A/N:I know I don't need to tell you that writer's block sucks, because everybody knows that. But, occasionally, when you peer through the suffocating smog of your mental block, there is a tiny pinprick of light in the form of some strange inspiration sparked by who knows what. Honestly, the last thing I remember doing before this idea came to me was feeding my cat. Who knew that was inspiring? When you're drowning in your personal swamp of writer's block, you waste no time in snatching ANY inspiration that comes. This is the result of said snatch. Just a short, fluffy one-shot about some bonding time between Wernher and Marie so you can see the soft side of him that comes out when he has a woman in his life. The mentioned vault dweller is based off of one of my many Fallout 3 characters, so she is mine. But…
Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout. :( Bethesda does.
"What, Red? No, I—"
With a wave and a small smile, the young woman disappeared out the door as it slammed shut, leaving the room in an awkward silence.
After a few seconds, Marie giggled and pulled at Wernher's eye patch, snapping it against his temple and receiving a seething glare in return.
"Don't touch me, you little brat. I'm only keeping you because Red told me I have to."
"Ed!"
He frowned and held her out at arm's length, gripping her tighter as she squirmed.
"Yeah, Red. If she wasn't my girl I sure as hell wouldn't listen to her crazy ass ideas. This one included. Taking Midea somewhere and makin' me babysit a one year old. She's crazy as shit."
Marie was too busy leaning backwards and looking at her current guardian upside-down to listen to what he was saying, but she perked up upon hearing a word she recognized.
"Shit!"
Wernher sighed and muttered something under his breath, fixing the toddler with a hard stare. "Don't say that. You'll get me in trouble with Midea."
Quietly repeating the forbidden word, she squirmed in his grasp and he plopped her down on the bed in the corner, picking up one of the many teddy bears from the floor and waving it in front of her face.
"Here, take this and leave me alone."
Grabbing it from him and humming to herself as she dangled it over the edge of the bed, she dropped it and laughed when he whirled around in alarm.
"Up!"
"Up what?" He snarled, retrieving the toy and tossing it beside her.
Clapping briefly, she lifted it again by one paw and dropped it below her, hanging her head down between her legs to look at where it fell.
"Up!"
Sighing impatiently, Wernher sat down against the wall by the bed and handed it to her, repeating the process a few more times until finally throwing it against the door and receiving a very unsatisfying thud.
When the young girl looked at him with wide blue eyes and promptly burst into tears, he banged his head against the wall behind him and closed his eye, scowling in the general direction of his charge.
"Shut up."
As the crying grew harder and louder, he opened his eye again and slowly rose to his feet, sitting beside the toddler and after a moment of hesitation, lifting her onto his lap. She promptly buried her head in his chest and he awkwardly patted her on the back; his large, rough hand smoothing her dark curls.
"Hey, I…I didn't mean it, alright. I'm sorry about that. Here," he reached down and picked up another teddy bear, setting it down on his unoccupied leg. "Here's another one."
Lifting her tear-streaked face to look at him, Marie sniffed and rubbed at her eyes with tiny balled fists, her lips still curved into a pout.
Wernher shifted beneath her gaze and looked away. "Don't look at me like that. I told you I didn't mean nothin' by it."
She curled into his warm arms and he looked down at her with slight trepidation. What was the matter with him? A grown man, afraid of a one-year-old girl.
Shaking his head, he leaned back and settled the girl more comfortably across his chest.
"You know what, Marie? I'm not fit for this whole…father type thing. I'm not talking about adopting you or anything, don't get excited; I just mean that this whole watching over deal isn't really my thing. My dad wasn't never around much, so I didn't really have anyone to look up to. Hell, I had nobody. I was a raider, little one, and then a slave. When you're a slave you learn not to trust anyone. Stayin' alone means stayin' alive in that line of work."
Marie yawned and kept her eyes trained on Wernher, her thumb traveling to her mouth as she listened to him tell his story.
"And then Red showed up one day. Some crazy, righteous bitch from a Vault, all choked up after losin' her daddy and coming here—yeah, here; to the Pitt. She was looking for some way to…" He floundered for the proper word then shrugged. "I dunno. Forget I guess. She came when she heard my distress call and it went from there, if ya know what I mean."
He glanced down at the sleepy toddler and snorted. "No. Of course you don't. Well, you will someday. When you're much, much older. Older than her at least. She's still just a kid really. Twenty-two maybe? Don't know; haven't asked."
Marie yawned again and closed her eyes, snuggling into the arm still loosely wrapped around her. A very brief smile flickered across Wernher's normally hostile features and he lowered his voice, but kept talking.
"Anyway, she came here and helped us find you; the cure. Yeah, Marie…the cure. Imagine that. Crazy shit if you ask me. But it worked, and that's why we took you from your daddy. Do you remember your daddy? Ishmael Ashur…"
The little girl opened her eyes again and reached toward Wernher's face, smiling tiredly. "Daddy…"
His one good eye grew wide and he shook his head, shoving her away from him and standing up. "No. I'm not…no. I'm just watching you. Midea's the one who's taking care of you long term."
At least, she was now. But there could be some day when Marie grew up and Midea wasn't able to care for her anymore. When the day came for her to have a real family.
"Having a woman in my bed again is making me all sentimental." he growled, more to himself than to Marie.
Looking back at her with a sigh, he sat down again and gazed contemplatively at the nearly unconscious child. He lay back on the bed and let her snuggle up against his side as she fell asleep, absentmindedly humming something he had heard Red singing once. Something about...sunshine...
Half an hour later, the door opened again and Red walked in, smiling at what she saw. Wernher was snoring quietly with Marie fast asleep on his chest, her tiny thumb in between her lips.
"Wernher…"
His head shot up and one of his hands immediately traveled to the pistol at his side as he peered into the darkness, relaxing slightly when he spotted his lover.
"That's pretty cute you know."
He snorted and sat up, running a hand through his mussed auburn hair and moving Marie to the pillow on his left. "Yeah, whatever."
Red watched him as he sauntered toward her and placed a kiss on her lips, snaking his arm around her thin waist.
"Come on, hero, let's get out of here."
He led her out, but hesitated when the door closed behind them, glancing over his shoulder.
Red smiled softly and untangled herself from his grasp, nodding toward Midea who was walking in their direction.
"Go ahead. We'll be out here."
With an almost imperceptible nod, he slipped back in and padded softly over to the bed where Marie lay in her peaceful slumber. Hesitating for a moment, he finally bent over and brushed his lips against her forehead, pulling the blankets up to cover her small form.
"Good night, Marie. Sweet dreams."