Disclaimer: Do.not.own.Mcfly.shame
Warnings: Moral inacceptable behaviour, maybe weird grammar (I'm Austrian), a little angsty
A/N: This is a short story, done for a contest. The genre was open, I think. There was just to mention a TV-show and a spaceship and some nice quotes:
1. "But I know you're going to stay and be happy everyday if you just gimme a chance"
2. "Somehow you always seem surprised, that it's not a happy ending"
3. "It's just something… a little bit of loving you could never understand"
4. "Maybe the lie is what I need sometimes"
I had to build a story around these - aaaand to do a crossover with Instant star, but I really just touched slightly on it. I love the story cause... well, you have to read it yourself. But it's sad and cute the same time. Don't you think so? Tell me then ;)
ah yeah - the song is You had me at hello from - A day to remember!
Nothing seems to matter
When I'm holding you
It was one of those days, when he asked himself, why he was here.
Thoughtfully he walked through the sun-flooded park of his neighbourhood. Families, friends and kids spent their day here, having fun and feeling good because of the warm weather. He wondered why he couldn't feel like them.
Even though the sun was shining, he felt down and dejected. Yet he was going to record a new album with his lads. Some weeks ago he was fond of the idea, fond of the songs he already wrote for it, but it didn't make sense anymore.
How long should it go on like this? Recording albums, doing TV-shows, going on tour. Over and over again.
Maybe he was so sad about it, because he hated the songs for the new album he once loved.
Maybe it was because of the past few days - When suddenly all the love-songs became a curse.
He didn't want to think about it, pulled his beanie further into his face and sat down on a bank near a playground.
Relaxed and with closed eyes he sat there for a while and enjoyed the sun shining directly into his face. It was wonderful, but didn't keep him from thinking.
He loved the band, he loved the tour- living and he loved the distraction it gave him. But when he thought of the future, singing all those songs, written by his lads about their girlfriends and the beautiful life they had with them, it made his stomach turn.
Then all those question in the TV- shows, the pictures in the magazines. He couldn't do it. It made him furious. He just wanted to go home and hide himself in sad music and the Tv. No public. No love songs. No duties.
But he would go and record this album. He would endure the time with the three lads and their girlfriends in Australia and he would go on tour and sang those songs, which meant nothing anymore.
This was his life and he would accept it like this. How shall he change it anyway?
Suddenly something bumped into him. Confused he opened his eyes and looked to his side. A little, blonde girl layed herself down, with her head in his lap and her hands closed around the tufts of his green beanie. She had her eyes closed as if she was already sleeping.
"Ahm… girl? What are you doing there?" He asked and lifted not knowing what to do his arms. When she didn't reacted to his question, he looked up, scanning his environment for a searching mother or father. Nobody seemed to miss a daughter.
"Where's your mummy? Girl? Hey!" He nudged her gently on the shoulder. No reaction. He gave up, gazing one more time around and then back to her.
Was it a joke?
Had somebody sent his daughter to him to make a good picture of his face? Then they made a really good job. Haha.
As he had no idea how to find the parents of the girl nor how to wake her up, he just kept on sitting there, waiting for something to happen.
--
The doorbell was ringing. In spite of the last days he went and opened it.
"Dan! Eventually. How are you doing?" Tom stood in front of him.
"No answering the phone nor the door nor giving any kind of a life-sign. I guess he's fine, Tom", Replied Dougie instead of him. An awkward silence followed as Danny didn't asked them to come in.
"I'm fine" He eventually managed to say.
"Yeah, of course. Can we though come in? I need a loo!" Dougie said and went ruthless into the flat. "Since when did you lost your manners… oh my…" He had opened the door to the living room.
"What's wrong?" Tom was seriously worried by Dougie's dumbfounded being.
"Nothing, just nothing", He murmured, turned around and followed Dougie to the doorframe. His gaze was fixed on the little girl, sitting on the ground and drawing a picture while humming a melody. As Danny came into her sight, she lifted her head.
"Are you alright?" He asked and heaved her up to his hips.
"Yeah… but who are these people?" She asked and hid her face halfway in his cheek.
"My friends",
"I'm thirsty, Daddy", Danny tried to avoid the shocked gazes of his friends as he entered the kitchen to give her a glass of water. "Thank you! I go finishing my present for you!" He let her to the ground, she smiled brightly at him but glared sceptically to Tom and Dougie.
Both their mouth stood open as they watched her bouncing back into the living room.
"Oh my god", Tom exhaled and sat down together with Dougie, who meant nodding: "So… Olivia hid it pretty well… I'ven't seen anything",
"She's not my daughter", Danny said, while leaning arms crossed against the working space, his gaze steadily on the girl in the living room. "She came to me yesterday in the park",
"And her parents?"
