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  Seven sighed and looked down at the small girl curled up in his arms.  Now what was he supposed to do?
       Ten minutes ago he couldn't even tell you what his daughter's name was, and now he was taking her home.  It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that he didn't know the first thing about parenting.  Not that it mattered; anything was better than the child staying with her mother.
       As he thought about what exactly he should do with the kid, her grey eyes flickered open and her jaw stretched wide in a yawn.  Then she looked up at him, rubbing one of her eyes sleepily.
       "Hey," he greeted with a small smile.  God she was cute.  Even if he still didn't know what her name was, he couldn't help but love her.  She was his only daughter after all.
       She froze when she heard him speak and her small body began to tremble when she realized he was holding her.
       "A-are you going to hurt me?" she squeaked, her voice filled with fear.
       Seven frowned.  He may not know anything about parenting, but even he could tell that this wasn't a good start.
       "Of course not," he replied, setting her down gently.  "Don't be ridiculous.  Why on earth would I hurt you?"
       The young girl just turned her gaze to the ground and shrugged, fidgeting with the hem of her blood-stained dress nervously.
       Seven studied her for a moment, a thoughtful hand placed on his chin.  Something wasn't right here.  Weren't kids supposed to be loud and annoying?  Weren't they supposed to never shut up with their unending stream of questions and oh-too-truthful opinions?
       "Hey, why so quiet?" he asked, crouching down so he was at eye level with her.
       She just shrugged again, not even looking up at him.
       Okay, so that obviously wasn't working...  Maybe a change of subject?
       "How old are you?" he asked.  He probably should have known that, since he was her father and all, but it wasn't his fault he had never even met her before now.
       "Five years, one day, twenty-three minutes and five seconds old," she said quietly.
       "You know, ‘five years' would have been a good enough answer," he said with a chuckle.
       "Mother doesn't like incomplete answers," she said, her soft voice growing quieter.  "She says it's improper."
       Seven sighed and reached out to put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but pulled back when he saw the small girl flinch.  He knew that Medusa definitely wouldn't have been the best parent, but what exactly had she done to make this poor girl so terrified?
       "Hey, it's alright," he said softly, doing his best to comfort her.  "I don't care how you answer; proper or improper be damned."
       "R-really?" she asked, turning her gaze upward so he could clearly see her fear-filled eyes.
       "Of course," he said with a gentle smile.  "Who cares if you're proper or improper?  Kids aren't supposed to care, you can learn about that stuff when you're older."
       "Well, okay..." she said hesitantly.  "Um, mister, I have a question."
       "Hm?  What is it?" he asked.
       "If mother is gone, where am I going to live now?"
       "Why, with me of course," he said, giving her his best reassuring smile.
       "With you?" she asked, eyes shining with curiosity.  "But, why?  You don't even know me."
       "I know you well enough," he scoffed.
       "What's my name then?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking at him skeptically.
       "I, um, uh..." he stuttered, wracking his brain for an answer.  What was her name?  With no ideas coming to mind and Seven being Seven, he said the first thing that popped into his head.  "Poppet."
       "That's not my name," she said, her voice laced with the slightest hint of a teasing tone.
       "It is now," he replied, in singsong.
       "You can't just change my name," she giggled, grey eyes lighting up with happiness.
       "Oh I can and will," he teased, a small smile forming on his lips.  "Unless, of course, you tell me what your real name is."
       "It's Jynx," she said with a giggle.
       "Well Jynx," Seven said, sitting on the ground next to her.  "My name is Seven."
       "Seven is a number, not a name," she said, her nose crinkling slightly.
       Seven laughed and ruffled her hair.  "I know Poppet, I know."
       "Hey Mr. Seven," Jynx asked, looking at him curiously.  "How come you look like me?"
       Seven's smile faded and he looked down at the ground.  Could he tell her?  From what he had learned, Medusa had been telling Jynx that he had abandoned her all those years ago, left her for dead.  What if she believed it?  His next thought made his stomach sink with dread.  What if she hated him for it and rejected him as her father?
