Disclaimer: I do not own.


"Daddy, will you tell me a story?" asked a lump under the covers. It was a small room, but that could have been because of the mess. The covers she was tucked very snuggly under were the only thing that resembled neatness in the room. They were soft and purple with small red flowers all over it.

She smiled kindly and started to reach for a book on the ground. It was very beat up - probably Elosie or Madeline. Those were her favorites.

"No. Tell me a story." She put the emphasis on the word 'tell'. She'd developed this habit thanks to her first grade teacher, who was very much in love with correctness.

"What about?" he didn't want to tell a boring story.

"About work. But, make it funny." she nodded.

"Hmm…" he murmured, already knowing what he was going to say, but letting the anticipation build up. When he'd tortured the six year old to the point that she was wiggling in her bed, he smoothed out the covers again and started his story.

"Once upon a time… in Paris," he begun.

"Where's Paris?" she asked, always inquiring.

"In France sweetie. I'll show you on my big map tomorrow." she nodded in agreement stifling a yawn so as not to be asked if she was too tired for a story.

"Once upon a time in Paris, there was a coffee shop." he stopped looking at his daughter whose blue eyes were opening and closing with the sure signs of fatigue. She'd had a busy day today. They'd gone horseback riding, an early birthday present her mother had been less than happy about. It's been worth losing a few points with her to gain so many with his child.

"Daddy, are you asleep?" she yawned out.

"No," she stroked her long, slightly damp hair, "I'm awake. One day at this coffee shop there was an Italian man."

"In France?"

"Yes, sweetie. I'll show you where Italy is tomorrow, too."

She nodded

"The Italian man was very mean and didn't like the coffee shops coffee so he tossed it into someone's face and headed off to a bank. So Jen-"

"Whose Jen?" she murmured, he doubted she knew what she was talking about. It was really kind of late.

"I used to work with her. I'll let you met her at the next big party."

"Mmm-Hmm." she murmured her arms closing tightly around her once brown now gray teddy bears neck.

"So Jen and I headed off behind him because we knew he was a bad, bad man, but then we heard something behind us! I was about to grab Jen and pull her behind a Cappuccino stand-" he stopped anticipating her question of what Cappuccino's were, but it didn't come. She'd fallen asleep, barely two minutes after going to bed. It must have been a new record.

"Goodnight baby." her kissed her forehead and went to bed after double checking to make sure she was all set for the night and that her night light was working.

Slowly the sun crept up into his house, just having woken up he stood at the doorway, looking at the room she'd left behind, as he did every morning hoping that reality had just been a nightmare and his memory was still reality. But, every morning, he found it not to be so, and so every morning he put his mask and went to work. Hoping that maybe, when he got home, he'd wake up.


The end.