A/N: Hello! I'm still alive! I've just been a little stuck on this chapter for a while and been busy as work is getting ready for the holiday season. I did some research on schools from the 50s but could only find so much info. So I apologize if anything is off. Enjoy!

Photo: #3 First Day

"Daddy! I think you've brushed enough!"

"Are you sure? I think you've still got some sticking up."

"You've brushed my hair lots of times already!"

"Sorry! I just want you to look nice!" Fletcher exclaimed, not bothering to hide his smile as Farryn turned around to give him a small glare. It was August 14th; the first day of Kindergarten. While he was excited about it, he was also worried.

This would be the first time she would be away from him, in a sense. Sure, when he had to work she would spend the day with their neighbor, Mrs. O. But he knew her. He trusted her. He knew that she would be safe and sound. This didn't mean he didn't trust the teacher. If they weren't prepared, the state of California wouldn't have allowed them to teach at all. But she was still a stranger to him and that's what worried him.

He wasn't the only one who had reservations about school. Ryn was going through various stages of how she felt about school. At first she was excited because it was something different, something she had never done before, a new experience. The excitement passed after a few weeks before she became worried. She realized that he wouldn't be able to be at school with her and she had never been anywhere new 'on her own' so to speak. She was also worried about what the other children would think, what they would say.

She had practically grown up 'an outcast' because of his reputation and the always present mystery of who her mother is. She had grown accustomed to hearing the rather nasty comments, even hearing a few a parents tell their children 'You can't be playing with a bastard child.' She was worried that she wouldn't have any friends when she went to school, that she'd be alone. He had assured her that she wouldn't be lonely; her friends were going to the exact same school as she was. This seemed to have perked her up a little.

"Do I have to go to school? I like being with you and going over to Mrs. O's." She still had her 'first day jitters', however.

"I'm afraid so, honey. It's the law. If you don't go, I could get in a lot of trouble. Do you want Daddy to get in trouble?" She shook her head and looked down at the floor, sighing sadly as she did so. "What's wrong kiddo? I thought you were feeling better about going to school?"

"You won't be there Daddy. I'm gonna miss you."

"Hey now. It's not like you're never gonna see me ever again! We have the evenings and the weekends to still do whatever we want!"

"Yeah, but five is more than two…..isn't it?" She asked as she counted on her fingers. "I'm gonna be at school longer than I will be home!" She looked at him with such a sad and pathetic look, that he very briefly considered just pulling her out of school and teaching her at home. He quickly cleared his mind. He was an actor, not a teacher. He didn't know a darn thing about teaching; much less have the time to figure it out. Not to mention, it was much different now than it was twenty years ago.

When the Depression hit, schools had to start changing. Many of the afterschool programs and art classes began to disappear as the schools did not have funds to keep them running. If you wanted to learn an extra skill, you had to learn it outside of school, if you were lucky. School days were also much shorter when he was a kid. Now, it was required that children attend school for seven hours a day. His work hours could vary from day to day; he could work anywhere from a few hours to twelve hours depending on what was being worked on. Some days he might not be able to get her teaching done if she was homeschooled. Not to mention, the one 'extracurricular' activity she was beginning to show interest in was one that was not taught at the school; gymnastics. If she wanted to take classes, that would also cut into any teaching time.

"Daddy, can I please stay with you?" She asked, while she clung to his arm. This brought him from his thoughts and he glanced down.

"Rynnie, I already told you that you can't. You have to go to school," he said rather sternly. He should probably be glad she was still happy about being around him. In a few years' time, it would be an entirely different story.

She didn't look any happier. In fact, she looked like she might start crying, although that may be because he scolded her. Better do something to fix it quick.

"I'll tell you what," he said with a sigh. He was giving into her once again." If you be good today, we'll go to eat at your favorite place."

She seemed to perk up a little at hearing this. Her favorite place to eat, out of all the places there were in Los Angeles, was the relatively new In-N-Out Burger drive-thru. It had opened up a few years back and he decided to eat there one day after he kept hearing good reviews about it on the radio. He had to admit, the burgers and fries were delicious. Farryn had decided shortly after that it was 'the absolute best place ever!' and asked constantly if they could eat there. While he would gladly allow her to eat there all the time if he could, it just wasn't possible. Not only was it a little more expensive than other burger stands, but there was only store in the entire Metropolitan area. It was located in Baldwin City, about a 20 minute drive from Toontown. Due to these circumstances, he only tried to take her to eat there on special occasions. Or in this case, when he needed to bribe her.

