The Black Knightress (Back up for fulls)

{77}

December 20 2015
Astoria, Queens NY
Sarah's POV

The second Steve and I finish the second bed frame, we're falling backwards onto the floor. His left arm falls under me, allowing me some cushioning as we lie here. He turns to look at me while i'm smiling up at him.

"You've done amazing today, Sweetie." he smiles

"You think so?" I check

"Definitely."

I smile to myself as I look up at the ceiling, my sight taking in the crackly paint up there while Steve's apparently still smiling at me.

"What?" I turn my head to look at him

"You're doing so well at adjusting to all of this, I was expecting it to be a harder transition for you."

"It is hard. Being involved in the transitions makes it easier for me to adjust." I admit

"You're making things easier for yourself, that's amazing."

"Why?" I look over at him

"Because you shouldn't be punishing yourself like they would or how they did punish you." he points

"And why not?" I inquire curiously

"Because you're worth more than what they told you, nothing that happened is your fault..I don't care how much you believe it, it's not true."

"Why do you think so much of me? How can you?" I dare to ask

I stare into his eyes, the child in me hoping for some magical words from him, even though the sixty five years of hate in me are expecting to go darty eyed and run the other way. But he looks me straight back, gazing over me in that protective-fatherly manner that I craved for as long as I can remember. I always got it from my uncles, but I really wanted it from him.

"Because I love you, Sarah." he admits

If only I knew what love felt like.

If only I remembered what it was like to tell that to someone and mean it again.

"You love me?" I choke out

"I'm your father, of course I love you."

"Because it's mandatory to love your kids?" I scoff

"No. Because I see everything in you that I see in Kathy. I see everything in what you do to how you act. I see the way you give me a side eye when you know I have more to say like Peggy always did, I see the way you catch lies within a very short amount of time like Kathy can, I see the way your eye sparkle when you see people who you don't realize make you happy..and I love it." he expresses

"So you love me because I remind you of other people of whom you love?"

"Sort of."

"Isn't that messed up?" I catch

"I guess that makes sense, but I love the things about you that make you you too."

"What could that possibly be? I'm the epitome of what I was raised to be. Is it time being a weapon that you love? Is it that I look the slightest bit like Ma and you miss seeing her face everyday? I don't see this getting anywhere."