Metal stood at the sink in the kitchen, enjoying the cool breeze that reached him through the open window while he washed up the last of the breakfast dishes.

Angie had woken early and was overjoyed to discover that Cerberus had slept over. In her bed. All night.

Brock left him when he went home, saying he'd be back in the morning and that there was no point disturbing the kid or dog by untangling them. Metal couldn't say he minded too much. It was worth the dog hair in the sheets if it meant Angie was smiling again. Properly.

She was in the back yard now, playing with the dog. He'd kicked them both out there when she started playing tug with him in the house and nearly knocked over a lamp. The sheepish bowed head and guilty eyes as she went outside diminished whatever healthy glow had been back in them that morning when she first woke up. That killed him a little inside but he didn't know how to fix it or what else to do.

Glancing up out the window, he watched as she threw the ball and Cerberus sailed after it. Eventually she got tired and she came up to the small deck, flopping down to look up at the sky. Cerberus trotted up and lay down next to her, panting happily and watching the world with a lazy alertness, half on guard duty as he took care of the little girl 'in his care'.

Just as he was about to leave the sink after wiping down all the counters, Metal caught the sound of Angie's quiet voice murmuring to Cerberus.

"You're lucky, you know. I wish I was a dog. You don't have to worry about anything."

Going still, Metal waited, out of sight of the window and listening.

"And all the Uncles love you. And you don't even have to try…they just do. And you can just be a dog, and they don't think anything of it."

Frowning, Metal tried to translate what she was talking about and came up empty, so he broke his own rules about eavesdropping and kept listening, straining to hear because she dropped her voice more.

"What if…what if they stop liking me, Cerberus? And then what if…what if they tease me like they do Uncle Sonny? They poke fun at Emma and Mikey, and even Jameelah sometimes too. I don't know…I don't know if I would like it. What if it hurts my feelings and I can't take a joke just like everyone keeps saying? Then what if because I don't like it then they don't like me and then…and then what if that causes problems for Daddy, and…then they've known him longer and…well…what if he," Angie trailed off and he could hear her shaky breath. "I can't mess up, Cerbie. I have to be good. I can't cause any trouble, or…or it wouldn't be good and…so I guess I better just figure out how to not let being teased bug me, in case that happens. It's like what Ronda used to tell me when the other kids bullied me. Gotta put my big girl pants on because it happens to everyone."

It took all his willpower not to walk out that door, scoop his kid off the porch and hold her. The only thing that stopped him was knowing that he wasn't meant to hear any of that to begin with.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Metal cursed soundlessly. Ronda was like a bad smell and she kept showing up when they didn't need her. Damn, he really didn't like that woman. How dare she tell his kid to suck it up? Only he got to do that, and he never would. Not after what he just heard.

Outside, Angie said something else that the hidden Scott couldn't make out, but Cerberus heard it clearly enough as Angie rested her head on his side.

"If I'm too much trouble Daddy might change his mind after all…and then what if I have to go to Uncle Curt?"

Cerberus leaned in close and licked the end of her nose comfortingly.

Angie went quiet before breathing just as quietly, so only the dog could hear, "I don't think I could bear it if Daddy decided he didn't really want me anymore and I can't ever go to Uncle Curt. I have to make sure that doesn't happen, Cerbie. Ronda told me from the start to be careful and not cause trouble or he might not want to keep me, and…and I already can see all the ways I've upset his life. What if the Uncles think I'm not good for him? Like they said last night, they thought him spending the evening with them was better for him then spending it with me…what if I'm hurting Daddy?"

Cerberus didn't have any answers and Angie cuddled into his warm fur instead, feeling small and alone with the thought of her father sending her away. She told herself if he had to, then she'd take it like a regal queen, because if he did, it must be because she wasn't good for him and she loved him so much, she didn't want to overcomplicate his life or hurt him.

The back door opened suddenly and Angie jumped at the same time that Cerberus lifted his head and gave a low rumble.

"Good boy," Scott growled back with warm approval as he came out and took the few steps toward them. "Mind if I join you?"

Angie shrugged, struggling to meet her dad's keen stare and trying not to let on she was upset about so much that she couldn't have even started to explain it to him right now.

"Was that a yes or a no."

