G4
The Story Begins — Original Pilot
By Marzena
Chapter 4: Comfort
"You need to talk to Daphne, Flash," the Phantom gently reminded him. "She's obviously grieving, and grieving's good. But this isn't healthy anymore. When's the last time anyone actually saw her?"
Flash looked around. Everyone was clearing the table in Mandrake's big dining room – everyone but Duffy. Ever since the funeral, Duffy had barely left her room and often didn't even bother to answer when Flash tried to talk to her from outside her door. He decided that he would give her all the time she needed to properly grieve and miss her mother. After all, Flash himself was grieving and hurting, too. But maybe the Phantom was right. This wasn't the way. The best way to help Duffy was to get her to live again.
"I tried to talk her into coming down for dinner but she said she wasn't hungry." Flash gave a sigh. He had absolutely no clue on how to handle Duffy. Dale had been really good with that, and usually, when Duffy had given her father a hard time, Dale had intervened, smoothing out the path for them. But Dale wasn't around anymore. Flash was the only parent Duffy had left and he needed to start doing a better job.
"This isn't good for her," the Phantom repeated quietly. "You know it's not."
"I know. But this isn't going to be a walk in the park." Sighing, Flash turned to the table where Duffy's plate was still sitting, untouched. He started to fill it up with rice, sauce and chicken. No matter what she'd said, she probably was really hungry.
He then left the dining hall and went up to Duffy's room. Mandrake had provided them all with rooms of their own in his rather big mansion. And ever since Duffy had made that room hers, she'd barely ever left it.
"Duffy? Are you there?" Gentle, he knocked at the door, telling himself that this time, he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Go away!" she cried once again, like she'd done so many times before. But this time he was going nowhere. Duffy had lost her mother but she needed her father, now more than anything.
"I'm not going away this time, Duffy. In fact, I'm bringing you food, and I'm coming in, whether you want me to or not. We have to talk, Duff. Now."
She didn't even answer and he tried the door. He had expected it to be locked but to his surprise, it opened wide. Maybe Duffy had wanted him to come and reach out to her. And when he saw her sitting in the middle of the unmade bed, her hair hanging messy around her shoulders and her eyes swollen from crying so much, his heart went out to her. He kicked the door shut, put the tray down on her messy desk, stepped over the half-unpacked suitcases and sat next to his daughter on the bed. And the minute he did that, Duffy flung herself into his arms, holding him close.
Flash scolded himself for not reaching out to her sooner. But he was new at this single parent thing. He had been dealing with so much sorrow and grief and sadness himself, he had been in desperate need for just being Flash Gordon, grieving husband. But not at Duffy's expense. Never again at Duffy's expense.
"You can't lock yourself away up here, Duffy," he gently reminded her. "This is not what your mother would have wanted you to do. She would want you to be happy."
"She's gone, Daddy! How can I be happy ever again!?" Duffy cried, wiping her eyes.
He had asked himself that very question as well, and he had no real answer to that. He didn't feel like he would ever be happy again. And nor did he want to – not without Dale by his side, sharing his happiness. But Dale was no more. But there was still Duffy, and if not for himself, then it would be Duffy he would be happy for. Stubborn, hot-headed and sometimes rather silly little Duffy who could be so spoiled and sulky at times and so cheerful and carefree at others. It was such a pity that Dale wouldn't be around to watch Duffy growing up.
"Life will go on, Duffy," he quietly promised his daughter. "Maybe not today or tomorrow, maybe not even next week. But I can tell you, it will go on. We will never forget your mother – she'll be with us, every step of the way. She will always be a huge part of our lives. There will be days when we look back with sadness, and there will be days when we look back with happy memories."
"Right now I feel so empty, and so alone," Duffy admitted sadly. "And I feel like everything is my fault. If it just had been you and Mom on that mission, then..."
"Duffy! Never, even for one second, think that!" Flash looked at his daughter, horrified. "It would have ended the same way, Duffy – we were attacked, taken by surprise, we ended up being separated and Ming got his revenge. If anything, it's my fault because it's me Ming hates so much."
"I saw her die," Duffy whispered. "It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen. I've still got nightmares about it."
Flash held her closer as if trying to shelter her from all the cruelty she had had to deal with lately. "You shouldn't have witnessed this. You should have to go through this – any of this! But know this, Duffy, you're not alone in this. I'm right there with you, sweetie."
"What are we going to do now, Dad?" Duffy asked, resting her head against his shoulders.
"We're going to live our lives as best as we can, Duffy. And somewhere along the way, we're going to bring Ming to justice for what he's done to your mother. And you have to admit, there are worse places to live than Mandrake's mansion, aren't there?"
"Well, I guess..." Duffy even managed a small smile as she looked around her huge, untidy bedroom with the big windows facing the large gardens.
"And I think it's about time to come out here and get to know the others, especially the other kids. This will do you good. And I won't have to worry about you spending so much time on your own in here." He gave her an encouraging smile. "It's not going to be an easy time for either of us, Duff. But the two of us, we help each other through this, okay? We're still a family. And I know that even through we cannot see her, your mom is right here with us."
"I miss her like crazy," Duffy admitted, sighing. "And I missed you too, Dad."
"I missed you as well, Duff," Flash replied, holding his precious daughter, Dale's precious daughter, close.
Dale was gone and nothing in his world could ever bring her back. But Duffy was still alive, and he would make damn sure she was staying alive – and he would also make sure she had a future to look forward to, which meant Ming the Merciless was never to gain control of Earth. And it also meant that Flash Gordon was going to do his best in giving his daughter the family she deserved by being the best dad he could be.
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Chapters
Flash Gordon seeks to reach his wife and daughter, who are being held by Ming the Merciless.
A sulking Duffy endures the horrors of captivity.
The Gordons gather wth their new friends amid tragedy.
Flash and Duffy turn to each other.
Just as she's getting to know them, Duffy witnesses her friends being abducted.
A team is created.
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