13. Ending
~Future Fic~
"Daddy, tell me the story," his four year old cooed, her words coming between adorable yawns as she settled in his lap.
It was his turn to tuck her in and it was by far his favorite part of any day. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tiny body to his chest and he smiled. He knew what story she was talking about. It's the story she asked for every night. Unlike other girls her age, she didn't ask for stories about princesses and castles and handsome princes. No, their daughter preferred stories of adventure and action. She preferred their story; the one about the invisible dome that was the reason why her parents met. She was their daughter after all. And she was in every way. She had her mother's fiery red hair and sea of freckles, both her parents piercing blue eyes, curious, inquisitive and gentle. She was stubborn and strong headed, she was a born leader who stood up for what was right, or at least what was right in a preschool playground. Her teacher for a parent-teacher meeting had called them a few weeks earlier. Apparently, she got into a fight with three of the boys. The reason? They were bullying another kid and she just wouldn't have it.
"Are you sure you don't want to hear another story tonight?" he asked her playfully and she just shook her head, her little curls bouncing against her cheeks. "No, I want the dome story," she insisted.
"Ok," he relented with a smile, resting back against the chair and started telling her the story for what seemed like the thousandth time. Of course, they didn't tell her the whole story. They kept all the violent parts out. Technically the story narrowed down to how an invisible dome came down, trapping mommy and daddy and all their friends in a town called Chester's Mill. Mommy and Daddy were strangers, but they quickly became friends and worked together to help everyone survive. Then they fell in love and together with their friends they managed to help everyone escape.
Barbie and Julia told the story almost in the same exact way, with a small difference. And that was why their daughter loved asking for it every night. One night she'd hear her mother's version that talked about how daddy saved mommy and the next night she'd hear her father's version in which mommy saved daddy.
She was almost asleep when he got to the ending, her eyelids struggling to remain open, her breathing steady and warm against his chest, her little fist grabbing to his shirt. He got up slowly, carrying her in his arms and gently set her down on her bed.
"What happened in the end daddy?" she mumbled sleepily.
"You know what happened," he teased her, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
"I want you to tell me," she said, her eyes now completely shut.
He stroked her cheek softly as he finished his story, "and then mommy and daddy got married and had a beautiful, strong and brave little girl."
"And they lived happily ever after?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied emotionally, "and they lived happily ever after."