Rogue. (IN REVISION)

44

Silence grew over the vast field where their Viper had been parked for the night. Leo had come out to see Fira sitting and watching the fireflies play in the fog that sat along the grassy field. Leo tilted his head, wondering what she was doing at this hour. He quietly sat beside her, "Everything okay, young one?"

Fira looked up at him with her fiery orange eyes, "I-I'm okay."

Leo's fatherly instincts rang in his mind loud and clear, "Are you sure?" He asked. "I know we just picked you up along the way from The Order but...I hope you don't feel unwelcome or out of place."

"It's much better than back at The Order, that's all I can say. Don't worry, I've learned to adapt."

Leo nodded to her reply and looked at her, "Do you miss Desolate? Your family?" He asked.

Fira chuckled, "Of course I miss my family. My father was my only family until..." She shook her head. "And what is there to miss about Desolate? It's in ruins."

"What happened to your mother, young one?"

"She died when I was born. I never had the pleasure of meeting her." She shrugged, still looking out at the fireflies dancing. Fira couldn't help but feel lost once she saw how everyone was so close to each other. The silly display she saw between Fallon and her family was evidence that Fira was the one on the outside looking in. Leo could see her forlorn state and he smirked when an idea popped into his mind, "You know...I didn't see you out on the battlefield tonight. What's that all about?" He asked.

Fira looked up at him in confusion, but her eyes seemed to tell a different story, they lit up with excitement and belonging. Leo took out his knife and handed it to her, "Let's have our own session, shall we?"

Fira looked at the knife in her hands and shook her head, "I don't know how to fight."

"All the more reason to learn. I'll make a fighter out of you yet." He gave her back a pat and walked back into the field, waiting for the girl to follow. She stands up and flows him and stands in front of him, "I don't want to hurt you with this...I don't know what I am doing- "

"I will teach you Fira. Please do not worry, Okay?"

Fira nodded and listened to him carefully, "When you fight with a knife, the easiest way to fight with one is to get into your fighting stance." He places her left hand and forms it in a fist, placing it under her chin. The other near her upper right jaw to protect her face. "Okay, let me see you throw a punch."

Fira shrugged and threw a punch slowly so she could show him her form, Leo chuckled and held up his hands, "Okay, try it again and hit as hard as you can, little one."

"Are you sure?" She asked a little worried.

"Yes, Darling. Go ahead." He replied, trying to get her to see that this was just practice. She pushed away her fear and punched his hand as hard as she could and he nodded with a smile, "It's a great start, Fira. Good job."

Fira smiled at Leo, feeling included and cared for in this moment with him, "Okay, now we're going to use the knife. We wont fold it open, just act like you're using it."

Fira nodded and started to practice fight with him for a few minutes, "That's it, Fira good." He encouraged her to keep going. Fira used the unopened edge of the knife to pretend to stab him in the shoulder blade and he couldn't help but be proud of her. "Lunge, come on. Use your feet."

Fira shifted her feet and lunged, placing a harmless stab in his ribs. The more she tried the prouder he got with her, now it was time for him to do a little combat with her, "Think on your feet now, Fira. I'm going to be coming at you now. Block me if you can." He threw practice hits at her, making sure he didn't hurt her. She smiled and loved the combat session; it was almost like she was playing with him.

Leo hooked his hand behind her neck n pretended to throw her to the ground, but he only did it to startle her, making her hover just above the ground, "Focus, young one." He gave her a reassuring smile and she couldn't help but giggle at herself.

Leo chuckled and they continued to practice fight until she was visibly tired of working her body to learn how to fight. Leo placed a hand on her shoulder, "You did good, little flame."

"Little Flame?"

"Fira, your name...it means fire. Didn't you know that?" He asked. She shook her head and looked up at him. Leo chuckled, "That's the meaning of your name, and it fits too. You seem to be like a little spark around us all."

"I am?" She walked beside him while his arm was around her protectively. He nodded and looked down at the very innocent girl before him, "You know, my family is made up of some people who aren't related to me by blood. You know that right?"

"What about Hawk and Fallon?"

"Fallon is the only one that is related to me by blood. Hawk, I adopted him when he was a child. They're both my children. Venner... I consider him family now, and Gideon I guess is growing on me." He chuckled. "My point is, you don't have to alienate yourself just because you see how close we are."

Fira looked up at him and nodded, her heart longed for the closeness that everyone else had with each other. She wanted to feel like she belonged with the people who had taken her in and saved her life.

"The one thing that I have always wanted to be in my life was to be a father," He looks down at her with tender loving eyes. "I will never take the place of your father...but if you ever need one, I'm here Little Flame."

Fira couldn't contain her emotions and she hugged him, for the first time in a long time she felt loved and cared for. She felt so lost without her father and here was someone who wanted to take up that role for her because he saw how much she needed one. She was only a girl of fifteen and had no structure, no direction, and no affection. Leo smiled and hugged her back; it didn't make any difference to him who she was or how her past life used to be. All he saw was a child needing a father.

"It's alright, Little Flame. I'm here whenever you need me." He rubbed her back while hugging her in a protective way. The poor child had been surviving until she met them all and she deserved to take a break from fending for herself, she needed to be protected. Fira's tears stained his shirt, but he didn't care. How did he know what she needed? How did he know how much she needed someone like him?

She had never met anyone like him for the ten years she had been running from her old home in Desolate and trying to survive trauma after trauma. Was she really deserving of such a good man in her life? What did she do to deserve such Kedosh'e Mi?

"Shh... don't cry darling. Its all okay now."

Fallon stepped out of the Viper to see the beautiful sight and she smiled, stepping back in, not wanting to disturb the two. She simply watched from the window, smiling wistfully as she looked on. Leo would always be a father to whomever longed for one and Fallon took joy in seeing the sweet process unfold as he took little Fira under his wing.

Leo let go of her once she decided to dry her eyes, "There you go. Take a deep breath. Everything is okay, Jiv?" He asked.

"Jiv." She wiped away what was left of her tears and looked at him fondly. "Thank you."

Leo looked down to meet those stunning orang eyes, "You're my daughter now. You don't have to worry about anything anymore."