Time passed, and the joy of parenthood presented its own challenges. Both Rod and Elena started having problems with Catra that made subtle cracks appear in their otherwise loving relationship.
"Dear… I NEED ASSISTANCE!" the woman's voice echoed from another room.
Rod knew that sound well. She was struggling heroically to calm down Catra, who'd been crying for more than twenty minutes straight. Unlike her though, the man hid behind a nearby wall, trying not to be seen.
"If there is a god… PLEASE HELP ME!"
His thought was a prayer, something that changed when his face turned completely white.
Elena finally found him… and her deadly eyes were fixed on his hiding spot.
Having a baby was a journey of joy, but also difficulty and exhaustion. It was so tiring that more often than not, both Elena and Rod would simply collapse and fall asleep on top of each other in their bed.
Mercifully though, things gradually became less stressful when Catra grew to the tender age of eight.
The small girl could play more physical games with her parents at this time: like hide and seek.
One time when they played, Catra climbed silently behind Rod's back with surprising agility for an eight-year-old, and clung there. Her father searched the entire house with exaggerated theatricality, peering under couches and behind curtains.
Of course, it had been Elena's clever idea.
"Three, two, one, ready or not, here I come!" the man's voice boomed playfully, "I wonder where you could be! I know you are close!"
Then came a pivotal moment that shifted their family's dynamics: Rod was formally hired by the Grand North government and bestowed with the esteemed title of "Gun Hero."
On the television screen in their living room, a broadcast showed him being celebrated by thousands of civilians who lived throughout the country.
Elena and Catra's prideful faces watched from the comfort of their home. They saw a shower of confetti rain down in the distant celebration.
"And Grand North's Gun Hero is officially Rod Winger! For his speed and gun ability! The government is proud of selecting the first official Gun Hero in 300 years! President Alex Anderson came down to congratulate him herself," the news reporter's formal voice announced while both of them cheered from the couch.
"Let's cheer for daddy, okay?"
"LET'S GO DADDY!" Catra yelled.
The small girl's voice transported Rod's mind to another fond yet slightly chaotic memory.
Both the cheetah girls were standing beside a large sniper rifle held by the dinner table while the Gun Hero was collecting the trash from their bathrooms. He was completely oblivious to the impending scene.
"And this is the scope. You can look really far if you use it correctly. It's perfect for hunting and shooting from long distances," Elena explained and leaned in, her finger tracing the precise contours of the sniper's accessory.
"Woah!"
Catra slowly reached out her small hand and delicately pressed onto the trigger.
"That's the trigger. When you squeeze it, the fire weapon springs to life and shoots!"
In that instant, Rod emerged from the bathroom and saw what was happening.
"HEY, HEY, NOT IN THE DINNER TABLE!" the man exclaimed before Catra's small finger squeezed the trigger.
BANG!!
Chaos erupted. Rod quickly used his power to catch Catra, protecting her from any injury and de-escalating the situation. Meanwhile, Elena's face showed a sheepish expression. She suddenly remembered how she hadn't turned the safety on.
That day became an unforgettable one that always persisted in his head. And before long, Rod's mind shifted to one final happy memory.
They had gone back to the hilltop where he and Elena shared their very first date, embarking on an early morning run and deciding to spread a small picnic there. Both the adults sat comfortably on the green grass at the very top of the hill and Catra played nearby with a colorful balloon, trying to make it pop.
Seeing her happy made Elena smile and rest her head on Rod's shoulder. It was perfectly peaceful… An unending moment in space…
But that fragile peace would not last for long.
Sometime later, both Elena and Rod stood at the entrance to their daughter's room. Their figures were framed by the soft glow from within. They were as happy as any parent could be, simply watching their daughter slowly drift in a deep sleep.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Elena said kind of weakly.
The woman instinctively clutched onto the door frame. She could feel her body become unexpectedly unsteady.
"Yeah," Rod murmured when gazing at his little girl.
"Remember how I always say we're free spirits?"
"Yeah?"
"Well… she is more than that."
"Something like a super duper free spirit?" Rod chuckled.
It was a ridiculous question that compelled Elena to gently bump her elbow against his arm, despite her growing weakness.
"Don't make me… sound silly…" she whispered before the grip on her arm suddenly failed.
"She's our child after all. She IS special. She's gonna grow into-" the Gun Hero said with fatherly pride until being abruptly caught.
His eyes snapped to the ground. Elena had fallen and was now unconscious…
"Elena?" he asked.
"ELENA?!"
"ELENA!"
The world fractured in that instant.
Painful hours stretched in the waiting room of a hospital and the tick of the clock felt eternal. Then he heard from the doctors… and the words were a cruel blow.
"I don't know how to tell you this, Rod… I'm really sorry… Elena… Elena has a tumor… we… the tumor is really advanced and it's located in her pancreas… tests suggest it has metastasized to other organs…"
Rod just stared at nothing. His mind was completely numb. How was this even possible?
Months later, the hope had dimmed but not entirely faded. Elena lay in her hospital bed battling the terminal foe. She was surrounded by brightly colored "Get well" signs that were left by her family… though the woman barely registered them.
Her fingers clasped tightly around the familiar steel of the pistol Rod gave her on their wedding day instead. A day she would soon forget.
She was in so much pain… and was only being driven forward by her protective love for Catra and Rod. She didn't want them to know… Didn't want them to see the agony that consumed her.
Suddenly, a familiar knock sounded on her door. It began to open slowly before her heart leaped. She saw them: Her beloved husband and daughter.
"Mommy!" Catra exclaimed and launched herself forward.
She immediately threw her small arms around the woman in a fierce hug.
"Hey, small one," Elena softly said with a tender grin that masked her agony.
"Daddy said that maybe we could go to the park again later!"
"Only if you help your daddy do the dishes," Elena playfully responded.
"Deal!"
While Catra spoke, Elena and Rod's eyes met and a silent understanding passed between them. They knew that this promise would never happen… and it tore at their very souls. It made both of them come close and connect their foreheads, as if they were compelled by the world itself.
"I love you both so much…" Elena thought when watching them leave her room...
"...Please take care of each other… for me…"
Soon after, with a quiet, devastating finality… Elena died.