I Didn't Think It Would Happen Like This

[Tree]

"Depends on the adventure. What sort of adventure are you hoping for? "

[Sushi]

"An ice cream adventure!"

She lowered her voice and pinched her fingers close together.

"Ice cream balls."

[Tree]

Ansel snickered.

"Of course."

Of all the adventures. Well then..... he soon enough found an ice cream sundae printed t-shirt for her, grinning to himself.

[Sushi]

Brooke was plenty agreeable about getting kitted up for her day out.

"Daddy, I want to do something fun today. "

[Tree]

" Well, that was the goal, any thing you extra special hope for? "

He asked, eyebrow quirked

[Sushi]

"I want the little ice cream balls," she told him again.

[Tree]

Ansel gave a laugh and nod.

"Yes, those are given. .... but are we thinking zoo? Or maybe we want to go ride fun rides?"

What was his kiddo feeling?

[Sushi]

She had to think about it for a minute.

"I want to pet a tiger !"

[Tree]

Ansel was belly laughing now, but nodded slowly.

"Alright, what do you think mom would say? "

[Sushi]

"Probably nothing. She doesn't talk anymore," the child answered with a glib shrug.

[Tree]

Ansel stilled, mind turning to the wife he wished was with them.

" I miss her talking. .... don't you miss having her, too?"

He asked genuine and more vulnerable than was likely wise to give a small child.

[Sushi]

Brooke shrugged, worry filling her little face.

"She's a bad guy. I'm glad we catched her before she got to do big evil stuff. She might have locked me up so I wouldn't get to have special time with you no more."

She threw herself against him, wrapping her arms as far as they would go.

"I love you! I don't want you to leave me again!"

[Tree]

Ansel hugged her, mind turning.

"Brooke.... did you know she's not a bad guy? "

He asked her softly, brushing her hair from her face.

"Daddy doesn't ever want to leave you. Except maybe for little trips with mommy, Nora, or Taylor. Kay? "

[Sushi]

The child all but strangled him, sniffling.

"No, daddy! She's a bad guy! You gotta remember that, or she'll trick you again like she did before you found out. She's... she's crazy, remember? You said so!"

Of course this one would have picked up on a few things, even before even fell apart.

"And you had to take her to the special doctors to get the bad guy shots, remember? The ones that make her be quiet and sleepy so people can watch and make sure she doesn't be evil?"

It might have been the wrong conclusion, but it wasn't that hard to imagine how the precocious child had formed it as she tried to understand what she was seeing happen around her.

[Tree]

Ansel slowed to settle down on a park bench.

"Alright, we need to straighten a few things out, princess. "

He soothed, gingerly relocating her to be cradled in his lap.

"Easy... so let's start at the beginning. Mommy isn't evil. "

He started softly, mind turning.

"Sometimes we need help and don't know how to ask. That's what happened with mommy and daddy. ..... mommy needed help and didn't know how to ask. Daddy needed help but asked for the wrong kind. "

[Sushi]

"You didn't need help. You're awesome! You can do anything! "

Her pride was short lived, though, as she considered the rest. Brooke really did give it some hard thought. After a second, she patted his arm with a grim expression.

"Daddy... I think she did something bad to you while you were gone. Maybe like a stupid-ache?" She tried to make up a name for an illness version of being dumb.

"Cuz everybody knows that she's bad. Do you need to go to a doctor? "

[Tree]

Ansel smiled at her a smidge..

"No.. I'm. Not sick..Brooke. if everyone told you that daddy is bad, would you think they were right? "

[Sushi]

"No. Cuz you're not bad. "

That was simple and firm in her head.

[Tree]

Ansel nodded.

"But if you went around talking to people, did you know many would say I am? "

He asked simply, lightly petting her hair as he talked with her.

"Brooke, your mom is in the same position. She's not bad. Just some people whispered it and others believed it. If I did a bad thing, does that one thing make me a bad person? "

So he could acknowledge that he was watering this down a smidge, but he didn't need to bring in like, hitler or his dad unless things kept being difficult to explain.

[Sushi]

"But I SAW it. I saw the bad guy inside her. I don't like it."

The child huffed.

[Tree]

Ansel tilted his head, looking perplexed.

"Brooke, what did you see? "

He would at least hear his child out?

[Sushi]

"I saw... I saw..."

Brooke gestured as she struggled to find words.

"I saw the bad guy that looks like her but isn't her. I saw it a bunch of times when you weren't there! And! And I saw the bad guy that is her when I was with Auntie and we went to the bad guy doctors place."

[Tree]

Ansel was studying his child.

"Brooke. Do you mean her outside changed? Or do you mean you saw something else in her? "

Cause possession was a thing and while they were on the case he could totally believe they'd picked up a hitchhiking demon or something.

[Sushi]

"Um... which time?"

Brooke got distracted for a second by a duck landing on the pond.

[Tree]

"The one that looks like her but isn't her? Is that when she's changed on the outside?"

He asked, describing Willow's full beast form to his girl.

[Sushi]

"Yeah, that's it! The badness. I don't like it."

[Tree]

"Brooke. That's l legit your mom.. it's just her full transitional self. She can just morph forms. For all we know, so can you and your sisters.

Now about this "bad guy that is her" what do you mean by that? Cause I've never seen normal mommy even kinda look bad guy."

Well. Unless he counted when they were fighting or he was upset, but that was different.

[Sushi]

"Nuh uh."

But she didn't explain or answer questions beyond that, sulking instead. Why didn't he believe her? ...it was probably Willow's fault. She probably did something just to make him think wrong and ruin special time.

"This is the worst day ever. "

[Tree]

Ansel booped her nose.

"That's a pretty fast judgement for a day that's just getting started. Maybe you'd like to talk about mom later and go look for some animals to pet?"

[Sushi]

"I don't wanna pet animals no more."

Brooke slid out of his lap and squatted down at the end of bench, pouting.

"I hate animals. "

[Tree]

Ansel looked at her thoughtfully.

"Why? "

[Sushi]

"Cuz."

Cuz everything was bad and she was unhappy!

[Tree]

Ansel shook his head and picked her up, cuddling her.

"Alright,, maybe we can do something daddy wants to try? "

[Sushi]

The girl just huffed modify and went boneless, chin thumping down onto his shoulder. That was as good as he was going to get.

[Tree]

"Well, a ragdoll might make this more interesting to manage, but I'll give it my best go. "

And he shifted to kiss her temple and then carry her off to the sign he'd seen.. it was for a race track cart down the hillside. Why not have a drive your own coaster ride?

[Sushi]

Brooke was begrudgingly interested. But by the time he got them strapped in, she was giggling with anticipation. He'd have to drive around the bony appendages now stabbing him in the sternum, but it only further highlighted her excitement as she squealed the whole way down.

"Let's go again!" She cried just as soon as they stopped.

[Tree]

Ansel laughed heartily, kissing her forehead.

"Alright, alright. Just once more. Then we can pick something else out to do? "

[Sushi]

"Okay."

That seemed reasonable to her. Afterwards, she was bouncing about, ready for the next great thing... for about two minutes. Then she was pulling on the ends of her wings with a grimace.

[Tree]

Ansel looked at his little girl, considering the wings.

"What's wrong, baby girl? "

[Sushi]

"Itchyyyyy," she whined.