A/N: Wow, I finished my economics assignment. Somewhat. Aren't I good? Let's find me an Ebola virus to give to my economics teacher, now. Yay. I'm tired.

Anyway, I'm updating BECAUSE I CAN. Many reviews for last chapter, so thanks to you all! Love love love. Sneeze. Yup.

Ebola is a cool word: I don't own any of the characters that are owned by Jhonen Vasquez. Because I'm not him, bless his soul. But I do own any character's you don't recognize, such as my original character.

Warning: Wow. I don't know. This contains violence and swearing… And probably some other things that I haven't thought of just yet.

Staring at the skirts, shirts, jeans and dresses before him, Johnny ran his fingers over the clothing worriedly. Grabbing a pair of jeans from the rack, he held them up, inspecting them warily.

'Are you sure these are going to fit you? They're awfully small.' He mumbled down to the child by his side. Danielle placed her hands on her hips, and pouted.

'That's because I'm a small person, Johnny.' She replied, snatching the jeans from Johnny's hand by the leg. 'All the clothes here are going to be small- it's the kids aisle, after all!'

Clucking his tongue, Johnny grabbed the jeans from the girl and placed them on the pile they had been collecting of clothes. 'I guess you're right.' He continued to mumble as he picked the garments up. 'But I still think they're tiny. It's like a fricken pimp store.'

Danielle just followed wordlessly, having no idea what a 'pimp' is, nor did she want to know. As the neared the register, her heart began to patter faster and faster, her memory recalling the sounds when she sat shivering outside the 24/7 only a day or two ago. As her adoptive father lay the clothing down in front of the cashier, she prayed silently that maybe they could go through the actions without it resulting in death of someone. Although she barely knew the man, she had a gut feeling that he killed often. Yet what seemed like a miracle passed, and soon both she and Johnny were leaving the store, bags hanging from the latter's arms. They loaded them into the car together, and soon they were driving back to what Danielle now had to think of as 'home'.

She sat in her seat quietly, staring down at the stained carpeting on the floor of the car. She didn't want to know what the stains were caused from. Watching her quietly, Johnny let out a soft breath of air and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Glancing up, Danielle slid her eyes up at the man, her lips pressed tightly together. She knew she had to tell him about 'Family Day' sooner or later, yet at that moment, later seemed better than at the present time.

They passed a corner, and the shopping rolled over in the boot. Johnny finally took the initiative and spoke.

'So what did you do at school today?' he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

'Nothing.' Danielle replied, without missing a beat.

'Have a good day?'

'Yeah.'

Johnny frowned, obviously not pleased at their conversation. 'What did you buy with the money I gave you?' he asked politely.

Danielle smoothed down the front of her overalls. 'A sammich.'

Johnny raised a brow. 'A what?'

Glancing up at him, Danielle cleared her voice. 'A ham-and-cheese sammich.'

'Do you mean a sandwich?'

'Yeah.' She mumbled in response. Johnny just shook is head, eyes cast heavenward. They soon arrived home, and Danielle helped carry the shopping inside, her bag which she had her since school on her back. There was a pause as they stood inside the house, both of their hands laden with bags.

'Johnny…?' Danielle started awkwardly. 'I kinda need a room, y'know? Like a place to sleep, and play and change and stuff.'

This dropped on the man like a bombshell, and he found himself realising that fatherhood would be a lot more difficult than it seemed. Danielle had been sleeping in the living room for the past few nights, and he hadn't even thought of her having her own room. He drew in a deep breath, and nodded towards the corridor.

'Come on, I'll find you a place to sleep.'

Danielle walked slowly behind the man, wordlessly just like every other time. Johnny peeked into various rooms, until he found one that seemed suitable enough. It was at the back of the surprisingly large house, its walls bare, only a few broken seats and a mattress filling the room. A sheet and comforter was thrown on the mattress in an askew manner, a pillow pressed up against the wall.

'This can be your room if you want.'

'It looks like your room- is it?' Danielle commented. 'You're not related to Michael Jackson, are you?'

Johnny raised a brow at her last comment, but set the bags down on the floor. 'I don't sleep and when I do I usually do it in the living room. I won't bother you in here. If you want we can get a bed sometime, and I'll clear the chairs out of the room tomorrow. But for the time being, I'll get you another pillow and find a blanket somewhere. Is there anything else you'll need?' His last comment almost seemed like a plea for her to grow up and move out.

Danielle just gazed around the room, and set her bags next to the ones Johnny had placed on the ground. 'Um, no I guess not… But a cupboard would be nice for my clothes and- I need fresh underwear!'

Johnny just held his face in his hands and left Danielle to gape at him as he exited the room.

*

Dinner was freshly chopped mushrooms mixed with capsicums and tomatoes, various spices thrown into the mixture. Baked beans were a side dish, and desert being ice cream which Danielle had pleaded Johnny to get when they went down to the delicatessen later that afternoon.

Danielle took a bite of her meal, and chewed thoughtfully, her mind going over the events of the day. Swallowing, she drew in a deep breath, and watched as the man picked at his plate. She watched him wordlessly as he skewered a mushroom, mixed it about in his bowl, dipped it slowly into the beans and finally ate it. He almost seemed to be deciding whether he should eat the food or not when he picked at his meal like a bird. He lifted his gaze to Danielle, and raised an eyebrow.

