AN: This is just a little piece of fluff that wouldn't leave me alone until I sat down and got it out of my head. I hope you guys like it, and remember--reviews are what keep me alive. *grin*
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all know that James Cameron and Charles Eglee own 'em. Stop rubbing it in already.
"A Bedtime Story"
by Meka Casto
"Daddy, Daddy!" cried the little girl as she ran through the house to find her father, brown curls trailing behind her.
Then the little girl squealed in surprise as her father leapt out from behind a doorway and swung her up into his arms. Hugging her tightly, he spun around and around and around, stopping just before his precious daughter became too dizzy. She exploded with laughter that filled the small apartment, causing her father to smile in spite of himself.
"What's up, munchkin?" he asked, gazing down at her small face with eyes full to the brim of adoration.
"Tell me a bedtime story, Daddy!"
"Sure thing, munchkin," he said as he deposited the five-year old on the floor, snatched up her hand and led her to bed. "What kind of story would you like to hear?"
"A really long one," came the serious answer.
The father laughed at the little girl's antics. "A really long one, huh? Well, let me think….ah, I have just the story. Once upon a time…"
"Daddy! All your stories start out like that!" the daughter interrupted.
"Of course they do," he replied. "A story just isn't a story if doesn't start with 'One upon a time.'"
"Come on, Daddy, can't you change it? Just this once?"
The father smiled as he leaned over and tweaked her nose. "I suppose I can, munchkin. A long, long time ago….is that better?"
The little girl nodded, and her father continued.
"A long, long time ago, in a very cold kingdom far, far away, lived a princess who was very unhappy. The sad princess lived in a cold, gray castle with her brothers and sisters and she was never allowed to go outside because her father said so. Now, this princess was different from most normal princesses, because she had magical powers."
"What kind of powers?" The little girl's voice was filled with childlike awe.
"Oh, she could run really fast, and she could climb really well, and sometimes, when she was feeling just right, she could fly. One day, the princess and her brothers and sisters decided they would sneak out of the castle, so in the middle of the night, they quietly climbed out of their beds. Like little mice, they silently made their way out the front door, which wasn't easy because their father, the king, had big, scary guards posted everywhere. They ran quickly to the forest that surrounded the castle, hoping their father wouldn't catch them. Then, because they were all so very unhappy, the little princes and princesses decided to run away from the cold gray castle forever."
"Well, a long, long time passed, and the magical princess grew up into a very beautiful woman. And even though she had been separated from her brothers and sisters, she was very happy."
"One night, the princess spied a light shining from a window in the tallest tower in the village. She was naturally curious and wanted to know who lived in the tower. So, the magical princess climbed right up the side of the tower and into the window."
"Who was inside the tower, Daddy?" the little girl wanted to know.
"I'm getting there, munchkin," he said, and neither father nor daughter noticed when a figure approached the bedroom unannounced and propped itself against the doorway to listen.
"Inside the tower lived a lonely man," the father continued," who was very surprised that the princess had been able to climb up his tower. But she was very beautiful, so he decided to let her stay awhile. Soon after that, the lonely man wasn't so lonely anymore because the princess was always there to keep him company. Eventually, the man fell in love with the magical princess and helped her when the king finally came to take her back to the castle. Once the evil king had given up trying to take the princess back, the man and the princess were so very happy that they got married. They had a big wedding, and the whole village was invited. They were very happy, but they were even happier when the magical princess had a beautiful baby, a little girl named Annabel."
"Hey!" the little girl cried. "That's my name!"
"I know," said her father wisely.
"Tell me what happened next!"
"Why they lived happily ever after, of course."
"Logan Cale," said the figure standing in the doorway, "you are going to spoil that child beyond recovery."
Logan turned around to grin at his wife. "Of course I am, and I'm enjoying every minute of it." Max just laughed and shook her head.
"Mommy!" Annabel cried. "Did you hear the story Daddy told me? It was great!"
"I know, baby, I heard," Max said as she pulled the bedcovers up to her daughter's chin. Then she kissed her on the cheek and said, "Sleep tight, Annabel."
"'Night, Mommy! 'Night Daddy!" said Annabel as she rolled over in bed.
"Good-night, munchkin." Logan turned off the bedroom light and grabbed Max's hand in his own, leading her out into the hallway where he gathered her up into a tight embrace and kissed her lovingly. "I love you, Max."
"I love you, too," she whispered back, hugging him tight.
Soft giggles filtered out from Annabel's room and Logan grinned as he leaned sideways to pull the bedroom door closed. Then, husband and wife tread quietly to their own room, leaving their precious daughter to dream magical dreams of princesses who could fly.