Once Upon A Time
Title: Once Upon A Time
Universe: That Damn MPreg
Rating: G
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a princess...
Ted closed the door to the strangely silent apartment and turned to face his companion, who was sprawled on the floor. "Well, looks like it's just you and me tonight, Princess."
Rebecca looked up from her Fantastic Four coloring book and nodded soberly.
Will was on duty tonight, and Molly was watching Bobby and Jeff while Ted dealt with the effects of his latest foray into parenthood with a little peace and quiet.
Ted hunkered down on the carpet next to his daughter and lay back, turning his head to grin at the little girl as she made Reed Richards' hair a shade of green not found in nature. Rebecca studied him with all the gravity a five year old could muster (roughly equal to that of a fully grown mountain gorilla). Slowly, she licked her thumb and tried to rub off the words Will had scrawled across his forehead just before they had met with Kl'rt. "Why does Papa get to write on you?"
"Your Papa is a funny man," Ted said gently, gazing up into his daughter's grey-blue eyes.
"Why doesn't he like Uncle Kl'rt?"
Ted hesitated. "It's a long story, Princess."
Rebecca climbed onto his chest, resting her chin on his breastbone. "I like stories," she pointed out. She had that look on her face that told Ted that she wasn't going to let this drop.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Ted sat up, shifting Rebecca to his lap. "Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a princess."
"I thought this was a story about Uncle Kl'rt."
"It's a story about a lot of people. This is important exposition. Anyway, the princess' kingdom had been at war, for a very long time. There was a knight in her father's service who tried to win her hand by capturing a knight from the kingdom they were at war with to show how powerful he was. But the princess fell in love with the knight from the other kingdom, and the first knight, seeing how in love they were, helped them escape by pretending to be the enemy knight."
Rebecca looked up at her father, her eyes taking on a distant look as she processed what he was saying. "Go on," she said when he paused.
"Well, the princess and the knight were very much in love, and they had a baby."
"Did the baby come from an egg?"
"Yes he did. Anyway, the princess' father was not a nice man, and he wanted the baby killed. So the princess gave her son to a good woman, who took him to another kingdom, far away."
"What happened to the princess and her knight?"
Ted hesitated, twisting Rebecca's hair through his fingers. "They died trying to stop all the wars and save people."
"So the little prince never got to meet his Mommy and Daddy?"
"No, he didn't," Ted said softly. "But he was very happy being raised by the good woman. And he eventually decided to become a knight."
"But what happened to the first knight?"
"He spent the years after the princess' death serving his kingdom as best he could, and eventually, he came for the prince. But you need to know what happened with the prince to understand what happened when the knight came for him."
Rebecca gave him a suspicious look. "Alright," she said reluctantly.
"As I was saying, the prince became a knight, alongside several friends. One of them was a sorcerer. He was wise and handsome and he and the prince fell madly in love. They had many adventures together."
"Were they excellent adventures?"
Teddy stopped twisting Rebecca's hair around his fingers and looked down at the little girl. She looked up at him innocently, and Ted sighed. "Yeah, Princess. They were." He tousled her hair, letting the dark strands fall where they would. "One day, the knight-"
"Kl'rt?"
"Yes, Kl'rt. One day, he came to find the prince and make him Emperor. But the Prince didn't know he was a prince, so he ran and tried to hide. Kl'rt was a very famous, dangerous warrior, and the prince was afraid that if he fought, his friends would be hurt.
"But Kl'rt found where the prince was hiding, and he killed the good woman who had raised the prince, because she tried to stop him."
"That's not fair."
"Life rarely is, Princess. So, Kl'rt took the prince and told him about his parents. But the prince didn't want to be Emperor. He didn't know the first thing about ruling, and he wouldn't have been able to be with the sorcerer anymore. Luckily for the prince, the sorcerer and his friends rescued him from Kl'rt. Then Kl'rt pretended to be the prince so that the other people who wanted to make him emperor or kill him would leave the prince alone."
Rebecca snuggled into Ted's chest. "Then what happened?"
"Well, the prince married the sorcerer and they had the most beautiful little girl in the whole universe and they lived happily ever after."
Rebecca nodded, apparently satisfied with the ending. "I'm hungry."
"Y'know what? So am I." He got to his feet, swinging his daughter uo on his shoulders. "Lets go raid your Papa's cookie stash."