"You mean it? We'll go to In-N-Out?"

"Of course! But you have to go to school and be good, deal?"

"Deal!" She said without a second thought. Happy that he was at least able to get her to attend school, he glanced down at his watch. It was getting late; she still needed to eat breakfast before they left. And of course, there was the always present L.A traffic to deal with.

"Great! But we'd better get a move on. Don't want you to be late on your first day!"

XXXX

Farryn walked up to the large red brick building, staring up at it before looking around at some of the other children. They were all toon children, whether they were human, animal, or something in between. Due to her living in Toontown, all the children that attended her school were Toons. Not that she really minded.

She still didn't really want to attend school. She wasn't going to know a lot of these kids. She was worried they would say something just like every other adult had said practically her whole life. Her dad had said something about children learning their habits from their parents. Maybe these parents weren't like some of the other adults she'd seen?

She was also going to be away from her father. Of course, she had been away from him before, but he was always a call away should anything happen. Not to mention, she liked Mrs. O' and greatly enjoyed visiting her, even if her house was right next door. Would he still be easily reached? Would they tell him everything, good or bad, about what happened?

Her dad always seemed to be at ease whenever she was the neighbors'. He was pretty good at hiding his emotions, but he seemed a little stressed out this morning. Even now, he was holding her hand just a little tighter than usual, something that caused her to look up at him. He must've sensed her looking at him, as he glanced down at her and had a small smile on his face.

"You ready to go in, Squirt?" She looked over at the front door, where some families were dragging along crying children. Why, even some of the parents were crying it looked like! It must be awful if these children and parents were fighting and bawling about it.

"No, Daddy. You see people?" she asked looking back up at him and pointing to where a large congregation of toons had gathered. "They're all crying! I don't wanna go to a place where you cry!"

He glanced over in the direction she was pointing before getting down on her level, something that usually meant he was about to have a serious talk with her. Or she was in trouble. She wasn't for sure which at the moment.

"Sweetie, those people aren't crying because of the school. They're crying because they don't want to leave their mommies and daddies, like you. And the parents? They're crying because, well, this is a big milestone. Going to school means you are growing up and starting to become a big girl now."

"Don't want to be a big girl if I have to leave you."

"Honey, I guarantee you'll have a good time today that you'll forget all about me." Forget him? Why would he say that? Why would she ever forget about him? She would never forget him! How would that-

"I mean you won't think about me today until I pick you up," he said, after reading her worried expression.

Oh.

"Besides, we had a deal, right?" She looked up at him and nodded. He was right; she did make a deal with him. If she wanted to eat at the best place in the world, she was going to have to go to school. It didn't mean she had to be happy about it though.

"Rynnie!"

Farryn looked past him when she heard her name called and smiled for the first since arriving at the school.

"Rya!" She shouted and ran up to the rabbit and hugged her, nearly knocking down the much smaller child. She almost forgot that her best friend in the whole wide world was going to be in the same school!

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit," she said to her friends parents as they walked up to the two girls, laughing.

"Morning Farryn. Glad we finally found you. Mariah has been talking non-stop about going to school with you since she got up this morning!" Molly said, still laughing slightly.

"Yeah! I told Momma that school will be more fun since we will be in the same class! We can sit together and eat lunch together and play together! It will be so fun!"

"I feel better about school with you being here Rya!" She said while hugging her friend again. She glanced over to her father who was talking to the male rabbit, presumably about work. Not that she really understood what they talked about anyways. "I was really scared about starting school, but I'm starting to feel less scared now!"

When they pulled back from their hug, the little bunny ran up to her mother and gave her a big hug, telling her goodbye. When she came back to the kit, they held each other's hands and began to walk towards the entrance. They stopped when they were at the two adult males and looked up at them, hoping to catch their attention before they left for the day. The two adults finally stopped their conversation long enough to notice the children and get down on their level. Farryn clung onto her father as soon as he got down on his knees, squeezing him as hard as she could.

"Bye Daddy," she said sadly. Even with her best friend there, she was still upset about leaving him. She felt him kiss her head and she looked up at him.

