Title: Little Women: A Day with Dad
Author: Zia
Rating: Child
Disclaimer: The littles ones are the only ones I lay claim to
Summary: This all started over on Fanforum, on the Candy Thread. My attempt at fluff!
Takes place in some unknown future. CC – Everyone is alive and well and happy – Michael and Maria are married, and Maria has given him four daughters.
(and just to try and make things a little less confusing!)
Megan – Six years old
Molly – Five years old
Mia – Three years old
Maddie – One Year old
9:02 AM
Michael Guerin was sleeping very peacefully – not really dreaming – but knowing that today would be a nice relaxing day.
9:03 AM
Screams filled the entire house. Michael lunged out of bed. Still not quite awake, dazed by sleep he pulled open the bedroom door and looked at the scene before him. Maria was nowhere to be seen. In the hallway before him lay his youngest daughter, throwing what could only be categorized as a tantrum, while his oldest daughter came running down the hall with the youngest's favorite doll.
"What is going on?" Michael asked, still not completely awake.
"Mia wanted Maddie's doll. So she stole it from her." Megan shrugged and handed her sister the doll. "S'okay Maddie."
Maddie sat up and looked at the doll for a second, snatched it away and stuffed it under her arm before getting up and running down the hall.
"Where is your mother?" Michael asked and Megan told him she was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Michael shut the door.
9:10 AM
Michael walked back out of his room, dress in jeans and a t-shirt and headed into the living room. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Pink. Everywhere. Dolls. Clothes. Toys. He sighed and spotted his wife in the kitchen. He walked in as she was flipping pancakes onto a plate. "Morning." She said, holding her face out for a kiss.
He planted one on her lips, and didn't miss the look Megan made out of the corner of his eye. "I saw that young lady." He raised an eyebrow and she seated herself at the table.
"It's gross." She told them and started pouring syrup on her pancakes.
9:33 AM
Maria walked into the living room. Michael was sitting on the couch, staring at the mess in the room. The girls had seated themselves in front of the TV, watching cartoons. "Would you please clean up the living room today?" Maria asked as she pulled on her jacket.
"Where are you going?" Michael asked, suddenly panicked.
"I told you Michael. Twenty times. Over the course of the last two weeks. I am going to help my mom today." She shook her head and grabbed her purse. "The girls are all yours." Maria smiled. She walked over and kissed him softly. "Paybacks for that little stunt the five of you played last weekend." Maria gave him a dirty look, then walked over to the girls and placed a kiss on the top of each of their heads. "Love you, girls. Give daddy hell. I'll be home in a few hours." She smiled and a moment later disappeared out the front door.
Michael looked at the girls. All still absorbed by the TV. He sighed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. He got up and started picking up the clothes strewn about the room. Pajamas in varying shades of pink. Socks. And Mia's princess dress stuffed halfway under the couch cushions.
9:36 AM
One second all was calm. The next, complete hell broke loose.
"Daddy." Molly said looking up at her father, while he glared at the washing machine. "Daddy." She said again.
"Just a second baby."
"Daddy." Molly repeated. "Daddy. Daddy. DADDY!"
Michael quickly looked at his daughter. She was smiling sweetly. "What Molly?"
"Can I have a cookie?"
"Uh... no." Michael poured the soap in, slammed the lid.
"Daddy!" Megan yelled from the other room. He poked his head out and saw her and Maddie sitting on the couch together.
"Where is Mia?"
Megan giggled.
"Where. Is. Your. Sister?" Michael scooped Molly up into his arms and carried her into the living room, he looked around quickly. No sign of Mia. He walked down the hall and found her in hers and Maddie's room, climbing into her toy box. "What are you doing Mia?"
"Daddy!" Mia shrieked. "NO!"
"No what?" He asked and spotted a very strange collection of items in her toy box. A towel. Maddie's sippy cup. One of Maria's shirts. One of his Doc Martens. "Fantastic." He muttered. "My daughter is a klepto." He shook his head and picked her up. "What are you doing?"
"Mine." Mia said matter-o-factly.
9:45 AM
"How about we all just watch some more cartoons." Michael suggested. He needed to call his friends, get reinforcements. They all sat on the couch, Mia's head was on Molly's shoulder, Maddie was curled up in Megan's lap, clutching her doll. They seemed so innocent. But Michael knew the truth. They were little demons with blonde hair and green eyes.
He loved his daughters, more than anything. But they were monsters. Especially when they wanted to use their powers.
9:46 AM
Michael grabbed his cellphone, looked at the girls and then quickly dialed Alex's number. Alex would come to his rescue, wouldn't he?
"Ello?" Alex's voice came across the line.
"Alex, be a friend, come over." Michael said, and heard dead air. "Please."
"Why?" Alex asked, suspecting something.
"I am begging you..."
"You've got the girls today... Maria is with Amy isn't she?"
"How did you know?" Michael asked.
"She's been talking about it for the last two weeks." Alex laughed. "Not a chance in hell. But, give my love to the girls." The line went dead.