Universe: That Damn MPreg
Rating: G
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a princess...
Ted closed the door to the strangely silent apartment and turned to face his companion, who was sprawled on the floor. "Well, looks like it's just you and me tonight, Princess."
Rebecca looked up from her Fantastic Four coloring book and nodded soberly.
Will was on duty tonight, and Molly was watching Bobby and Jeff while Ted dealt with the effects of his latest foray into parenthood with a little peace and quiet.
Ted hunkered down on the carpet next to his daughter and lay back, turning his head to grin at the little girl as she made Reed Richards' hair a shade of green not found in nature. Rebecca studied him with all the gravity a five year old could muster (roughly equal to that of a fully grown mountain gorilla). Slowly, she licked her thumb and tried to rub off the words Will had scrawled across his forehead just before they had met with Kl'rt. "Why does Papa get to write on you?"
"Your Papa is a funny man," Ted said gently, gazing up into his daughter's grey-blue eyes.
"Why doesn't he like Uncle Kl'rt?"
Ted hesitated. "It's a long story, Princess."
Rebecca climbed onto his chest, resting her chin on his breastbone. "I like stories," she pointed out. She had that look on her face that told Ted that she wasn't going to let this drop.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Ted sat up, shifting Rebecca to his lap. "Once upon a time, a very long time ago, there was a princess."
"I thought this was a story about Uncle Kl'rt."
"It's a story about a lot of people. This is important exposition. Anyway, the princess' kingdom had been at war, for a very long time. There was a knight in her father's service who tried to win her hand by capturing a knight from the kingdom they were at war with to show how powerful he was. But the princess fell in love with the knight from the other kingdom, and the first knight, seeing how in love they were, helped them escape by pretending to be the enemy knight."
Rebecca looked up at her father, her eyes taking on a distant look as she processed what he was saying. "Go on," she said when he paused.
"Well, the princess and the knight were very much in love, and they had a baby."
"Did the baby come from an egg?"
"Yes he did. Anyway, the princess' father was not a nice man, and he wanted the baby killed. So the princess gave her son to a good woman, who took him to another kingdom, far away."
"What happened to the princess and her knight?"
Ted hesitated, twisting Rebecca's hair through his fingers. "They died trying to stop all the wars and save people."
"So the little prince never got to meet his Mommy and Daddy?"
"No, he didn't," Ted said softly. "But he was very happy being raised by the good woman. And he eventually decided to become a knight."
"But what happened to the first knight?"
"He spent the years after the princess' death serving his kingdom as best he could, and eventually, he came for the prince. But you need to know what happened with the prince to understand what happened when the knight came for him."
Rebecca gave him a suspicious look. "Alright," she said reluctantly.
"As I was saying, the prince became a knight, alongside several friends. One of them was a sorcerer. He was wise and handsome and he and the prince fell madly in love. They had many adventures together."
"Were they excellent adventures?"
Teddy stopped twisting Rebecca's hair around his fingers and looked down at the little girl. She looked up at him innocently, and Ted sighed. "Yeah, Princess. They were." He tousled her hair, letting the dark strands fall where they would. "One day, the knight-"
"Kl'rt?"
"Yes, Kl'rt. One day, he came to find the prince and make him Emperor. But the Prince didn't know he was a prince, so he ran and tried to hide. Kl'rt was a very famous, dangerous warrior, and the prince was afraid that if he fought, his friends would be hurt.
"But Kl'rt found where the prince was hiding, and he killed the good woman who had raised the prince, because she tried to stop him."
"That's not fair."
"Life rarely is, Princess. So, Kl'rt took the prince and told him about his parents. But the prince didn't want to be Emperor. He didn't know the first thing about ruling, and he wouldn't have been able to be with the sorcerer anymore. Luckily for the prince, the sorcerer and his friends rescued him from Kl'rt. Then Kl'rt pretended to be the prince so that the other people who wanted to make him emperor or kill him would leave the prince alone."
Rebecca snuggled into Ted's chest. "Then what happened?"
"Well, the prince married the sorcerer and they had the most beautiful little girl in the whole universe and they lived happily ever after."
Rebecca nodded, apparently satisfied with the ending. "I'm hungry."
"Y'know what? So am I." He got to his feet, swinging his daughter uo on his shoulders. "Lets go raid your Papa's cookie stash."