Short and sweet Anna/Bruce bonding. I'm not all that great at writing fluff, so I apologize ahead of time. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! =D
It was a rainy old day, so I had holed myself up in my lab. I put a movie in for Anna so I could have a little time to get some work done. And it had been going fine until the laughter and off-key singing quieted, it was never a good sign when she was this quiet. So I got up to go see what she was up to.
Anna was a very mischievous five-year-old, always into something. As a single parent it was never easy, but I wouldn't give her up for anything. After her actual parents died in an accident, I was the only living relative left. Some distant cousin twice removed that I never knew about apparently. I thought I couldn't do it, raise a child and conduct my research at the same time. But the moment I saw her any thoughts of foster care flew out the window. She was just four at the time and I knew right then she was coming home with me.
So here we are only a year down the road, and I knew she was what I had been missing. Anna made me want to be a better person, a better father seeing as mine was no example. So I was starting to worry when I looked in the TV room and found it empty, the credits rolling. I checked in her room and then glanced in the lab to see if she had snuck in when I wasn't looking.
For some reason though she loved coming in the lab with me, it made me wonder if she might want to be a scientist when she grew up.
Still unable to find her I was about to start panicking, until I looked out the window.
Outside in the rain, without a raincoat or shoes, was Anna. She was dressed in her favorite green and gold pj's, dancing and splashing in the puddles. I chuckled as relief filled me, she was so cute. Grabbing an umbrella off the front porch, I walked over to her. Looking up through her wet hair, she grinned at me.
"Daddy, come dance with me!"
I froze. She had never called me that before. The car wreck had been traumatic for her, for months afterwards she would wake up from nightmares asking for her daddy and mommy. When I suggested she call me daddy, she threw a fit. So I never tried again.
"Come dance with me."
Looking at the little girl before me I smiled.
"Sure, I'll dance with you."
I started stepping side to side.
"No not like that."
She put her hands on her hips causing me to laugh.
"What then?"
A pout appeared on her face.
"You have to get wet. Like me."
Reluctantly I closed the umbrella and set it down. The feeling of cold pelting rain was exhilarating, it had been ages since I had done something like this. She looked up expectantly. So I started to dance, I think.
Then I heard laughter. She was laughing at me!
"You are a bad dancer daddy."
A ridiculous grin was spreading across my face, hearing her say it again.
"Oh really? Let's try it like this."
I picked her up and stated slowly spinning in a circle, kind of like a waltz.
It was there, in the rain I came to the conclusion that Anna was my whole world. I don't know what I would do without her. My little princess.
I looked down at her and smiled. She started to smile back, but her nose wrinkled up and she sneezed instead.
"Okay I think you've been out here long enough, time to go inside."
"Aww, do we have to?"
"Yes we do. After you dry off I'll make you some hot chocolate okay?"
Her face lit up.
"Okay!"
As we went inside, I heard her sneeze again.
If I got her sick, Tony was going to kill me.