       No.  Seven lifted his head back up and took a deep breath.  No matter what her reaction was, she deserved to know.  Such a sweet girl didn't deserve to go her entire life without even knowing who her father was.
       "Seven, are you okay?" she asked, face flooded with concern.  So sweet, she cared so much about him even though she had barely known him 10 minutes.
       He gave her a nervous shaky smile before answering.  "Well Poppet," he said, rubbing his hands together to hopefully hide the fact that they were shaking.  "I'm... I'm your father."
       When Jynx stayed silent, Seven knew he had lost her.  He wasn't surprised though, part of him had expected her to lose all respect for him.
       He sighed and turned away out of shame, gaze fallen to the ground.  "You have every right to hate me," he said quietly.  "I know what your mother said about me, and I wasn't there to help you.  So, if you'd like, I can find you a home, you don't have to stay with m--"
       His sentence was cut off when he felt a pair of small delicate arms wrap around his chest and hugged him tight.  His eyes widened in surprise and he looked down at the small girl who was looking right back up at him, tears shimmering in her big grey eyes.
       "I knew you'd come for me," she said quietly, burying her face in his chest.  "Mother said you wouldn't, that you didn't love me, but I knew you'd come..."
       Seven allowed himself a small smile and hugged the girl, no, hugged his daughter back.  "Of course I did Poppet," he said quietly.  "I always will.  No matter what happens or where you are, I'll come and find you.  I promise."
       Jynx smiled and, for the first time in her life, relaxed.  She couldn't explain what it was, she just felt... safe.
       Seven grinned and let out a relieved sigh.  Things had gone much better than he had ever hoped they could.  For once, maybe everything was going to be alright.
       The young girl looked back up at him and tugged on his cloak.  "Father?"
       Seven's grin broadened.  He just couldn't help himself; it was the first time she had called him that.  "Yes Poppet?"
       "I'm really tired, can we go home?" she said, stifling a yawn.  God she was adorable.
       "Of course we can," he said with a soft smile.  He then picked her up, raised her high enough to sit on his shoulders, and started walking towards home.  "When we get there, I'll show you to your room and--"
       "I don't want to sleep by myself," she said suddenly, body beginning to tremble.
       Seven stopped and furrowed his brow in confusion.  "What?  Why not?"
       "The monsters will get me," she said quietly, the shakiness in her voice showing her fear.
       "The monsters?" Seven repeated.
       Jynx nodded.  "Mother's monsters," she said.  "They come to pick on me when I'm by myself, especially the spider... I don't like it much..."
       Seven knew exactly what she was talking about, and frankly, he couldn't blame the girl.  Medusa's familiar, a giant black widow spider by the name of Achro [1], would definitely take pleasure in tormenting the child.  As for the other "monsters", he could figure that out later.
       "You can sleep with me until you get settled," he offered as he started walking again.  "I'll make sure nothing gets to you."
       "...You promise?" Jynx asked hesitantly.  "What if they get you too?"
       "Oh I think I could fight them off," he said, grinning.  "I'm pretty strong you know, have yet to meet someone I couldn't beat."
       "I don’t know," Jynx said cautiously.  "They're pretty strong..."
       "I could beat them. I've taken on a pack of werewolves before you know."
       "You have?" Jynx marveled, eyes growing as wide as dinner plates.
       "Oh yeah, it was pretty easy," Seven bragged, enjoying her reaction.
       "Can you tell me the story?"  Jynx asked, face lighting up with excitement.
       "Well, if you insist," Seven said with a grin.  "There I was, surrounded by 10, no, 20 werewolves, all the size of... of houses!  And..."
       The two continued on their path, Seven telling his story to the awestruck Jynx, exaggerating a bit even though he'd never admit it.  And or once, in both of their lives, everything was absolutely perfect.

