One Inconsequential Memory

Danielle smiled up at Vlad, and he smiled back. That smile was the only light in the world she'd seen, and she would do anything to see it more often.

"Danielle? You alright?"

Dani grinned even wider, tilting her head back to better see her father's face. He was so tall!

"Better than alright! I've got a jumbo marshmallow!" Dani waved the sugary treat in front of his nose for more emphasis. She'd cooked it exactly the way she liked it, burnt black on the outside but gooey and sweet within. Vlad smiled again, but this time it didn't meet his eyes. "What? Don't you like marshmallows?" Dani wondered aloud, but Vlad just shook his head. He ruffled her loose hair with one hand.

"It's nothing." He said. But his eyes were still sad.

"No it's not! You look like you're going to cry or something!" Dani was exaggerating, but Vlad didn't need to know that.

"It's just that Jack Fenton used to like cooking his marshmallows that way. That's all."

Dani stared into the fire for a moment, then looked back up at her father.

"You must have been really good friends if you remember something little like that." She said with a smile, but Vlad didn't return it this time.

"We. . . had a fight. I. . . I think it was his fault. But he's so naïve that there's no one to blame but me for letting it escalate this far." He said at last. Dani cocked her head to one side, wondering exactly what the problem was here.

"Just say you're sorry! I'm sure he'll forgive you. And you can be friends again after that!"

Vlad's lack of a smile turned to an outright scowl. "Danielle, the world doesn't work that way."

"But-"

"There are some things no one can make better with two stupid words, Danielle! 'Sorry' is not enough to fix this!"

Dani shook her head. Grown-ups. They made everything out to be more complicated than it was. "If you both want to be friends then nothing's stopping you! Just be friends!"

Vlad glowered at her. Then a small, unexpected smile slipped through. "I keep forgetting how much you don't know about the way the world works." He said with a little laugh. "You're so innocent. You think we'd all get along if we just wanted it bad enough."

"Yeah." Dani agreed. "And that means I'm smarter than you, if you don't believe that!"

Vlad let his gaze wander from his daughter's face to the fire, but Dani had a feeling that he was seeing something very different than the flickering flames. "There was also a girl involved." He said quietly.

"Oooooh. . ." Dani said thoughtfully. Then, just as Vlad thought he might finally have impressed upon her the seriousness of the situation, she followed it up with, "In that case, the other guy will have to apologize too."