"It was a yes," Angie mumbled, grabbing a thin stick that was laying next to her and starting to break it into smaller pieces.

Rumbling some non-intelligible reply, Scott lowered himself down so he was sitting leaning with his back against the wall of the house and his legs stretched out in front of him.

Cerberus thumped his tail and rolled onto his back, showing his belly and waiting hopefully for a belly rub.

Snorting softly, Scott obliged while Angie kept snapping the stick until there was nothing left and she was forced to play with the sections laying in a pile at her feet instead.

"Everything alright?"

A lump rose the second he asked and Angie fought it back, suddenly irritated.

"Yes." She said, a little too forcefully.

"Really?" Her dad's growl deepened slightly. "You're gonna keep lying to me?"

Realization softened the frowlines between Angie's brow and she took a sharp breath. No. oh no, she was lying now…this wasn't what being a good, perfect child looked like!

Before she could say anything, Scott said, "Angie, it's fine if you don't want to talk about it, just say so, but please don't lie to me and say everything is ok when it clearly isn't. We both know something is bugging you."

Immediately her bottom lip got clamped between her teeth and Angie drove the tip of one of the tiny stick sections into her thumb and pointer finger.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled after a moment of silence.

"It's ok, just…we've talked about this. Lying isn't going to help anything. Just tell me the truth. Is everything ok?"

Hanging her head, Angle allowed a slow shake and the word, "No."

"Ok. Do you want to talk about it? Because I want to listen, whatever it is."

The stern edge slipped away from his tone, and Angie was so sorely tempted by the gentleness of her dad's deep timber that she couldn't resist letting just a little bit spill over.

"I…I don't know. I do and I don't. I-I don't know how to explain."

"Does this have anything to do with your Uncle's being over last night?"

Sighing, Angie nodded and rested her cheek on her knees as she drew them closer to her chest.

"You seemed really off after they got there. Want to tell me what was going on?"

Biting the inside of her cheek, Angie shrugged again, whispering, "I don't know. I just…I just got…scared."

The moment she said scared, she felt like it wasn't exactly right, but it was as close as she could get to describing how she felt.

"Scared of what. Scared of your uncles?"

Daddy asked without judgment, but she sensed an immediate alertness in him now and heard him shift up straighter.

"I don't know. Maybe? Not…not of them, just," Angie started to feel frustration boil up at her lack of ability to explain past being bluntly honest, and then that would drag up other stuff that she didn't want to have to tell the truth about. Like still being afraid her dad was going to change his mind and abandon her, even though he was doing so much to prove he loved her. Angie was sure her lack of trust would disappoint him, and maybe even make it worse. Instead she tried, "I just want them to like me."

There. That was easier, and mostly the truth.

"Why wouldn't they like you?"

Angie could hear the frown in his voice.

Shrugging yet again, Angie started curling her toes and shifting her feet uncomfortably.

"I don't know."

"I think you do."

Blinking back tears now, Angie shot a sudden glare at the deck.

"Angie…come on, little bear. You can tell me."

Anger boiled up out of nowhere and Angie burst out, "What if they decide I'm…I'm a baby!? And they think that I'm…I'm too much trouble and that I shouldn't like the things I do because they're for little kids and then they tease me and I can't be ok with it because I'm too sensitive and then that just makes them like me even less and then…then…"

And broke off, breathing hard and only just realizing she was looking right at her dad and she'd been almost yelling.

"And then they torment you just like those kids at school?" He finished for her, not an ounce of upset or emotion in the face of her outburst.

The truth of his words hit her hard and Angie broke down with a weak nod and a ripping sob.

"Angie," The sigh was almost chastising, only it was too tired and pained to be. "Come here."

Cerberus hopped up and moved into the shade, sensing he wasn't needed and giving them space as Angie scooted over next to her dad. His arm came around her thin shoulders and pulled her closer until she was up against him. Unable to resist, Angie hid her face in his shirt and sobbed over the things spoken, and the ones she left unspoken. All the while she was miserably aware that she wasn't being 'good' and that she was being more trouble because she was crying and upset. Only babies cried as much as she did.

