A/N :This is a new story that I'm writing…I got the idea from another story called HIS LITTLE FLOWER..I can't remember who wrote it, but it was really good. If you wrote that story…please update it… I really enjoyed reading it and hope you can continue writing it.

When Violet was five, her father, Jasper, left for war…and he never came back. Twelve years after his disappearance, Vi accepted that he was gone forever. When new kids show up at her school, she is surprised that one of the newcomers looks exactly like her father. It couldn't be him, could it?

Lost and Found

Chapter one: Leaving

"No!" I screamed, tears flowing down my reddened face. "Don't leave me daddy!"

I gazed up at my father's form standing in the doorway, his hair glistening in the soft light of the fireplace. His face crumpled in pain, although he tried desperately to hide it, his voice cracking trying to reassure me that he would return. I clung to his pants, refusing to let go hoping that if I clung on long enough, he wouldn't be able to leave and therefore he could stay with mommy and me.

"Violet." he hushed, his voice at my ears. "Please don't do this to me. Please don't make this any harder than it has to be." His long arms wrapped around my small frame and lifted me into a gentle hug, my face sobbing into his golden locks, my own golden curls tangling with his to the point that you wouldn't be able to tell where his hair ended and mine began. We stood embraced like that for a few minutes until my sobs quieted slowly. When it was time for him to leave, it took my mother all her strength to unclasp my hands that were locked behind my father's neck.

"Be good to your mother while I'm away, okay Vi?" He asked, tearfully. I nodded and sniffled, leaning into my mother, Jasmine's, embrace, her own blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. She was strong, like my father, and tried not to show how badly this was hurting her. Her light brown hair framed her heart shaped face, now peppered with red splotches from crying.

"Goodbye, Jazzy." She called, embracing him once more. Her eyes held a small hint of anger and defiance when she pulled away. "If you don't come back to me, Jasper Whitlock. I swear I am going to kill you myself."

He smiled slightly and laughed. It was the most infectious laugh, and I burned the sound into my memory. I didn't want to forget anything about my father.

"I promise. I will do anything in my power to return to you." He assured, sighing, reluctantly pulling away from his wife. He strode across the small room to the door, grabbing his bag in the process. He took one last look at my mom and me.

"Don't forget… I will always love you."

And with those last final words he disappeared from the house.

That night, was the last night I had seen my father. A few months later, two men from the army came to our house. I watched from a distance as they talked to my mother, my blue eyes watching them warily. They were talking too low for me to hear, but I could tell that there was something not right when I saw my mom burst into tears. Curiosity got the better of me and I carefully approached my mother, my long nightgown brushing along the wooden floor.

"Mommy?" I called out to her, firmly holding my favorite doll to my side. "What's wrong?" The two men in uniform looked at me sadly. My eyes glistened at their reaction to me. My mother sighed, trying to compose herself, but I could tell that she was still visibly upset. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, as she tried taking a breath to calm herself.

"Violet, honey. I have to tell you something about daddy." She started, her long hair in disarray.

"Is he okay? When is he coming home?" I asked, my eyes brightening at the thought that I would see him again.

Mom choked back a sob. "That's the thing, sweetie." she said slowly, her eyes looking into my confused ones. "Daddy isn't coming home."

For a second, I couldn't breathe. It couldn't be true! He promised! "No! It can't be! He promised!" I wailed, the pain I felt ripping it's way through my chest. "He promised!" I choked again, tears streaming down my angelic face. I didn't try and hold back the pain that I felt. He was gone, and he was never coming back. I broke away from my mothers grip and bolted to my room. I wanted to cry and yell and scream and hate my father for not keeping his promise…and I did…eventually.

It seemed like I was in there for days, but it couldn't have been that long. As mad as I was at my father for leaving me and my mother, I still felt the need to respect his final wish. I would be good for my mother and I would be there for her, however I could. And even though I knew I would never see him again, I could still hear his voice in my head as he said his final goodbyes.

'I will always love you.'

Twelve Years later…

"No!"

My voice ripped through my throat before I realized that I had screamed, bolting upright in bed. My blue eyes frantically searched through the darkness, my heart racing, as I struggled to calm my breathing. My fear quickly faded into quiet sobs when I realized that I had been dreaming. It was the same dream as I had dreamt many times before. The day my father left.