"They didn't show up, so I took her home",
"That's crazy!!" Tom smacked his forehead and spoke offended: "You can't just take a girl with you home! I mean? What if the parents now look for her and… I don't know! But they must be frightened!"
"I asked all the people in the park if they are her parents and if not, if they have seen her. Tom, there was nobody. Somebody must have left her there…", Danny shrugged, his eyes glued on her.
"Though. She… you… you have to go to the police!"
"Yeah, do a Lost and Found Announcement", Dougie grinned and tried to hide it under Tom's sight.
"He really should do it!"
"I will do it, Tom…" Again silence fell over them. "Do you need anything else?"
"Nah, knowing you're alive and still living with a girl was all we wanted to know", Dougie replied. "Well, the girl has changed", He added lower.
"What happened with Olivia?" Tom asked carefully. Danny didn't answer but started to move impatiently his right leg. "Where is she? Does she know about her?"
"I think it's time to go now", He murmured. "Talk to you later", Without any further word he left the kitchen and closed the door to the living room.
Tom and Dougie sat there and glared stunned at each other.
--
"Daddy?"
"My name's Danny. D-A-N-N-Y",
"Why are you sad?"
He laid on his black couch and stared to the white ceiling. Everything was so white in here. White and black furniture. Like his life.
"I'm not sad",
"But you're not smiling", Suddenly she climbed up to him and laid down on his lap, like she did the day they've met. "Do you wanna play something with me?" Eventually he goggled to her and sighed: "I have no games here",
"No games?" He shook his head and thought of anything else to keep the girl busy, but there was nothing. "Oooh…" As he watched the sadness come into her eyes, he realised he needed to do something.
"We can buy some games", He said and got up. "And in return you tell me your name!"
"Nooo", She giggled and rolled from side to side. It let a little smile slip over his lips. "It's a secret!"
"But I have to call you with something! Otherwise I will give you a name myself!"
"Oh yeah! A new name?" She claped her hands, got up and hugged him round the shoulders.
"I… I…" He grinned brightly while hugging her back. "I'll call you Sara!"
"Sara…" She beamed as she bite excitedly her bottom lip. "That's a good name", She whispered as he stood up.
It was raining outside and he realised he had nothing for little Sara. Just her red dress and her sandals. It was definitely not enough. So he took the taxi to drive firstly to a kids-shop. Sara sat on his lap and pointed round the environment to show him, how much she knew about the world.
In the shop he had no idea which size she got. A worker helped him and in the end Sara had a wardrobe for each season and weather.
In the same building he found a store with kids-games. Everything which appealed on Sara ended in their trolley. It was just too awesome to see her eyes gleaming and her thankful kisses for each present he gave to her.
He felt the happiness return into him and make his body healthy again.
As they drove back to his flat, Sara couldn't stop listing the things they would do this evening. Danny listened and enjoyed her joyful behaviour. When they got home, he helped her out of her new, pink shoes and watched her disappearing in the living room.
He smiled to himself as he went into the kitchen, storing the cookies and other sweeties he bought for her. When he wanted to come for her, she wasn't there. Irritated he walked into his bedroom and found her sleeping in his bed - Her new doll under her arm.
He sighed and leant against the frame as he watched her sleeping. She looked so sweet. After a while he put in some low music and layed down beside her, watching her until his eyes closed.
--
The day started wonderfully. Sara had herself cuddeld to his chest when he awoke. He had his arm protectively around her shoulder. As he looked into her relaxed face, a smile appeared on his face.
She still calmed the storm of oppressed emotions and thoughts in him.
Nothing seemed to matter when he was holding her.
Carefully he got up and ran his hand through his messy curls. Again his gaze wandered to her sleeping shilouette. He wanted to see her happy face and decided to prepare some breakfast. As she still wasn't awake after it, he took his guitar and sat down beside her.
"Sara, the sun is shining, the birds do sing
The world awakes while you're sleeping
Sara, It's time to open your eyes for me
I'm awaiting you with cornflakes and tea"
He laughed to himself for the stupid rhyme, while she started to roll from side her side. He so loved this gesture.
"Hey, Sara. Come on!" He pulled on a strand of her hair. "Wake uup",
"Nooo", She murmured.
"Oh, you git! If you don't wanna hear, I have to act!" He laughed, took aways his guitar to pull her into him and to tickle her gently.
"Wah, nah! Daddy, no! Stop it!" She screamed between laughing. "I'm awake! I'm awake!!"
