You guys have been so patient for the next story in the Childhood series. :Gets weepy-eyed: I love you, man! Lol. Here. Read the fic.

A. N.: Since Deacon was the vamp that bit Blade's mom, and therefore had to have been bitten himself previous to that and be about twenty (taking into account that vamps age really slowly). If anyone knows when he really grew up, let me know. Other than that, this fic is set in the old west. No paved roads, blah blah blah. :)

DISCLAIMER: Isn't it automatically assumed that it's not ours when we post our stuff under the label 'fanfiction?' So what's the point of a disclaimer?

Childhood: Deacon's First Pet

Four-year-old Deacon Frost was bouncing all over the place in the sitting room in his family's expensive summer home. His mother asked him to calm down, but she knew it was hopeless. She silently began to reserve a few unladylike words for her husband. If he hadn't told Deacon he was bringing home a surprise... Her thoughts trailed off. Oh, Ella would get even with her husband alright.

Deacon bounced merrily on the balls of his feet, back and forth in front of the window that would give him the best view of the coach that would be bringing his surprise home. "Ma," he whined, "when's Pa comin' back? It's been twenny houwuhs since he left."

Ella laughed. "No, Deac, it's only been three and a half hours. Besides, you know how your father is. He probably got side-tracked talking to Dean Poley." She rolled her eyes, a smile on her lips. "Those two could talk the wallpaper off the walls."

Half-convinced that his pa was staying out longer for the sake of torturing him, Deacon sighed and slid down to sit on the plush burgundy carpet, and smacked his head once against the base of the windowseat. A pout settled firmly on his little face, and in his mind he resolved to remain where he was until his father's return. Five minutes later however, he forgot his resolution when Willamina, his older sister by four years, entered the sitting room. She absolutely adored Deacon, and he knew that he could convince her to give him one of the two warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies she had brought with her.

He ran to her as quickly as his little legs would take him, then tugged gently on her skirt. "Willy, can I have a cookie too?"

Will smiled, one cookie lost and a lap-monkey gained (an odd phrase she had picked up from her mother, who had a tendency to call children monkeys). Deacon sat on her lap, happily gnawing on his cookie. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of a coach pulling up. He leapt off his sister's lap and ran to the window. "Huwwah! Pa's home! My s'p'ise is hewe!"

Deacon zipped away from the window and out the sitting room door. His pa had just entered the foyer when the excited tot got to him. "Well, someone's pretty worked up," his father chuckled, blue eyes twinkling.

"Of course he is... Someone told him, after all my warnings against it," Ella said, glaring pointedly at her husband. Then she noticed he was empty-handed, and raised an eyebrow in silent question. "Nate?"

He winked at her and swept Deacon up, carrying him out to the coach. Inside was Terrance Athel, the general store owner. He got out, picking up the crate that had been at his feet. Something in it was scrabbling around. Terrance set the box on the ground and Deacon instantly knew it was his surprise. Unable and unwilling to wait any longer, he dived out of his father's grasp and dashed to the crate. Then there was a puppy-sized bark, a toddler sized shriek, and Deacon ran into the house crying.

Willamina caught him at the front door. "Oh, what's wrong, Deac?"

"Pa b'ought a scawy fing home," he sniffled. "An' it yelled at me, like Gwamma Pa'son does."

Will tried not to smile. "Grandma Parson won't hurt you, and neither will that puppy."

"P'omise?"

"Of course."

I'm sorry if some don't like that I've set this in the old west. I wanted to set it in the thirties or fourties, but I know zip about either, and I'm too lazy to learn, lol.