"First of all," Daddy spoke quietly as he palmed the back of her head, smoothing down her flyaway curls. "You need to remember that your Uncles love you, and that nothing you ever do could make them love you less. Second, when they tease, they're showing their love. It's not supposed to be mean, it's not meant to be mean, and they only tease people who will understand that. Uncle Sonny is a big teaser, he teases and gets teased about all kinds of things, and that's ok. It's never mean, and it's never to tear him down. That's the difference between what your Uncles do and those kids at school."

"I don't like it," Angie cried. "What if he feels bad and just doesn't show it?"

"That's a him problem then. If it really bothers him, he needs to say something and if he ever did, it would stop with no hard feelings."

"But what if they tease me and I don't like it and then I can't tell them that I don't like it and then it doesn't stop!"

Scott drew a long, patient breath and said, "Angie, it will stop because if you can't say it to them, you're going to say it to me instead, and then I'll tell them. Ok?"

"What if they don't like me after!?" Angie sobbed, unable to stop now that it was all pouring from her mouth and she was locked in the safety of her dad's arms, hidden from the world and those dark, nasty doubts about him not always loving her.

"Little bear, they will still like you, I promise. And they'll feel really bad for making you sad or uncomfortable because they know you're not Emma, or Mikey, or Jameelah and the way they interact with you needs to be different until they gain your trust and you know them well enough to believe what I'm telling you."

Gulping miserably, Angie didn't answer. Instead she stayed hidden.

"Angie, is there more to this?"

A small seed of panic sprouted and Angie thought of something more that could take the place of the real fearful worry about to pass from her lips. The question of her dad's love and commitment to really, truly keeping her forever no matter what she did or said.

Instead of confessing that one, Angie whispered, "Did I mess everything up last night?"

"Mess it up how?"

"Everyone was happy and then I got upset and then…then it was different and I know I caused it."

"You didn't cause anything, Angie." Daddy told her patiently and firmly. "You spoke up and made your voice heard when you were uncomfortable and upset. That's not a bad thing and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

"It changed things." Angie told him fretfully, her voice still muffled into his shirt.

'Yes, but maybe they needed to change," Scott countered.

Voicing yet another of the slithering fears in her stomach that had been curled there since the night before and she just couldn't put words to it then, Angie whispered, "Was there drinking last night?"

"No." Scott answered instantly, with unmovable conviction. "Not a drop. I know how scared you are of that still so we choose not to drink at all."

That knowledge stilled some of the storm inside and Angie slowly braved to lift her head and peek up at her dad.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Did they all know why? Do…do they know it scares me?"

"Yes, and they've got not issues with it. They just want you to feel safe."

Shame crept in, and Angie dropped her head again, whispering, "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"For what?" There was the barest hint of frustration, but the fingers brushing through her hair countered that quickly.

"For causing trouble and reading when I wasn't supposed to and…and thinking the worse of my Uncles and…and for being oversensitive and- and all of it."

"Causing troub- Angie what trouble?!" Daddy was prying her off now and tried to see her face. A calloused hand cupped her chin, lifting it so she would make eye contact and Angie closed her eyes to avoid it, tears leaking out all over again. "Bear! What trouble do you think you're causing just by being a kid who was worried and unsure?!"

"It was your night." Angie whispered. "I didn't want to wreck it because…because Uncle Ray and Uncle Clay said you needed it."

"You didn't wreck anything, and for the record I enjoyed it, all the bumps included…dam- Angie, open your eyes. Knock it off. Please, just look at me."

Reluctantly, Angie forced her eyes to open at the frustrated urging of her father and faced the intense, serious, almost anguished expression of the other.

"You need to stop worrying about this. It was fine. Everything was ok. You're Uncles love you, I love you. No one is mad at you, and no one thinks you ruined anything. Ok?"

Meekly, Angie nodded.

"They're going to be over a little more often. Are you ok with that?"

"I think so." Angie whispered, fighting off the anxiety that rose with that thought. What if next time she just made it worse?

"Are you sure?" Scott pressed, searching her face intently as he kept it upturned for just a moment longer.

Nodding into the hand cupping her chin, Angie repeated, "I think so."

"Ok." Scott let her curl back into his chest and tightened his arms around her comfortingly. "We'll talk about this again later. Is there anything else you want to tell me, Angie? Nothing else is bothering?"

"There's nothing else for right now." Angie chose her words carefully so that she wouldn't feel guilty about outright lying to him again.

