A/N: Hey, here's another little story I wrote. This one was an exercise I had to do in Creative Writing. Basically, we had to use cliche's in the story. I decided to delve into my Time After Time cast and after a mixup with the parents (Annie's Parents are not Charlie and Samantha) I came up with this. Hope it's a bit of fluff for those of you PKers who really need some ;)
Charlie leaned back in his office chair and stretched for what seemed an eternity. With bleary eyes, he turned his attention from the ledgers on his desk to the crystal blue skies that were calling his name, beckoning him to forget about work and enjoy a lazy summer afternoon basking in the sun. He sighed when he looked to his neighbor's garden to find that Mr. Allen was doing just that, leaning back in hammock and sipping from a glass of chilled lemonade.
"Still think the grass is greener on the other side?" Samantha's voice floated teasingly from behind him and Charlie let out a snort of laughter.
"I'm just bloody fed up with all this work," he said as he rubbed his eyes and accepted the cup of tea and biscuits his wife offered him. A mischievous grin broke across his face and in the blink of an eye he'd pulled Samantha into his lap.
"Oi, let's not put the cart before the horse, Love," she said after a quick kiss. "Remember our deal?"
"Right, right, work before pleasure this weekend," Charlie droned dutifully but the smile was still firmly in place. "But we said nothing about breaks..."
Samantha smiled wickedly at him and slid off his lap. "Later, Love, after you've finished catching up on your office work."
Charlie pouted playfully but couldn't hold his quivering lip in the onslaught of his wife's giggles. With a resigned sigh, he turned back to the financial legacy his company's previous accountant left behind. The sound of shattering glass and a little girl's crying pulled him from his task once again.
"It's all right, Charlie, Annie's dropped her glass!" Samantha yelled from downstairs. A few moments later she was back in the room with Annie in tow.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," she stuttered between sobs, "but Bernie the Dragon was thirsty. I didn't mean to drop the glass."
Charlie looked at his five-year-old daughter and the plush dragon that she carried with her everywhere. He'd won it for her when the carnival had passed through a few years ago and Annie treated it as if the dragon were her best mate. Most little girls would covet a prized doll or plush bear but not his Annie. He smiled in the way that all fathers smile at their daughters-when a comforting smile is needed-and he held out his arms to offer the hug he knew she wanted. Annie nearly fell into her father's arms and hugged him as tightly as she could, the plush dragon squashed between them.
"There's no use in crying over split milk, Pumpkin," Charlie whispered.
"But Bernie was so thirsty," Annie whimpered. "He says it helps him breathe fire better..."
"I'm sure your dragon can start with a new glass, Button," Samantha said and rubbed Annie's back. "Just use a plastic cup this time."
"Ok, Mummy," Annie said and stifled a sniffle. She smiled and left her parents behind in her father's study.
"I told you they wouldn't be mad," a low grumbling voice said as Annie filled a plastic cup with more milk.
"You were right, Bernie," Annie said and handed the plastic cup to her best mate.
"Aren't I always?" the dragon asked with his infuriating air of superiority. "It's like I've always said: 'Every cloud has a silver lining.'"
A/N Part Deux: Just so you know, I have decided that whatever JKR decides to do is fine with me, I'm going to continue down the path of mutual respect, understanding, and love that I have enjoyed over the past two years with Harry and Hermione at the helm. I don't understand what she did with the last book, but I'm pretty sure it was a mistake. Look for updates sometime, I promise that!