Thoughts of a Father

Rating: K

Characters: Dr. Finklestein, Sally

Pairing(s): None

Warning(s): None

She wasn't exactly what he would call an ideal conversation partner.

His creation was still only a few days old, and had not learned how to speak yet. She could understand him perfectly, that he could tell, but she could not yet express herself. She seemed saddened by this, but she always brightened when he assured her that she would grow to talk just as easily as he could.

Although she was temporarily mute, Sally was impatient with her progress as an experiment. She was always eager to learn how to do new tasks, and he saw how her face glowed like the grinning sun when he praised her. Despite her problem with communicating, he could see just what her personality was going to bud into.

She was tender and had a special appreciation for the world around her, regardless that she had not yet left the tower. She seemed to believe there was no evil in the world, and she handled everything as if it were made of fragile porcelain. It was a naïveté that he usually scoffed at. But she was still young, and had very little knowledge of much anything. Still, it was strange to see a monster of Halloween Town act how she did. Thankfully, that seemed to be fading. However, it was being half-replaced by a new emotion.

This particular quality of her worried him. It usually didn't show its large, hideous face in a place such as Halloween Town, and its name was caution. She was unusually shy, and normally was very nervous about any big changes. He remembered when he had moved her bedroom to a different room, one she had not seen before; she had had a very difficult time getting accustomed to her new living arrangements. On the rare occasion that they received guests, she would keep to herself.

The town's mad scientist was additionally concerned with her self-esteem. The rag doll had very little of it to begin with, and her sensitivity only made the situation worse. She was strong-willed, but she remained sensitive to harsh comments and criticism.

This little issue was one of the reasons that he wouldn't let her out into the town. Amongst other reasons, he knew that it was in the majority of the town's nature to criticize. When she requested access to the rest of the town, he denied. He kept one of his main motives from her; he did not want to see such a delicate creature get hurt. She was like a daughter to him, and he felt that it was his responsibility to protect her, both physically and emotionally. The townspeople could be rather harsh, and he did not want their judgment forced on her and possibly mold her into somebody who she would not want to be.

While he kept that from her, he hoped that she would grow to one day understand.

Sally acted as a diary, in a way. She was somebody whom he could spill his heart out to, and she would listen. He'd tell her about the rest of the town, what problems the town was facing, his latest discoveries, and his pride in how quickly she was adjusting. He would often do this while tightening her stitches or teaching her how to do things, but it became a morning routine. The rag doll would sit in a chair beside him, watching him work, and listening to what he had to say.

She was already showing that she was capable of feeling emotions; when he was discussing the problems he or the town were facing, her ruby lips would twist ever so slightly down and a crease would materialize on her forehead. When he was discussing more positive topics, she would smile, if a bit shyly, and her rich chocolate colored eyes would shine with all the innocence and happiness of the universe. She was quiet, and therefore could not contribute much to their "conversations".

But it didn't matter to him.

Dr. Finklestein didn't get many visitors, and he had a tendency to get lonely. Igor had been good company for a while, but he eventually wasn't enough anymore. The doctor wanted somebody who he really felt he could confide in, and who would help him keep his sanity. That's what had inspired him to make Sally. She was intended to be a daughter figure and a friend to him.

He had a folder filled to the brim with the things he wanted to teach her, and he took pages out whenever something was completed.

He had been delighted when she had begun to talk. Their conversations no longer seemed like a one-way conversation. She would offer her input and make little, sweet comments when she felt necessary. Sally was a polite girl, and she always waited for him to finish talking before starting herself.

She took to tidying up the laboratories, and when she learned to cook, she always wanted to cook their meals herself. He had been taken aback by those two activities that she practically begged him to allow her to perform.

Dr. Finklestein had never felt happier.

Then, she began to change.

She dreamed of the outside town, of the celebrations and the town events.

At first, she backed off when he told her that she wasn't ready for outside socializing.

Then, he started getting knocked out every time he ate. She was going to great lengths to get outside, into the world he tried to protect her from.

He missed the old Sally.

A/N: A different look on Dr. Finklestein's relationship with Sally.

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