This is going to be Alyx/Gordon eventually. Uh...yeah. I don't know what else to say, other than please review so I can be better. D:

Gordon Freeman had never really enjoyed being around young children, but his co-worker's daughter seemed to take an interest in him. Eli's daughter, Alyx, was three years old when Gordon started working at Black Mesa. She was obviously very intelligent, already reading at a level far above her age, but she was very stubborn. Gordon supposed she got that from her father.

Each time Gordon had been at Eli and Azian's place for dinner, Alyx had thrown a fit when her parents asked her to go to bed. She would stamp her foot, cross her arms, and have a very serious look on her face for a child so young. Her mother would give her the same look, and they would face off for as many as twenty minutes, neither party saying anything. The first time this happened, Gordon felt uncomfortable, but Eli found it amusing, so he quickly became used to it. Alyx usually got her way, but a couple times Gordon could tell she actually was tired, and she silently put herself to sleep.

But the main thing that Gordon thought stuck out about Alyx is how much she disliked people other than her parents and Dr. Kleiner. Whenever her father brought her along to visit Dr. Magnusson or Breen, she would cause any kind of trouble possible. She often broke or threw to the ground as many things as she could, and always laughed when the doctors would become flustered. Her affection towards Kleiner was the same as towards her parents; she would smile and usually did what she was told (unless she didn't think it would benefit her). The way Alyx treated Gordon, however, was different, and everyone noticed it. When he was around, she would be quiet, and would usually look at him with her big brown eyes in awe. It made him feel uncomfortable, yet important.

One time, when Eli and Azian were going on a date, Eli asked Gordon to babysit Alyx for them. Azian was hesitant to let a man babysit her daughter, but Eli convinced her that Gordon would never do anything to hurt Alyx. Gordon was hesitant himself, having little experience watching children, but he didn't want to let his friend down, so he agreed to babysit. When he arrived at their quarters, Alyx was sitting on the couch, her little legs barely curving over the edge. She had a book in her lap, with many more in a crate next to her.

"We already gave her dinner, and those books should be all you need to keep her occupied for a few hours," Eli told Gordon. Gordon nodded and waved to the couple as they walked out the door. Alyx hadn't noticed him yet, so he walked over to the couch and sat down. She looked up at him, eyes wide with what appeared to be admiration. He smiled at her, hoping he didn't look scary. Gordon was relieved when Alyx smiled back at him, her eyes softening a bit. She went back to reading her book.

"Whatcha got there?" Gordon asked in his quiet voice. Alyx closed the book and handed it to him, watching his reaction. It was "The Lorax". "This is one of my favorites," he commented, adding a smile.

"It's one of my favorites, too," Alyx said bashfully, not looking at Gordon while she talked. She grabbed the crate of books and put it on his lap, suddenly looking at him eagerly, obviously wanting him to look through the books and choose one. He flipped through them and stopped when he came to "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish". Gordon was about to hand the book to Alyx when he noticed that she had turned to face him and was now sitting cross-legged on the couch, eagerly smiling. She nodded to the book, so he opened it with a small sigh. He had never been good at reading things out loud, as he didn't like to speak very loudly. Nonetheless, Gordon began reading the book to his friend's daughter. Although he would never admit it, he was a little bit afraid of what Alyx would have done if he refused to read the book to her.

Gordon started out in his soft voice, reading in a sort of monotone way. He eventually tried using different voices, and after glancing at Alyx to see her reaction, he realized she was enjoying the book more now. This made Gordon feel a little more confident, so he gradually became more and more theatrical in his reading of the popular Dr. Seuss book. By the time he finished the book, Alyx was giggling, trying to cover up the smile on her face. Gordon blushed a little bit, but laughed along with her.

"You're pretty good at reading stuff, Mister Gordon," Alyx said, once her giggling had died down. This made Gordon smile, and he said a quiet 'thank you'. The next thing he knew, Alyx had climbed onto his lap, grabbing another book and handing it to him. He took it and opened it, holding it in front of himself and Alyx, his arms keeping her from falling off his lap. They continued this – Alyx choosing a book, making Gordon read it, all while sitting on his lap – until they ran out of books. As they finished the very last one, the front door opened and Eli and Azian were home.

"Aww, does this mean Mister Gordon has to leave now?" Alyx whined, pouting at her parents.

"Yes, honey, it does," Azian said, "and you need to go to bed." At this, Alyx pouted even more, crossing her arms and looking angrily at her mother.

"It's okay, Alyx," Gordon assured, "I can come back again some other time." She turned to him, and he smiled, encouraging her to go with her mother. Alyx eventually complied and allowed Azian to pluck her from Gordon's lap and take her to her bedroom. Gordon stood from the couch, stretching, a smile on his face. On the other hand, Eli had a shocked look on his face.

"Was she…really sitting on your lap?" he asked.

"Uh…yes?"

"And she didn't want you to leave."

"Nope."

"Well, Gordon, I guess you're our new permanent babysitter," Eli said, shaking his head. He laughed and said, "She has never, ever treated a babysitter so well. You must have a way with kids, because aside from us and Izzy, Alyx doesn't seem to like anyone!" Gordon just shrugged, surprised himself. Usually children were afraid of him. He figured it was either the glasses, the goatee, or both.

"I don't know, Eli."