A final twist of the screwdriver secured the baseboard of Nikki’s wooden bed frame to the side rails. Vincent grabbed the top and rocked it back and forth to make sure it would hold, then eased up from where he’d been squatting and craned his neck to work out its kinks. It had been a long day. The red-eye from Corvallis to Aurora had eaten away his morning, and unpacking his new house had consumed his afternoon. Now, edging on eight at night, he worked to make sure that everything Nikki needed to be comfortable was set up.

Bed frame, check.

Next, support slats.

Where were the support slats?

“Nikki?” Vincent called. Nikki poked her head out of the closet and looked at him, her wide eyes narrowed in skeptical curiosity. “Have you seen some loose planks of wood? The movers should have brought them to your bedroom.”

“Yes. I put them in the closet.”

“In the closet?” Vincent couldn’t resist a smile. He used the interruption to roll his shoulders in an attempt to do away with some of their soreness. “What did you put them there for?”

“Wood would burn in Tartarus,” Nikki said solemnly. “I wanted to move the other parts of the bed, too, but they were too heavy.”

“But your closet is safe?”

“Yes.” Nikki came out of the closet in full. She dusted off the front of her shirt. “The closet is the Ascending Elevator that Leah uses to get between realms. It can’t catch on fire, Dad.”

“Oh, right.”

The Ascending Elevator. Of course. Vincent didn’t know of many elevators that didn’t ascend, but he didn’t want to harp on Nikki any more than he already was. Heaven, Locked was her thing, and so, by extension, it was his thing, too. “But what about the time the elevator crashed and caught on fire?”

Nikki rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows that Tartarus fire is different, Dad. It’s demonic.”

“Oh, you’re right.” Vincent grinned. “Well, what if this wood was demonic, too?”

Nikki furrowed her brow and spent a moment in contemplation. “I don’t know…”

“Leah has to sleep somewhere, right? Even when she’s in Tartarus?”

The creases on Nikki’s brow deepened. “I guess.”

“So she definitely has a bed just like yours, made of demonic wood… just like your own bed.” Vincent pointed at the closet. “Wanna help me bring all the planks out? We’ve got to put them down so that I can get your mattress set up. Your very demonic mattress.”

“Okay,” Nikki chirped. She ducked back into the closet and came back out dragging all four slats at once. Her narrow arms were locked around the wood like she was trying to embrace it. Her efforts knocked her off balance, and she stumbled, uncertain with her footing.

Vincent rushed over and took the slats from her before she could hurt herself or damage their new house. “Whoa! I didn’t mean you had to bring them out all at once, sweet stuff. One at a time would have been fine. They’re heavy.”

“They’re not heavy!” Nikki protested. “If I’m gonna grow up to be strong like Leah, then I’ve gotta practice! I could’ve carried them.”

“How about we start demon training in a couple of days, once the house is unboxed?” Vincent set the slats against the wall, then selected the first one and laid it in place. “There are some great parks not all that far from the house with monkey bars. If there’s one thing that’ll make you strong, it’s making your way from one end of those things to the other. How does that sound?”

“Okay.” Nikki came to stand by the foot of the bed. “Dad?”

“What’s up?” Vincent set another slat down. The mattress was propped against the wall in the hall outside Nikki’s door. Once he got it into the room and situated on the slats, he’d just need to make the bed, then see Nikki off to sleep.

“Did Mommy make you leave?”

Vincent parted his lips, but he found he had nothing to say. Nikki frowned.

“I just mean… I know she isn’t nice to you all the time.”

“Your mom didn’t make me leave,” Vincent stressed. “Your mom never would have done that.”

The reassurance didn’t put Nikki at ease. She stared at her feet, twisting one of them back and forth nervously. “I don’t think she means to be mean,” she murmured. “She just isn’t so good with understanding that different people need different things to be happy.”

Nikki was not yet six—how was it that she’d seen into the situation so astutely? Vincent had done his best to keep the truth from her, and while Melissa was a little less subtle, he knew that she hadn’t meant Nikki any harm, either. They’d kept their arguments behind closed doors and their hard feelings to themselves.

At least, Vincent thought that they had.

Based on what Nikki was saying, it seemed like they hadn’t kept their problems with each other so subtle after all.

