A warm breeze brushed through your (H/C) hair. It felt like the wind was trying to kiss you, or rather as if someone had given it the task of delivering a kiss.

Sighing, you let your head fall back, eyes closed, enjoying the softness of summer.

The scent of fresh flowers filled the air. Above, the clouds moved across a bright blue sky. Everything was so quiet, one could even hear the bees flying over the meadow.

A light laugh sounded in the distance.

Your eyes opened again. A smile was on your lips.

Ren's happy face appeared. She came running up the hill with her arm full of freshly picked flowers. The hem of her blue dress blew in the wind. Her red hair was like the blossom of a flower.

Panting, she came to a stop in front of you.

"(Y/N)!", her small hand grabbed yours and pressed a blue flower into your palm. "See how beautiful the flower is! Come and play with me. The grass is soft too. If you fall it won't hurt."

You smiled at the flower, broke off the stem and put the blossom in her hair. Gently you pinch her nose.

She giggled.

"I can't run today.", you said, wiggling your toes.

Since the incident on the bridge, your legs weren't what they used to be. Sometimes they worked normally. Other days you could barely stand. It was a matter of luck.

That day your legs felt stiff and swollen, but you could at least walk a few steps.

Breathing heavily, you managed to get up from the chair in front of the small cabin you two were living in.

Immediately her hand slipped into yours. The touch felt warm. It reminded you of the feeling Marcus had always given you. And in the end, that's what she was, a smaller, cuter version of her father.

Carefully, she pulled you along, always careful not to move too fast.

Limping, you walked across the meadow, delicate petals caressing your legs as soft grass pressed under the soles of your feet.

It felt heavenly, like a piece of paradise on earth.

At the edge of the hill, where you could still stand upright, Ren stopped and pointed down into the valley. There was a small village, maybe a few hours walk away.

"There are cows down there.", she said excitedly. "Can I go pet them? Please, please!"

Chuckling, you stroked her red hair.

Your gaze jumped up to the sky.

High up, above the clouds, the ships of Piltover chased through the air. Even here, so far away from the city, their influence and wealth could still be seen. You would have preferred to look for a place where there were no traces of the past to be found.

But that seemed impossible. At least if you wanted to offer Ren a place where she could live a normal life. Besides, you didn't want to live through some deadly winter.

"You can go, but first ask the farmer if you can touch them.", you gave her a gentle push.

Giggling, she fell into the grass and rolled down the hill, while petals and indignant bees rose into the air.

Smiling, you watched her go.

But suddenly your heart grew heavy. A sigh left your lips.

"Marcus.", you whispered, looking up at the sky again. "Don't you want to see her? Hurry up. She's changing so fast."

Reaching the bottom of the hill, Ren lay laughing, her arms stretched wide. When her head reappeared among the flowers, she looked up at you again.

"(Y/N)!", she waved at you.

You waved back, smiling. Even though her joy made you happy you couldn't help but feel bad.

She needed her father and even if she seemed to like you it was not the same. Besides, it should have been Marcus who lived with her in this place, in this little cabin.

Maybe she was too young to understand, but she certainly had to feel sad that she might never see her father again.

Not too much time had passed yet, but one day she would ask the question. And then you'd have to come up with a good story about why she couldn't be angry with him.

Panting, she came running back up the hill to let herself roll back down.

It always surprised you how easy it was to keep children occupied.

But when she came to a stop at the bottom again and lifted her head, her bright smile disappeared. Her eyes widened and she stared up at you in confusion.

At first you thought she was surprised again by how bad your physical condition was. But when something moved behind you, you flinched in surprise. A gasp escaped you. Your whole body began to tremble.

But the surprise lasted only a second.

A mild smile appeared on your lips.

"What took you so long?", you asked, smiling, and let yourself fall backwards. "And I was worried I have to raise someone else's daughter."

Your back hit his broad chest.

He chuckled.

The vibration send shivers down your spine. Finally, you were able to breath out. It felt like the weight of the world was released from your shoulders.

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer. As his chin rested on your shoulder, he smiled softly.

"I'm sorry it took me so long.", he placed a soft kiss on your cheek. "But I had some escaping to do."

You laughed, stroking through his short, dark hair.

"So you're a wanted criminal now?", you asked.

"Hm. Something like that. Makes me sound like a bad boy."

"You're far from that, grumpy. You're too soft."

As you turned to face him, your heart almost skipped a beat.

With a soft smile on his face, Marcus kissed you. His forehead pressed against yours.

"I missed you.", he kissed you again, breathing in sharply.

"I love you too.", you chuckled.

Without warning, Ren jumped onto his shoulder.

Struck by surprise, he almost stumbled and fell.

"Woah, easy.", he laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You're not getting smaller."

"You're back!", she cried out with tears in her eyes.

"I am.", Marcus brown eyes locked with yours. "And I'm here to stay. With you."