[1] Pronounced “Akro”

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

  Seven sighed and looked down at the small girl curled up in his arms.  Now what was he supposed to do?
       Ten minutes ago he couldn't even tell you what his daughter's name was, and now he was taking her home.  It wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that he didn't know the first thing about parenting.  Not that it mattered; anything was better than the child staying with her mother.
       As he thought about what exactly he should do with the kid, her grey eyes flickered open and her jaw stretched wide in a yawn.  Then she looked up at him, rubbing one of her eyes sleepily.
       "Hey," he greeted with a small smile.  God she was cute.  Even if he still didn't know what her name was, he couldn't help but love her.  She was his only daughter after all.
       She froze when she heard him speak and her small body began to tremble when she realized he was holding her.
       "A-are you going to hurt me?" she squeaked, her voice filled with fear.
       Seven frowned.  He may not know anything about parenting, but even he could tell that this wasn't a good start.
       "Of course not," he replied, setting her down gently.  "Don't be ridiculous.  Why on earth would I hurt you?"
       The young girl just turned her gaze to the ground and shrugged, fidgeting with the hem of her blood-stained dress nervously.
       Seven studied her for a moment, a thoughtful hand placed on his chin.  Something wasn't right here.  Weren't kids supposed to be loud and annoying?  Weren't they supposed to never shut up with their unending stream of questions and oh-too-truthful opinions?
       "Hey, why so quiet?" he asked, crouching down so he was at eye level with her.
       She just shrugged again, not even looking up at him.
       Okay, so that obviously wasn't working...  Maybe a change of subject?
       "How old are you?" he asked.  He probably should have known that, since he was her father and all, but it wasn't his fault he had never even met her before now.
       "Five years, one day, twenty-three minutes and five seconds old," she said quietly.
       "You know, ‘five years' would have been a good enough answer," he said with a chuckle.
       "Mother doesn't like incomplete answers," she said, her soft voice growing quieter.  "She says it's improper."
       Seven sighed and reached out to put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but pulled back when he saw the small girl flinch.  He knew that Medusa definitely wouldn't have been the best parent, but what exactly had she done to make this poor girl so terrified?
       "Hey, it's alright," he said softly, doing his best to comfort her.  "I don't care how you answer; proper or improper be damned."
       "R-really?" she asked, turning her gaze upward so he could clearly see her fear-filled eyes.
       "Of course," he said with a gentle smile.  "Who cares if you're proper or improper?  Kids aren't supposed to care, you can learn about that stuff when you're older."
       "Well, okay..." she said hesitantly.  "Um, mister, I have a question."
       "Hm?  What is it?" he asked.
       "If mother is gone, where am I going to live now?"
       "Why, with me of course," he said, giving her his best reassuring smile.
       "With you?" she asked, eyes shining with curiosity.  "But, why?  You don't even know me."
       "I know you well enough," he scoffed.
       "What's my name then?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking at him skeptically.
       "I, um, uh..." he stuttered, wracking his brain for an answer.  What was her name?  With no ideas coming to mind and Seven being Seven, he said the first thing that popped into his head.  "Poppet."
       "That's not my name," she said, her voice laced with the slightest hint of a teasing tone.
       "It is now," he replied, in singsong.
       "You can't just change my name," she giggled, grey eyes lighting up with happiness.
       "Oh I can and will," he teased, a small smile forming on his lips.  "Unless, of course, you tell me what your real name is."
       "It's Jynx," she said with a giggle.
       "Well Jynx," Seven said, sitting on the ground next to her.  "My name is Seven."
       "Seven is a number, not a name," she said, her nose crinkling slightly.
       Seven laughed and ruffled her hair.  "I know Poppet, I know."
       "Hey Mr. Seven," Jynx asked, looking at him curiously.  "How come you look like me?"
       Seven's smile faded and he looked down at the ground.  Could he tell her?  From what he had learned, Medusa had been telling Jynx that he had abandoned her all those years ago, left her for dead.  What if she believed it?  His next thought made his stomach sink with dread.  What if she hated him for it and rejected him as her father?