"Bye kiddo. I'll be here at three o' clock sharp, ok? You be good now, you hear?" he said as he let go of her and stood up, a small smile still on his face. Farryn nodded sadly again and turned to grab her friends hand as the two began to walk towards the entrance.

"Rynnie wait!" Upon hearing him call her, she turned her head back towards him quickly, in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, he had changed his mind. Instead, he was holding his camera in his hands. She didn't even know he'd brought it with him. "I want to take a picture before you go in."

Really? Right now? She didn't want to take one. She wasn't happy at all about going to school. She still hated getting her picture taken, even when he was the one behind the camera. Besides that, why did he think now would be a good time to take one?

"I don't wanna take a picture."

"Well I would like one of your first day of school."

"Why," she asked, starting to pout.

"Because this is an important moment in your life and I want to capture it," he replied, his voice starting to sound serious. She knew there wasn't any point in arguing with him about it. Once he started getting stern with her, something she hated, it meant that the conversation was pretty much over.

She glanced over to her friend when an idea struck her.

"Daddy, I'll only let you take picture if Rya can be in it too."

His eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting that response from her. She saw him put his hand to his chin and think for a second, before Riley spoke up.

"It's fine by us if she's in the picture." Her father glanced down to the rabbit before looking back towards the two girls.

"Well, I guess it's ok then."

Happy that she could have a picture with her bestest friend ever, they wrapped their arms around each other-Farryn's around her friends neck, while Rya's wrapped around her waist-and they both smiled as wide as possible, saying 'Cheese!' through gritted teeth as the camera flashed.

~XXXX~

Daddy was right,. Farryn thought to herself as she played on the seesaw with Rya. She couldn't believe it. It was recess time. That meant half of her day was already gone. The day had gone by quick. Her dad was right, as usual.

After they had gotten their picture together and waved once more to their parents, they walked hand-in-hand to where the ostrich toon was gathering a bunch of children their age. It was their teacher, Ms. Ostheimer. She directed the children to her classroom, just inside the hallway and Farryn couldn't help but look around in awe.

She hadn't seen anything like it before. It was so colorful, with posters and paintings all over the walls. Her name was written on the board, as well as today's date. Just above the board were shiny posters that had all the letters and all the numbers. All the desks, way more than she could count, were arranged in neat rows in the shape of a semi-circle around a large colorful rug. On the front of each one were signs that read a child's name.

Their first lesson was to find their name and sit in the desk that the sign was attached to. Well that was easy. She found her seat pretty quickly, thanks to her father teaching her how to spell her name. Probably didn't hurt that her seat was right in the middle of the front row either. She was disappointed, however, that Rya's seat was back several rows.

Once the rest of her classmates found their seats, they were asked to stand and tell everyone their name. This made Farryn nervous; she was unsure what any of the kids or even the teacher would say when she stated her name. Probably like everyone else. When it was her turn, she hesitated a little, afraid to state her. Ms. Ostheimer gently encouraged her, telling her it was ok. She quietly said her name and quickly glanced around the room. The other students were looking at her, just as they were looking at everyone else; scared, curious, confused, and interested. Not one of them had a look of annoyance or detest on their faces.

After that, the rest of the morning went by quickly. The class went on an 'adventure', as the teacher called it, through school, where she pointed out everything; the bathrooms, the cafeteria, the principal's office, the gym, and the nurses' office. Once back in the classroom, they sat in a circle around a board that was very colorful. It had words, numbers, shapes, and a calendar on it.

The teacher explained that every morning, they would gather around the board and go over what were the 'items' of the day, so to speak. She then showed the children around the classroom. There was another board that had each student's name on it and the word 'HELPERS FOR THE WEEK' written across the top in bright, bold letters. She explained that each week, a student would be assigned a task. There was a helper to hold the book the teacher was reading from, a helper to place specific things on the calendar, such as weather or birthdays, and even a helper to clean the erasers.

They then all sat in a circle where they were read a story, Blueberries for Sal, before they headed to the cafeteria for lunch. The room had all kinds of smells wafting towards her nose and there was chatter all around. The room was almost completely full of children, most of whom she had seen that morning outside. All the older students were sitting on one side of the room, while the younger children sat on the other side.

When she made it to the front of the line, she was given a tray with a large spoonful of macaroni and cheese, a slice of bed with butter spread on it, a small piece of cake, and bottle of milk. Luckily lunch didn't have assigned seating, so she could sit with her best friend. Recess was after lunch and she was excited for it. She liked being outside and playing, whether she was in the sand alone or playing a game with a friend.

