Summary: This story is from a challenge, but read first and hear about the challenge later. 

Sidenotes: dedicated to my nephew, Carter, for the inspiration about my dragon t-shirt.  He called Lightsabers (from Star Wars) “sabers” almost as soon as he could talk.  And no, Alley, I never said I am the best at grammar, which is why I have you!

Timeframe: Whenever David has turned 3.

Title: Monsters

Author: Lynda

David Sheridan should have been in bed.  John looked up from his reading to check the chrono.  The time indicated that even *he* should have been in bed.  David had been put to bed at nine, and Delenn had gone to sleep hours ago.  Now, their three-year-old was wide-awake and headed straight for him.

Sheridan blood was known for keeping the family awake.  John hadn’t been able to sleep some nights, especially during exams for EarthForce.  The same blood that kept John up on exam nights also kept his father awake for the tradition of spraying rain onto the rooftop.  Only then did John find sleep during those fretful times.  Then there was his wedding night.  Oops, no, all of them…many times the Sheridan blood had come in handy.

Should his son have the same childhood tendencies to be awake when he was bothered by something, John knew he would be there.  President or not, he had a duty to his family.  The youngest Sheridan was certainly taking after his father, at least on the sleeplessness side of things.  David was so like both of his parents; it was funny for John to see himself or Delenn in miniature, depending on the boy’s mood.

“Have you been standing there long, David?”

“Been here?”  David’s answer was squeaky.

“In this room, son.  My, it’s late, no wonder you don’t know what to say.  Now, where is it you’re supposed to be?”

”Bed.”

“Exactly.  Come on up here.” John slid the book over on his lap to make room for the boy on the easy chair.  David fingered the dustcover of the hardback book.  The picture was of a nebula, white stars sparkling in a cloud of red space dust.

“You’re awake, too.  Did you have a bad dream?”

“No, I, uh, just wanted to read. I didn’t know how late it was.” John’s eyes flicked down to the title, “The Vorlon-Shadow War: a pictorial history”.  He reached over to the desk lamp on the end table, setting it on low.

David opened the book to a random page, and John helped him with the heavy cover. Displayed was a half-page, glossy image of a Shadow ship. “Whoa!  Is that a monster?”

John grimaced, but his son didn’t see. “Well, yeah, I guess it is.”

“Are you afraid of it?”

“No, I’m not afraid.” *Well, I used to be afraid, but not anymore, now.  They’re beyond the Rim.*

“Why?”

“Because, it’s not real.”  John qualified the statement in his private thoughts with *anymore*.

“Oh.  But, it has long, spidery legs.  And that’s a big laser shooting out of its mouth.”

John wouldn’t have described it that way, but over time, he had become more open to the way his son interpreted the world around him. “Yeah, it does have some big legs, doesn’t it?”

David turned the page, and there was a small picture of a Vorlon on the right-hand page.  The rest of the two pages were just words.  “Is that a robot?”

“No, it’s an enc--. Well, it’s a space suit.  Not everyone breathes air like we do.”  John leaned back in the chair, and his son readjusted.

“You’re comfortable, Daddy.”

“Hmm, am I?”

“Yeah.” David lazily leafed through more pages, stopping briefly on the pictures, but not asking more questions for a few moments.  “Daddy?”

“Hmm?” John knew he should return to full consciousness, but he just didn’t feel like it.

“Nevermind.” David’s voice was quiet.

*****

Some small time later, Delenn woke up to find her husband out of bed.  When she found her husband and son asleep in John’s favorite chair, she brought the blanket from the sofa, laid it over her two men, and returned to sleep.

The End

A/N: Now, go back and re-read the first few paragraphs.  Reading DOWN, the first word of each paragraph reads the same as the first sentence, and then, they are random.  Lynda