Okay (Lydia, Peter)
It had been a year since the shooting. One whole year. A lot had changed in the year since Gloria had taken a gun to school and shot as many kids as she could find. Namely, Lydia herself. She had done a lot of growing up. Her heroic move to escort all the members of her classroom out the window at the first sign of trouble had doubtless saved lives. It had also gained her popularity she never really wanted in the first place. She had fallen in with a group of girls she didn't really fit with. They were obsessed with clothes and boys and makeup and more clothes, and Lydia knew there were more important things in the world, but she pretended anyway because why not? Until she found Kismet. Kismet was her best friend. They both knew the vapid girls at LC were a waste of space. Lydia saw her as a kindred soul, and it made her so happy to have someone her age to bond with.
But Kismet hadn't been there last year. She hadn't heard the shots and the screams. She didn't know the terror of wondering if your cousin had been killed. Your friends. Your boyfriend. Lydia had run back into the school to find Dylan unconscious on the floor. He had been okay, but she hadn't known that at the time. And then, after it all, her father had shown up for her. Peter had been in Spain at the time, but Lydia had known he could come. And he had.
And it was Peter she wanted to be with now. Not Dylan, not Kismet. Peter. She found him in the kitchen, making a snack for Caleb. "Hey, Dad." She said softly. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Caleb wants his weird celery peanut butter raisin thing." Peter said, screwing the lid back on the peanut butter jar. He dropped a few raisins onto the concoction and then he popped a few into his mouth. "What are you doing?"
"Coming to see what you're doing." Lydia replied with raised eyebrows.
"Ah, should have guessed that one." Peter crossed the room and he kissed her on the forehead. Then he put his hands on her shoulders. "I should have asked what you want to be doing."
"I dunno." Lydia mumbled, but she leaned forward so she could wrap her arms around him. "Distract me."
"Now that I can do." He kissed her head and then he reached for Caleb's snack. "Give me a second." Peter trotted off to hand his son his food and then he returned carrying his jacket as well as Lydia's. "Come on then."
Lydia grinned at Peter and she shrugged her jacket on quickly. "Where are we going?"
"Oh no no. One doesn't give the surprise away. You'll just have to see." Peter held his hand out to her and she took it with a smile.
Peter ended up taking Lydia to the cinema and he let her pick a movie. She wanted to see Inkheart, and to Peter's credit he sat there through the entire movie and didn't look disgruntled once, despite not really liking movies all that much. Lydia had loved the movie, even if it was for kids. She wasn't a kid anymore, but she didn't have to be embarrassed for wanting to see it when her father was there.
Then Peter took Lydia shopping. It was Lydia's new love, and since Peter didn't exactly have to worry about money, he felt she might as well get what she wanted. That was until she wanted a sweater that was very low-cut, paired with a short skirt. She tried it on, and the V-neck accentuated the assets Lydia was beginning to grow quite nicely. "I love this, Dad! It makes me feel grown up, can I have it, pleeaasseeeee?!"
Peter had turned white the second she had shown it to him. "But you...you can see your...er..." His daughter should not have cleavage! It just wasn't right.
Lydia spun in the outfit. The black shirt flared nicely, and she raised her arms over her head cutely. "Come on, Dad! I can't wear little pink dresses forever. I can't even close the zipper on some of the things you bought me a few months ago." It wasn't because she was gaining weight, either. Just hips and boobs. "I love that you still want me to be your Little Girl." She did too. Some kids might resent it, but thanks to a whole lot of trauma, Lydia was grown up enough to understand that Peter had missed all that. He had come in on the tail end of her dolls/pink dresses/tea parties phase, and it was understandable that he didn't want it to end. But she was growing up, whether he liked it or not, despite her taste in movies (because some things would never change). And he had to deal with it because Lydia didn't feel like being the girl at school who got followed around by her father who did things like tell her to drink her milk and remember to play nice. "But I'm not so little anymore, Dad."
"I know." Peter sighed. "I know you are. You can get your..." Peter waved his hands up and down. "Tart outfit."
Lydia burst out laughing and she swatted his arm. "This is not a tart outfit! Believe me." That would be more like something Brianna would wear. Stupid tart. "You are so cute. Will you take me out for tacos?!"
"Will you cover up?! You're going to freeze your...bits off.."
