It was really late.

Little Clem blinked and rubbed her eye, sore from the relentless irritation, as she yawned and tried desperately (even in such a drowsy state) to balance her glass of water. The stairs were carpet, so it wasn't like it would be completely soaked and it wasn't like it would make anybody slip, but she still hated to make messes.

Silently, she stalked up the last few steps and made a left turn- the only way to go considering there was a wall on the other side. Straight in front of her she could see the bathroom, the door wide open as to show it was unoccupied. To her right was her bedroom. The door was cracked open just a smidge. She hadn't wanted her papa to know she was awake, still. It was around 12:30 at night, so her being awake could get her in trouble. She'd never been up so late before and it was kind of thrilling being up past bed-time. It was another thing that kept her awake.

Another thing was the dark of her room, combined with the scratching of trees on the outside of her walls and window. It was creepy and scary, sleeping alone in the lightless room.

Another thing was that it was their first night in the house and it was unnerving.

They'd spent weeks packing and sending things to their new home and in lieu of making it seem warm and comfortable, things like the computer had been brought over and set up two days prior. Their last night in the old home was spent snoozing in sleeping bags- pretending to be camping in the emptiness of their home with smores and stories.

Their… as in her and her father.

She pouted and looked to her left and saw his bedroom door.

She was a big girl. She had wanted to get her own bedroom for so long and she had fought so hard to get it.

Now that she had it, she was scared.

She never realized how big a room all to yourself could be at night. In the daytime it was all cheery and fun and it brought tons of smiles for her and for her toys.

Now when the sun went down and the dolls she played with during the day sported creepy smirks- seemingly cackling at her like witches behind cloth, it was a nightmare come alive.

She had been wrestling to get to sleep all night, but she hadn't come across the luck yet.

Clem had crept out of her bed in hopes that her papa would be asleep and that she'd be able to snuggle in with him.

But alas- it was Saturday night.

That meant that Papa was busy.

Quietly, she reached for the handle and opened the door ever-so-stealthily.

The room was dark save for the light that radiated from the computer-screen, and even that was blocked by her father's head. He hadn't heard the door open. He had been laughing heavily about something he'd heard.

Yes… Papa was holding a livestream.

She frowned.

She guessed that she could just walk into the room, jump on his bed, and go to sleep with no questions asked- but that was risking scaring him out of his skin and she didn't want to embarrass him in front of his friends (and fans) or anything like that. Not to mention, he'd probably ask her what was wrong and why she couldn't get to sleep. He'd have to pause the livestream to talk to her- something she didn't want. She liked his friends and didn't want their fun time to go on hold because she was being a baby.

She set the possibilities out on a mental board, scanning over them like a watchful general in a war… or a scheming gamer…

One, she could go in there, bug him and accomplish nothing but a good night's sleep- OR- she could pretend she'd never been awake, not interrupt him, and go and spend the night in the darkness of her room. Her lips wobbled at the thought.

She really, REALLY didn't want to bug him, but she was so scared!

Deciding it would be better for her to lay low and just make it through the night, maybe discuss a night-light with her father in the morning, she sneaked out of the room, not even bothering to shut the door as to not chance the sound.

Silently, she slumped back into her warm covers, hoping they'd shield her against the cold of the scary possibilities surrounding her.

It was 1:04 when her door slowly opened. She was still wide awake and aware so she jumped at the sound and nearly fell out of her bed.

When she saw the messy hair behind a white mask, two little circles and a straight line drawn across it, she calmed down and smiled. "Papa!"

He grinned and pulled the mask down, setting it onto her wooden night-stand next to the lamp. "Hey, Clem, what cha' still doing up?"

She stuck her lower lip out and pulled the covers up to her chin, mortified by her lack of courage.

"I can't sleep…"

When the cliché hit his ears, he knew exactly what was wrong.

He walked over and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Is it scary sleeping in your room all alone?"

"Yeah!"

He smiled warmly and reached over to wipe away a tiny trail of tears that had begun to slip down her cheeks. "I know, Clem. But you know it's still the same room it was when the sun was out."

"Yeah, but now it's all creepy and dark and spooky and stuff…"

Cry laughed and shook his head. "Aw, come here, kiddo."

He offered an arm and she climbed into his warm embrace eagerly, instantly feeling a great comfort in his grip.

"Everything's gonna be okay. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. No purple monsters with deformed faces or evil little ghost girls in red dresses with paper dolls or zombies or evil paintings that jump out and chase you will be in your room any time soon- and if they are, I'll take care of them!"

"Really?"

"I've done it before, Clem, and I'll do it again."

She beamed up at him, even in the sleepy stupor she'd made for herself.

"You should get back to your stream, Papa."

"Naw, they can wait until you're asleep."

Clem nodded and leaned into him, closing her eyes to finally catch some rest.

When her breathing evened out and he knew she had fallen into a sleep so deep it was like she was in a coma, he set her down onto her bed and pulled the sheets over her. "Sweet dreams, Clem."

When it was 7:30 in the morning, the sun peeked in through the window, casting a light upon the sleeping little girl that laid in the bed of her new room.

The rays landed upon her face, and right next to her, they fell against a white mask, two little circles and a straight line drawn across it.

I just had the idea cross my mind and I thought I'd write it up. I've always refrained from writing about real people, but I liked this idea too much and there was no anime character or cartoon or game character that I think would have been sufficient enough. Cry was the father in the idea, I couldn't put anybody else in his place. :)

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