Scarlett [Complete]

1.5

"Scarlett Rose!" Her father scolded playfully and the six-year-old giggled and sunk further into the water after blowing bubbles on her father,"Oh you think that's funny don't you?" He said with his bright comforting smile that always made the girl happy. He was the most important man in her life and she looked up to him with so much adoration. She was the reason daddy's girl was invented because she was definitely one. The two were attached at the hip and they only parted when he had to work.

After the two playfully splashed each other and his clothes were thoroughly wet even though he was kneeling on the outside of the tub. He didn't care because he was making his little girl laugh and that's all that mattered.

She grabbed his face and her little hands cupped the stubble on his chin that she claimed was too "scratchy". She all the sudden looked very serious and the father tried to keep his smile hidden.

"I love you, Daddy," She said and he smiled at her and told her he loved her more.

His phone rang and he sighed and answered it telling them he would call them back in a second. "Alright times up buttercup," he said and he wrapped a towel around her and pulled her out of the draining tub and set her on the blue bath mat that made her toes sink deep into the soft fabric."I'm gonna take this call, go get dressed and pick out a book," He said and she nodded and ran into her room with the towel wrapped around her neck. She was like the flash getting dressed and when she did she grabbed her favorite book, "Little Red Riding Hood" and she took off running to her dad's office.

He answered the phone with a scowl,"What!" He snapped. He was now safe away from his daughters hearing and he could now be the boss he was at work. He never wanted her to see this side of him because he never wanted her to fear him or get involved with his dangerous line of work.

He listened to the panicking man on the other line and he grew more annoyed knowing he would have to go and fix this,"GodDamnit Rob! I give you one simple task and you go f**k it up!" He said as he slammed his fist on his desk.What he didn't know was that his world was peeking in through the small crack in the door watching a man she didn't recognize.

She saw him hanging up the phone so she quickly ran back to her room and sat on her pink bed. She didn't like the bedding but her mother did so she had to get it. Her mother was asleep like normal. Her mother and Scarlett were complete opposites and like tonight, the mother was an early riser and Scarlett like her dad were night owls. They would always stay up late together but they had to stay quiet or Mom would wake up and scold them both.

The father walked in and they both forced a smile when they saw one another, both not wanting to hurt the other with their sour mood," Bad news, buttercup," He said and her fake smile dropped,"I gotta go to work tonight, but i'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning to make you your favorite,"

Her smile grew at the thought of having pancakes in the morning and she began to forgive him,"Promise?" She asked as she watched him kneel in front of her and he grinned and held up a pinkie.

"Pinkie Promise," He said and he was humored when her little finger wrapped around his, "Good, I'll see you in the morning," He said and kissed her forehead for a second and pulled away and grinned at her.

"Bye Daddy," She said as she smiled at him. Her front tooth gone and causing her smile to be humorous and it made him smile back.

"Bye Scarlett Rose," He said. He loved her middle name so he said it all the time, but that night was the last time she heard him say it because he never returned that morning to make her pancakes with chocolate chips sprinkled on top. He didn't come back the day after that either and Scarlett would look out the window all the time in hopes of seeing her father's warm smile, but she never did. All she saw were sympathetic smiles from neighbors and her mother crying late at night. Her mother never used to stayed up past 9, but when her father never returned all that was left in the house after 9 were her mother's sobs instead of the father daughter laughter.

Scarlett stared at the blue kitchen mat on the floor that resembled the one in her bathroom years ago that her father would kneel on and joke with her while she cleaned up and played with her rubber ducks. She missed him dearly and there wasn't a day that went by she didn't think about him.

"Scarlett?" Bones voice called her out of her thoughts and she looked away from the mat and wiped away a tear from her cheek. She was sitting on the kitchen counter after being picked up by the man in front of her and he cleaned up the glass off the ground. She looked up at him for a second to show him she acknowledged him and then she looked back at her hands.

"Yes, Sir?" She asked remembering Mavericks rules.

Always address people as Sir/Ma'am and never look them in the eye!

The formality didn't sound right coming from her lips when Bones heard it and he thought it sounded odd. Which was weird considering he preferred everyone call him by his code name or sir. No one knew his real name, no one dared to ask. He wondered if he should tell her his real name, would that make her feel safer?

He grabbed the first aid kit and set it next to her and he pulled up a chair so he could look at her foot which was bleeding pretty badly. "You were zoned out," He explained as he pulled out a chunk of glass without warning and she gasped and tried to pull her foot away but his grip on her ankle kept her still.

She bit her lip as the pain increased as he pulled out each shard, but when he was done and was wrapping up her foot it felt better.

"I'm sorry, sir," She said lowly because she was afraid he would hurt her now since he had nothing to distract himself now.

He frowned and looked up at her," No need to be sorry," He found himself saying and it felt odd like he was speaking a different language. He kept talking hoping one of his words would make her feel better," You can make anything you want, anytime, you don't have to ask." He said and this was against everything he stood for, but he was beginning to treat her differently.

She nodded and wondered if it was okay to ask him what she'd been dying to know,"Sir?" She asked and that was the last straw.

"Forest," He said a little too loudly and she jumped and stared at him wide-eyed and she was confused," Call me Forest," He said a little quieter but his voice was hard to keep quiet. It was just naturally loud and commanding of attention.

"Forest-" She began again but he interrupted her.

"Only when we are alone, no one else knows that's my name," He explained and she nodded and he was right. It did make her feel better, but only a little.

"Forest, Why am I here?" She asked as she looked down at her hands and Forest pursed his lips. He couldn't tell her the reason she was here because it would ruin everything. He thought quick of a lie and he was too good at lying so she believed every word he spewed.

"You are in the best hands right now considering all the evil people that are after you right now," He said and she frowned as she recalled how she was treated the last week," Maverick was under the wrong impression of who you were and I do apologize for the way she treated you," He said and he cursed himself for apologizing again.

"But why do they want me?" She asked and Forest played it cool and shrugged his shoulders and began to clean up.

"I don't know I was just given orders," He lied. He took orders from no one he was the boss. He knew exactly why they wanted her because he wanted her for the same reason.

Scarlett knew he was lying because it was easy to tell he was the one in charge. He didn't look like the type to answer to anyone. Considering he hasn't tried to hurt her she began to calm down and wondered if he was telling the truth when he said he wouldn't hurt her. He did, in fact, nurse her feet without hesitation and he did threaten Mavrike who she learned was really Emma, for treating Scarlet so poorly.

"Why don't you sit down while I make you more hot chocolate?" He offered and she looked up at him but shook her head. She didn't want to befriend him because she couldn't trust him, he kidnaped her for god's sake.

"No, I'm just going to go up to my room," She said under her breath and gently slid off the counter and walked on her toes to her room, trying to prevent hurting her foot more.

Forest wanted to reach out and grab her and tell her she didn't have a choice, but that would be counterproductive, so he just bit his tongue and watched her walk away.

He had bit his tongue and apologized more today than he had this whole year.