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Over the years, thanks to his work, Chris had learned to spot problems quickly, especially before they blew up and was in deep shit. By that point in his life, it was practically second nature. Things like behavioral changes, disrupted routines unexpectedly, suspicious lingering glances, and awkward silences that spoke volumes. Based on his experience, all of that usually meant something was wrong.
That's why, when Rosemary Winters started acting strange, Chris noticed it immediately. At first, it was small details. Chris was her guardian; he had raised her together with Mia since she was rescued. The girl spent many days at home because of her mother's work and he loved having her at home. He'd promised Ethan… he owed it to him. And although he wasn't going to take his friend's place, he felt responsible for her… almost like a father.
Rose started spending more time locked in her room after school. She'd turn her phone face down whenever either of them walked into the living room, as if she were afraid they'd see something. She'd smile absentmindedly while checking her messages and then act normal when she realized Chris or Leon were watching her. She even started skipping some dinners, saying she'd already eaten something earlier. And for a teenager who couldn't survive without junk food, that was seriously suspicious.
Chris tried not to think too much about it, but it was impossible, because Rose started going out more.
That's when the real problem began.
"She's been staring out of the window for twenty minutes," Chris murmured that morning from the kitchen, glancing discreetly towards the living room.
Leon looked up from his coffee cup and raised an eyebrow.
Rose was sitting near the living room window with her phone in hand. She had an absent expression on her face and was smiling without realising it.
Leon blinked a couple of times.
"Oh, God."
Chris immediately frowned and turned her gaze towards him.
"What?"
Leon looked back at him with a faint smile on his lips.
"She has the same look on her face as you do when you're worried."
"Because I am worried."
"Yes, that's exactly the problem."
Ignoring his husband, Chris turned his gaze back to Rose. Rose was still distracted, nervously tapping her foot as she repeatedly typed and deleted a message on her phone.
That didn't help. Chris knew all about nervousness. Usually, none of them ended well. Something was going on, and the idea that Rose might be in danger was tearing Chris apart. He had to find out what was happening.
Three days later, the situation had worsened considerably. Or at least that's what they thought.
Rose started getting up earlier to get ready before heading to class. She changed her perfume, stared at her wardrobe for a long time before leaving the house and, most alarmingly of all, began hiding things. All these little details had been piling up over the last few weeks, and Chris's suspicions were growing.
Whenever they watched her sitting at the computer, Rose changed the tab on her internet browser too quickly whenever one of them walked by. As if she were afraid, they'd see something inappropriate. She was constantly glued to her phone. She cut conversations short and disappeared into her room with some ridiculous excuse. She was isolating herself. Some nights, she would stay up very late, moving restlessly around upstairs when she thought they were asleep.
Leon was the first to discover that the computer password had been changed.
Rose had always been protective of her privacy, but never before had she excluded them so openly. So, one afternoon, when Leon tried to access her profile, he discovered that she had changed the password without telling them. At that moment, something clicked in his head.
From then on, he began to investigate more thoroughly.
A couple of nights later, he walked into the living room with a blue folder under his arm and a very serious expression on his face. He usually reserved that kind of focus for work. When he saw him, Chris immediately looked up from his laptop. A shadow of concern crossed his face.
"What's wrong?"
Leon carefully set the folder down on the table.
"I think you were right. Rose is hiding something."
Chris turned his full attention to his husband and the folder on the table. He moved the laptop aside and without taking his eyes off Leon, noticed how an uncomfortable stiffness was beginning to settle in his shoulders once again.
"What did you find?"
Leon slowly opened the folder.
At first glance, there was nothing alarming. It only contained pages torn from various notebooks. A few scattered notes. Fragments of sentences that had been written and crossed out several times. Numbers were circled. Even schedules. It was strange... until a name appeared.
Evelyn.
The words were written over and over again in the margins.
Chris frowned, looking puzzled.
"Who is Evelyn?"
Leon crossed his arms and looked at the papers, seeming just as confused as Chris.
