Author's Note: At last, there may be a bit of Graire that will please even the Grary fans! I finally figured out what it is about Gray that makes me love him so dearly. He's just like my dad! They share the same attitude and everything! He even wears an old baseball cap on a regular basis, and when my dad gets embarrassed, he pulls the bill over his eyes! XD
In a tribute to my dad, this episode is more or less an actual event from my childhood! Please enjoy!
--
Say What?
"Alice, where are you?" he called as he stepped into the house. She was almost always waiting for him when he came home, but today she was noticeably absent from her usual post. He searched for her with his eyes as he unzipped his full-body car-hart suit. However, his young daughter eluded his sight, but just as he was about to decide she wasn't home, he happened to look down.
"Son-of-a-bitch!"
Two brilliant blue eyes, which he could've sworn (and in fact, did) hadn't been there before gazed up at him curiously. The child's long blonde hair had been held back by a thin black headband, and no a strand was out of place. She was wearing her favorite, blue dress with her knee-high stockings and Mary-Jane shoes as well. Alice looked very much the part of the little girl who tumbled down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. It had actually been the whole point on his wife's part, unbeknownst to him. After all, she had learned from Mary that it'd been his most cherished childhood favorite.
"Papa?" his child asked sweetly, her features still uncertain.
"It's nothing, baby doll," he assured her, taking off his baseball cap to run his fingers through his own blonde hair. Her mother had scolded him numerous times to watch his mouth around their impressionable daughter, but he kept slipping up. Ah hell, what could the kid know anyway? "Did Mama give you a bath before she left?"
"Nuh-uh. Mama said it's your turn."
Dammit, Claire, he thought half-heartedly. Gray had never been good with the whole bath ordeal. It stressed him out to no end. What if she slipped and cracked her head on the tub? What he feared the most, though, was Alice drowning, and it would continue to terrify him until he was absolutely sure she wouldn't. The girl's mother always told him he was being paranoid, but he was sticking with his gut on this one. No need to risk it...
"Are you gonna take one with me, Papa?" she asked happily. Alice certainly hoped so because maybe then he'd put more water in for her bath. Whenever her father filled the tub, he only put enough to cover the bottom, and that wasn't any fun. She needed more water to have more bubbles, after all!
Guiding her to the bathroom at the far end of their home, he laughed which surprised his daughter since he rarely ever did. Maybe a chuckle here or there when her mama did something silly like went out to water the plants when it was raining, but he never laughed.
"You wouldn't want to see Papa like that," he told her, still snickering at the thought.
"But Mama likes it," the little girl protested, giving him a childish pout. He just stared, his blue eyes fixated on her own, while his face became a lovely shade of red. Why couldn't she find a color like that in her crayon box?
"Wh-What?! When did-"
"Last night," she informed him matter-of-factly. "Mama said I'd wake up, but you kept sayin' I was sleepin'."
He pulled his hat over his eyes in nothing short of pure humiliation. Just how much had she listened into that night? To be fair... Clare did warn him Alice was awake, but... well... Maybe he was too eager at times...
--
"Papa, are we goin' to see Miss Mary?"
"No, not today. Your mama wanted me to do some shopping for us," the young blacksmith informed his daughter, still not wanting to make any kind of eye contact. He could imagine she was gazing up at him, though, while she tried to figure out exactly what she'd done wrong. He tried to give her a slight smile, but he was certain it was more of a cringe. "You want on my back?"
"Please!" she squealed, tugging on the sleeve of his dark yellow dress shirt. He probably should've changed into something more casual, but at least he'd gotten that blasted tie off. Why did Gramps insist he wear these kind of things under his working clothes to begin with? It was uncomfortable at best, but it also didn't serve any damn purpose that he could see.
Hoisting her up over his shoulders, he relaxed some. He liked walking with her this way better although he wasn't sure why. Besides, it always made Alice happy, and really, wasn't that all that mattered?
--
"Thanks, Karen. I think that's going to be it for us. Come on, Alice," her father motioned for her to head towards the door. However, she was still staring at the display of chocolate bars by the register, and he noticed she was going to reach for one. "I told you no," he reminded her sternly. Why did her mother insist on getting her a goodie every time the family had shopping to do?