Lydia laughed again, shaking her head in amusement. "Sure thing, Dad." She flounced off to change back into her own clothes before returning the clothes she would be purchasing back to their respective hangars. This really was better than spending the entire day moping. Peter was good at that. And later, if Lydia felt like curling up beside Peter and crying, she knew he would be there for her in that instance as well.
She really did have the best father in the world.
But Kismet hadn't been there last year. She hadn't heard the shots and the screams. She didn't know the terror of wondering if your cousin had been killed. Your friends. Your boyfriend. Lydia had run back into the school to find Dylan unconscious on the floor. He had been okay, but she hadn't known that at the time. And then, after it all, her father had shown up for her. Peter had been in Spain at the time, but Lydia had known he could come. And he had.
And it was Peter she wanted to be with now. Not Dylan, not Kismet. Peter. She found him in the kitchen, making a snack for Caleb. "Hey, Dad." She said softly. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Caleb wants his weird celery peanut butter raisin thing." Peter said, screwing the lid back on the peanut butter jar. He dropped a few raisins onto the concoction and then he popped a few into his mouth. "What are you doing?"
"Coming to see what you're doing." Lydia replied with raised eyebrows.
"Ah, should have guessed that one." Peter crossed the room and he kissed her on the forehead. Then he put his hands on her shoulders. "I should have asked what you want to be doing."
"I dunno." Lydia mumbled, but she leaned forward so she could wrap her arms around him. "Distract me."
"Now that I can do." He kissed her head and then he reached for Caleb's snack. "Give me a second." Peter trotted off to hand his son his food and then he returned carrying his jacket as well as Lydia's. "Come on then."
Lydia grinned at Peter and she shrugged her jacket on quickly. "Where are we going?"
"Oh no no. One doesn't give the surprise away. You'll just have to see." Peter held his hand out to her and she took it with a smile.
Peter ended up taking Lydia to the cinema and he let her pick a movie. She wanted to see Inkheart, and to Peter's credit he sat there through the entire movie and didn't look disgruntled once, despite not really liking movies all that much. Lydia had loved the movie, even if it was for kids. She wasn't a kid anymore, but she didn't have to be embarrassed for wanting to see it when her father was there.
Then Peter took Lydia shopping. It was Lydia's new love, and since Peter didn't exactly have to worry about money, he felt she might as well get what she wanted. That was until she wanted a sweater that was very low-cut, paired with a short skirt. She tried it on, and the V-neck accentuated the assets Lydia was beginning to grow quite nicely. "I love this, Dad! It makes me feel grown up, can I have it, pleeaasseeeee?!"
Peter had turned white the second she had shown it to him. "But you...you can see your...er..." His daughter should not have cleavage! It just wasn't right.
Lydia spun in the outfit. The black shirt flared nicely, and she raised her arms over her head cutely. "Come on, Dad! I can't wear little pink dresses forever. I can't even close the zipper on some of the things you bought me a few months ago." It wasn't because she was gaining weight, either. Just hips and boobs. "I love that you still want me to be your Little Girl." She did too. Some kids might resent it, but thanks to a whole lot of trauma, Lydia was grown up enough to understand that Peter had missed all that. He had come in on the tail end of her dolls/pink dresses/tea parties phase, and it was understandable that he didn't want it to end. But she was growing up, whether he liked it or not, despite her taste in movies (because some things would never change). And he had to deal with it because Lydia didn't feel like being the girl at school who got followed around by her father who did things like tell her to drink her milk and remember to play nice. "But I'm not so little anymore, Dad."
"I know." Peter sighed. "I know you are. You can get your..." Peter waved his hands up and down. "Tart outfit."
Lydia burst out laughing and she swatted his arm. "This is not a tart outfit! Believe me." That would be more like something Brianna would wear. Stupid tart. "You are so cute. Will you take me out for tacos?!"
"Will you cover up?! You're going to freeze your...bits off.."
Lydia laughed again, shaking her head in amusement. "Sure thing, Dad." She flounced off to change back into her own clothes before returning the clothes she would be purchasing back to their respective hangars. This really was better than spending the entire day moping. Peter was good at that. And later, if Lydia felt like curling up beside Peter and crying, she knew he would be there for her in that instance as well.
She really did have the best father in the world.