       No.  Seven lifted his head back up and took a deep breath.  No matter what her reaction was, she deserved to know.  Such a sweet girl didn't deserve to go her entire life without even knowing who her father was.
       "Seven, are you okay?" she asked, face flooded with concern.  So sweet, she cared so much about him even though she had barely known him 10 minutes.
       He gave her a nervous shaky smile before answering.  "Well Poppet," he said, rubbing his hands together to hopefully hide the fact that they were shaking.  "I'm... I'm your father."
       When Jynx stayed silent, Seven knew he had lost her.  He wasn't surprised though, part of him had expected her to lose all respect for him.
       He sighed and turned away out of shame, gaze fallen to the ground.  "You have every right to hate me," he said quietly.  "I know what your mother said about me, and I wasn't there to help you.  So, if you'd like, I can find you a home, you don't have to stay with m--"
       His sentence was cut off when he felt a pair of small delicate arms wrap around his chest and hugged him tight.  His eyes widened in surprise and he looked down at the small girl who was looking right back up at him, tears shimmering in her big grey eyes.
       "I knew you'd come for me," she said quietly, burying her face in his chest.  "Mother said you wouldn't, that you didn't love me, but I knew you'd come..."
       Seven allowed himself a small smile and hugged the girl, no, hugged his daughter back.  "Of course I did Poppet," he said quietly.  "I always will.  No matter what happens or where you are, I'll come and find you.  I promise."
       Jynx smiled and, for the first time in her life, relaxed.  She couldn't explain what it was, she just felt... safe.
       Seven grinned and let out a relieved sigh.  Things had gone much better than he had ever hoped they could.  For once, maybe everything was going to be alright.
       The young girl looked back up at him and tugged on his cloak.  "Father?"
       Seven's grin broadened.  He just couldn't help himself; it was the first time she had called him that.  "Yes Poppet?"
       "I'm really tired, can we go home?" she said, stifling a yawn.  God she was adorable.
       "Of course we can," he said with a soft smile.  He then picked her up, raised her high enough to sit on his shoulders, and started walking towards home.  "When we get there, I'll show you to your room and--"
       "I don't want to sleep by myself," she said suddenly, body beginning to tremble.
       Seven stopped and furrowed his brow in confusion.  "What?  Why not?"
       "The monsters will get me," she said quietly, the shakiness in her voice showing her fear.
       "The monsters?" Seven repeated.
       Jynx nodded.  "Mother's monsters," she said.  "They come to pick on me when I'm by myself, especially the spider... I don't like it much..."
       Seven knew exactly what she was talking about, and frankly, he couldn't blame the girl.  Medusa's familiar, a giant black widow spider by the name of Achro [1], would definitely take pleasure in tormenting the child.  As for the other "monsters", he could figure that out later.
       "You can sleep with me until you get settled," he offered as he started walking again.  "I'll make sure nothing gets to you."
       "...You promise?" Jynx asked hesitantly.  "What if they get you too?"
       "Oh I think I could fight them off," he said, grinning.  "I'm pretty strong you know, have yet to meet someone I couldn't beat."
       "I don’t know," Jynx said cautiously.  "They're pretty strong..."
       "I could beat them. I've taken on a pack of werewolves before you know."
       "You have?" Jynx marveled, eyes growing as wide as dinner plates.
       "Oh yeah, it was pretty easy," Seven bragged, enjoying her reaction.
       "Can you tell me the story?"  Jynx asked, face lighting up with excitement.
       "Well, if you insist," Seven said with a grin.  "There I was, surrounded by 10, no, 20 werewolves, all the size of... of houses!  And..."
       The two continued on their path, Seven telling his story to the awestruck Jynx, exaggerating a bit even though he'd never admit it.  And or once, in both of their lives, everything was absolutely perfect.

[1] Pronounced “Akro”