Just fluff (Joe, Julian, Aislinn)
Joe lived with his very gay son, his granddaughter, and his son's boyfriend. It was a perfect living situation in his mind, save for the fact that his wife and daughter were no longer with them. But as far as his life was now, he was finally content again.
His son Julian was in his second year at University, studying art and music. While Julian was in class, Joe watched Julian's 3-year-old daughter, Aislinn. Aislinn was was angel, just like her mother was and ever since she turned two, the Littletons had noticed she showed remarkable intelligence for a little girl who had spent most of her first few months in hospital because she had been born several weeks too early.
When Joe was at work at the same time as Julian had classes, Joe had to take Aislinn to work with him. It was just lucky that his boss was Peter Kemp who rather loved children and happily encouraged Joe to bring Aislinn in as long as Peter got to play with her too.
Aislinn was a darling little girl who usually played quietly in a playpen Joe had filled with toys and games to keep her occupied. Occasionally, however, Aislinn liked to talk. And for a three-year-old, she was both amazingly articulate and surprisingly intuitive.
"Granda!" she called to him while Joe was pouring over the accounts. He looked up from his desk to find Aislinn looking at him with a grin, her arms wrapped around herself as she stood in the middle of her playpen.
"Yes, Aislinn?" Joe asked, turning away form the computer to give her his entire concentration.
"You bored," she informed him.
Joe laughed, assuming she meant he was boring, and he stood, moving to scoop her out of the playpen and into his very large arms. "I'm sorry, darling! Do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"No," Aislinn shook her head, looking thoughtful. "Demons today."
"What? Demons?"
"Lotsa demons today," Aislinn nodded. Joe couldn't sense any demons, but not being supernatural, he couldn't sense anything. Aislinn could.
"Ah. Well alright, do you want me to sing to you?"
Aislinn gave him a withering look which made Joe want to laugh out loud. She had a point. The only Littletons with bearable voices were Aislinn's father, and Joe's mother, Lavinia. Everyone else sounded like dying cats wailing when they sang. "Granda no," she said, as if scolding him.
The office door opened and Joe turned to find his son beaming at him. "Hey, dad," Julian said, sweeping in and making the grandest entrance possible when simply entering an office he was in all the time. "Baby girl!" he called to Aislinn.
"DADDY!" Aislinn clapped and when she was in Julian's arms, she kissed him all over his cheek.
Julian laughed and looked up at his father. "Were you boring her to tears?"
"Well I was working, so yes," Joe admitted.
"Granda was going to sing," Aislinn interjected, which made Julian lean back to look her in the face.
"He used to torture me like that when I was little too, I understand completely." They nodded in unison as if sharing some special secret.
"You two are dangerous to a man's ego," Joe went back to sit down, but he was smiling. In front of him were his two favourite people in the world. How could he not smile? "How was your day, Jules?"
"I made excellent points in art theory class and I think the lecturer has a crush on me. Alas, his dreams will be smashed to smithereens when he finds I am taken. Is Damon here?" Julian's boyfriend was a demon who had lived at the hospital for a while when they had been broken up, temporarily it transpired. But he still came back to occasionally visit his friends who still resided in the living portion of the hospital.
"I think he was hanging out with Nicholas and Niles," Joe nodded. "Which will surely lead to no good."
I'd better go fetch him before they plot to run to central London to overthrow a bank or something," Julian said, shaking his head.
"Aislinn said there were a lot of demons today. Take care, okay?"
Julian nodded. "I'll take the outside staircase." Avoiding walking through the treatment part of the hospital was your safest bet not to run into an angry demon on their way to a secure cell. Though in the residential area you did occasionally get a naked werewolf in human form, running around in the nip because she didn't see the point of clothes. "And I have Aislinn to protect me. You'll warn me if we need to go the other way, right, Aislinn?"
"Yes, daddy," Aislinn said, curling her hand in his collar. "Granda don't get very bored," she called back to him.
"Oh," he said, looking at her in amazement. Empathy wasn't exactly something he would have expected of her for years, and yet she was able to understand he had been quite bored of accounts and needed a break. "You meant I was bored. Well, thank you for the distraction, Aislinn."
