iHad a Nightmare.

"Spencer!" Carly yelled from her bedroom. I was in the middle of carefully placing glitter glue on a sculpture of Richard Simmons for my art class, when Carly's call distracted me and I got it all over the floor, completely missing his shorts. "Aw. Dang it," I said, looking at the mess.

"Come up here!" Carly insisted.

I ran up the stairs to her room. "What's the matter? I was putting glitter on Richard Sim--" I started. Then I saw my little sister's scared face. Being her protective older brother/part time monster killer/little kid therapist (not legally, but you catch my drift), I knelt by her bed. "Did you have a scary dream?"

She nodded, clutching her teddy bear.

"Do you want me to check your room for monsters?"

She nodded again.

I stuck my head under the bed, pretending to check for ghouls. I thought I saw something, but realized it was just a pair of bunny slippers. "Nothing here," I told her, and she looked a little releaved.

"Look in the closet, Spencey!" she pleaded.

I stuck my head in between the clothes hanging from the rail in her closet and looked around. "Nope, all safe in here, too."

I sat beside her on the bed and looked around her room, decorated perfectly to please her six year old taste. I pretended that something near the door caught my eye. "Uh oh," I said. "I think I see a monster!"

She grasped my arms from behind and I could felt her hide her face in my back. "Noo!" she mumbled.

"Yup, and it's coming this way!" I gasped. "I think I know who it is!" I turned around quickly, causing her to release my arms and yelled, "It's the tickle monster!" I tickled and poked her tummy until she pushed me away, giggling.

"No more tickle monster! He's ugly," she told me, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "What does the Tickle Monster look like?"

She tapped her chin, thinking. "He looks like you!" she said, poking the tip of my nose.

"So I'm ugly now, Carly girl?" I tried to look hurt.

She hugged me. "It's okay, you're not ugly anymore." I laughed.

"Did you dream about Dad again?"

She nodded. She'd been having this reoccuring nightmare that our dad would get hurt somehow while he was out taking care of Navy duty. It'd been going on since our mom died just after my eighteenth birthday, leaving me to be Carly's legal guardian while Dad was gone. "Well, Carls, nothing is gonna happen to him while he's away," I told her, tucking her back in.

"Do you promise, Spencey?"

"I promise."

"Pinky promise?" She asked, sticking out her pinky. I linked it with mine.

"Pinky promise. Now, back to Sleep Land with you!" I ordered kissing her forehead. She closed her eyes and held her teddy. I walked toward the door.

"Spencer?" she asked. "Can you sleep in here?"

I looked at her sweet little face and grinned. "Sure thing, kiddo. Scoot!" I kicked off my shoes and tried to fit into her tiny bed and held out my arms. She lay inside them and I held her.

"Night Spencey," she said. "I love you."

I smiled. "Love you too, kid."

And we fell asleep. Funny how she still remembers, even to this day.

Edited 42209.

Postscript: Spencer has actually been taking care of Carly since she was twelve, as confirmed by Dan the Man. As "flawed" as this techinically is, I DON'T CARE. (:

Hope you liked it.