The bed wasn’t functional, so Vincent sat on the carpeted floor. He patted the space beside him, and Nikki sank down briskly and brushed her shirt so it lay flat over her leggings. Her brown hair fell over her shoulders, straight and luminous. Vincent reached over and tucked it behind her ear, then offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s hard when things change, isn’t it?”

Nikki said nothing. She looked away.

“I know that it’s not easy to have your parents separate, and I’m so proud of you for being strong even when it’s hard to be.”

“I’m strong,” Nikki mumbled. She played with the hem of her skirt, picking at a loose thread. “You’re strong, too. We’re warriors, just like Leah.”

“Just like Leah,” Vincent affirmed. “But your mom is a warrior, too.”

Nikki looked up at him, confused.

“Your mom has been struggling with the same feelings that you and I have. She feels hurt, and sad, and upset, and she’s had to be strong to make it through just like we have. But sometimes, it’s hard being strong, isn’t it?”

Nikki nodded mournfully.

“And it’s hard for your mom, too, even though she’s fearsome. After a while, when you’re fighting so hard, you start to get tired, and sometimes you start to give in. If your mom ever said a mean thing about me, it’s only because she’s tired from being strong for so long. Sometimes, we say things we don’t mean, or that aren’t nice, when we’re tired. That doesn’t mean that what she said was good, but I want you to know that your mom isn’t a bad person. She’s just tired, sweet stuff. She’s tired of being strong, just like we are.”

Nikki pursed her lips, but she lifted her head to look at him, which Vincent thought was a good sign.

“She just doesn’t understand,” Nikki murmured. “She doesn’t want to see things like you do. It’s like Leah’s mom, and how she doesn’t understand Leah.”

“You got it.” Vincent smiled and ruffled her hair. Nikki scrunched her nose at him and swatted at his hand, then smoothed her hair in an attempt to undo the mess he’d made of it. “So what do we do when we see someone is struggling?”

“Treat them with kindness.” Nikki nodded in determination.

“And that’s how we can be strong for Mom when she’s weak.”

Nikki rested her head on Vincent’s arm. “Okay.”

“Does that make sense?”

“Yep.” Nikki cuddled closer. “One day, Mommy will understand… and then maybe you can live together and be happy, like Mommy says you used to.”

“I don’t know about that.” Vincent kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. Melissa was a strong, intelligent woman with firmly held beliefs and convictions. She’d made it clear that after the choices he’d made, she couldn’t continue to be in a relationship with him. Vincent respected her honesty. Both of them deserved to be happy. “But I do know that what you said about being happy is going to happen. It’s already happening.”

Light eyes. Dark curls.

“We’re here in Aurora now, and we’re going to make the most of it. There’s so much possibility here for us—we’re going to make new friends, go on new adventures, and start our new lives the best we can… like Leah.”

“Like Leah.” Nikki grinned. She scrambled back from Vincent, then jumped to her feet and held out her hand, like she wanted to help him stand. “We can do it!”

“We will do it.” Vincent braced one hand on the ground and took Nikki’s hand with the other. Supporting his own weight, he stood. Nikki looked up at him with dinner-plate eyes, overjoyed that she’d just helped him to his feet. “But first, let’s get your bed put together. We can’t go having adventures if we don’t get any sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Nikki argued.

“It’s almost bedtime.”

“It’s not.”

“It is.” Vincent raised an eyebrow. “We’re in a different time zone now. Bedtime is two hours earlier.”

“This adventure sucks,” Nikki grumbled. “Leah never had to go to bed two hours early just because she changed realms.”

“And Leah isn’t a human girl with lots of growing to do.” Vincent picked up the next slat and laid it on the bed. “Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed, okay? By the time you’re done, I’ll be finished getting your room set up.”

Nikki stuck out her tongue in protest, but did as she was told. When she left the room, Vincent placed the final slat down, then hung his head and let out the breath he’d been holding since Nikki had started asking questions.

Thank god for Heaven, Locked. The conversation hadn’t gone nearly as badly as it could have.

One day, Nikki would be ready to hear the truth. At that time, she’d pass judgment of her own. Vincent wasn’t willing to turn her against Melissa, no matter what Melissa said about him. He would not have Nikki choose sides. Melissa still deserved his respect as a parent, even if she’d lost it as a lover.

That was his battle, and he’d fight it even beyond the point of exhaustion. For the sake of his daughter, no matter how tired he became, losing wasn’t an option.