AN: 200 reviews! I've never gotten such a response on any work before! I'm so glad to see that my work and crazy ideas are enjoyed!

Jess sat up in her bed and stared across the room quietly. She pulled the little red plush car from beside her pillow and hugged it to her chest, resting her chin on it as she continued to stare at the door.

She'd been told she had a great imagination but she knew this was not something she was making up. She wasn't dreaming and she'd spend all night staring at that door to prove it. She'd waited, hoping her parents were asleep before turning on the little shepherdess lamp on her nightstand, and flooding the room with soft light. Her stake out had started nearly two hours ago.

She fought to keep her eyes open and would jerk awake every time they fluttered closed and she'd start to lean forward against the stuffed toy she held. Finally she heard the door knob click and sat up straight, half afraid that her door to the hallway would open and her mom or dad would yell at her for still being awake.

"Oh good, you're awake. That makes things easier."

Jess blinked a few times before hugging the car again. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react.

"You're not scary-"

"Ohhhhh, it was established a long time ago that I am not scary, kid."

"Does that bother you?"

"What's with the existentialism from a five year old?"

"Exe-...well does it? I was always told monsters were supposed to be scary."

"Touche, my dear." He conceded, jumping up on to her desk. "But lucky for me, laughter is much more powerful and I'm one of the funniest monsters around. So I win in the end."

She giggled, having no idea what he was talking about but she liked how fast he talked and how he looked like a little beach ball.

"I'm Jess."

He knew that, it was on the roster buried somewhere in with paperwork that he still hadn't filed. Her expectant expression forced him to introduce himself.

"Mike Wazowski."

She couldn't pronounce it and after the third time he cut her off.

"Let's just settle on Mike, shall we?"

She giggled again. It wasn't breaking any records with the can wranglers but he'd already met his quota for the night so he figured he could take a break. He plopped on to the edge of the desk and leaned an arm against the window sill. Usually there was at least an element of surprise when a child woke up so he was thrown from his usual routine. She seemed more intent on an actual conversation anyway.

"I knew I wasn't dreaming." She stated proudly and nodded once while picking at a loose thread on the Rust-eze plush. She suddenly remembered her mom telling her to be careful with it and stopped. It was special to Mommy so she had to make sure nothing happened to it. "I was gunna stay up all night if I had to."

"Well you see there was a problem with the door, you got bumped down the list."

"-even though Daddy has a race tomorrow."

"A race huh? What kind of race."

"Cars. He's Aunt Cruz's crew chief, but sometimes he races too. Only sometimes, though."

"Oh yeah? I gotta car. I gotta really nice car."

"Daddy's is better."

"Oh I dunno-" Mike gestured dramatically. "It'd have to be really nice to beat mine."

"I know lots of cars that could beat your car." Jess challenged.

"You haven't even seen my car."

"I don't have to."

He made a face, impressed. "Gotta give you credit kid. Not many your age are so confident."

He couldn't count the amount of children that were too shy to utter a word. Some barely even cracked a grin.

Jess was startled by the sound of her colored pencils rolling off her desk as her door opened. She looked at her father with wide eyes.

"What are you doing up?" Lightning glanced about the room and back to where Jess was still on the bed. He could tell she'd never even been to sleep, she was too alert.

"Waiting for monsters..."

"Waiting for monsters." He repeated airily. She didn't seem distressed so he wasn't sure how to react. Stepping in to the room he sat on the edge of her bed.

"You need to sleep, Kiddo. I don't want you being crabby tomorrow."

"I won't be."

He raised a brow. "I dunno, you're the princess of crabby when you don't get your sleep. I wonder where you get it sometimes."

"I won't be." She repeated earnestly. "Even if I'm tired."

"Promise?" He held his hand out to make a pinky promise.

"Promise." She wrapped her tiny finger around his and giggled when he pulled her in to his arms and hugged her.

"You're getting so big. What's Daddy gunna do when he can't carry you anymore?"

"I dunno." She smiled.

"Neither do I." He kissed the top of her head. "You need to stop getting any older."

"But then I'll never learn to drive."

"That would be ok."

She pouted up at him before yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I thought you weren't tired."

"I'm not."

"So argumentative." He huffed. "And only at five years old."

"What's arguman'ative?"

"Argumentative, Sweetheart, and it just means you say the opposite of whatever I say."

"Oh."

He grinned at her. She really wasn't very big for her age. They'd been told she should go through a growth spurt soon but it hadn't happened yet. That was alright with him. If it meant there was still some time to cuddle her in his arms like this then so be it. Brushing her hair back from her forehead, he planted a kiss on her brow and turned to return her back to bed.

"No being crabby tomorrow."

"Yes, Daddy."

He tucked her in and turned the lamp off. "Goodnight, Kiddo."

"Goodnight, Daddy. Love you."

"I love you." He touched the end of her nose with a finger. "More than you know."

She smiled and turned on to her side, pulling the covers over her shoulder as he left.

Lightning turned to look at her once before closing the door. It would be interesting to see how tomorrow went.

Jess waited a few seconds before sitting up in the dark, seeing a little figure climb out of the clothes hamper.

"Well." Mike said, brushing invisible dirt from his arms. "That hasn't happened in a while."

"I have to sleep."

"So I heard."

She yawned again as she got comfortable. "Goodnight."

Boy, when the kid was done she was done.

He crept back to the closet door quietly and offered a quiet goodnight before disappearing.

"She keeps saying there're monsters."

"Huh." Cruz shrugged a shoulder. "If she doesn't seem upset then I wouldn't worry too much about it yet."

Their conversation ended abruptly as the little girl came flying down the hall.

"Aunt Cruz! Aunt Cruz!" She bounced to a stop in front of her. "Can you help me choose what to wear to the race today?"

"By choose, she means get it down from where it's hanging."

Cruz raised a brow at the explanation but was forced to turn her attention to the little girl. "I would love to, Miss Jess. Lead on."

They weren't gone very long before Miss Speed McQueen returned in her bright yellow and blue Dinoco shirt, speaking so quickly Lightning had to concentrate on her words. "Mommy has to do my hair because Daddy can't."

"I can't braid." He shrugged.

"Or make a ponytail-"

"Jess." He frowned, he wasn't totally incapable.

"It's true, and Mommy says to never lie."

"That is something Mommy says." Sally appeared and rounded the girl up, hair brush and hairties in hand.

Lightning watched the pair leave before turning back to Cruz. "I told her she couldn't be crabby today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He slapped her shoulder. "So don't lose this race."

AN2: I like throwing little references in here and there at times. The only one anyone has ever caught (or at least mentioned to me) is the Monsters Inc reference :)