I shortened the years a bit (S&P have known each other for 3 years and the new station was only 1 year ago...) I can't really imagine that each season should represent 1 year... just because the Children never really get older in all the seasons 😂🙈 I hope it's still understandable for you. Have fun while reading.

I looked up as someone stood in front of me in the gate and their shadow fell over me, only to see my father watching me expressionlessly, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"What are you doing?" he simply asked me and I stood up to meet him at eye level.

"I check the lifelines for damage so that none of us will have an accident when we have to abseil down." He seemed to think for a moment.

"Good."

"Good? What do you mean by that?" I asked him skeptically.

"You once told your mother that Penny usually does such tasks. So you're looking after your girlfriend. That's good," he explained to me with a shrug.

"Um, yeah. Of course...thanks, Dad," I replied hesitantly.

"Nice station you have here. New?"

"It's been remodeling for over a year now. Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I just want to visit an old friend." He shrugged again before turning and heading towards Steele's office. I looked after him, perplexed, when someone approached from behind.

"Sam?"

"Yes, Elvis?"

"He looks like you...only older...and the color of his hair and eyes are like...yes, like Charlie's."

"Yes, Elvis, that's true," I simply replied. I couldn't take my thoughts or my gaze away from Steele's door, behind which he had just disappeared.

"Why is that so?"

"He's my father, Elvis."

"Ohhh." There was a pause before Elvis asked, "What does he want here?"

"I have no idea, Elvis." I thought about going to the door and listening, but neither of the two people inside would like that, so I decided to go back to my work.

It took almost an hour for my Dad to get out again and I was winding up the last lifeline when he stopped again and looked at me briefly.

"Is everything okay?" he asked me and I looked up at him in surprise. He had never been interested in my work.

"Yes, everything is fine."

"Good. Don't make the girl unhappy!" he admonished me and raised a stern eyebrow. I knew that look. It didn't bode well if people acted contrary to it. On the other hand, a warm feeling spread inside me because my father obviously cared so much about Penny.

"I won't. As long as I'm here, I'll always protect her."

"I didn't expect anything less from you. But I also hope that you take care of yourself enough to be there for her for a very long time!" Wow, that was about the nicest thing my father had said to me about my work since I started my training and I could only nod in response. He nodded too and wanted to continue on his way.

"Did you just finish breakfast?" I stopped him again.

"I think your mother and Penny were still on it. I don't know what they're doing now. As I know your mother, she took out the photo albums that I had to get off the boat last night," he said with a mischievous look, grinned and just kept walking. I turned ashen and the bag with the lifeline fell out of my hand.

"Sam? Is everything okay?" Arnold asked me worriedly. "You're deathly pale."

I did not say anything. Images of horror flashed through my mind - images from my childhood, and Penny was about to see them at that very moment. I had to prevent that.

"I have to leave for a moment, Arnold. Call me if anything happens."

"Did something happen?"

"A terrible emergency, but I can manage it. See you soon!" I called back over my shoulder and ran after my father, but I only caught up with him in the hallway.

"It's already closing time?" he asked me with a smile.

"I just want to prevent something worse from happening," I replied as I ran past him and turned the corner into the living room. There were two large photo albums on the table and Penny had a third on her lap.

"Then Sam had the urge and wanted to play Tarzan. He tore up an old cleaning rag of mine and pinned it to his underpants with safety pins to make it look like a loincloth. He tore all my curtains off when he tried to swing on them through the room." Even though I loved it with all my heart when Penny laughed, at that moment I wanted to sink into the ground and I covered my eyes with my hand. "Sami, my darling. You're back early. Were you longing for Penny?"

"Yes, you could say it that way. Why aren't you sleeping?" She raised a critical eyebrow as if to reprimand me. She was right - it was none of my business. But at least we could have avoided this unpleasant situation.

"Because otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight," she replied with a shrug.

"Oh my dear, I don't think Sam would complain about that," my mother replied with a wink and we both blushed. Maybe it was a good thing after all. When I thought that Penny was watching me or might get bored while I was sleeping...if I could even sleep next to her."Look here. That's when Sam tried to cook. The only bad thing was that he back then didn't know that you can't put out a grease fire with water."

"Mum, everyone makes that mistake at some point in their life!"

"I haven't yet," Penny replied with a smile.

"I was a child!" I just grumbled. "Now could you please put away the photo albums? That's really embarrassing, Mum."

"Oh Sami, don't act like that. Like you said: you were a child and I think that Penny knows very well how much nonsense children can have in their heads."

"Come on Sam, you're still an orphan compared to Norman," she replied with a smile. "Although I have to admit that the loincloth thing far outclasses his superhero outfit." I saw her struggling not to laugh again and rolled my eyes in annoyance. She would tease me with that for a long time.

"I hope you at least skip the baby photos?!" I mumbled sullenly and wanted to leave again.

"We've already gone through that."

"WHAT?" I gasped in shock and turned back to them. "All of them?"

"Of course all of them. Gosh Sam, you almost act as if Penny has never seen you naked before. I can't imagine you two saving each other for marriage, do you?" Her gaze was so penetrating that we both turned bright red. "Get back to work. Anyway, we only have an hour left until we pick up the twins. You'll still have enough time for each other afterwards, so you can convince her how much you've grown up! We'll go straight to Cafe when we get back. So you'll have the house to yourself." Her grin was so wide my head was about to explode and I turned away.

If this woman set her mind to something, only a nuclear explosion could stop her. "Sam! Haven't you forgotten something?" I turned back to her and she nodded towards Penny, who was already engrossed in the photo album again. I knew what she wanted. She didn't have to say it.

So I went back to Penny, leaned over the arm of the sofa and saw her looking at a photo of me - I was maybe 17 - with a girl from prom of dance class. She was so preoccupied that she obviously didn't realize what my mother had told me to do.

"We'll talk about that later," I murmured softly in her ear and saw her shiver slightly as I gave her a kiss on the cheek. I turned away to go back to work, smiling as I considered her reaction. I was happy that I could have such an impact on her. Now all that remained was to find out why this was the case.

To be continued...