"YAY!" she said, raising her arms up in the air as Julian carried her out the door.
His family really was extraordinary.
His son Julian was in his second year at University, studying art and music. While Julian was in class, Joe watched Julian's 3-year-old daughter, Aislinn. Aislinn was was angel, just like her mother was and ever since she turned two, the Littletons had noticed she showed remarkable intelligence for a little girl who had spent most of her first few months in hospital because she had been born several weeks too early.
When Joe was at work at the same time as Julian had classes, Joe had to take Aislinn to work with him. It was just lucky that his boss was Peter Kemp who rather loved children and happily encouraged Joe to bring Aislinn in as long as Peter got to play with her too.
Aislinn was a darling little girl who usually played quietly in a playpen Joe had filled with toys and games to keep her occupied. Occasionally, however, Aislinn liked to talk. And for a three-year-old, she was both amazingly articulate and surprisingly intuitive.
"Granda!" she called to him while Joe was pouring over the accounts. He looked up from his desk to find Aislinn looking at him with a grin, her arms wrapped around herself as she stood in the middle of her playpen.
"Yes, Aislinn?" Joe asked, turning away form the computer to give her his entire concentration.
"You bored," she informed him.
Joe laughed, assuming she meant he was boring, and he stood, moving to scoop her out of the playpen and into his very large arms. "I'm sorry, darling! Do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"No," Aislinn shook her head, looking thoughtful. "Demons today."
"What? Demons?"
"Lotsa demons today," Aislinn nodded. Joe couldn't sense any demons, but not being supernatural, he couldn't sense anything. Aislinn could.
"Ah. Well alright, do you want me to sing to you?"
Aislinn gave him a withering look which made Joe want to laugh out loud. She had a point. The only Littletons with bearable voices were Aislinn's father, and Joe's mother, Lavinia. Everyone else sounded like dying cats wailing when they sang. "Granda no," she said, as if scolding him.
The office door opened and Joe turned to find his son beaming at him. "Hey, dad," Julian said, sweeping in and making the grandest entrance possible when simply entering an office he was in all the time. "Baby girl!" he called to Aislinn.
"DADDY!" Aislinn clapped and when she was in Julian's arms, she kissed him all over his cheek.
Julian laughed and looked up at his father. "Were you boring her to tears?"
"Well I was working, so yes," Joe admitted.
"Granda was going to sing," Aislinn interjected, which made Julian lean back to look her in the face.
"He used to torture me like that when I was little too, I understand completely." They nodded in unison as if sharing some special secret.
"You two are dangerous to a man's ego," Joe went back to sit down, but he was smiling. In front of him were his two favourite people in the world. How could he not smile? "How was your day, Jules?"
"I made excellent points in art theory class and I think the lecturer has a crush on me. Alas, his dreams will be smashed to smithereens when he finds I am taken. Is Damon here?" Julian's boyfriend was a demon who had lived at the hospital for a while when they had been broken up, temporarily it transpired. But he still came back to occasionally visit his friends who still resided in the living portion of the hospital.
"I think he was hanging out with Nicholas and Niles," Joe nodded. "Which will surely lead to no good."
I'd better go fetch him before they plot to run to central London to overthrow a bank or something," Julian said, shaking his head.
"Aislinn said there were a lot of demons today. Take care, okay?"
Julian nodded. "I'll take the outside staircase." Avoiding walking through the treatment part of the hospital was your safest bet not to run into an angry demon on their way to a secure cell. Though in the residential area you did occasionally get a naked werewolf in human form, running around in the nip because she didn't see the point of clothes. "And I have Aislinn to protect me. You'll warn me if we need to go the other way, right, Aislinn?"
"Yes, daddy," Aislinn said, curling her hand in his collar. "Granda don't get very bored," she called back to him.
"Oh," he said, looking at her in amazement. Empathy wasn't exactly something he would have expected of her for years, and yet she was able to understand he had been quite bored of accounts and needed a break. "You meant I was bored. Well, thank you for the distraction, Aislinn."
"YAY!" she said, raising her arms up in the air as Julian carried her out the door.
His family really was extraordinary.