"Millie! Keep moving forward, baby girl!"

"Dad!" Emily whinned, "Stop calling me that"

She was covered in sweat, and breathing hard. Dad always pushed her hard. She was only 10, but dad believed in her. Dad always had her back. It was always her and Dad against the world. Emily's mother died when Emily was only a year, dad and her godfather Jorge raised her. She pretty much lived her life in the Gym. School and the gym. Study and fight. That was her life. And she loved it.

Alby was panting hard, but had taken a few steps forward swinging his fists, making Emily back up. She knew enough to keep her fists raised, but Alby was two years older than her and he was tall. At twelve years old he had a lot of muscle.

Emily and Alby were training partners. Dad had started to pay for Alby's training when his parents didn't have the money anymore. Alby had a natural talent, and dad wanted to take him to the top. He made Emily train with him. She enjoyed the physical exertion, it was also a challenge. It was always like a math problem to her. There was always a solution. Emily just had to figure out the solution; Alby was bigger and stronger. Emily grinned. She was shorter and faster.

She ducked under his right hook, and took a few quick jabs to his torso. Making him stumble backwards, the breath knocked out of him. She jumped forward and with her quick fists she hit him again and again, until he was trapped in the corner, and all he could do was hold his arms up over his face.

With a omph she landed on her back, the wind knocked out of her.

"Too focused on your punches, Em." Alby's sweaty and grinning face loomed over her.

"I had you, though!" She panted.

"Almost, Millie!" Dad chuckled, as he climbed into the ring.

Emily grumbled. She hated that name, but it was the name dad used, so it wasn't too bad. She put up with.

"Ma Hija, that was the best match yet!" Jorge smiled.

Emily turned her head and looked at her Godfather. He was grinning at her, holding her water. Alby held out a hand and helped her up. Taking the water from Jorge she pulled her mouthguard out and grinned.

"You're getting quick little Rocky." Jorge encouraged. Emily took a long swig of her water. Looking over her shoulder she saw dad giving Alby a few pointers, and corrections.

"So, Em, you looking forwards to this big dinner tonight?" Jorge asked, pulling her attention back.

She shrugged. Sinking into the little stool he provided in the corner of the ring.

"I guess."

Jorge raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain.

"I mean Ava is nice enough, I guess. But...why does he keep hanging out with her? She seems kind of...I don't know, cold? Not dad's type. I don't know Papi...there's something about her."

Jorge just hummed.

"Vince!"

A woman's voice floated through the air. It was sickly sweet. Emily and Jorge made eye contact and they both shivered.

A woman in a crisp suit was striding towards the boxing ring, with a dark haired girl clasping her perfectly manicured hand tightly.

Emily got up, and walked over to her dad who had turned at the call if his name.

"Ava! This is a surprise! I thought we were meeting you there."

"Oh well... I just couldn't wait to see you!" Ava smiled wildly, and giggled, batting her eyelashes.

The dark hair girl gazed up at the ring and the two kids.

Alby had come over to lean on the ropes beside Emily. Alby gave her a glance and raised an eyebrow in question. Emily nodded. She had told Alby everything about this new woman in dad's life. He had dated a few different women, but this one seemed to have dad wrapped around her finger, she was kind of bossy and controlling, but when Emily interacted with her seemed nice enough. She was always put together, red lips, manicured nails and her hair was always styled perfectly.

Emily had complained about it a lot. As a joke the two had started using the name The Chancellor, when refering to her.

"This is The Chancellor?" He whispered, leaning into her. Emily nodded.

"Millie," dad said turning to his daughter with a smile, "this raven haired beauty," dad winked at the girl, "is Ava's daughter."

Emily stood up straight, surprised. Her eyebrows shot up. Ava didn't seem like the woman who had kids. Emily shook her head, snapping out of her surprise. She was being rude. Dad raised her to always be kind, and respectful, because they didn't know what the other person was going through.

She climbed out of the ring and hoped down onto the ground. She pulled her big boxing glove off and held out a hand.

"Sorry, but sweaty, but uhhh hi! Nice to meet you. Names Emily!" She smiled.

The girl flashed her a bright white smile. She had long black wavy hair and her eyes were electric blue. Her skin was pale like her mothers. The girl wrinkled her nose slightly at Emily's sweaty hand, but shook it anyways, once and let go.

"Teresa. But call me Tessa."

Teresa tried to wipe her hand subtly on her pants. Emily gave her a small smile.

