1. Lions by EmilyHalpert
2. Cars by EmilyHalpert
3. Akimbo by EmilyHalpert
4. Snow by EmilyHalpert
5. Clouds by EmilyHalpert
6. Rain by EmilyHalpert
7. College by EmilyHalpert
8. Airport by EmilyHalpert
9. Only? by EmilyHalpert
10. Lucky by EmilyHalpert
This chapter was inspired by my own little Care Bear, who called me mommy for the first time tonight. “My heart is very full.”
This chapter isn’t betaed, but the rest will be. I just wanted to get this one out here.Jim awoke with the soft pitter-patter of little feet. 2:48 the clock glared from the wall.
“Daddy?” a tiny voice whimpered.
Jim got up, going to the voice. “What’s wrong, Care Bear?” he asked, picking her up.
“I… I had a bad dweam,” the girl cried, burying her head into his shoulder.
Jim walked slowly back to her room, rubbing her back gently. “It’s okay girly. It’ll be alright.”
“I was scawed.”
“Aww, what happened, Littles?” Jim asked, settling down in the rocking chair.
“Lions. They scawed me.”
“Yeah, lions are scary.” Jim’s voice was soft as he comforted his girl.
“You get scawed daddy?”
“Yeah, daddies can get scared. But you know what?”
“What?”
“I will never, ever let anything happen to you. Never ever.”
“Pwomise?”
“Promise.” Jim slowly rocked the girl back to sleep. These were the moments he treasured – just him and Claire, alone and peaceful. Minutes later, he heard Claire breathing rhythmically, asleep. Giving her a light kiss on the head, he tucked her back into her bed. “Night, my sweet girl.”
A/N: Obviously, these chapters don’t go in any sort of chronological order. This chapter is dedicated to my dad – for nights like this and so much more.
(thanks to Miss Daisy for the beta for this and more chapters)
“Oh, come on Claires. Just go to sleep.” Jim held the screaming infant, trying to calm her down, but no such luck. Jim silently cursed Pam, who had gone to New York for an art conference, and left him at home with the colicky baby. He had tried everything to stop the crying. It broke his heart that his little girl was in pain, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Jim fell exhausted into a chair, with Claire still crying. “Okay, Littles. Let’s just look out the window now. Look at all the cars.”
Slowly, Claire’s screams died down into whimpers as she watched the headlights zoom past. Jim grew grateful for the road. When they had purchased the house, they hadn’t realized just how close it was to the interstate, and had complained about the constant noise ever since. But as Jim watched his little girl, he realized there were worse noises than the constant drone of the highway.
The next few nights were more of the same. As soon as it was dark enough, Jim settled in with Claire by the widow. The headlights held their magic. Hours would pass, and Claire would drift slowly to sleep. This was their time – their fist father-daughter bonding activity.
“Next time, Care Bear, let’s do something with a little less screaming,” he whispered to the sleeping girl.“Amy was asked, but Jo was not, which was fortunate for all parties, as her elbows were decidedly akimbo at this period of her life, and it took a good many hard knocks to teach her how to get on easily,” Jim read to Claire, who was sprawled out on the couch, trying to build a fort with the cushions. It had started with a comment from Pam – how she treasured the nights her father read to her. So, everyday, Jim started reading some classics to Claire. They had already read Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, and were now working on Little Women. Jim knew the eight year old wasn’t always into it, but, still, everyday they read.
“Daddy? What’s akimbo?” came a voice from behind the cushions.
“Care Bear, what do we do when we don’t know a word?”
“Look it up…” Claire sighed and climbed out of her fort. “How do you spell it?”
“Sound it out. A-Kim-Bow.”
Claire flipped the pages of the dictionary, trying to find the word. “A.. Kim… A-k… A-k-i-m… here it is… having the hand on the hip and the elbow turned outward. Oh, like this,” Claire demonstrates.
“Yep, sweetie. Your arms are akimbo.” Jim smiles at his daughter, prancing around, proud of her new knowledge.
Claire runs to the bottom of the stairs, “Mommy! My arms are akimbo!”
“What?” Pam calls down, confused.
“Akimbo! See, my arms are like this. Hands on hip, elbows out!” Claire exaggerates the position of her arms for her mom’s affect.
“Um, great honey!”
Claire runs back to the living room, and climbs back into her fort. “Okay, go on daddy.”