She realized that she hadn't once thought about her father the entire day. She had been so busy having fun that he had never even crossed her mind. She thought school would be boring and mean but she was wrong. It was fun and everyone that she had met so far seemed to be nice. How could she have been so worried about it earlier?

Hearing the bell ring, signifying the end of recess, she ran back to where her teacher was standing, excited to see what would happen next.

~XXXX~

Thank God it's finally three. I never thought it would get here.

Fletcher glanced at his watch before sticking his hands in his pocket and leaning against the tree. Despite what he had told Farryn before she ran off into the school about not thinking about him, he couldn't help but worry about her all day. He kept thinking that something would happen or that others would bother her or that she would get in trouble for something.

He kept thinking about it all day to the point that he smoked through half his pack of cigarettes in just a few hours. He knew that he shouldn't be so worried about her, but he couldn't help it. She was the only thing he cared about in this world, other than himself. Schools were safe places, with instructors and staff trained to care for children. But it still bothered him like no other. He really hoped he wouldn't be like this for the next thirteen years. He'd probably give himself a heart attack if he did.

"DADDY!"

Glancing up, he immediately smiled and opened his arms as Farryn ran up and jumped into his hug, nearly knocking him off his feet. He gave her a big kiss on her head, before readjusting his hold on her and walking back to his car.

"Hiya honey! Didya miss me?"

"I sure did! But I really liked school! The teacher is really nice and she read us a story and we had naps and we played tag at recess and on the teeter totters and had ice cream for a snack and…" Ice Cream? No wonder she was talking a mile a minute. She was all hyped up on sugar. Well, at least she would fall asleep tonight with no fuss.

"Slow down there kiddo! You're talking so fast I can't understand anything you're saying!"

"Look! We drew pictures too!" She said as she held up a flimsy paper to his face. It was a very crudely done drawing; simple shapes, stick figure looking creatures, coloring outside the lines, and color that didn't match its real life counterpart. All typical of a 5-year olds drawing. But he could instantly see what it was meant to be; them, holding hands, and walking along together. As a family.

If anyone else were to look at her picture, they might say it's ugly or too childish. But he thought it was the best drawing. The best picture of him. The most special.

"We're going to the park! Cause that's where we always go when it's nice outside!"

"I love it, sweetie. You captured my essence perfectly!"

"What's that?"

"Essence? That's like my personality or how I express myself."

"I did? But I didn't draw you selfish."

"Cute", he mumbled dryly, making a mental note not to have her hang around his coworkers anymore.

"Daddy look! I gotta gold star!" She said excitedly while showing him the little golden sticker that was on her dress.

"I see that! What's it for?"

"Ms. Ostheimer said that good girls and boys get gold stars! And everyone went home with one!"

"You were? Well, you know what that means don't you?"

"We gonna get burgers?" She asked happily, starting to bounce in his arms.

"Yup! And you know what we're gonna do with this?" He asked holding up the picture she gave him.

"No."

"We're gonna put it on the fridge, so whenever anyone comes over to the house, they'll see your drawing and ask, 'Who drew this pretty picture?'"

"How come you don't wanna put my other pictures up? Don't you like them?", She asked sadly.

"Honey, I love all of your pretty drawings. But this one is special."

"Why."

"Because it's of us! Your other pictures are of all the kitties, puppies, butterflies, and flowers you see around town. You've drawn a picture of me or you by ourselves, but this is the first time you've drawn both of us!"

She took the picture from him and looked at it for a moment before glancing back up at him. "You really think it should go on the fridge, Daddy?"

"Of course I do." He thought everything she did was great. He'd put all of her drawings on the fridge if he could. Wasn't possible, however, as his once bare refrigerator was now practically covered in all the pictures he had taken over the past 5 years. And he still wanted to add more in the future. Maybe someday he could get her a corkboard or something for her to hang all her pictures in her room.

But for now, only the really important, special ones would go there. To add to their collection of memories. To show everyone that they were a happy, little family. To show everyone that he truly loved his little girl and that he would do anything for her.

Even stick a crudely drawn, stick-figure, miscolored picture on the place where everyone could see it.

And he wouldn't have any other picture, even the professional ones, in it's place.