She felt Scott draw a long, deep breath and release it again before saying, "Alright. Just…keep talking to me, little bear. Don't hide it away inside. Whatever it is, whatever comes down the line, we'll find a solution, but you gotta keep talking to me. Got it?"

"Ok," Angie said, hunching her shoulders in.

There was a long silence, then Scott broke it again by growling softly, "Angie, you know you don't have to be good or perfect all the time, right?"

"Yes, I do." Angie whispered back instantly and without meaning to. Scrunching her eyes closed and going tense, she waited with a twisting stomach for his response.

"Why?"

"Just…cause."

"Who told you that you had to be good all the time?" Scott sounded bothered and perplexed now.

Angie shrugged.

"Have I ever told you that?"

"No."

"Good. Because I don't expect you to be 'good' all the time. You're going to make mistakes and you're going to have bad days, just like the rest of us."

Sniffing back the new dangerous flood of emotion, Angie whimpered, "But it makes life easier when I'm perfect. Teachers like me better, and so do…do adults…and…"

Daddy went quiet and the rise and fall of his chest went still under her head. Then he asked quietly, "Do you think not being perfect is going to make me love you less, Angie?"

Chewing the inside of her cheeks to keep from bursting back into more tears, Angie couldn't answer that.

And she never had to because just then Cerberus jumped up and trotted to the back door, head tilted and tail wagging. Moments later the back door opened and Uncle Brock poked his head out.

"Hey, I'm just- oh," Uncle Brock's voice went from bright to soft and concerned as he inevitably took in Angie wrapped in Scott's big arms and the wet marks on his shirt. "Sorry man, I'll just take Cerb and get out of your hair-"

"Wait!" Angie lifted her head abruptly, scrubbing the remains of the tears away and pulling herself together. "I wanna say goodbye to Cerberus!"

"Yeah! Of course, Angie!" Uncle Brock didn't hide the mix of compassion and concern that crossed his face very well. If Angie had been paying closer attention she might have figured out that it distressed him to see that something had made her cry and she completely missed the questioning glances he threw in the direction of her dad as she hurried to get to Cerberus.

"Bye, Cerbie," Angie whispered, gently hugging the dog around the neck and graciously accepting the wet kisses as he got rid of the last of the salty tracks on her cheeks. "Thank you for sleeping over."

"Thanks for taking care of Cerberus for me, Angie!" Uncle Brock said, crouching down next to them and ruffling the hair behind the dog's ears. "He needed a nice little vacation. I can tell he's really happy!"

A little self-conscious, Angie kept her head bowed as she said, "You're welcome. I really liked having him here."

"Yeah? Well maybe we better do this again sometime then, huh?"

"Really?" Angie lifted a shy face, hating that she knew she'd just been crying and that it was noticeable.

"Yeah! If that's ok with your dad?" Uncle Brock flicked another look behind her and up, indicating Scott wasn't sitting anymore.

Angie sensed her dad stop right behind her before he spoke and the familiar hand came to rest at the base of her neck. Leaning into it, Angie backed into the comfort of the touch until her back was resting against his side.

"It's fine with me." Scott said without his usual gruffness. "Thank you for leaving him, Brock."

"Anytime, man! I'll, ah, I'll see you both later, ok?" Uncle Brock smiled at Angie as he opened the door for Cerberus to take him out the front.

"Bye!" Angie murmured, watching them both leave and trying to feel something more than dull ache in her chest.

The thumb resting on the left side of her neck rubbed gently, then her dad asked, "How are those arms?"

Confused, Angie craned her neck back so she could see him.

"What?"

"How are your arms after climbing?"

"Oh," Angie looked at them both as if they would give her the answer, completely missing the tug of a smile when she did so. "They're good!"

"Are they up for climbing again today?"

Gasping, Angie lifted her head again, "We could go to the climbing place again!? Today!?"

"Uh huh. If you want to go."

"Yes!" Angie squealed, every little trouble vanishing with the excitement of climbing and eagerness replacing the heaviness inside.

"Ok, go get changed, let's get that hair brushed and braided, then we can go."

"Ok!" Angie dashed for the door and was in her room, switching into better climbing clothing within a minute.

Once she was dressed, she ducked into the bathroom and found her hairbrush in the drawer. In her hurry she wasn't careful with her hair and started ripping through it, mindless of the pain in her scalp.

