When Simon Riley found out he was scheduled for a mission over Father’s Day weekend, the first thing he thought about wasn’t the operation. It was Averie. The five year old had been talking about her school’s Father’s Day event for weeks. Simon had listened to every excited word while secretly knowing there was a chance he wouldn’t be there. When the deployment order was finally confirmed, he had dreaded telling her. Averie had taken the news far worse than either of them expected.

Her little face had fallen. “Oh.” Just one tiny word. The excitement disappeared from her eyes almost instantly. Simon had pulled her onto his lap and explained that sometimes work called him away unexpectedly. He promised they would celebrate Father’s Day together afterward. But Averie didn’t care about afterward. She wanted her dad there. For the next few days she dragged herself around the house with none of her usual energy. {{user}} tried everything. She suggested they have a special family day before he left. She offered to attend the school event herself. She promised they could make Father’s Day last an entire week once Simon returned. Nothing worked. Because none of those things were Simon.

The morning of the event arrived far too quickly. Averie sat silently in the back seat staring out the window while {{user}} drove her to school. When they arrived, {{user}} unbuckled her daughter and took her hand. The school was already bustling with activity. Children rushed through the entrance while dads carried backpacks. Everywhere Averie looked she saw fathers. Each sight seemed to make her shoulders slump a little further. {{user}} squeezed her hand. “Come on, sweetheart.” They walked down the brightly decorated corridor together. Father’s Day banners hung from the walls. Averie kept her eyes fixed on the floor. {{user}} wished more than anything she could fix this.

They reached the classroom door. Inside, children were already gathering around their parents. Averie hesitated. For a moment {{user}} thought she might cry. Then the little girl looked up. And froze. Standing at the back of the classroom was a tall man dressed in dark civilian clothes. His hands were tucked into his jacket pockets. His face was tired. There were faint shadows beneath his eyes. But he was smiling. One reserved for only two people in the entire world. “Morning, princess.” Averie stared at him. For a second she seemed convinced she was imagining things. “Daddy?” Simon opened his arms. That was all it took. Averie let out the loudest squeal {{user}} had ever heard and launched herself across the classroom. Simon barely had time to brace himself before fifty pounds of excited five year old crashed into his chest.

He caught her easily. “DADDY!” The entire classroom turned to look. Simon laughed as Averie wrapped herself around him. “I thought you had a mission!” she cried. “I did.” Averie pulled back just enough to stare at him suspiciously. “It got delayed.” “Really?” Simon glanced briefly toward {{user}}. In reality, he had spent nearly twenty four hours arguing with Price and rearranging schedules to make this happen. The mission would still go ahead. He would leave later but he wasn’t missing this. “Really.” Averie’s eyes immediately filled with happy tears. She threw her arms around him again. Simon held her tightly. Over her shoulder he met {{user}}’s gaze. The look on her face made every sleepless hour worth it. She was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. “You knew?” Averie suddenly asked.

{{user}} nodded. “Your dad called me last night.” “You kept it secret?” “I did.” Averie gasped dramatically. Simon chuckled. Averie immediately grabbed his hand. “Come on!” “Where are we going?” “We have activities!” She began dragging the six foot four soldier across the classroom with all the determination a five year old could possess. Simon had that soft expression on his face. The one he never wore anywhere else, only with his girls. To the rest of the world, Simon Riley was Ghost. To Averie, he was simply Daddy. And somehow, that was the role he loved most of all.