Lieutenant Command Vernon Reid stood outside of the door that separated the family living space from the smaller bedroom that his daughters occupied. He’d spent most of his time after parting ways with the Watcher contemplating how he was going to handle relaying what he’d experienced throughout his investigation. On one hand, his duty as the Executive Officer aboard the station demanded that he exercise a certain amount of discretion when it came to the details of his encounter with the Talosian visitor. And on the other, he had an obligation to his children to validate their concerns and share with them at least something, even if it was only a fragment of the whole picture.

He had finally settled on what he would relay to them on his walk back to their shared quarters, but actually bringing himself to face his girls had proved a much more daunting task than he’d anticipated. The fact that he had lingered just outside the door for so long was proof enough that he hadn’t fully committed to his abridged version of the truth. He was glad that Tessa was still at the restaurant, she would have likely ushered him inside regardless of how ready he was. His hesitation to enter had almost abated when the door to the twins’ room slid open with a soft his to reveal one of the two children making her way into the living room.

Eleanor Reid looked up at her father standing in the doorway, the smile she flashed a lot dimmer than normal. Vernon felt his chest tighten seeing her seem so deflated, the look on her face betraying her resignation that whatever he was going to say would be dismissive of what she and her sister had brought to his attention.

“Where’s Anna?” Vernon asked, looking behind Ella into the room to see the other twin absent.

“She went over to see her friend Sovar, wanted to show him a puzzle she found that she was convinced he couldn’t solve,” Ella responded, looking somewhat exasperated.

“I see,” Vernon remarked before a small sigh escaped his lips. “You got a minute?”

Ella stared at her father for several heartbeats, searching his face for some clue as to the tone of the conversation that was about to take place. She had always gotten along better with her father; their personalities were far more alike than that of her mother’s. Thanks to that, Ella could generally get a sense of what was going to be said beforehand just by how her father presented himself before they began talking. This time, however, she couldn’t really get a good read on what he was going to say, or how he expected it to be received. It made her a little nervous, but she managed a small nod in response after mulling it over.

Vernon motioned toward the couches in the front part of the living area, following behind her as she headed for the one she normally lounged on when she was reading. Ella took a seat on the couch, watching as her father sank down rather heavily into the one opposite her. The serious look that settled on his face made her stomach tighten in apprehension over what was about to be said.

“I wanted to tell you what we found after looking into what you and Anna told me yesterday,” Vernon began, trying to sound as steady and neutral as he could, “But I also need you to understand that… there are details I can’t discuss with you and your sister at the moment.”

“Does that mean you found… it?” Ella asked, her voice wavering a little.

“We found something, yes,” Vernon nodded, “Your recounting of the event helped Jak and I to track down sensor footage that corroborated some of the details you remembered about your encounter.”

Ella leaned forward a bit, “So you saw it on the sensor feeds?”

“No,” Vernon shook his head, “We didn’t see anyone in the playback at any point throughout your entire encounter with him.”

The girl’s eyes narrowed when she heard her father say the word ‘him’. It didn’t make sense to her why he would suddenly use the word if he hadn’t actually been able to see the being that she and her sister had witnessed walking through the Promenade. His careful phrasing also put her on edge, usually when her father would avoid details it meant that confidentiality was involved, or at least that had been the case when he was still working as a nurse when she was younger.

“Is that why you made us go see Doctor Vreen?” Ella asked as she tried to piece together the puzzle as best she could with what fragments of information she already had, “To make sure we weren’t imagining things?”

“Partly,” Vernon admitted as he laced his fingers together, his forearms resting in his lap, “Jak and I came up with some theories thanks to our investigation, and one of them required that I take you to the Infirmary. And because we did, I was able to gather information that helped us to figure out what it was that happened.”

Ella pulled her legs in tighter and glanced away; the answer she’d received wasn’t exactly what she’d expected. A part of her had suspected that her father hadn’t actually believed most of what they’d said, and hearing that they’d been taken to the Infirmary to gather some sort of proof just made her feel disheartened.

“Before you jump to any conclusions, sweetheart, let me finish,” Vernon urged, noticing the shift in her posture and mood. “I took you two to get examined because I had reason to believe that you and your sister had been subjected to some manner of trick when you chased after the figure who confronted you. You two swore up and down that he disappeared at a dead end, am I right?”

Ella nodded slowly, still a bit skeptical of where he was going with his explanation.

“We pulled up the sensor feeds from where you said the dead end was. There isn’t one there. You two believed whole-heartedly that it was, I even saw your sister reach out and put her hand on whatever it was you saw blocking the way. But it didn’t exist… it wasn’t real,” Vernon finished.

“That can’t be right,” Ella frowned, “We both saw it… I watched Anna run her hand over it…”

“It was an illusion,” Vernon said in a serious tone, “A very powerful one. One that you believed was as real to you as that couch under you is right now. But it was all in your minds, you were made to believe it was there so that the one you were following could get away.”

“How could you know that?” Ella questioned, her tone incredulous.

“That touches on details I can’t actually talk about just yet,” Vernon said with a tired sigh, “Unfortunately, until the investigation runs its course, what I’ve just told you is about all I can get away with sharing. Believe me, Ella… I want to tell you more… I really do, but it would be irresponsible of me to knowing that there might be unforeseen consequences if I say too much right now. But I wanted to tell you something… I wanted you to know that I didn’t just brush what you told me off, and that you and your sister did encounter something that we hadn’t been aware was here until you told us. And the minute I can, I will tell you more about what it was you encountered, I promise.”

“Is it… is he… dangerous?” Ella looked up from her lap into her father’s eyes.

“I can’t say,” Vernon shook his head, weary.

Ella bit her lower lip, “Is that because it involves things I’m not supposed to know right now?”

Vernon let out a small chuckle, “It sounds like a really lame excuse when you say it like that. But yes, it would be giving too much away if I gave you any sort of explanation other than that. You’ll just have to trust me that you’re not in danger, even if I can’t tell you why.”

“But you will, right? When you can?” Ella asked softly.

Vernon rose from his seat and knelt down in front of his daughter, pulling her into a firm hug, “I promise I will, Ella.”

Ella rested her head on her father’s shoulder and squeezed him back, “Okay, Dad… I’ll wait.” Her voice sank into a low whisper, “Thank you for believing us.”