"So...have you uhh ever been to a boxing gym?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Hey Em, you gonna introduce us?" Alby had jumped down and had also pulled his gloves off, he had a slight smirk in his face. He was quiet and calm, sure if himself. Whereas Emily was quiet and fidgety, and very unsure. Once she got to know the person and felt comfortable with them, she was a weirdo. By all definitions, she was an introvert. She wasn't a big fan of meeting new people, but she forced herself.

Alby held out a hard hand for Teresa to take. Her eyes trailed over Alby, a look of interest.

"Alby..this is Teresa. Teresa...this is Alby. My training partner and pretty much an annoying brother."

Emily had noticed that dad and Ava had wondered away, having an intense conversation. Jorge glanced at them and back to Emily. She noticed a weird look pass over his face, she couldn't quite place it, but it made her feel kind of uncomfortable.

~•~

Emily was sitting beside dad at the dinner table, Ava and Teresa sat across from them. Dad and Ava were deep in conversation about something. Emily had stopped listening. Teresa sat staring and was in every sense proper. But when her mother wasn't looking, she slouched and placed her elbows on the table.

"Other than... hitting other people, what do you enjoy?" Teresa asked.

"Umm. I like to read. And math and science. I want to be a nurse when I grow up. Like my mother was."

"Oh, your good in school?"

Emily nodded, proud of herself. She worked hard for her grades, but school always came easily for her. She had gotten her mother's book smarts apparently, dad told her all the time her mother had been brilliant. Always had her nose in a book. Her mother had been the quiet one and dad the loud one. But they had fallen in love and had Emily young. But then a year after she was born, she was hit by a drunk driver in her way home from night shift at the hospital.

She looked like her dad though. Blond hair, brown eyes and freckles. Dad was short and stocky, she was just short. She also had to wear glasses, like her mother. Only for school and reading, but she didn't like having to wear them.

"So...what do you do other than school?" Emily asked awkwardly.

"I'm a cheerleader." Her eyes lit up.

"Oh. That's cool."

"It is! It's really fun!" She went on to talk about everything there was to talk about the sport.

"Teresa. Don't talk so much with your mouth full!" Ava snapped.

Teresa instantly went quiet and her eyes looked down at her plate. Emily frowned. Teresa's face went pink. Dad leaned over and nudged her hand. Teresa looked up, and dad made a goofy face, showing off his mouth full of food quickly while Ava's head was turned away.

Emily grinned. Teresa giggled. Sad was always a goof. Always made things light hearted and fun. He wasn't a big rules person. Be kind, do your work and do it to the best of your abilities. He would always ask, "is that your best effort? Are you proud of yourself?"

After supper was done and the girls helped clean up supper and the dishes dad called them into the living room and sat the girls down on the couch. Dad and Ava stood in front of them.

"Dad?" Emily asked, "what's going on?"

Dad was never this formal, ever. She knew something huge was going to go down. Nervously, Emily pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands, and fidgited with the end. Emily could feel the tension. Teresa sat stone still, her chin up, all her muscles tense.

"Well, Millie, my baby girl..." Dad had knelt down infront of Emily and took her little hand in his big strong rough ones. "It has been you and me against the world for 9 years. You never had a mother, she was taken from you at such a young age...and I want to give you the world."

"Dad...you have. I love you and you have given me everything."

"No, Baby girl, you need a mother."

Emily's stomach twisted, and dropped through the floor. She could feel her heart slamming into her ribs.

"Emily. Ava and I are getting married."

Emily didn't know what to say. She looked at Teresa who looked just as shocked.

"Teresa. You need a father figure in your life. Your biological father didn't want anything to do with you, and Vince has kindly decided to take on that role." Ava's voice was all business. There was no warmth in it.

Emily blinked a few times, opened and closed her mouth. She swallowed hard and forced a small smile.

"Great." She squeaked.

"The wedding will be small, next month. Ava and Teresa will be moving here, in a few weeks. You'll be at the same school! And you will have a sister!"

"Yeah... awesome." She forced a smile, her voice was tight. She was trying to blink away the tears of shock.

It was a long awkward evening. Once Ava and Teresa left, Emily went to her room and curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow tight to her chest. There was a knock on the door and the door opened, dad came in and sat down on the bed.

"Millie...I know it's a lot to take in. And I know it's fast. But I think it's going to be a good change."

"I don't like change dad!"

"I know. But...life is always full of change. We always gotta roll with change. Keep moving forward. Rocky-

"Rocky Balboa said, it's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep going...ya I know."

Dad chuckled, "do I say that often?"

"It's litterly painted in the gym wall."

