#hoodedwarrior

"My apologies for not being able to get you anything for our first Christmas together, but I'm sure you'll like this," she smiles, handing him the photograph nervously before kissing him on the cheek.  "This is what it looks like right now." 

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5. Friendship

It was 9:00PM on a Saturday. Usually, by this time, Vicktor would have already emptied the library, closed it down and gone home to sleep, or maybe out with his friends for some drinks. Staying after hours was never pleasant, specially not in a night as beautiful as this one was, but he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

He wasn't too sure where the order had come from, but one of the officers from the "association" had requested that he met a contact of theirs, that exact night. Usually, he would've been fine with setting aside his personal business to fulfill his civic duty, but it was the nature of the contact that made him uncomfortable: 'Assassins', they called themselves. Cold blooded killers. And Vicktor was being forced to help them.

Connor solemnly walked to the gravesite, his daughter's hand in his own.  Life in the future had been perfect so long ago.  Finding his true love was something that Connor never thought would happen ever since  he helped to return her home.  But fate delivered back into his arms....only for it to rip her away again eternally.

Mireya had brought with her a single rose to lay near Joanna's headstone and she quickly scampered over before placing it.  "Daddy says you loved pretty flowers mommy....so I brought you one...."

Her voice began to taper off as Connor recalled the final moments he and Joanna shared together.

"Fate...must be horribly jealous of us, huh Connor...*cough*....but it won't keep me from watching over the both of you....so with that said...I'm going to haunt the lucky girl that ends up with you...*weak chuckle*...."

Connor remembered being taken aback at how Joanna still retained her sense of humor, even in this situation.

"Connor...in all seriousness...don't settle for being alone...for my sake....all I ever wanted for you was your happiness...ever since I met you.  Don't give up on that, my love...*cough* ..我愛你..."

Connor snapped out of his thoughts as Mireya tugged at his hand. "Daddy!  It's your turn..."

He gave a heavy sigh.  Despite what Joanna told him on that day....he felt that he could never find the happiness he had with her again.  It felt impossible.  No one had ever been capable of bringing him the happiness that Joanna gave him when she was still alive.

He gently smoothed his daughter's hair before stepping up to Joanna's grave, laying the flowers he had for her near the gravestone.  He gazed back at Mireya momentarily.

"I wish you could see her right now...she's so beautiful...I see a little more of you within her everyday, you know.  Her humor...even reminds me of you.  She tells me a joke everyday...says you would have wanted that for me."

Connor gave a nervous chuckle, feeling the pressure rising in his chest.  :Joanna..I owe you so much....after I had lost so much in my life to the secret war I fought with the Templars...I felt as if I....had nothing more to give anyone.  then I met you.  And you showed me...how to love again...how to enjoy life for what it truly could be.  And you gave me...such a beautiful blessing within our daughter.  But I feel like....life has no meaning without you to share it with..."

"Daddy?"

"Sometimes at night...I find myself staring at the sky again...like I used to do when we first returned you home.  Somehow I feel as if I'll wake up and you'll be right next to me again....but then I wake up on the porch and nothing has changed...Mireya has to pull me inside sometimes."

"Daddy?"

"Your daughter...is amazing, Joanna.  Whenever I feel as if I have nothing to live for...her smiling face reminds me that I do.  And that I always will.  And then I think that perhaps...you never really left me at all..that you're living on...through her..."

"Daddy!  Are you ok?"

Connor snapped out of his thoughts once again to find his daughter standing in front of him.  And then he realized...he had never said a word.  He couldn't.  His face wet with tears and his chest wracked with pain from the sobbing.  

"Daddy...its ok, Mommy's watching over us...so you shouldn't be crying...she want you to smile, remember?"

With that, Mireya embraced Connor, and he in turn wrapped his arms around her tightly before gently kissing her cheek.  He had to remember...she would always live on through her...and through himself as well.