"I don't think so! Maybe you need a cold shower to wake up!" Playfully he picked her up and carried her, though she screamed and tried to escape his grip, into the bath.
He started the water and just put her underneath the warm waterjet. Her pouting sight was too much for him, as he started to laugh.
"I'm all wet!" She yelled and pulled on his jeans. He just gave in and let himself fall to her into the bathtube. Keeping on laughing he let her take revenge with covering him in showergel. It all ended with them washing each other's hair, playing with the soap and the foam.
Breathing heavily they laid back in the bathtube. She fought over the foam to cuddle herself into his arm.
"This was fun! Do we do it again?"
"Yeah, cause it makes you happy", He huddled his nose into her wet hair.
"You, too?"
"Yeah, I'm happy like never before", He answered honestly. "You make me happy, Sara", He kissed her head as they shortly went silent. Suddenly she turned her head and looked with big eyes at him.
"Daddy? Do you promise me to never leave me?" It was serious to her, but there was no need to lie or not admit it. He answered with all his heart: "Never, Sara. I'll never let go of you again",
Her legs were dangeling in the rhythm of the music from his CD- Player. She hummed without knowing the melody and showed him her tongue while eating her colourful cornflakes.
"Eh! Not allowed here!" He said and threw a flake after her.
"In my house it is allowed", She answered and threw two back.
"But this is MY house", The game went on, but her smile turned into a thoughtful expression.
"Why do we have to live after rules?" He was stunned by her question. They always made him grin confused without knowing a proper answer.
"We don't have to",
"Oh yeah!!" She sticked her tongue out and tried to eat her cornflakes while having it out. He laughed at the sight, leaned his cheek into his hand and watched her having fun with just herself. "Try it too, Daddy! It's awesome!!" He couldn't believe it, but he did it too. They laughed along with each other. This was real.
Late in the evening Sara eventually convinced him that white walls were boring, so they started drawing on the walls.
As he wanted to paint a spaceship, the doorbell rang. He opened and Dougie stood in front of him.
"Oh. She's still here?" He asked as he looked over the colorful spots on his white under-t-shirt.
"What do you want?" Danny replied. Somehow Dougie's sight made him angry.
"Can I come in?" He shrugged and let him in. The flat was filled with Sara's singing voice. Dougie threw a sight at her, widened his eyes: "Danny, she's painting on the wall",
"It's alright", Danny led him by the shoulders into the kitchen. "What's wrong, Doug?"
"We're worried. We don't hear a thing from you. You just keep yourself locked in here. You have a midlife- crisis or something?"
"No, I'm alright", He answered nonchalantly. "I just look after her until someone reacts to the announcement",
Dougie stayed silent for a while and listened to Sara's innocent voice.
"I heard the thing with Olivia",
"Oh my god", Danny rolled his eyes and thought about throwing him out. "It's over, Dougie. It doesn't' matter anymore",
"But I have a letter from her", Irritated he looked at the piece of paper in Dougie's hands. "And I think she regrets what she did. At least here it's written: blabla… But I know you're going to stay and be happy everyday if you just gimme a chance. Sounds good, doesn't it?"
"I don't want her back. I just waited until she quitted with me herself.", Danny wanted to sigh, as suddenly Sara bounced in and hugged his leg with her chin on his knee.
"Can I have a cookie, pleeease?"
"Sure", He reached for a plate full of them, sat down beside Dougie and picked her up on his lap.
"And now?" Dougie asked, as Danny watched her eating with a smile. "You want to stay here in your flat until we give up on you, too? Danny, pst, we're not your girlfriend",
His smile disappeared and in an annoyed voice, he answered: "Who knows…"
"Daddy? The cookie looks just like you!" Sara announced and presented him a butter buiscuit.
"No, it doesn't", He grinned, shaking his head.
"In my world you do", It even made Dougie smile a little. The girl was too cute to be true.
Danny gave her a kiss on the cheek and wanted to relax as suddenly the doorbell rang again. "Tom's coming too?"
"No?"
He opened the door and in front of him stood a boy in his age and his size. His hair stood weirdly horizontally from his head.
"Hello?" He asked and considered him being an reporter. How did he find his flat? Sara was here. No! He was about to panic when the guy started to talk: "I'm here because of the announcement. I think you have my daughter",
"Ahm…" His heart sank. "Come in?" He had no idea what was going on as the guy suddenly asked into the flat: "Anna? You're here?"
"Daddy?" Suddenly something bumped to the ground and Sara came running into the floor. "Daddy!" She beamed and ran into his arms. Danny frowned as he watched the happy Father- Daughter thing. Heavily he made himself look away and walk into the kitchen.