"I don't know," said Leon. Rose didn't usually hide things like that, and it was starting to worry Leon. "But she's changed the password for her profile on the family computer. I know it's not right to invade her privacy like this, but I'm worried."
Leon had found the folder hidden behind a box in Rose's wardrobe while sorting through the clean laundry. When Rose caught him looking through it, she quickly and angrily snatched it away from him. That behaviour gave him a bad feeling.
Chris looked again at the name written there several times.
Evelyn.
Something in his mind reacted immediately when he saw it, although Chris didn't know exactly why. Perhaps it was because so many terrible things in their lives had started in the same way: seemingly innocent names hiding projects involving biological weapons or new experimental strains.
Leon ended up saying what Chris was still trying not to consider:
''It sounds like a code name.''
Chris slowly looked up at his husband and let out a weary sigh.
"Honey, you can't be serious."
"Chris, we've worked with organisations that called biological weapons Eva, Mother, E-001, and worse. Forgive me for not automatically assuming this is normal teenage behaviour."
Chris pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, trying to think logically. He let out another weary sigh. He didn't want to fall back into a state of paranoia fuelled by assumptions, but he also couldn't ignore the fact that Rose wasn't just an ordinary teenager.
The abilities she had inherited and the aftermath of what had happened with Miranda and the Megamycete still lingered beneath the surface, even years later. Rose was trying to lead a normal life, and they had done everything in their power to make that possible. But Chris knew better than anyone that 'normal' would always be a fragile concept when it came to her.
And lately, it was undeniable that something had changed.
Rose was avoiding long conversations with them and seemed distracted. She would lock herself in her room for hours on end and appear to be constantly in a daze, as if she were lost in thoughts she didn't want to share with anyone. Chris could hear her pacing down the hallway in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep.
Leon looked at the papers again.
"What if someone is getting close to her?"
"Leon…"
"I'm serious. We know there are still people interested in her. If someone found out who she really is..."
Chris felt an uncomfortable knot slowly tighten in his stomach. He had considered that possibility before, too. Too many times, in fact. He had promised to protect her. To Ethan. To Mia. And to himself.
And yet there were nights when he still woke up, convinced that he would fail sooner or later. That one day wouldn't be enough. Chris's gaze drifted back to the name written in the margin.
Evelyn.
"What if he's looking for something?" he finally murmured.
Leon looked up.
"Like what?"
Chris hesitated for only a moment before answering.
"A way to get rid of his powers."
It wasn't a far-fetched idea, but the possibility made them both uncomfortable. It made sense to assume something like that. Rose had grown up seeing fear in other people's eyes far too many times. She had learned early on to control herself, hide certain things, and pretend to be normal to fit in. Chris knew she hated feeling different, even if she didn't say it out loud. They didn't talk about it, but it was clear that it affected the teenager.
What if she had started to believe that it would never change?
Leon slowly exhaled.
"Chris…"
"Maybe she's tired." His voice came out lower, reflecting the real exhaustion he felt.
Chris looked back down at the folder, then slumped back onto the couch. He suddenly felt exhausted. He was too old for this. For years, part of him had feared that Rose would grow up feeling broken. Doomed. As if she'd inherited something that couldn't be loved without fear. If that was happening, it was his fault.
He should have been a better guardian. He should have talked to her differently. He should have opened up and been more present. He should have learned how to raise someone without constantly trying to protect her.
Ethan had died entrusting his daughter to Chris.
Yet, Chris still felt like he was winging it every day.
Leon immediately noticed the change in his expression. He knew his husband all too well, with his tendency to get stuck in a loop—an internal spiral where Chris began to take responsibility for things impossible to control. Chris convinced himself that everything depended solely on him.
Leon approached slowly and sat down beside Chris on the sofa.
"Hey."
Chris didn't respond.
"Don't make that face."
"What face?"
"The one that says, 'I've failed as a human being, and probably as a father too.' "
Chris let out a small, weary sigh.
"I don't know if I'm doing this right."
The honesty in his voice immediately softened Leon's expression. Behind the soldier, the captain, and the man who could face impossible monsters, there was still a person who was terrified of losing someone important for him. His husband was like that. He loved him for it, but he worried too much sometimes.
"Chris… she adores you."
"She barely talks to me these days."
Leon looked at him for a few seconds before letting out a brief, incredulous laugh.
"Oh my God. You're having a full-blown parenting crisis."
Chris frowned automatically.
"I'm not having a crisis."
"Two hours ago you checked the outdoor cameras because Rose was twenty minutes late coming home from school."
"That's just being cautious."
"You just searched for 'Evelyn' in the BSAA database while we were talking."
Chris remained silent, but shot him a betrayed look.
Leon ended up smiling slightly.
"Yeah. I noticed, honey."
Chris rested his elbows on his knees and ran a hand slowly across his face.
"I just… don't want her to think she has to face whatever's happening to her all on her own."
That wiped some of the humor from Leon's expression. He understood exactly what his husband meant. They both knew what could happen when a young person carried fear, secrets, and the constant feeling of being different for too long.
Neither of them wanted that for Rose.
Leon leaned back on the sofa and let out a slow exhale.
"We'll figure it out."
Chris turned his head toward Leon.
"What if we're completely wrong?"
Leon looked again at the folder on the table. Maybe they were wrong and it was all just paranoia after solving so many conspiracies and biological problems over the years. But it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Finally, everything blew up one Friday night. To be honest though Chris had been waiting for that exact moment for days.
Rose appeared in the kitchen shortly after eight. She was dressed in comfortable loungewear, and her hair was casually tied back. It seemed as if she had spent the last hour pacing in circles in her room before mustering the courage to come downstairs. She rummaged through the drawers until she found a bag of potato chips. She seemed anxious about something. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she avoided looking directly at either of them.
Chris's mental alarms went off right then and there.
Leon noticed it immediately, too. They looked at each other without needing words. Years of working together had taught them to recognize the exact moment they started thinking the same thing. Besides, they'd been married far too long for that not to play a role.
Rose now seemed genuinely nervous. After the unease of the past few weeks, the air in the kitchen felt tense. Chris set his glass of water down on the counter, trying to keep his tone casual so as not to scare her. His fatherly instincts kicked in immediately.
"Rose."
In response, she hummed a strange sound. She let out an uncomfortable sigh and opened the bag of chips clumsily. Chris noticed that her hands were shaking.
Leon sat up slightly in his chair and watched her more closely. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked tired. On top of that, she kept avoiding their gaze.
Chris's stomach tightened into a painful knot. Over the years, he had learned to associate that kind of behavior with people preparing to confess something bad.
"Has something happened?" Leon asked gently, as if afraid of scaring her away.
Rose froze. The bag of chips crinkled slightly in her hands as she hesitated for several seconds before answering. Chris felt the knot inside him tighten more and more. This didn't seem like mere strange teenage behavior to him. It seemed like Rose was afraid. That thought tore him apart inside.
Rose lifted her head and finally fixed her gaze on them.
"I need to tell you something."
After that, the whole apartment seemed to grow quieter. Chris and Leon exchanged a quick glance. In that instant, they realized that the conversation they'd both been anticipating for days had finally arrived.
Chris felt an absurd urge to brace himself mentally for the worst. Had someone at school said something to her? Had she lost control of her powers in front of someone? Had someone discovered who she really was?
Rose looked down again, staring at a spot on the floor.
"But you can't react weirdly."
That didn't help at all.
Leon slowly rested both arms on the table, unsure of what to expect.
"Rose..."
"I mean it."
Chris felt his chest tighten with each passing second because Rose sounded terrified. The longer she took to speak, the more horrible scenarios automatically flashed through his mind.
He remembered the folder, the name Evelyn, and the password change on her profile. He remembered her isolation at home during those last weeks. The horrible idea that Rose was looking for some way to change herself came back to the surface again. To eliminate what made her different. Maybe she was tired of carrying it, or maybe they had never made her feel normal.
He was not a good father.
Chris barely realized he was holding his breath until Leon spoke again.