'Something the matter?' he asked, almost accusingly. Danielle bit her lower lip, before taking the plunge.

'Johnny, sir, we have this thing comin' up in school. We've just started a new… thingy, and well, our teacher wants us to have this… Family Day thing, where we bring our families in and do… stuff.'

Johnny stared at her, and nodded. 'And?'

'And, well… Are ya gonna come?' Danielle asked, squinting slightly, not sure whether she wanted him to come or not.

'Why would I come?' Johnny replied, and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, flicking the fork about in his right hand.

Danielle opened her mouth slightly, before closing it. She did that several more times, before noting the irritation growing in the males' eyes. Finally, she closed it for a longer time, before figuring something out to say. 'Well, you're like my dad now, so I guess… you'd come. Everyone else's parents are gonna come.'

Johnny continued to laze in his position, eyebrow raised. 'But I'm not your parent.'

Tears began to well up in Danielle's eyes as she leant over the table, gripping the wood until her knuckles turned white. 'But… but… Erica Barton, she's got a step-mum and she's gonna be coming, why can't you?'

Gritting his teeth, he leant forward slightly. 'Because I'm not Erica-fucking-Barton's stepmother, nor will I ever be. So I'm not going to go to this pathetic Family Day thing. Now eat your dinner.'

'But Johnny, you gotta, there's going to be skits and poems and everything! I had to stand up in class and say who my family is, and… and I said you, because I gots no one else now, and Johnny please!'

'Why the fuck would you say that?' Johnny screeched, standing up abruptly. His chair teeter-totted behind him, until it fell on the wooden floor.

'Because I had to… And… Mummy's… you know, and I dunno where my Daddy is, and you said… I said you adopted me, cos you kinda said it yourself…'

'I didn't fucking adopt you! Now eat your goddamn dinner.'

Danielle began to cry silently, and lowered her face to her dinner. She poked it silently with her fork, a tiny sob escaping her throat. She finally skewered a tomato and mushroom, yet when she didn't life it to her mouth quick enough, Johnny slammed his fist on the table, ordered her to eat it faster before storming from the room loudly. Danielle let out another sob, before finishing her meal and retreating to her makeshift bedroom, crying not only because of Johnny but from a distant homesickness for her mother.

*

The girl curled up in the mattress, her blankets pulled nearly over her head. She hugged her favourite Barbie doll, which she had named Lola to her chest. Lola's elaborate fuschia dress scratched against Danielle's chin, her platinum blonde hair sprayed over the pillow. Danielle wondered as she tried to sleep what it would like to be Lola, or any Barbie. She closed her tearful eyes, and hugged her doll closer to her chest as she tried to sleep. She could hear Johnny's unmistakable boots clattering over the floor as he paced up to her door. Danielle could only curl tighter into a ball as the door creaked open. She wondered if she was going to die.

However, as his steps headed towards her, a tiny stream of light flowing into the room, she only felt the mattress shifting as he sat down on. He seemed quite reluctant as he spoke.

'Okay, Danielle,' he started with a sigh. 'I'll go to your damn Family Day thing.'

'Thank you.' She whispered back. When he didn't move, Danielle rolled over, Lola tucked under one arm. 'Are you mad?'

Johnny stared at her. 'Um… I don't think so. But so you know, I'm only going because you bloody want me to and I can't stand damn kids crying.'

'I'm sorry.'

Johnny shook his head, and crossed his ankles out in front of him. There was a pause, and Danielle, pulled her blankets up further, to her chin.

'Can you tell me a story?' she asked softly. 'Stories make me sleep better.'

Johnny raised a brow, a smile forming on his lips. He shifted closer to her, and folded his hands in his lap.

'Okay, then. I told this one to the kid next door, Squee, once, 'kay? Now, there once was this guy, named Geoffrey, and he lived in Africa.'

Danielle snuggled down as Johnny tucked her in somewhat awkwardly as he told the tale of Geoffrey and he got a disease called 'Ebola'. Danielle had no idea what that was, but it sounded rather awful. By the end of the tale, though, and Johnny had finally left, Danielle lay wide-awake as pictures of rhinos skewering people came into her mind and dogs ripping people limb-from-limb flew about in her mind. She wondered if the Squee boy who lived next door reacted the same way Danielle did when Johnny had finished his story. She also began to wonder if she went to the same school as she did. If he did, then maybe she could walk for him.

She wouldn't really want to, though, if he were like Johnny. Not that she disliked Johnny, but he scared the living hell out of her. One Johnny was enough for her to last a lifetime.

Smoothing down Lola's hair, Danielle rolled onto her side, and curled into a fetal position, nuzzling her face into the doll's hair. Her overalls had become makeshift pajamas, and although they were uncomfortable they were much warmer than just her underwear. Not that she'd sleep in just her underwear.

Trying to block out pictures of her mental image of Squee being attacked by rhinos and dogs and the ebola virus, she forced herself to think of a unicorn instead.

She prayed for his Squee's before she slept.

A/N: My hands are cold. I still want the Ebola for my economics teacher. Can I have a rhino, too?

I like Barbie dolls. They are so purdy. HAR HAR I LIKE PARIS HILTON LOOK-ALIKES. Anyway, I think Lola will play a part in the rest of the story.

Honest to God I have no idea where this is leading. I have a vague idea BUT THAT'S IT. Enjoy the ride of my mind.