“Amy was asked, but Jo was not, which was fortunate for all parties, as her elbows were decidedly akimbo at this period of her life, and it took a good many hard knocks to teach her how to get on easily. The ‘haughty, uninteresting creature’ was let severely alone…”
No joke. I have my own copy of Little Women that my dad read me when I was little, and it still has the word akimbo highlighted. This scene is nearly exactly what happened daily in my house. Reading classics, looking up words, building forts, etc.
I just started reading Little Women to my Katie Bear. So, good times. Full circle. Except for the fact I am not her dad, I am not related to her at all, etc.“Care bear, wake up!” Jim shook the sleeping girl’s shoulders. “It’s snowing Clairey, snowing!”
“Nowing?” Claire said sleepily.
“Let’s go!” Jim picks up Claire, who is still a bit groggy.
“Go where? It’s nighttime.”
“Outside. It’s snowing, Claires, and we don’t miss the first snow fall in this house.”
“Jim! Jackets!” Pam called, still in bed. She enjoyed snow as much as the next person, but running outside at 3 a.m. just too look at snow was beyond her.
“Mommy doesn’t understand,” Jim told Claire, putting her jacket on over her pajamas.
Jim picked Claire back up, and they stood outside on the porch, staring at the snow swirling down around them.
“Daddy?” Claire whispered.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Is this magic?”
“It is with you.”
A/N: More inspiration from my Care Bear and Katie Bear. Oh, and if anyone didn’t know by now, they are my babysitting charges. Yes, I call them mine. Hey, they call me mommy, it works. But if you go from the kids I call mine, I would have 7+ children. And my car looks like I have twelve. So whatever.
AND: Everyone, after reading this, call up your dad and tell him you love him. Seriously, do. Or else I will come after you. With a giant bunny rabbit. And that is supposed to frighten you. So, call. Now.
(thanks to Miss Daisy and WildBerryJam for the beta for this and more chapters)
“Look dad! A rabbit!”
“A dog, do you see it Claires?”
Jim and Claire were laying in their back yard; just watching the clouds float by.
“I wish we could live in the clouds, don’t you daddy?”
“What would it be like, Care Bear?”
“I dunno. We could bounce around; like we were always on those moon bounces. And we could eat them”
Jim laughs, “And what do clouds taste like?”
“Cotton Candy, of course.”
“Sounds perfect. Could we live in that castle over there?” Jim points to a new cloud floating into view.
“Yep. And we would live happily ever after, just like in a fairy tale.”
“What about when it rains?”
“It would be under us.”
“Would we fall out with the rain?”
“Daddy!”
“It’s raining” Claire whined.
“We can still play something.”
“But it’s raining!”
Jim dug out an old pair of sandals for him and found some old boots for Claire. “Here, Care Bear. Put these on.”
Claire looked suspiciously at the boots, but put them on. She long ago learned when her dad was up to something, and was always willing to participate.
Jim led Claire outside. The main part of the storm had past, leaving just light rain and a lot of puddles. Jim quickly jumped into the closest one, splashing Claire in the process.
“Daddy! Now I am all wet!”
“That’s the point, girly. Splash away.”
Claire jumped into the puddle with Jim, soaking him also. The two of them ran around, jumping in every puddle. Over a half hour later, they returned home, both soaking wet and exhausted.A/N: A big jump in time. I told you these didn’t go in any order. At first I was just going to keep them all the same childhood thing, but then, getting depressed made me realize how many special father daughter moments there are when you grow up. Hence, this chapter. And I will totally admit, some of these chapters that take place when she is older (I have at least two more planned) do take on a slightly sadder tone. Just warning you.
Jim carried the last box into the room. “Sheesh, Claire. Did you pack enough stuff?”
“I need all of this! I am at college now.”
“So, college girls need their teddy bears?” Jim teased, picking up the bear lying on top of the boxes.
“Dad!” Claire embarrassedly grabbed the bear and stuffed it in a box. “There are guys around. I don’t want them to see Clunkers!”
“Okay, Claires…” Jim pauses, looking around the room. “I guess that’s it. I have to start heading home.”
“Now?” Claire’s voice was sad, even though she was trying to remain strong.
“It’s a five hour drive,” Jim’s voice was breaking. “I mean, you could have gone to college in Scranton, but no, you had to go to big, fancy art school in New York.” Jim’s joke fell flat as he saw his daughter’s face. “It’ll be okay, Care Bear. I promise. You will do great, and we will visit you so much you will see us more now than you did at home.” Jim pulls her in close for a hug. “I promise, Claire. I promise.” Jim kisses the top of her head before leaving. “Bye, Claires.”