"Some friend you are." Michael muttered, and then dialed Kyle's number.
"No." Kyle said when he answered the phone.
"You've got to!" Michael demanded. "It is your duty as their Godfather!"
"Like hell!" Kyle laughed. "I still haven't fully recovered from the last time!"
Michael slammed his phone down on the counter and looked at the girls. Content. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be so bad.
"Daddy, can we play hide and seek?" Molly asked, tilting her head to the side.
"I don't think that is a good idea." Last time they had, he thought he'd actually lost Mia. But then found her in the hall closet, hiding under the blankets.
"Please." Molly said. Then Mia, and Megan chimed in. "Please." They begged, their lower lips jutting out, similar to the way their mother's did when she wanted something, and he didn't want to give in.
"Say please Maddie." Megan whispered.
"Peas." Maddie said looking at her father.
"You girls will be the death of me." He sighed and then nodded. "Alright."
"Daddy's it!" Molly cried, and jumped up from the couch. The other three scrambled to their feet. "Cover your eyes daddy! Count!" Molly hollered.
Dutifully Michael did as they said. He held his hand over his eyes, but held two of his fingers just barely apart, able to see where they were going.
"No peeking!" Megan yelled.
He sighed. "Okay. One... Two..." The girls ran. Megan held Maddie's hand, leading her down the hallway. "Ready or not! Here I come!" Michael yelled and looked around the living room. No sign of them. He headed down the hallway.
10:02 AM
So far he'd found Mia hiding in her toy box. Megan under her bed, and Maddie in the corner with a pile of stuffed animals. But Molly was no where to be seen.
10:03 AM
"Alright you guys, help me find Molly." The girls giggled.
"Nope."
"Great." He lost another one.
10:05 AM
"Alright Molly, game is over. Come out." He called through the house.
10:07 AM
"You guys are going to put your father in an early grave." He muttered. He'd started checking all the cabinets, and closets in the house. He looked in the cabinets in the kitchen, with the pots and pans. Still no sign of her. "Alright, Molly, this isn't fun anymore."
Then he heard her giggle. He turned around, and saw her, in the living room, standing in the corner by the TV. Mostly hidden by the curtains.
"Yay! Again!" Mia yelled.
"No." Michael shook his head.
10:08 AM
"Can we play dress up?"
"Sure." Michael grunted. How long until Maria was home?
The girls disappeared into their play room and Michael fell back on the couch. What had he done to deserve this? He wondered. He looked at the pictures on top of the TV. The girls. Him and Maria. Their wedding picture. He couldn't help but smile. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve an amazing family, but he loved them.
Until he heard the girls giggling. Then he decided he wanted to hide.
"Dad-dy." Megan sing-songed.
"What?" He asked cautiously, sitting up. He saw the girls coming down the hall. Their giant box of make-up, stacks of pink items in their hands. This had to be hell. What was he being punished for? Oh yeah... that little stunt they pulled on Maria. He chuckled, then paled when Megan opened the make-up case.
"Can we paint your nails?"
"What?! No!" Michael exclaimed. Megan's lower lip stuck out, he saw the tears shinning in her eyes. "Fine." He sighed.
10:23 AM
This had to be hell. A bright pink hell. His nails, pink. His hair. Pink. Megan was getting a little too good with her powers. He was lucky, Molly didn't use them much, and neither Mia, nor Maddie had figured out how to use them just yet. He was wrapped in pink fabric. He had a tiara on his head. Blush. Eyeshadow. Lipstick. Glitter.
Glitter! Of all things! The rest, would come off easily. But glitter stuck. It would be there for weeks. Maybe he could call in sick to work.
10:24 AM
Someone knocked on the door. They all looked at it. Maybe, he just wouldn't open it. Pretend no one was home.
"Come on, Guerin, open the door." Kyle's voice boomed from the other side.
He scrambled to his feet, ran across the length of the living room and yanked open the door.
Kyle's jaw dropped.
"Your my savior man, get your ass in here, help me."
Kyle laughed and shook his head. "Hell no man. Tess just wanted me to bring this by..." He trailed off glancing at the little girls walking towards the door.
"Uncle Kyle!" They shrieked. "Can we do your hair too!?"
"Sorry girls, Your cousins are waiting for me." Kyle shrugged. "The boys have a soccer game." Boys. Lucky bastard. Two boys. Michael glared, and took the box, then slammed the door in Kyle's face.
He opened the box and glared at the contents. Cookies. Just what the girls needed. Sugar.
"Can we have some?"
"No. After lunch." He set the box on the counter.
10:26 AM
"Daddy. We're bored." Megan sighed, flopping on the couch.
"Why don't you go paint?" He suggested. Megan loved painting. At least she had gotten something from him, other than just his otherworldly gifts.
"Mia hid my paints." Michael sighed.
10:27 AM
"How about a movie?" Michael suggested.
"No." They all said in unison. Michael looked over at Megan who was laying on the couch, curled up on her side. He smiled a little. Maria did that. Then he noticed the look of concentration on her face.
