying to protect her." She said, remembering the fear she felt when that man came close with his disgusting thoughts no child should ever hear. "Are you mad at me?"

Loid's eyes softened before he picked her up and sat her on his lap. "Come here." He said as he held her securely, "I'm not mad at you Anya. But you did scare me today. You disappeared so suddenly really had me worried." He said, being honest with his daughter after experiencing something every father feels when their child leaves their sight. "Anya, this world is very dangerous, it's filled with cruel and evil people who take advantage of the weak. I know you were only protecting someone, but you could've easily been taken if given the chance. You're an important member in this family. If anything happened to you, we'd all be very sad."

"Even you?" Anya tilted her head as she stared up at her father.

The question froze Loid in his place. He didn't want to admit it, but the idea of Anya disappearing without a trace scares him. "Yes, even me."

"Even if I'm not super smart like brother?"

Loid sighed, "No one says you have to be like your brother. But I do need you to be wiser in your decisions. I need you safe if only to grant myself some peace of mind." He stroked the top of her head between her horns, "You've got good instincts though. Better than most kids your age. But next time you feel as though someone is trying to hurt you or another person, you come to me first, okay?"

Anya smiled at her father's praise and nodded, "I promise Papa."

Loid smiled down at his daughter, "I know I haven't been the best father for you, and I'm sorry if you feel I've been neglecting you. I shouldn't be focusing on Eric so much."

"It's okay Papa. No one's perfect. I had a lot of fun today." Anya assured her father, beaming up at him after all the fun she experienced with him. "Can we go back there again sometime, and bring Mama, brother and the pets?"

"Sure, I believe I'm free this weekend." Loid said then held up a finger, "But don't bring the superglue guns and no chasing after bad guys."

Anya groaned, "But we made a good team today. That girl said so."

Loid breathed out a laugh, "Yes, we do."

'Anya's aim and execution were surprisingly on point. She didn't falter or hesitate in her confrontation.' Loid went over that scene in his head, 'She also has exceptionally good instincts. Insightful and stealthy. If she was older, perhaps I can one day train her to be a spy.' He mused to himself as he thought of the potential his daughter possesses.

Anya beamed up at her father upon hearing him praise her skills and believed she has the right skills to become a spy like himself. Without warning, she hugged him tightly, catching the spy by surprise.

"What was that for?" Loid asked as he wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"Because I love my Papa. He's so cool." Anya declared as she buried her face into his chest.

Loid blushed slightly at her lack of hesitance. This little girl latched onto him since the moment he brought her and Eric from the orphanage. He never planned on having children, much less two, especially for a mission. He knew how wrong it felt to use children for Operation Strix, but he had no other choice if it means guarding the fragile peace between the countries. He remembered how he initially wanted only Eric to come with him because of how naturally similar they were and the calm intelligence the boy exuded. He was not prepared for Anya given the boundless energy she carried and how much it exhausts him. However, she has demonstrated her insightfulness, as though she knew what he was thinking and would try to help him in her own child-like way. Right now, with his daughter in his arms, he feels a strange sense of peace he hasn't felt in a long time. Somehow, he feels he can let his guard down, that he doesn't have to pretend or lie.

Bond padded up to them and whined lowly.

Anya pulled away and looked at her dog, "Bond is hungry."

"I see, let's feed him then." Loid said as he set Anya down to get the dog food.

Not too long after giving Bond food, Yor and Eric returned with bags full of fresh groceries and announced they would cook dinner for them. The stew turned out fantastic, dessert on the other hand...not so much.

Later that evening after putting Anya to bed, he entered Eric's room to see him reading a book while Honey Ninja laid curled up beside him in bed. He was still holding his stomach with a look of discomfort as he tried to read the contents.

"I brought you something for your stomach." Loid said, holding up a glass of juice that had medicine mixed in to soothe his stomach.

Eric closed his book as Loid sat on the bed beside him and handed him the drink. "Thanks Dad." Eric said after taking a couple of sips, shivering at the taste before it washed down his throat. "Tonight could've gone better."

"Yor's cooking has improved, but it still needs work." Loid said with sympathy as his son took another sip.

Eric groaned, "Sadly enough, my body is beginning to adapt to poison."

Loid nodded, "Yeah, me too."

"Did you and Anya have fun today?" Eric asked, hoping to distract himself from the stomachache.

"It was quite eventful all things considered." Loid frowned, "But you and I need to have a serious talk about your actions."

Eric lowered his half-finished glass as he watched his father.

"You left the school and wandered the city all by yourself. That was very dangerous." Loid scolded his son for his reckless behavior.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to disobey or worry you." Eric bowed his head as he stared into the glass contents. "I was worried about Mom, I just wanted to make sure no one was hurting her." A small smile came to his lips, "I was surprised when I found out she was learning how to cook from her coworker. I had fun with her today."

Loid shared a smile until he noticed the bandages on his son's fingers. "You still got hurt though."

Eric held up one of his hands as Loid held it to inspect the damages. "Yeah, I cut myself while making a tomato rose for Mom to cheer her up." He confessed as Loid frowned at how his accident-prone son willfully used a knife. "But Uncle Yuri helped bandage them up, so it's not too bad."

Loid felt himself tense up at the name of Yor's brother, the SSS, Twilight's enemy. "So, you met Yuri Briar?"

"Mmhm, he didn't seem to like me at first, but when we started talking about how much we care about our sisters, we bonded."

Loid's jaw clenched at the idea of his enemy making contact with his son. "I see, and how did he seem to you."

Eric flexed his fingers a little, "He may be a little strange, but I like him. He's got a strong stomach...I think." He added with a doubtful expression as he remembered how the man puked and ate Yor's food at the same time.

'That's right, since Yor raised him he had to eat...her cooking.' Loid shivered at the thought of a young Yuri consuming the food Yor prepared.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too." Eric said, knowing what his father was thinking without reading his mind. "But he's living proof that humanity can survive just about anything. So, I gotta respect him there."

"You and me both." Loid breathed out a small laugh as Eric downed the rest of the medicine.

"Although, we do need to discuss your punishment for going into the city by yourself." Loid stated as Eric gave the glass back to his father.

Eric nodded, "Okay."

"No chocolate for one week."

Eric frowned, "After the dessert I had, I don't think I can taste chocolate right now."

Loid crossed his arms, "You're right, something else then. No going out with your friends on the weekend."

Eric deadpanned, "You realize I don't have many friends, and I like to stay inside."

Loid hummed, "Extra chores."

Eric raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? You realize who you're talking to, right?"

Loid groaned quietly in irritation, "This is harder than I thought." He forgot what a neat freak his son is and how he enjoys cleaning as an activity to take his mind off of things.

"Maybe we'll figure out my punishment tomorrow when our stomachs aren't killing us." Eric proposed as he rubbed his belly.

Loid sighed, "Good idea. I'll try to think of something." He said before he gently took the book from Eric's lap and set it on the bedside table. "For now, just sleep."

Eric laid down under the covers with Honey Ninja nestled beside him.

Loid's hand combed through his son's hair, "You did really good with your Mom today."

Eric smiled, "You too with Anya, she's happier than before."

Sharing his smile, Loid stood up, taking the glass with him before he switched the light off beside the door then left his son's bedroom.

Yes! Finished this chapter before Thanksgiving! I seriously wanted Loid and Anya to have their adorable bonding time together. Personally, I consider them the best father-daughter duo. Loid is seriously a clumsy father, but he does try. I added that last scene between Loid and Eric to show the aftermath dinner and how their relationship has developed.

Thank you all for being so patient, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave me your thoughts in the review button below and have a nice day.