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Amelia knew something was wrong when she caught her daddy checking his mobile over and over again. It was half six in the evening, and they hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Her father told her that dad would be home soon from his case and they could just wait for him. She tried to relax by watching some crap telly with him, but again he just kept checking his watch.
At seven, he invited her to the table and suggested they eat. Yet Daddy hardly touched his food, and Amelia felt too anxious eat. Something was obviously wrong. She was thirteen, and she had lived long enough to get a sense of when things weren’t quite right. Amelia knew her stepfather had just taken a kidnapping case, one he had only agreed to take because the victim’s father was too afraid to go to the police. She knew he was working closely with Greg, and it comforted her to know that the detective would make sure her dad didn’t get himself into too much trouble.
But then nine o’clock rolled around, and Amelia was so scared that she felt like she might be sick. She had taken over doing the washing up after her daddy went to answer a call on his mobile, and when he returned she just knew by the look on his face that something bad had happened. His mouth hung open just a little, his eyes were sunken and his shoulders fell forward. He leaned against the wall in defeat, like he needed it to hold himself up. She wrapped her arms around her stomach in hopes it would keep her from throwing up.
“Something’s happened to Dad, hasn’t it?” She asked, her voice so soft and stiff she was barely audible.
“Come here,” her daddy encouraged, holding his hands open.
Part of her wanted to protest and run away, but most of the rest of her just wanted to give in. And she could tell when he needed her. He embraced her, holding onto her tightly, and she squeezed her eyes shut to stop herself from crying.
“Dad went on a case with Greg,” her daddy explained quietly, as though she didn’t already know. “They went to the house they thought the kidnapper was holding the victim at, and dad insisted on investigating the downstairs on his own while Greg took the upstairs.”
“Why didn’t they have backup?” She demanded.
Her body shook, and she could feel her daddy's limp body lean against hers. It was like they had to hold each other up.
“They were on their way,” he replied in a soft tone that told her he didn’t agree with the call. “Greg heard a crash downstairs. When he went to make sure Dad was okay he…he wasn’t there.”
“He’s missing?” The tears finally came with the fateful whisper.
She felt her father nod against her shoulder, and she whimpered as her tears turned to sobs.
“They’ve got the full force of Scotland Yard out looking for him,” he explained.
“But what if…what if…”
What if they are too late?
She couldn’t say it out loud so instead she just cried harder. Amelia hated crying; she felt older for her age and could handle emotions most other kids couldn’t. But this…no one could handle this!
“Uncle Mycroft is helping too,” Daddy said. “So we’ve got the British Secret service and Scotland Yard. Dad will be okay.”
Yet he swallowed nervously, like he was trying to convince himself he was right. Taking a deep breath, she decided she was just going to have to be braver. Daddy needed her to be brave, and it did them no use for her to be a crying mess.
“I want to help,” she announced.
Daddy gave her a small, grateful, smile but shook his head.
“It’s extremely dangerous, Amelia,” he replied. “Dad would not want you out there. I don’t want you out there. You and I are going to stay here, and Uncle Mycroft is going to come over.”
Defeated, she collapsed against his chest again and simply let him hold her.
“It will all be okay,” he said quietly as he ran his hand through her hair.
Suddenly the door opened, and they both held their breath when her dad appeared in the doorway. While her heart leapt, her breathing stopped, and her eyes went wide, her excitement was momentarily stopped by his disheveled appearance. The knees of his trousers were torn, his hair was a mess, and there were bruises on his face and cuts on his hands. For a moment the three of them just stared at each other, wondering if this was real.
“The cabbie tells me the police are out searching for me,” her dad said. His voice was hoarse and he had to stop and swallow, like his throat was too raw. “I guess Secret Services are too. You might want to tell them they can stop.”
Daddy breathed heavily as he stared at his husband. It was like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to run and hug him or slap him. Amelia bit her lip as her tears turned into tears of joy, and suddenly her daddy took off running toward her stepfather.
“Oh god,” her daddy choked out as the two embraced. He ran his hands over her dad’s face, and Amelia simply stood back as she watched the two reunite.
“I’m sorry,” she heard her dad mutter.
You should be, she thought. How could he put them through this? How could he be stupid enough to not wait for backup?
“Are you okay?” Daddy, ever the caring doctor, said as he ran his hands over her stepfather’s cuts and bruises.
“Yeah,” her dad replied, glancing toward his daughter like he was afraid to admit how badly he actually felt in front of her.
“We should go to the A&E-"
“No,” her dad shook his head, and Amelia realised he was still staring at her. It was like he was trying to connect with her, trying to tell her something. “Amelia…”
She knew he knew how scared she had been. Slowly she walked toward him, feeling too numb and overwhelmed to run. Amelia let her hands slip around him but she was careful not to hold him too tight, knowing he was in more pain than he was letting on.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, planting a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
If I scared you?
If???
She pulled away, staring at him and wondering if he was serious.
“You have no idea,” she murmured.
Forcing her way past them, Amelia fled out the door and onto the steps. But before her feet could hit pavement she was stopped by a brolly. Her eyes fell closed as she muttered under her breath:
“Uncle Mycroft.”
“And just where do you think you’re going?” came her uncle’s cool, collected voice from the walkway.
He stepped out from the shadows, and a shiver ran down her spine. It did seem like her uncle was always there. Sometimes she swore it felt like he had security cameras following her around.
Then she remembered Uncle Mycroft was supposed to be on his way over to be with them, and she let out a long breath, trying to stop herself from being so paranoid.
“I thought I’d go to Caitlin’s,” she said innocently.
Her uncle’s eyes narrowed and she knew he didn’t believe her for a second.
“Caitlin lives in London,” he pointed out. “Just how do you plan on getting there at this hour?”
Did he always have to be so…pompous?
She placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.
“I just needed some air, alright?” She shot. “Is that too much to ask for?”
For a moment her uncle was silent, and she thought for once she might get her way. Instead he waved his hand toward the black car waiting for him and announced:
“Come with me.”
He took a few steps toward the door and opened it for her, and she had no choice but to follow. He slid into the backseat of the car and she followed. She threw herself back against the seat and crossed her arms, hoping he’d realised how frustrated she was, but Mycroft simply stayed silent as the car started up. It wasn’t until they were out of her neighbourhood when Mycroft finally spoke up.
“How is my dear brother?”
With a dramatic sigh, she replied:
“Fine.”
“And yet, why do you seem so disappointed?” He quipped.
How did she even begin to explain it? She wasn’t sure if anyone could understand how scared she was when her dad disappeared like that for hours on end on cases. Sometimes it felt like she was the adult and he was the kid. She was the one staying up waiting for him, waiting for those familiar footsteps downstairs before she could fall asleep.
“I’m happy he’s okay,” she said quietly. “I just…I don’t get why he does this! Why does Dad get to go off on all these dangerous cases, and yet if I want to walk down the bloody street he freaks out?”
Her uncle’s eyes narrowed again, but he didn’t scold her. She stared out the tinted windows as they headed into town.
“Where are we going?” She demanded.
Naturally, he didn’t reply. He didn’t answer her question about her dad either. Ten minutes later the car came into a stop in the middle of a row of shops and restaurants, and Amelia was surprised to find they were at…an ice cream shop?
“Ice cream?” She asked. Amelia couldn’t help it when a smile peered at the corners of her lips. “My dads never let me have ice cream this late!”
Her uncle’s lips turned up in a smile too.
“It will be our little secret.”
He winked at her before opening the door, inviting her out. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she skipped dinner, and Amelia licked her lips as her eyes skimmed the menu.
“Can I get anything?” She asked.
Uncle Mycroft’s eyes twinkled.
“Anything,” he confirmed.
She ordered a cookie dough ice cream with strawberry sauce and sprinkles on top. Daddy would kill her if he knew she was eating that this close to bedtime- but who cared? Her uncle gladly paid for the ice cream while he ordered his own tapioca. They grabbed a table and ate in silence for a moment. She wasn’t sure what to say- or what he wanted her to say. Her uncle wasn’t exactly in tune to people’s emotions. He wasn’t really the heart-to-heart kind of relative. Yet right now he was all she had to talk to, so he would have to do.
“Why couldn’t he just wait for backup?” Amelia muttered.
She dug her spoon angrily into her ice cream and took a bit of it while her uncle simply pushed his dessert around in its cup.
“If I had a pound for every time your dad didn’t wait for backup I would be rich,” he replied before finally taking a bite.
“You are rich,” she pointed out.
He raised his eyebrows and joked:
“Well I would be richer.”
Amelia only offered him a smirk before turning back to her ice cream, letting the sweetness and perfection of the dessert distract her from reality.
“As much as we all hate to admit it he does know what he’s doing,” Uncle Mycroft confessed. She looked up, surprised he would ever say that. She knew of the rivalry the two brothers had when they were younger- which was more of a friendly sibling bickering now- but she found it hard to believe Mycroft would be okay with her dad’s choices. “Greg tells me they really did find the kidnap victim in the house. It sounds like the suspect just thought your dad was the only one on the premises: he didn’t expect a detective to be upstairs.”
“That was stupid of him.”
“Yes, I agree. Usually it is the stupidity of criminals that gets them caught.”
A deep growl sounded from her stomach so Amelia forced herself to eat more, but the thought of that poor kid being kidnapped made her feel sick inside again.
“That’s another thing I don’t get,” she said quietly. “Why do people have to hurt other people like that? Why would that man want to kidnap a kid? I mean…he was a kid! He was just a few years younger than me. He…he hurt him, traumatized him…all for what, money?”