Emily rolled over into her back, and looked at him.

He grinned, "got me there."

"Dad...Ava seems so...cold." Emily whispered, her eyes filling with tears again.

"She was just nervous. She's only meet you a few times. And she was nervous about Teresa meeting you. Today was a big day."

"Yeah...no kidding it was."

"Millie, we will still have movie night in our blanket forts every Friday with pizza. You will still come with me to the gym. Jorge will still take you for ice cream...you will still have your room... waffles every Saturday morning. Nothing will change. You will just have a sister now, and a mom."

"Step mom. Have you not read any fairy tales? Step moms are always the worst!"

He sighed and ran a hand over his scruffy beard.

"I'll always be here." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Get some sleep now, it's a school night."

~•~

Two years later, Emily sat in the cold bright white sterile smelling hospital room.

"Hi daddy." Emily smiled, kissing his pale face. "How are you feeling today?"

"Great! I could fight 3 full rounds." He forced a smile.

He was lying.

Emily could see the pain in his eyes. The doctors had found cancer after a regular doctor check up. It had been a huge shock. Vince was a healthy fit man in his mid thirties, never smoked and never had a drink after Emily's mother died. The cancer had quickly ravaged his body in a matter of months.

Ava pulled away, avoiding the hospital. Not that she was a very warm nurturing person to begin with, but you would think a wife would come see her husband.

Emily came every day after school. She would bike to the gym before school, go to school and then to the hospital. She would sit beside dad's bed and do her homework and eat supper. She would go home, and clean up the mess, prep for the next day. And do it all over again.

Today dad looked more tired and exhausted. She took his cold hand in hers. Placing her forehead gently on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat. She felt his other hand on the back of her head.

"Tell me, Baby Girl, about your day."

"Well...Alby won his match last night! Total knock out in the second round! Jorge has it on tape and said he would bring it tomorrow when he comes to visit!"

"Good for him. He's gonna go far!"

"Yeah. He's doing awesome in his weight class." She grinned.

"What about school?"

"Well, I got 95% on my science test! And I handed in that English assignment. Ava said she would try get me a new laptop, but that was two weeks ago...mine is dying a painful death."

"You mean my old one?"

"Yes! It's a beast...an awful piece of klunk! Dad that thing is older than I am!"

He chuckled quietly.

"In my wallet, take the card and ask Jorge to go with you tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you. I might actually be able to do my assignments properly now and not wait for dial up!" She teased.

They were quiet again. The hospital room was cold, empty, impersonal and sterile. Constant beeps from his heart monitor and oxygen levels. All the wires and tubes coming from him. Emily had gotten used to it. The room didn't phase her much; it was how fast her father was deteriating. She felt her heart squeeze with the icy claws.

"Millie...I have something for you." His voice was so weak.

Emily sat up and looked at him, cocking her head. He tried reaching to the beside table. She got up and passed him the small wrapped box. She sat back down on the bed beside him. He held it in his hands for a moment. He took a deep breath, the oxygen tube under his nose working over time.

"Millie...I was going to wait until your sixteenth birthday to give you this. But it seems like our time is shorter then I hoped."

He looked at her with his eyes full of sadness and regret. He handed her the package with shaking hands. Emily felt the hot burning tears in her eyes. With her own hands shaking and her lip trembling she opened the package. She took the lid off the box. Inside was a simple sliver chain with a heart pendant at the end. It was engraved with a fancy E. F. She gently picked it up. Under the necklace was a simple white gold ring and a band with a diamond set in the middle.

"Emilia Fitz. It was your mother's." He explained, "her wedding and engagement ring, and the necklace I gave her on our wedding day, you were named after your mother. Who was named after her mother. And your middle name...Victoria...was my mother's name...she didn't have a daughter, she was stuck with me. So Vince it was."

He forced a smile. He looked up at his daughter. He held her hand tight.

Emily choked back a sob. "Daddy..."

He reached out a hand and wiped the tears from her cheek.

"Come let me see it on." He held a hand out. She placed the necklace in his hand and she turned around. Moving her hair out of the way. She turned to face him. And he finally smiled a true smile that reached his eyes.

"I love you so much. My Emily Victoria Fitz. My beautiful Millie. My perfect Baby Girl. I'm so proud of you. Always remember that." His smile was tired and his eyes held so much pain. Emily knew dad was only holding on for her, he was trying to say goodbye.

"It's okay daddy. You can let go. You don't need to fight anymore." Tears slid down her cheeks. "I'll be okay."

"I know you will be. You always are."