Come stop your crying

It'll be alright

Just take my hand

Hold it tight

I will protect you from

All around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

For one so small

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry...

-'You'll Be In My Heart', Phil Collins

(Yes, I know it's a little cheesey, but it's fitting. You'll see what I mean later.)

"Here we are," he said as they stepped into his house. Marissa looked around, seeming a little shy now. This place was completely new to her. "Tomorrow we'll go to the group home. Tonight, we'll camp out here."

"Is this your house Mr. Rainey?" asked Marissa.

"Yup," he said, taking his jacket off and hanging it after placing his keys on the right hooks.

"It's big," she said, looking around. Mort walked over to his fireplace and started a fire, Marissa watching him at a cautious distance. "Where's your bedroom, Mr. Rainey?"

"Upstairs, but I usually sleep on the couch."

"I've slept on the sidewalk before. It's hard."

"Why were you sleeping ther- oh, right." He had almost forgotten that she and Mary had been homeless for some time now. Standing up, he walked over to her. "Want to give me your jacket?" he asked. She paused for a moment, then slid it off, with a little help from him, and he hung it next to his. "C'mon," he said, taking her hand. "I'll show you where you can sleep."

He took her upstairs to the seldom used guest bedroom, and gave her a long t-shirt to wear as pajamas. She giggled when she saw how long it was on her, and he tucked her in.

"All set?" he asked. She nodded. "Don't need to go to the bathroom?" She shook her head. "Just so you know, it's down the room next to yours, just in case." He stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait!" she called. He stopped and turned.

"What?" he asked.

"We forgot to say our prayers." He made a face.

"Pray?" he asked.

"Mommy and Daddy always made me and Mary say our prayers before bed." He shrugged, deciding not to let the kid think he was a heathen, and kneeled next to the bed. This was a little awkward, but then, so was having a little girl in the house.

"Fold your hands," said Marissa. Mort, knowing it was sad that a six year old had to remind him how to pray, folded his hands. "Close your eyes." He obeyed, and she did the same thing. "Now I lay me down to sleep. Pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take," she prayed, Mort started to stand up, thinking that was it, but when she started to say more, he quickly got back in position. "God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, and God bless Mary. Tell them all I love them, and I want them to come back soon." Mort opened one eye and looked at her in sympathy. "Amen," she finished and he opened his eyes with her.

"Alright then," he said, starting to stand up again.

"Aren't you going to say something?" she asked. He sighed and kneeled back down again, grimacing in pain as his knees started to ache.

"Uh, God," he said. Now it was officially awkaward. He didn't know how to pray, and Marissa was probably soon going to find out. "Thank you for this beautiful evening... well, alright, it's not that... great... but uh, thanks. Help us both to be able to sleep well tonight... and... er... amen?"

He opened his eyes and smirked. "We done now?" he asked. She nodded. "I'll be downstairs on the sofa if you need anything." She smiled and turned over, shutting her eyes. He turned off the light and went back down the stairs, soon falling alseep on the sofa.

There was a loud crack of thunder and a bright flash of lightning, waking Mort from his sleep, immediatly. The rain outside was hammering down, and he wondered if it was hailing too. Inside the living room was dark, and he yawned, a little cranky that he had been woken so suddenly. Another flash of lightning lit up the room and outlined the face of someone standing about a foot away from him. Mort jumped, reaching for the light and flicked it on, only to find a smaller person, blinking and rubbing her eyes.

"Marissa?" he asked, squinting a little. "What is it? What's wrong?" She stuck out her lip a little and sniffled.

"I'm scared," she whined. His gaze softened a little. He had forgotten what it was like to be afraid of thunder storms.

"It's only a little thunder. Nothing to be afraid of," he said softly.

"I'm still scared," she said, still pouting. There was another crash of thunder and she jumped with a small gasp. Her eyes started to water, and Mort signalled her to come to him. She did so, and he pulled her into his lap, putting his arm around her. "It was raining like this when Mommy and Daddy died," she said softly.

"You miss them, don't you?" he said, more as a statement rather than a question. She nodded. "You know what helps when it's a thunder storm like this?"

"What?"

"When you see the flash, start counting one Mississippi... two Mississippi..., like that until you hear the thunder. The more you count, the farther away the storm is. Want to try?" Marissa thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay," she said softly. They waited and soon there was a flash of lightning. Marissa gave a small yelp when she saw it, but Mort gave her shoulder a soft comfort squeeze and got her started.

"One Mississippi... Two Mississippi... Three Mississippi... Four Mississippi... Five Mississippi..."

BOOM!

Marissa jumped again, and he smirked. "Now next time, I'll bet we'll make it to six," he said reassuringly. "Wait for it..." There came the flash and he started again, Marissa just watching silently. This time he did get to six, and Marissa seemed to be relaxing a little. "You do it this time," he said. She nodded, still looking nervous, and waited for the flash.

"One Mississippi... Two Mississippi... Three Mississippi... Four Mississippi... Five Mississippi... Six Mississippi... Seven Mississippi..."

BOOM!

The thunder wasn't sounding as loud, and Marissa even dared to smile a little. Mort yawned and stretched, feeling the weariness come back to him. Marissa kept counting till she realized the only thunder left was Mort's snoring. She giggle a little, and laid down on the sofa, resting her head in his lap as the storm gradually died away.

(a/n: I'm sorry this was so short! I didn't have time much to work on it.)