"Whatever it is, you can say it. We'll support you. "
He saw Rose swallow, then open her mouth, only to close it immediately afterward. A few seconds later, she murmured:
"I don't know what's happening to me lately."
This made Chris feel an unpleasant cold spread through his stomach. Leon also tensed beside him; he could feel it.
"What do you mean by that?" Leon asked with obvious concern in his voice.
Rose began to blush alarmingly.
"I just... I've been acting weird lately. I can't stop thinking about one person. Every time he talks to me, I make a fool of myself, and..." She stopped abruptly, horrified, and hid her face with her hands, embarrassed.
Chris blinked once… Leon blinked twice. They were both confused.
When she pulled her hands away, Rose looked at them; her face was now completely red. Finally, she continued speaking.
"I think I like someone."
Chris began to process those words. Everything around him seemed to come to a complete standstill. Leon's eyes were wide open as if he had temporarily left his body.
Rose covered her face with her hands again.
"Oh God! Don't make those faces. I knew telling you was a bad idea… "
Chris was still trying to sort through the past two weeks in his mind. His body began to breathe again, releasing all the tension that had built up during that time. The relief wasn't immediate, but little by little, his mind seemed to return to normal. At least, there were no secret organizations or experiments, neither was no biological threat endangering Rose. She simply had a teenage crush.
Leon was the first to respond. He exhaled slowly, reclined in his chair, covered his face with his hand, and then began to laugh uncontrollably, a reaction that indicated a combination of nervousness and relief.
"We've survived biohazards, cults, and global outbreaks..." he muttered.
Chris leaned back in his chair and snorted, which might as well have been a laugh.
"And this is what almost brought us down."
"I'm serious!" protested Rose, thoroughly embarrassed.
"So are we," Leon replied with a weary laugh.
Chris still seemed emotionally devastated, though relieved. Then he asked:
"Who is Evelyn?"
Rose stopped moving immediately, her eyes widening. Then, she slowly raised an accusing finger at both of them.
"Did you read my folder?"
"It was open," Chris replied too quickly.
"That's still an invasion of privacy!"
Leon was still recovering from the relief.
"Okay, wait. So, Evelyn is...the girl?"
Rose slowly slumped onto the counter, embarrassed.
"Yes."
Chris processed that for a few seconds. Finally, he asked, completely sincerely, "So you're not trying to join some shady organization?"
Rose looked at him as if he had just suffered a brain injury.
"What?"
Leon burst out laughing.
"I told you were overreacting!"
"Leon, you're the one who started all this! You thought 'Evelyn' sounded like the name of an experimental strain!"
"Because it did! At least, at the time."
Rose let her head fall onto the table with an embarrassed groan.
"I can't believe you two are the ones in charge of raising me."
"Neither can we, sometimes," Leon admitted.
Despite being absolute disasters, Rose ended up laughing too. First it was a small laugh, then it grew into a real, unfiltered laugh. The tension that had been building in the apartment for weeks began to fade little by little, replaced by a much warmer, more normal emotion.
This was quite disconcerting for Chris, who was more accustomed to major catastrophes and bioterrorist threats. He was glad the problem was as simple as a new love. Five minutes later, he was searching the internet for "how to tell if someone likes you" while Leon tried to explain that they couldn't treat teenage crushes like a tactical operation.
"I'm not doing that." He defended himself.
"Chris, you just said, 'We need to evaluate the target's behavior.' "
"It was a slip of the tongue." Chris excused himself
"You called the girl Rose likes 'the target.' " Leon emphasized this point by raising his eyebrows.
Rose let her head fall back onto the table.
"I'm moving out."
"You can't move out, your mom would kill me " Chris replied automatically.
"See? He's already panicking again," Leon muttered.
As she watched them argue absurdly about how to help her without traumatizing her for life, something warm began to grow slowly inside Rose's chest. Neither of them was really scared by her confession. They didn't argue about her liking a girl. They were there for her, even when they had no idea what they were doing. Chris and Leon were still an absolute disaster as parents, but that was okay.
She would never have wanted it any other way.
They were her family and she was proud of them.
The End