Dougie threw him an odd sight, when the guy eventually followed them.
"Thank you… for looking after my daughter", He exhaled, while she kissed his cheek. Danny tried to focuse his sight outside the window. "I'm Vincent, by the way",
"Are you really her father?" Dougie asked and immediately got some pictures from him: "That's me and her, her two month ago and she and her mother Jude Harrison",
"Aha… so… why did you leave her alone in the park?" Danny asked in a rude tune. "Wasn't the most responsible thing to do, was it?"
"I know and I'm sorry. Many things went wrong in the last time. Her mother commited suicide… and… well, it's not so…" He stroked Sara's back, as she was leaning against his shoulder.
Danny and Dougie exchanged a sceptic sight. "She was very popular… where we used to live. But somehow she couldn't cope with it and then Anna and… well, one day she drank too much and made an accident with four dead cases", Vincent sighed sadly and laid his cheek on Sara's head.
"This is… weird", Dougie finally managed to say.
"It is. I wanted to escape and… yeah, came here to England. But things aren't going well and someday I lost Anna and… freaked out. Gladfully you found her", He sent him a winning smile, but it didn't take affect on Danny.
"It could have been somebody else", He simply answered.
"I know. It was our luck, thank you." An uncomfortable silcene took place. "I will go now", Vincent finally said and wanted to stand up. Danny's mouth went open and he made a movement to close the door.
"What? No. Ahm… it's… too late", He stuttered. "You can sleep here… and then go in the morning",
"Really?" Vincent seemed to have waited for it, as he suddenly appeared really relieved. "That'd be awesome. I have… a little trouble at home, but it doesn't matter",
"So… yeah… go for it. You can take a bath too",
"Cool! I spent the whole day looking for Anna. I'm so done and dirty, hehe… sorry", Danny let Sara be handed out to himself and watched Vincent go into the bathroom. Something was really odd about him.
He returned to Dougie in the kitchen who was making some sandwhiches, after he had taken Sara to bed and made sure she was sleeping deeply. Vincent followed her after some minutes and made himself comfortable on the couch. Danny closed the door to the living room and behind him, before sitting down.
"This is it, huh?" Dougie asked slowly, but got no reply. Danny sat there and shook his head from time to time. "What's wrong. Don't act like you haven't counted with it. Like there was a chance of keeping her here", Danny threw him a glare and rested his head in his hands.
"Dan, come on. Somehow you always seem surprised, that it's not a happy ending, though it's pretty obvious from the beginning",
"Doug, stop it, okay? You have no idea what's going on!"
"No idea? You hid yourself in a world with a little girl, who's not yours and now you're wondering what you shall do without your shelter, of course I know what's going on",
Danny smiled without joy, before he resigned and let his head hung: "This isn't it. It's just something… a little bit of loving you could never understand. I was on the edge of breaking down when this little came into my life. I froze and she changed it all. She's making my day…"
There was nothing but misunderstanding in Dougie's eyes: "Danny, you're living a lie",
"Maybe the lie is what I need sometimes… and at the moment I need it more than anything", Dougie sighed and gave up: "It's your life. This will end now anyway as Vincent will take his daughter back. If you need anything, come to me. I'm as good as this little child",
--
So Dougie left him alone with his thoughts. As soon as he heard the door cracking closed, he stepped through his living room to his bed, in which Sara was sleeping peacefully. He got out of his shirt and trousers and layed himself carefully down beside her warm body.
After two weeks he was so used to it, he couldn't imagine it without her. Sara was supposed to be here. She was his sense of waking up. Spending the day with her was his content of life and he loved it.
On the other hand Sara was supposed to be with her family and obviously this strange guy named Vincent was the rest of it. Somehow he was though the conviction he was doing drugs and no good for Sara.
Nobody was good enough for her.
Cause he needed her.
He laid awake and watched the time go by. Minute followed minute while the thoughts connected themselves in his head until he got to the end. There was just one way for him and her, together.
Silentely he got his bag, pulled some clothes of him and her into it.
Why did he have to live a life after rules? It was so easy to be happy. He just had to forget about his duties, about his music, his career, his friends and his families, awake Sara slightly and try his best to pass by Vincent and get out of the flat.
"Where are we going?" Sara asked dozily and rubbed her eyes.
"I have no idea…" He murmured and lifted the hand for a taxi. He had no idea. But it was alright as long as she was with him.
A/N: moral inacceptable behavior - don't do this at home (take children with you, such stuff lol) I hope you could make a picture to the guy's characters. InCharacter is something... very important to me. Any opinions, critique or other random thoughts? - share them with me :)