Minutes to Midnight
He heard the soft pitter-patter of stocking-clad feet coming closer and still half asleep he turned around to face the intruder. Grace was standing beside the folded out sofa, her eyes wide and light in the near dark of the living room.
"What's wrong monkey?" Danny asked as he moved over to make space for his daughter.
She scrambled into the bed beside him, pulled the blanket around herself and snuggled up to her father.
"I had a nightmare." Her words were slightly muffled by his t-shirt, but he could still hear her clearly. Danny placed an arm protectively around her, reassuring her without words that she was safe. "You wanna talk about it?" His question was answered by a shake of her head against his shoulder.
"You wanna stay here?" This time she nodded. Danny softly squeezed her shoulder and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Good night, Gracie."
"Night Danno."