“Yes,” her uncle replied, his voice stiff. “Unfortunately some people are just evil, and money makes people do evil things. Luckily there are people like your dad and Greg, who are able to stop those people.”
She slumped down into the booth.
“But they can’t keep themselves from getting hurt?”
She could feel her uncle’s eyes studying her, deducing her as always. Words couldn’t describe how much she hated the deduction games her dad and uncle played! Just because you have ideas about someone didn’t mean you have say it out loud- that was her opinion, anyway. But no, they thought they had the right to read her like a book and tell her everything they thought about her to her face.
But instead of listing off deductions, her uncle simply asked:
“Is everything okay with you, Amelia?”
Her eyes flashed up to him in surprise. He sounded so genuinely concerned- which was so like him- that she almost broke down right then. Because the truth was she wasn’t okay.
“No,” she whispered.
Amelia’s hands flew to her face to stop the tears from falling. She heard her uncle scoop up the remainder of his ice cream and led her outside. The fresh air felt good, and for a moment she felt like she could breathe again as her uncle placed and arm around her shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You know, when I was little I thought my dads were super heroes. Daddy went to work and saved people’s lives in hospital while dad went out and solved crime. Although…I didn’t really think about him as being a detective. It was almost like I thought of him like a comic book hero, with a cape and all, saving the day. But now I know he goes out and deal with horrible criminals. People who just…they’re really awful! They want to hurt him, they even want him…they even want him dead sometimes. And the worst part is that nothing changes. Dad and Greg can catch these people, but it doesn’t bring the victims back to life. And people will always kill people, won’t they?”
The thing was she knew her uncle agreed with her, but he would never admit it. She could see it in his eyes whenever he was around her dad that there was a hidden history there, and she could tell he didn’t like her dad being around danger so much.
“I’m afraid so,” Uncle Mycroft replied. “I’m afraid that’s part of growing up: realising the world isn’t just a fairytale.”
It was a harsh way to put it, but she knew he was right. She remembered she still had some ice cream and scooped out the rest of it before tossing the cup into a bin.
“I don’t want to grow up,” Amelia sighed. “The real world is depressing.”
“Yes,” her uncle nodded, “but it can be wonderful too. The real world gave us you.”
Her uncle smiled, and she rolled her eyes.
“The real world is not all bad,” her uncle reiterated as he walked her over to the car and opened the door for her. He instructed the driver to return to her home, and she wasn’t quite sure how she was supposed to face seeing her dads again. “The world needs good people like you in it…and good people like your dads. My brother means well, even if he is a bit reckless.”
“I just…” she bit his lip. “I don’t want him to die.”
His hand fell on her arm, and he squeezed it.
“I don’t think he’ll let that happen,” he said.
After her uncle dropped her off at home she found her dads sitting on the kitchen sofa, giving her that worried look they always did whenever she was gone longer than she promised. To say they looked upset was an understatement. Yet when she approached him, her dad surprised her by jumping up and sweeping her into a hug.
“I was just so worried,” she confessed as she sobbed into her shoulder. “I knew something bad had happened, I just knew it! And I just…I just…I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want you to die. I was just so scared.”
Her dad rubbed small circles on her back with his hand while he held onto her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I scared you, and I'm sorry I put myself in danger. But I was thinking of you the whole time, you and your father. I'm just...I'm glad to be home.”
He squeezed her tight before letting her go, and she turned to Daddy.
“I'm glad you're home safe, too...and I'm sorry I ran off,” she offered.
“I figured your uncle would be on it,” Dad replied.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked him as she ran her hand over a bruise.
“I’ll make sure he takes care of his wounds,” Daddy promised as he stood to join them.
“I’ll be okay,” dad said.
She offered him a small smile as all three of them held hands. She felt guilty because she knew how scared her dad must have been that night and how much pain he must be in.
“I know I’m a little old for this,” she began sheepishly, “but do you think I can sleep with your bed tonight?”
Her dad’s face absolutely lit up at the request.
“Of course,” he replied, throwing his arms around her. He squeezed her and she buried her head into his shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
“We’ll talk in the morning,” Daddy offered. “But right now I think we all need some sleep.”
Dad nodded, agreeing. There was a sudden grumbling sound, and her dad blushed- it was obviously his stomach.
“Perhaps some food first,” he said.
Grinning, Daddy replied:
“We have leftovers.”
He threw his arm over his lover’s shoulders, and Amelia smiled as her little family held onto each other and walked back to the kitchen. Maybe life wasn’t perfect, and maybe life was a little dangerous, but she was so grateful to be able to have such an amazing family. As the three of them sat down at the table Amelia finally felt like she could breathe again- and most importantly she felt safe again.