I'm not too sure where this came from… Anyway, hope you enjoy. Comments and criticism are welcome!


Midnight lay in silence. Shadows stretched through the window, creeping strangely across the carpeted floor, settling on a mass of quilts huddled on the bed. Shivering, a small child poked his head out of the blankets, peering vainly into the darkness. At an unexplained creaking, his head vanished back into the pile.

Time crawled painfully, as sleep eluded the unnerved boy. After an eternity, at least to him, he slipped out of bed, subconsciously clutching a cocoon of quilts around him. Fast steps, small enough to fit within the boundaries of his blanket barrier, carried him from his shadowed room and down the even darker hall.

Finally, he paused outside a closed door. "Daddy?" He whispered, "Are you awake? I'm scared."

No answer. Biting his lip uncertainly, the boy tried again, "Daddy?"

Within the room, a muffled grumble finally responded. Face lightening, the child dashed inside, opening the door to reveal a room lit by a computer screen and a large man glowering at his monitor, chewing angrily on a cigar. He glanced at the little boy hurrying over to him and sighed, extending his arms to pull the child into his lap.

Softly, the man asked, "What's wrong, Shaunie?"

"I couldn't sleep," the child responded contently, nestled against his father. "My room's really dark."

"How about I find you a new nightlight?"

"… That'd be nice, Daddy." Shaunie murmured, "But do I have to go back to bed already? I want to talk to you."

"All right. All right." His father sighed gently, shifting his son to settle so he could pull up a kid-friendly internet site, entertaining the boy until Shaunie's eyes began to droop.

Smiling faintly, the man hugged him, watching Shaunie sleep. With the little boy dreaming, his father began to stand, but paused as Shaunie shifted unhappily.

"Well, I can work like this." The man nodded to himself, reaching around his son to return to his original program. He smirked as he found his former project, answering countless emails from villains who couldn't function without their Boss.