Jessica's Point of View

When I returned from Master Yen Sid's tower, I snuck into my room, where Daddy and Lexaeus were waiting for me. Daddy immediately went into a rant. "Do you have any idea what you put me through?! Be thankful that I haven't reported your disappearance to Lord Xemnas yet! You are impossible!" He shouted at me. I opened my mouth to speak, but he stopped me. "I don't want to hear your excuses or your lies! You are not to do that again!"

"I won't," I sniffed, fighting back tears. Daddy sighed and seemed to calm down.

"Vexen, wasn't there something else you wanted to say?" Lexaeus reminded.

Daddy glared at him. "Get out," Daddy grumbled. Lexaeus hesitated but complied. I slowly backed into the wall out of fear. Daddy turned back towards me.

"I won't hurt you, Child," He assured me. He held out his arms. "Come here, please."

I hesitated, but I knew I had to do what I was told, so I approached Daddy, who pulled me into a hug. I relaxed as I realized how gentle he was.

When he spoke again, Daddy's voice came out softer. "That's better. I hope you realize that I will be hard on you only out of a desire to avoid a situation where you become hurt. I care about you more than you know, Jessica. Do you understand?"

I thought about what he said. "So, you're always yelling at me because you're afraid I will get hurt?"

"Precisely. I know that sometimes you will make mistakes, and I've made mistakes as well, but sometimes you don't realize just how large the mistakes you've made are, and you need to. Sometimes my yelling is the only way for you to understand."

"Does that mean you don't hate me?" I asked.

"I will never hate you, Jessica. If you ever hear me yelling at you, I want you to know that I only do it because I care for your well-being. At the end of the day, you and I will learn and move on. We're here together now, regardless of the consequences, and I need you to trust that I know what's best for you. Can you do that?"

I nodded.

Daddy sat on my bed and set me on his lap. "So, I heard you met your mother."

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"What did you think?" Daddy wondered.

"I don't know. I'd rather not see her again," I grumbled.

"Surely you don't mean that," Daddy denied. Tears fell from my eyes. I buried my face in my father's coat.

"Yes I do. I don't want more family," I whined, muffled by his coat.

"But you'll love your mother," Daddy argued.

"That's the problem. Everyone I love dies," I cried.

"You mean you don't love me?" Daddy asked softly.

"Well, I do, but you already died," I sniffed.

"Jessica, I'm not dead. I didn't die. Things are just going to be different for a while, that's all. Now, I'm sure that your mother will be just fine. She's been wanting to meet you, and I'm sure it made her very happy to see you at last. You wouldn't want to take that happiness away from her, would you?" Daddy questioned.

"No," I stated.

"Good, it's settled then. I'll take you by tomorrow after your mission," Daddy decided.

"What? Wait, no!" I exclaimed.

"Yes. I know you don't want her to get hurt, but not everyone will. What's happened to you in the past was an anomaly. It won't happen again," Daddy reassured me.

"Promise?" I checked.

"I promise." Daddy agreed.

Thank you, Gallantmon of the Hazard, for favoriting and following.

Guest: Thank you for your review. In light of your request, I have decided to post this chapter.

1/9/2023: This chapter has been edited. It's mostly the same, though I added some dialogue.