The cold air made me shiver slightly when I realized I was covered in sweat, and slowly laid back down on my tear soaked pillow. My mind wandered to my father, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not fall back to sleep…the pain in my chest slowly becoming more painful, threatening to overwhelm me. When I could no longer handle the pain, I forced it to the back of my mind until I could deal with it later, and climbed out of bed, my bare feet touching the cold wooden floor.

I stumbled to the kitchen, as the sun peaked over the horizon casting a light glow over the room. It didn't take long until breakfast was ready, my mother stumbling into the kitchen as I placed our food on the table. Like usual we ate our breakfast in silence, except for the occasional question, and soon I headed off to the market, taking my usual path through the forest near our home. Most people were afraid of the forest, but I wasn't. To me it was calming. That was always the first place I would go if I had a rough day or if I was upset. I would run off to my special place and dream.

Once I approached the market, I pushed the small door open and entered inside. The smell of dust, dirt, and cedar filled my senses and oddly enough I found that it was comforting. The familiarity of the small shop reminded me of the first time I had entered into the store with my mom and the graying shopkeeper, James, gave me a lollipop. James, and his wife Maria, were older now and soon their son, Phillip, would be running the store. James would always boast about his son to me whenever he got a chance hoping that one day I would marry him, unfortunately for him, I politely declined every request as I was not interested in him.

I focused on the task at hand and danced up to the counter, James's weary eyes following me behind his small glasses.

"Ah. Miss Whitlock. Pleasure to see you again. How is your mother?" James's face lit up and smiled as I approached, his smile making his wrinkles far less noticeable.

I smiled politely, switching the small woven basket I was carrying from one hand to the other, simultaneously moving a small blonde curl away from my face. "My mother is well, sir. Thank you for asking."

He nodded. "Your welcome. How may I be of service, ma'am?"

I had to force down a small giggle that was fighting it's way to my lips, silently laughing at the fact he just called me ma'am. At being only seventeen, I was way too young to be called ma'am, and this thought clearly did not enter his mind. It did not offend me in the slightest way, and I brushed away the thought as quickly as I had heard it.

After a quick conversation, I purchased my items and exited the store, headed back the way I came and soon my mind drifted off to my father again for the millionth time. I was halfway through the forest when I finally took notice of the sky. Earlier it had been bright orange and now it was turning a dark grey and I knew that a storm was coming. The air was getting so thick that it was difficult to breathe. It wasn't until the sky turned almost black, that I really started to panic, and in my panic driven state I realized I was totally lost.

"Please!" My voice echoed through the forest. "Please help me!"

My eyes suddenly landed on a figure standing a short distance away. He was half hidden by the shadows of the surrounding trees, but from what I could tell he was well dressed and I hoped he would be able to help me. He moved away further into the shadows as I tried to approach him, my panicked voice called out to him.

"Sir? Sir! Can you help me? I'm lost." I pleaded. And as one brief flash of light tore across the sky I could see his face. He looked just like my father, as I remembered him so long ago, and my breath caught in my throat.

Could it really be him after all of these years? Or was it just my imagination? My own selfish desire to want my father back after all this time…have I finally gone completely crazy in my obsession to remember my father? I didn't know, but I knew I had to follow this figure…whoever it might be.

I snatched up the woven basket and sprinted as fast as I could manage after the man who looked like my father, the rain slowly pelting my face and clothes, the heavy fabric proceeding to make movement even harder as I struggled after him. I had no clue as to where I was now, and only hoped I would be able to make it out of the woods safely, my mysterious savior leading the way. After a short while, I saw the trees thinning and I could see a small cottage up ahead. I broke through the trees and glanced around looking for my mysterious savior, hoping to thank him for helping me out of the forest but to my surprise, he had vanished.

Relief flooded through me as I realized where I now stood, my eyes gazing at my home, and I quietly thanked my father for looking out for me…wherever he might be. I ignored the rain as I approached the door to my home taking one last look at the forest where I had emerged. Lightning flashed through the sky once again illuminating my surroundings and for a brief second I thought I saw my father standing just beyond the edge of the trees.

But before I could study the figure longer, a small crash caused me to look away for an instant, and when I looked back to the forest again, my father had disappeared. I sighed convincing myself that I had finally gone crazy, and escaped into the dryness of my home.

A/N: Thanks for reading my new story. Please Review it! The more reviews I get the faster I can update! Thanks so much!