Okay, so not sure with distances to big fancy art schools. And there was actually going to be a bit more to this scene, but I decided to end it there.
Anyways, I will admit I got teary eyed while writing this, for a different reason than Jim and Claire. But still.
Also, small Friends reference. Bonus points if you catch it. I think it is insanely obvious.“Mommy, is he here yet? Is he here yet?” Claire was running ahead, pulling Pam along with her.
“Claire! Stop pulling. His flight just landed, he is probably still on the plane.”
Jim had been at a conference for the whole week, and it was the first time Claire had ever been a night without her daddy. Even though they talked nightly, Claire couldn’t wait for the plane to land, so she could see him again.
Pam found an empty seat, and sat down exhausted. She tried to make Claire sit down with her, but Claire kept jumping up and running around, trying to see Jim as fast as she could.
“Daddy!” Claire screamed, startling everyone around. She quickly ran up to him and Jim picked her up and wrapped her in a giant hug.
“Care Bear! I missed you!”
“Daddy! You can never go away again. Never ever ever!” Claire leaned close to his ear. “Mommy doesn’t do the voices as good as you.”
“Oh, she doesn’t? Well, that settles it. I will never leave ever again. Besides, I missed you too much! I couldn’t bear to be away another second.”
“Good. ‘Cause I don’t want you to go anywhere. ‘Cept home!”
“Claire, me and daddy have something important to tell you,” Pam says to the squirming girl.
“Am I in trouble?” The little girl’s face was breaking; terrified she had done something wrong.
“No! No, Claires. This is something good!” Jim quickly comforts his little girl. “In a few months, you are going to have a new baby brother or sister!”
“A new baby?” Claire asks, confused. She holds up her doll, as if to ask for confirmation.
“Yeah, sweetie. A new baby, just like Sara there,” Pam explains.
“Oh.” Claire still looks a bit sad and confused.
“What’s wrong, Clairey? Aren’t you excited about the new baby?” Jim picks Claire up and sits her in his lap.
Claire looks up, tears glistening in her eyes. “Will you still love me when the new baby is here?” she asks softly.
“Oh, Care Bear. Your mom and me will love you forever and ever. We could have twenty kids, and you would still be our only little care bear.”
“Forever and ever?”
“Forever and ever.”
A/N: My little Katie found her old pet snake quite mangled today in the bushes. It was a scream heard round the world. As I comforted her, I thought of a story idea. (and I have no idea how her old pet wound up outside... I didn't think that was the time to ask)
And, Nick is Claire’s brother, from the last chapter.“Hey,” Jim came in, giving Pam and Nicky a kiss. “Where’s Care Bear?” Usually Claire was running out to greet him as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Lucky died,” Pam explained. “She’s been upstairs crying all afternoon. She won’t leave her room.”
Jim dropped off his bag, and climbed up the stairs as quickly as he could. Knocking on Claire’s door, he entered quietly. “Hey Clairey,” he said softly. “What’s wrong?” He sat down, and pulled her into his lap.
“Lucky died.” Claire started crying again. “He was fine when I went to school. I petted him just like I did every morning. And when I came back, he was just lying there. He died, daddy. He died.”
“Oh, Claires, I am so sorry.” Jim knew that hamster meant everything to Claire. It was her first pet that was all her own. Sure they had the family dog, but Lucky was hers. She chose him (he had the best brown and white spotted pattern she had explained); she cleaned his cage, fed him, and changed his water. Lucky was her world.
“Daddy, why did he die? He had food, and water. And his cage wasn’t dirty. I was doing everything I was supposed to, I promise.”
“Oh, Claire. Sometimes animals just die. You’ve had him a while, maybe he just was too old.”
“He was only a year old, daddy! He wasn’t old. He shouldn’t have died.”
“I know, Claires. I know. Sometimes, they just die. Even when you do everything right. He may have been sick. Maybe now he is feeling better.”
“But I feel worse.”
Jim tightened his hug on his little girl, and wished he could make the pain go away.
I don’t think I ever had that extreme of a reaction when I pet died of mine, but I will say, just thinking about my dog dying right now, it nearly causes the same reaction.
Also, I am making this story as complete, but I will add onto it as I know when… but since it is all stand alone, and I don’t necessarily know when I will run out of inspiration, once I write it all that I have planned now… it will be complete. With the possibilities of more chapters.