She spun around and gave him an ugly look, much like the ones he gave his grandfather every now and again, but then she turned to the young woman at the counter. Her eyes got large and she jutted out her lower lip just a bit. He figured that'd be it, but then... she opened her small mouth.
"Miss Lady," the child began, her eyes brimming with tears, "My papa doesn't ever let me have anything to eat..." The shopkeeper's daughter shot him a sharp look which meant she was actually buying this act. What the fuck? Anyone could tell he was a good father!
"Wait a damn-" he tried to cut the demon child off, his cheeks turning scarlet as he realized what his little devil was cooking up in her mind.
"He never feeds us, neither..." she continued, a few large tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so very hungry, Miss Lady..."
Before Gray could even get a word in edgewise, Karen leveled him with a heavy glare, her emerald eyes filled with disgust. He was about to defend himself as a father when the woman glanced back down at the child and smiled. "Here you go, honey. This one's on the house."
Just when they had left, Alice merrily began to nibble on her prize as she gazed up at her slightly perturbed papa. No matter how stormy he looked under his UMA hat, she still smiled. "Where we goin' now, Papa?" she chirped, all smiles.
"Home, you little actress!" he snarled, dragging her along with his free hand. Goddess be damned... She's gonna be one hell of a temptress when she gets older... He was absolutely sure of it, and he wasn't exactly pleased to know it, either. Where did he mess up? No, she had to have learned it from her mother... Yeah, that was it. He hadn't done anything to deserve this except maybe marry the wrong blasted woman...
Alice trotted obediently behind, her small features screwed into confusion. What was his problem?
--
After a unnecessarily frustrating afternoon, the young man was grateful to be home at last. He hadn't spoken a word to his daughter since the incident, but luckily his wife would be back soon. He'd had his share of parental duties for one day, and in his mind, it was Claire's turn to deal with the brat. As it stood, he had enough family problems with Gramps to deal with this shit.
Nearly right after he had worked out that thought, a blonde woman in blue overalls wandered inside, happy as a jay bird. She smiled, ignoring her sour husband at the table, and held Alice in her arms. "So was my little angel good for Papa while I was gone?"
He snorted, "'Angel,' my ass..."
"Gray! I told you to watch you're mouth!" his wife spat while her blue eyes bit into him. "What if she started to repeat those things?"
"She doesn't even know what they mean, Claire," he told her, rolling his own blue eyes.
"Children pick up more than you give them credit for," she retorted, picking their child up and setting her down by the bookcase. "Here, Alice, you can pick out a story for Papa to read to you while I go fix dinner. Okay?"
"Yes, Mama," the little girl replied. Gray swore to the Goddess he saw a devilish grin on his daughter's face, but she was quick to turn away before he could tell for certain. Just what was she planning on now?
After a short while, he figured his daughter wasn't up to any real mischief, and he stepped into the kitchen to see if he could "help" his wife. She was trying to frown as she began to fill a small pot with noodles, but he knew she wouldn't keep it up for long. He slipped out of his steel-toed boots, cleverly sneaking up behind her. As he wrapped a secure arm around her waist, Claire gave a yelp of surprise. He merely chuckled, nuzzling into her neck. She really was so cute when she was miffed at him...
Suddenly, a cascade of sound, much like thunder, brought the couple out of their special moment. There, spilled out in a pool in front of the newly emptied shelves, books were scattered at the child's feet. Alice didn't move out of her pure shock until she gazed up at her parents with wide eyes. Her father caught a flicker of victory in her blue orbs, and when she opened her open to speak, Gray knew he saw her give him a wicked grin.
"Son-of-a-bitch!"
Although he wasn't certain for his daughter; Claire being "miffed" wasn't going to be that cute when she was done with her husband over this episode. He was sure of that much...
--
Final Author's Note: My dad just loves to tell stories about that one day. I'm always being told by my family members how I would be really good for a very long time, and then I'd make up for it by being out-and-out rotten for an entire day. Hey, if that's what made my dad and I best friends like we are today, I can't say I regret it! XD