"Geez…give me that," Scott appeared out of the corner of her eye in the small space, stopping her hand and the brush mid tear through a bad tangle. "You're going to rip it all out if you keep that up."

Angie let go of the brush and chewed her lip, a deep blush rushing up into her cheeks.

"Sorry," She mumbled.

"Relax, kid. It's ok," Scott grumbled, almost unhappily. "Just…let's not tear all your hair out, ok? I'm starting to get kinda attached to it."

Frowning a little disbelievingly at her dad in the mirror as he started working through the tangles with much more care than she'd used, Angie asked, "You like my hair?"

Meeting her frown steadily, Scott nodded, "Yeah, I do. If you didn't have it anymore, I wouldn't be able to try out the new braids I've been learning during flights back and forth from missions."

Speechless for only a second, Angie blurted out, "Can you do one now?!"

That broke the serious frown on her dad's face and he smirked.

"Yeah, I could try one. Can't promise how it'll look though. I usually try them with thin rope."

"That's ok!" Angie told him graciously. She was just excited to see what he'd come up with and in truth her dad was more gentle when doing her hair than even her own mother or Naima was. She liked when he did it for her.

"Alright, well let's see how it goes then get going. I hear someone wants to climb today."

The week should have gotten better after that. For Angie it did, briefly.

She got to go climbing twice, had bruises and scrapes to show off with cool new stories for her friends at school on Monday. And she got to tell them about taking care of Cerberus. Even Jameelah was envious of that one.

Then Daddy got spun up again for a few days and she didn't see him again until after school on Wednesday.

The minute he picked her up from school, Angie had a weird feeling something was wrong. When he hugged her, he held on longer than he usually did. Then after that he was too quiet, every time he looked at her he'd get really serious and sad. They didn't go biking or out for a walk like they usually did. Instead they played with Lego in the living room after Angie had finished her homework.

Unsettled, Angie did her best to fill the silence and make him smile, but even though he encouraged her to tell him about her week while he was gone, the light just didn't reach his eyes.

When the evening wore on and it was nearly time for her to get ready for bed, Angie noticed he was fidgeting with the Lego pieces rather than building and he kept glancing out the windows.

"Angie, we need to talk," He finally said.

Angie's stomach did a flip flop and she looked up from the castle she was building.

Seeing he had her attention, Scott began.

"So, we talked about bad dreams once already and I promised to tell when they might happen. For the next few nights, you gotta stay in your own room, ok? Not trying to scare you, and it might not be anything, but you're staying in your room for the next while."

Blood turning to ice in her veins, Angie heard herself say softly, "Ok."

"If you need me, you call for me or you knock on the door."

"Ok."

"And if you get scared, or I'm not seeming like I'm waking up, you're gonna call Uncle Trent."

Angie nodded, chewing her lips and trying not to cry.

"Angie…"

"Uh huh."

"Could you please look at me?"

She shook her head and winced at Scott's tired exhale. All the same, she waited.

"It's gonna be ok, Angie."

"C-can we still snuggle before I go to bed?" Angie heard herself say with a rushed puff of air. There was a deep seeded hunger that cried out against the idea of not being allowed close to him at all .

Lego pieces got set down, and she heard her dad get up, walk closer and crouch next to her, saying, "Yes."

Finally braving to look at him, Angie bit her lips and peeked at him.

The lines on his face were drawn, making him look older than he usually did and he looked worn with weight she couldn't even fathom. Still, he was firm and determined, eyes pained with warm compassion as he said, "It might not even be anything, Angie. Just a precaution, ok? I'll know in a few days."

Angie nodded quickly, not trusting herself to speak and willing away the twisting in her stomach.

"Are we good?"

Immediately Angie reached her arms out and wrapped them around her dad's neck, hiding her face in his shoulder while nodding mutely again.

"It's gonna be ok," Scott growled quietly, returning her hug and rubbing a hand briskly over her back before pulling away and catching her eye. "Got it?"

"Yup." Angie answered, trying to believe him.

"Go get ready for bed, then let's finish that book."

All hopes and promises aside, even with the preparation and conversations warning her, Angie wasn't prepared for the actual event of her dad having a bad dream.

