Author's Note: Hey everybody! I haven't wrote a new chapter or story in ages, and well, I'm sorry 'bout that. I've been a bit busy and stressed lately, and the lack of inspiration hasn't really helped. : I know, excuses, excuses. I'm truly sorry for everything and I'm going to try my best to update as much as possible. So about this story: Me and my amazingly awesome friend Jessie came up with this story idea at like 1 in the morning last weekend. Don't ask how, but it did. The next morning, we wrote out the complete story line, named our characters, and worked up a title. : Girl, this story is dedicated to you! Thanks for all your help Jessie.

Chapter One

The Cold Truth

"Mikkel, I love you hun, I really do. You're my precious little baby, and that's never going to change. It's just..." Dan Johnson paused, running his long, slim fingers through his thinning hair. He picked up a torn and worn-out blanket and sighed as he folded it into a square. He started to stuff it into his suitcase when someone began tugging at his loose shirt. Dan blinked his eyes hard for a moment, doing his best to hold back the threatening tears. He looked down to see his daughter staring up at him with her questioning, brown eyes. Her small and innocent face was too much to handle for Dan, and all his efforts of trying to be the strong father were worthless. His vision blurred as the tears began to fall, one by one, onto his dry cheeks. They raced down his face, some dripping onto his lips, leaving a salty taste, and others falling onto his heaving shoulders. The stains they left on his weeping face were forever...forever there, reminding him of what he was going to leave behind.

"Daddy...why are you cryin'? Is everythin' okay?" Mikkel peeped. The little girl was no more than seven years old, with dirty blonde hair framing a thin face and small facial features. She was tall for her age and maybe a bit more mature than some other girls, but that didn't mean she was ready to be faced with this, not at all. Dan turned away from his daughter for a second to pull himself together, grabbing the bottom of his shirt to wipe his eyes. The tears ceased for the moment, and he turned back to Mikkel, kneeling down to be at eye level. Mikkel cocked her head to the side, much like a young and frisky puppy, and stared into her daddy's red and swollen eyes.

"Daddy, what is wrong? Did I do somethin' bad, Daddy? I am sorry, so so sorry..." Dan shook his head, closing his eyes. He grabbed his daughter by the shoulders and put a finger to her rambling lips.

"Shh, baby, shh. You didn't do anything wrong, Mikkel. This is not your fault." Dan bit his lip and struggled to continue. Mikkel stood there, quietly, watching her father fall apart. The tears had came back, and fiercer than they were before. Loud sobs escaped his mouth as Dan dropped his head into his hands. Not saying a single word, Mikkel slowly wrapped her tiny arms around her father and squeezed him as tight as she could. This was the first time in her life she had seen her father cry. Fathers weren't allowed to cry. They had to be strong, didn't they? They were the ones who were supposed to hold the crying wife or child in their calming and comforting arms, not the other way around.

"Mikkel...oh Mikkel...you can't even imagine how hard this is for me. I don't want to hurt you. I always want to be right there by your side. To catch you when you fall, to wipe your tears away. To watch you grow and learn and receive only the best in life. I want to help you become so much more than I ever will. But baby, I have to do this. I have to do this for our country, for your future. I know this hard for you to understand now, but Mikkel, you will understand once you're older, I'm sure. It will be tough for both of us, but we'll get through it. And baby, it's not like I'll be gone forever. I'll be home again, I promise you that." Dan glanced up at his daughter and tried his best to smile. But anyone with eyes knew that his smile was fake. Faker than ever. This situation was nothing to smile about. It was all too heartbreaking.

Mikkel's face dropped. Growing large, her eyes began to sting with tears. She unwrapped herself from the hug and took tiny steps backwards, away from her father. Dan's smile was immediately swept off his face and he stood up, covering his mouth with his hands as the sobs returned. Mikkel was pretty sure of what her father was saying, but she couldn't accept it. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she wasn't clear on where exactly her father would be going. Maybe, just maybe, he was talking about a business trip or something, and what she had in mind was blown out of proportion. Oh, she hoped with all her heart that somehow, this wasn't real. With a large gulp and a mighty amount of courage, Mikkel asked her father that one aching question.

"Daddy...where will you be going?"

"War, baby, I'm going off to fight in the war."

The truth was too hard to take for both of them. Mikkel and Dan broke down and cried until absolutely nothing was left of them. The sun had died and the moon was born, and the torn apart family were swallowed whole by the darkness. The shack they lived in was already so empty, but now, it was even emptier without the soul and heart of the father and daughter.

To be continued...Chapter Two - A Special Parting Gift