"Megan." She didn't respond. "What do you think you are doing?"
"Nothing." She told him innocently. A moment later color began to bleed across the couch. The dark green was now turning pink.
Michael sighed.
"Fun!" Molly cried and put her hands on the carpet and the cream color ever so slowly began to turn purple. In small patches across the entire floor.
"You two..." He grumbled, then shrugged. At least they were keeping themselves occupied. Maddie crawled up onto his chest and just laid there and watched as the other three changed the colors of everything they could get their little hands on.
Just so long as Maria didn't find out about this, it would be okay.
11:01 AM
The living room looked like that stupid purple dinosaur had exploded. The couch was pink. The chairs were red. The carpet was cream with purple spots. The table was black. And the walls were pink with bright yellow spots.
The girls had exhausted themselves. Michael sighed and fell back on the couch with the girls. He turned on a movie, and hoped that they stayed worn out, at least for a little while.
11:27 AM
"Daddy." Mia said lifting her head up to look at her father. "Hungry."
Michael glanced at the clock and nodded. "Alright girls, what do you want for lunch?"
"Peanut butter, jelly, and Tabasco." Megan, Molly, and Mia all said at once.
"Okay. Who wants to help?"
11:30 AM
Michael looked at the kitchen. Relatively clean. Not for long.
He sat Maddie in her high chair, and started pulling out the stuff to make sandwiches. Four plates. All the girls at the table. "Okay... so we're going to try something here... and lets try not to destroy the house." He smiled.
"Okay." Molly exclaimed.
He set plates down in front of each of them, then put the bread on the plates. Then went to each one, slathering on the peanut butter, and the jelly. Then came the Tabasco. Megan liked a lot of it. Molly only a little. Mia was right in the middle, and Maddie was happy to eat just regular peanut butter and jelly.
He cut the crust off each sandwich. Placed a kiss on top of each of the girls heads and let out a relieved sigh. The kitchen was still intact.
12:10 PM
Michael shoved the plates in the dishwasher, and then the girls lined up in the bathroom to was their hands and faces. And for a fleeting moment, Michael realized before long, they would need a bigger house. Four girls plus Maria fighting over one bathroom.
12:16 PM
They all walked back into the living room, and Michael sat on the floor with them, leaning up against the couch. Maddie laid down on his chest, clutching her doll under her chin. Megan rested her head on his thigh. Molly laid down across his shins, using his knees as a pillow, and Mia laid down against his other thigh. He turned on Sleeping Beauty. And within moments all the girls were fast asleep.
12:18 PM
Michael turned the movie back off, and then changed it to ESPN, and he yawned and fell asleep.
12:37 PM
Maria let herself into the house, and her jaw dropped at what she saw. Her living room was... a mess of color. "You're so busted Michael." She hissed, and then spotted them laying on the floor. Her heart melted. She smiled and walked over to where they were, and found an empty spot beside her husband. She couldn't help but laugh softly. His face covered in make-up and glitter. "Michael, baby, I'm home." She whispered touching his cheek.
"Maria?"
"Hey baby." She smiled.
"You're home."
"Yeah."
"I missed you."
"I missed you too." She rested her head on his shoulder. And for a long moment they just looked down at their girls. "Michael?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm pregnant." Maria told him, then looked up and her jaw dropped as she stared at her unconscious husband.
She stood up and carefully lifted Maddie off his chest, she cradled her daughter against her chest and carried her down the hall to her room, where she tucked her into her crib. She repeated the action with Mia. Laying her down in bed, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Mommy?" Molly mumbled, still mostly asleep.
"I'm home baby."
"Love you."
"I love you too."
Maria picked up Megan and carried her too, down to her room, tucked her into bed, before walking back out into the living room where her husband was still unconscious.
"Michael, baby, wake up." She said, straddling his thighs and looking at him.
After a moment his eyes fluttered open. "Are you really?" He asked and she nodded. They both looked down at her stomach.
"Oh god help me." He sighed, then laughed and hugged her tightly.
7 ½ months later
"Breathe, Maria, you have to breathe." Michael said.
"I hate you!" She yelled at him. But Michael just held her hand, and stroked her hair back from her face. "You are never coming near me again!" She cried.
"Yeah, I know." He said softly. She'd said it four times before. And that hadn't stopped him yet.
Ten minutes later
The screams of their child filled the room. Maria fell back on the bed exhausted, and Michael kissed her forehead.
"Congratulations. It's a boy." The doctor said, and Michael smiled brightly. A boy. He sighed and looked at Maria, who was smiling drowsily at him while the nurse laid their son on her chest.
"Maria, I love you baby... but no more kids."
Maria laughed and nodded. "Okay." She gently touched the top of their newborn son's head and smiled. "You finally have your son." She told him.
"Yeah." Michael nodded. Finally, someone that eventually, maybe in a few years, would help him against his demonic girls. He laughed and kissed Maria softly.
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too."
The End!