"I'll only be gone for an hour or so tops," Anna promised. Kratos knew she really didn't have any regard for time and would be gone for more than an hour. He always offered to accompany her shopping, but she always turned him down, saying he needed to spend some time with their son.

"You and Lloyd can even share the last of the cookies while I'm gone," she smiled. "And I promise not to accidentally ruin a market stand this time."

Even so, he was still wary about leaving Anna alone – and not just because of what disasters might ensue. Would someone recognize her and turn her into the Desians? Still, stubborn as she was, Anna wouldn't hear of it and insisted she go out into town by herself.

Kratos waved to his beautiful wife as she walked out the door, leaving him with Lloyd. Remembering she had made cookies, he turned his attention to the small counter, picked up the plate, and walked to sit down in the chair next to Lloyd.

Lloyd smiled up at his father, swinging his legs back and forth. His auburn eyes lit up at the sight of the sweet dessert.

"Cookies!" He exclaimed, watching his father put one in his mouth. Lloyd reached up to take his own cookie, but paused before picking one up. Daddy had eaten cookies with a glass of milk yesterday, hadn't he? Lloyd would get his daddy some milk!

The little three-year-old promptly climbed down off of his chair and dragged it over to the opposite end of the kitchen, leaving scratch marks all over the floor. He pulled himself up on the chair and climbed up onto the counter. Lloyd flung the cabinet open so hard, he broke off one of the already poorly-put-together hinges. The little boy didn't even notice.

Spotting the glass that was used for milk yesterday, Lloyd thrust his hand inside, grabbing it and pulling it off of the shelf, knocking two others to the floor. Not noticing the mess he was making, he climbed back onto the chair and jumped off of the chair, avoiding the glass.

Kratos sat and watched his son, wondering if he should save what was left of the kitchen. Instead, he just sat and watched to see what Lloyd would do.

Lloyd marched over to the ice box and also flung that open, leaving it hanging wide open. He set the glass on the floor, seemingly out of harms way. Lloyd seized the large gallon of milk and poured it into the vicinity of the glass, missing most of the cup. He set the milk down on the floor without putting the lid back on or closing the ice box.

"Here you go, Dadddy!" Lloyd said proudly. "I got you some-"

Lloyd took a step foreward and slipped on the spilled milk, tossing the glass into the air. The milk splattered all over Daddy, the table, and the cookies. Kratos quickly stood and caught the glass right before it shattered on the ground.

The little boy looked around the mess in the now demolished kitchen – scratched floors, broken hinges, broken glass, door hung open, spilled milk. Then, he turned to look at his father with milk from his hair to his toes. Lloyd started to cry at the mess he'd made.

Kratos smiled softly under the shadows and set the plate and glass down on the table. He picked the crying boy up and set him on his lap in the chair.

"This…is my son," Kratos chuckled to himself, nuzzling the boy's hair affectionately.

"Oops, I forgot my purs—What happened to the kitchen?" Anna asked, walking into the door.