Summary :: The Praetor smiled as he felt her arms wrap around his neck. She was only four years old but had already managed to find a way to wrap her father around her little finger. Smirking at the irony of the realization, Baralai's mind reconciled, 'Like mother like daughter.'

Disclaimer :: If you know it and love it, I don't own it; a misfortune I regret most all of the time.

Author's Note :: It's drabble but I'm trying to figure out how I write Baralai's character for a longer story I've got in the works. Bear with me, loves – and tear it apart. Use that review button and make me better.

Underground

She was huddled in a corner on the third level of the Underground when he found her, knees hugged tightly to her chest and balanced on the balls of her feet. Her head was huddled low, shoulders shaking, and though all he could make out of her was her back, he could tell that she was crying. The soft, muffled sounds she had made were, truthfully, what had led him to her. He couldn't tell just by looking at her whether or not she had been hurt.

He held his breath as he approached her, asking softly, "Triela?"

She started, turning around slowly, so slowly. Her pretty emerald eyes were full of tears but as soon as she recognized the man behind her, there was a mixture of hope, surprise, and happiness there, as well. He was wearing the green robe that was his favorite, a khaki colored shirt underneath with pants to match. And there was a blue headband holding back snow white hair from his handsome chocolate brown eyes.

The little girl breathed a sigh of relief, throwing herself into the Praetor's arms, crying, "Daddy!"

He could hardly breathe and he was certain that his heart had stopped in his chest; he was relieved that she was okay. If something had happened to her… Baralai didn't know what he would have done. He frowned, however, at how difficult it was to think such thoughts. It was the little girl's weight against his chest that brought him out of his thoughts and back to reality. He was careful to keep his voice kind in an attempt to mask the worry he still felt, "Triela, baby, look at me. Are you hurt?"

"No, daddy. I'm alright."

The little girl still had her arms wrapped around her father's neck but Baralai pushed her far enough away that he could inspect her closely. With both hands on her shoulders, he admired the golden blonde pigtails piled high atop her head and tied back with bright blue ribbons. His features softened as he took a moment to wipe the tearstains away from her sun-bronzed cheeks with the back of his fingertips. Her eyes swirled in emerald spirals like her mother's.

Baralai sighed, relieved to find that she was alright.

As he picked her up in his arms, balancing her small frame on his hip, his voice started off quiet before falling into a more stern tone, "I was worried about you, sweetheart. What have your mama and I told you about coming down here alone?"

The little girl bit her index finger, feigning shy as she tried to hide her face in her father's shoulder. It was evident that she was embarrassed to be receiving a scolding for her actions. Her voice was soft as she asked, "To not to?"

"That's right, little miss," his eyes glimmered as he looked down at his daughter. The Praetor smiled as he felt her little arms wrap around his neck. She was only four years old but had already managed to find a way to wrap her father around her little finger. Smirking at the irony of the realization, Baralai's mind reconciled, 'Like mother like daughter.'

"Are you mad at me, daddy?" she whispered, wrapping her fingers around the tall collar of his green robe. Her pretty green eyes wouldn't meet his. She was afraid of what his answer might be, her voice soft as she implored, "Please don't be mad."

Stepping into the lift, Baralai shifted his weight to steady his balance as they began the slow journey back upstairs. He turned his face to the side to look at his daughter, kissing her forehead, before answering, "No, Triela, I'm not mad. But why were you down here?"

The pair was silent for another moment as the stale air of the Underground washed past them.

"I was trying to be brave, like you," she announced happily. Her voice, now that she had been rescued from certain terror by her father, had taken on the hyper-high-pitched tone that she normally exercised.

It was so much like the voice he'd grown to expect from her mother and, frankly, the Praetor couldn't be happier that his daughter was so much like the beautiful woman that he'd fallen in love with. Baralai smiled, closing his eyes to savor his daughter's answer to his question. His mind mused, 'What a little adventurer."

"I'm glad you saved me, though, daddy. I was starting to get scared!"

"Everyone gets scared sometimes, sweetheart," he replied, holding her close to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. He patted her back gently, realizing that her little adventure had probably taken quite a bit out of her. She would probably be ready for a nap by the time they reached the surface.

"Even mama?"

Baralai chuckled, staring down into his little girl's eyes, full of hope that maybe, just maybe, she was more like the beautiful blonde Al Bhed, her hero, than she'd expected to be. He brought his face very close to hers, then, rubbing their noses together in a way that caused the little girl to giggle and bring her hand to rest on her father's smooth cheek. The Praetor's voice was low and he whispered, "Do you promise to keep a secret?"

She nodded eagerly.

"Well, mama doesn't like thunder."

"Really?" Triela laughed, disbelief evident in her voice.

Baralai nodded, shifting slightly as the lift came to a stop so as to absorb a bit of the shock from his daughter. Taking the first step off of the lift, the handsome young man glanced around the temple to see if anyone had watched them come out of the Underground. He breathed a silent sigh of relief, closing his eyes. And then he heard a voice that caused him to freeze in his tracks, shoulders tense and breath catching in the back of his throat.

"Excuse me, Mr. Praetor! What in the world do you think you were doing taking my daughter into the Underground?"

Baralai flinched, turning around slowly to face a lovely young Al Bhed woman, the owner of the voice that had stopped him in his tracks. She had her hands on her hips and was tapping her right foot impatiently against the ground. Her golden hair was tied up and away from her angelic face in a blue headband that was strikingly similar to the one that he wore.

He cleared his throat, voice uncertain, "Umm… taking a walk?"

"Mama!" Triela cried out, holding her arms out to the woman before her.

Rikku pulled her daughter close, smoothing her blonde bangs out of her eyes with the back of her hand. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and Baralai couldn't help but stop and stare. He had a kind of dazed look on his face, a half smile that seemed to suggest he didn't feel worthy of the two wonderful women in his life.

"You're lucky I'm in such a good mood, mister," Rikku turned her attention back to Baralai as their daughter snuggled her cheek against her mother's bare shoulder. "Or I might flay you like a Chocobo! Honestly, my baby in the Undergr-"

Baralai had cut her off with a kiss, wrapping his arms around his wife and their daughter.

Rikku opened her eyes, surprised and a little dazed as a smile played at the corners of her lips.

"Darling, you worry too much," he whispered into her ear, brushing a braid out of her eyes before he kissed her again.

Triela just covered her eyes with her hands and shook her head as though disapproving of her parent's antics.