She'd cried out for him when she woke up, not realizing at first the noise that woke her up was him. It didn't last long once she was awake, and she couldn't make out what he'd yelled, but it raised the hair on her neck and froze her insides all the same. That tone wasn't one she ever wanted directed at her.

Angie sat on her bed, teary eyed as she hugged her doggy and waited for her door to open now that it was quiet.

Minutes ticked by and Angie started to give up hope that he was coming like he promised until finally she heard his door open and there was a soft knock at hers.

"Angie?"

"Uh huh." Angie whimpered.

"I'm coming in, alright?"

"Uh huh." Angie gulped back a relieved sob and released a shaking breath when the door opened.

He crossed the floor without a word and motioned her into his arms when he reached her. Angie didn't need much in the way of prompting. She let him scoop her up and cradle her like a baby in his arms as he sat with his back against the head of her bed.

A muted sob ripped out of her and she let her fingers grip the front of his t-shirt while she hid her face against him, trying to block out the echoes in her head.

"We're ok. It was just a dream, little bear." Her dad held her close, rocking with her ever so slightly and pressing a kiss into the crown of her head. His breath came too shaky for it to be ok and Angie wondered if he was lying. "I'm ok. We're both safe."

After a while, Angie managed to calm down and grew sleepy again, but she couldn't push past into slumber until her Dad pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Hey. Yeah. Not good." Her dad paused, listening to whoever it was on the other end of the phone before saying, "Yes. Thank you. See you in a bit."

Opening her eyes, Angie whispered, "Who was that?"

"Uncle Trent. He's gonna come over and stay the rest of the night."

For some reason the idea that Uncle Trent was coming over released tension through her back and Angie melted into her dad.

"We're ok." Scott murmured, resting his head on her crown again and rubbing soothing circles over her arm. She wasn't sure who he was reassuring now. Him or her. "Close your eyes, try to go back to sleep. I promise you're safe."

Angie believed him this time and she grew sleepier, satisfied knowing that another adult would be here soon to take care of Daddy if he needed it.

It still wasn't until Uncle Trent came that she truly let go and started to really fall asleep.

Daddy must have thought she was already out though. When Uncle Trent got there, he slipped in to talk to Scott while he was still holding her and he spoke as if he thought she wasn't aware.

Angie felt bad for eavesdropping, but she was also mostly asleep and didn't want her dad to put her down just yet, so she stayed floppy and tried not to listen too closely. It was hard not to.

"Hey," Uncle Trent whispered.

Daddy gave a half grunt in reply before whispering back, "Thanks for coming."

"Yeah, no problem. How's she doing?"

"Scared her pretty bad." Daddy subtly tightened his arms and she knew he was looking down at the top of her head. "It was worse than I thought it would be."

"Just…the mission? Or something else…"

"Mission, I think. Maybe some other stuff too. Don't know. Something about it just…dragged stuff up again."

"We got them out this time. That's all we could do."

"I know. But we didn't last time…and those…they were just kids, Trent. Shouldn't have taken so long."

"I know. I hated it as much as you did. But we got them this time. They're safe now."

"Not-" Scott broke off suddenly, and Angie realized she'd stopped breathing so she could hear better, giving away that she was waking up again as she listened. She heard the softest of grumbles, followed by her dad saying, "Let's table this for later."

"Yeah, good call. You still drinking that herbal tea?"

"Yeah."

"I'll make some."

"Thanks. Be out in a bit."

Uncle Trent left and Angie tried her best to pretend she wasn't wide awake now, mind just buzzing with questions that she wasn't sure she wanted answers to.

Daddy bent down and pressed another kiss into the top of her head before growling softly near her ear, "Have I told you yet today, how much I love you?"

Angie couldn't pretend anymore and her eyes crept open as she snuggled in closer, glowing with contentment. These moments, right here, those were the ones that banished all her doubts and fears. She wished they lasted longer.

"I love you too, Daddy," Angie whispered.

"I'm glad. Now, go to sleep."

"Can I have tea too?"

There was the barest of snorts that smothered a chuckle.

"Nice try. No. Go back to sleep. You've got school tomorrow."

"It's already tomorrow." Angie chirped softly, squinting at her clock.

"Angie."

"Sorry, Daddy."

"It's ok. Go to sleep."