Author: Taz
Title: My Daddy Says... - Why Can't He Just Be Normal?
Summary: Colm questions his father's lack of tan, his normalcy and family life in general...
Author's Notes: I'm glad you're all liking the little guy, I've got to admit, he's kinda cute, isn't he? Lol. Keep reviewing and I keep writing!
Disclaimer: I own no one but Colm. I'm just borrowing them for a while 'cause my daddy says you should always share your toys! Don't worry Mr Whedon; I'll put them back unbroken, I promise!
The day had begun, as every other day, with noise. As Buffy and Angel had lain, curled together, in their bed, sound asleep a reverberating crash had echoed through the hotel. Snapping awake instantly, Buffy was out of bed and into her robe before Angel had even had the chance to groggily blink and sit up.
"Whassamatter?" he slurred, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Loud noise, no screams, this can not be good," Buffy muttered, hurrying out of the room and towards the source of the noise.
What she found, having prepared herself for the sight of tiny skulls cracked, little bones broken or at the very least baby teeth chipped and minor unconsciousness, was a very guilty looking little boy, his dark hair ruffled with sleep, his big brown eyes darting around the room like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.
Glancing down in front of him, Buffy allowed her eyes to rest on the huge, and no doubt irreplaceably expensive, vase that lay smashed into a thousand shards of porcelain on the hall floor. Sliding her eyes to the side she discovered the cause in the form of a large toy dump truck lying on it's side about two feet away, it's wheels still spinning slowly.
"What are we going to do with you?" she sighed.
"Mommy I-" Colm made to take a step towards her, his little bare feet hovering mere centimetres away from the sharp pieces on the polished wooden floor.
"Colm stay right where you are," she barked.
His foot snapped back instantly and she heaved a sigh of relief as the delicate skin retreated to a safe distance away from the broken vase. "I don't want you to cut yourself sweetie, now you wait right here until mommy gets this cleared up."
Colm nodded meekly before speaking softly.
"It was an accident mommy, I never meant to... I just pushed the truck a little and it zoomed into the table and the pot-"
"Vase," Buffy corrected absently as she knelt to begin sweeping the pieces up.
"It sort of went all wobbly then it fell and daddy's not gonna be mad, is he?"
"What happened here?" Angel boomed, appearing from the master bedroom and staring down at the pieces of porcelain in the dustpan that had once been a priceless antique vase.
"Colm... had a little accident," Buffy informed her husband, standing and resting a hand on his forearm before murmuring softly. "Don't be hard on him, he didn't mean to."
"Colm," Angel chastised gently. "You need to be more careful when you play along here. I've told you time and time again how expensive everything is and not to drive your cars around here. Take them down to the lobby or play with them in your room in future young man."
"Yessir," Colm replied meekly, his eyes on the floor.
"What are we going to do with you?" Angel sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Are Uncle Xander and Nicky still coming over today mommy?" Colm asked hopefully, searching in his naive way to change the subject.
"Should be," Buffy replied, sweeping up the last remnants of the vase before turning to Angel. "Can you fix this or shall I just throw it away?"
"I'll try but if it looks too much like a Colm creation," he smiled affectionately at his son. "We'll just throw it away."
"You," Buffy turned her attention to her son. "Get into your room and get dressed, Xander and Nicky should be here in oh," she glanced at her watch. "About an hour and I don't want to be waiting around. Off you go."
Colm skipped merrily away down the hallway, darting into his room and rummaging through his drawers for something to wear. Buffy followed him and helped him to pick out an outfit.
"Here you go," she said, hading him his treasured New York Jets football shirt.
"I don't like that any more," he huffed.
"But you love the Jets!" she exclaimed. "I can never prise you away from the couch when they're playing."
"Yeah, well, Jessy's dad says they're dumb."
"What does Jessy's dad know? You're daddy likes them."
"All the kids at school are calling my dad a weirdo 'cause he never takes me to the park in daytime."
"Do you think your dad's a weirdo," Buffy questioned softly, wrapping her arm around her son.
"No, but... why can't daddy go out in the sun?"
"We've been through this Colm," she murmured, kissing his temple gently. "Your dad can't go out in the sun. If he did, he'd die, and you don't want daddy to die."
"Nobody else's daddy would die if he takes them to a baseball game," Colm said. "Daddy didn't even watch me play basketball."
"He wanted to Colm, but it was outside. If it had been indoors he'd have been there, front row centre, and you know that."
"I wish I had a normal daddy."
"Colm, your daddy loves you very much, he thinks more of you than most dad's think of their kids, you should be so grateful and love him so much..."
"I wish he could be a real person then."
"Colm," Buffy whispered, handing him a clean shirt. "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride."