Myshuno! 24: Stargazing
Prompt: Stargazing
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 516
Notes: This contains SPOILERS for Liam's BC, including who the winner is. So, seriously, DO NOT read unless you already know! Also, this makes Blackout! I will make a post with my card and links to all ficlets in a bit. Edit: list is here.
"Daddy, what are you doing?"
Liam tilted his head back to see his daughter standing behind him. "We're stargazing, Kathy."
Rissa, who was lying in Liam's arms, looked up as well. "D'you want to join us?" Liam tilted his head at her and she shrugged. "Might as well get her started on her science education early."
Kathy, meanwhile, plopped down on the ground on the other side of her father. "What stars are you looking at?"
Rissa pointed at almost the middle of the sky. "Right in the middle of the sky, see that group of stars that looks like a rectangle?"
Kathy lay down and looked up. "It's got lines of stars coming out a couple of the corners."
"Yeah. That's Ursa Major, the Big Dipper."
"Oh! With the bright line of stars! That's the handle part of the dipper!"
Liam turned his head toward her and smiled. "It is. If you look at the scoop end of the dipper - follow the line from the bottom right corner to the top right corner, and keep going up. What do you see?"
Kathy tilted her head. "Is that another dipper?"
"Yes, that's Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper."
"The star at the end of the handle is called Polaris, Kathy. That's the North Star," Rissa said, pointing at it. "A long time ago, navigators used the North Star to help figure out where they were."
"They didn't just use GPS?"
Liam grinned. "It was a long time before GPS."
They lay back for a while, looking at all the stars in the sky. Kathy built her lip, then turned back to Liam and Rissa. "Daddy, which star am I from?"
"What?"
"Anne asked me at school which star I was from, and Molly was curious too. I didn't know."
Liam smiled sadly. "I don't know what star you're from, Kathy. I don't really remember being abducted, and I think it was into a spaceship anyway, not onto a planet. But you're mine, and that's what matters." He held out an arm and Kathy snuggled into his side. "I don't know who your other parent is, and I don't care. All I care about is that you're the most special little girl there is. I love you, Kathy."
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Kathy!" The cry came from the door to the house, and all three of them looked up to see Caleb standing there, waving madly. "Do you want to play cops and robbers?"
"Okay!" Kathy stood up and looked down at her father and his girlfriend. "And I love you too, Rissa." She leaned down and hugged the shocked woman, then ran back into the house. "I wanna be the cop, Caleb!"
The couple lay in silence for a moment. "She loves me?" Rissa asked.
"I guess so. I'm glad."
"I ain't good with children, Liam. Why the hell does she love me?"
"Because Kathy loves everybody, and because I love you. And you may not be good with kids, but you've been trying. I'm glad she does."
Rissa smiled. "Y'know what? I am too."
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 516
Notes: This contains SPOILERS for Liam's BC, including who the winner is. So, seriously, DO NOT read unless you already know! Also, this makes Blackout! I will make a post with my card and links to all ficlets in a bit. Edit: list is here.
"Daddy, what are you doing?"
Liam tilted his head back to see his daughter standing behind him. "We're stargazing, Kathy."
Rissa, who was lying in Liam's arms, looked up as well. "D'you want to join us?" Liam tilted his head at her and she shrugged. "Might as well get her started on her science education early."
Kathy, meanwhile, plopped down on the ground on the other side of her father. "What stars are you looking at?"
Rissa pointed at almost the middle of the sky. "Right in the middle of the sky, see that group of stars that looks like a rectangle?"
Kathy lay down and looked up. "It's got lines of stars coming out a couple of the corners."
"Yeah. That's Ursa Major, the Big Dipper."
"Oh! With the bright line of stars! That's the handle part of the dipper!"
Liam turned his head toward her and smiled. "It is. If you look at the scoop end of the dipper - follow the line from the bottom right corner to the top right corner, and keep going up. What do you see?"
Kathy tilted her head. "Is that another dipper?"
"Yes, that's Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper."
"The star at the end of the handle is called Polaris, Kathy. That's the North Star," Rissa said, pointing at it. "A long time ago, navigators used the North Star to help figure out where they were."
"They didn't just use GPS?"
Liam grinned. "It was a long time before GPS."
They lay back for a while, looking at all the stars in the sky. Kathy built her lip, then turned back to Liam and Rissa. "Daddy, which star am I from?"
"What?"
"Anne asked me at school which star I was from, and Molly was curious too. I didn't know."
Liam smiled sadly. "I don't know what star you're from, Kathy. I don't really remember being abducted, and I think it was into a spaceship anyway, not onto a planet. But you're mine, and that's what matters." He held out an arm and Kathy snuggled into his side. "I don't know who your other parent is, and I don't care. All I care about is that you're the most special little girl there is. I love you, Kathy."
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Kathy!" The cry came from the door to the house, and all three of them looked up to see Caleb standing there, waving madly. "Do you want to play cops and robbers?"
"Okay!" Kathy stood up and looked down at her father and his girlfriend. "And I love you too, Rissa." She leaned down and hugged the shocked woman, then ran back into the house. "I wanna be the cop, Caleb!"
The couple lay in silence for a moment. "She loves me?" Rissa asked.
"I guess so. I'm glad."
"I ain't good with children, Liam. Why the hell does she love me?"
"Because Kathy loves everybody, and because I love you. And you may not be good with kids, but you've been trying. I'm glad she does."
Rissa smiled. "Y'know what? I am too."