“No,” Danny said, shaking her head, not wanting the answer.
“Tough. He did not want you to feel threatened nor have your feelings hurt. He was almost willing to let a little girl die so you would not feel threatened,” Debbie told her with ice in her voice.
“I’m horrid,” Danny wailed, throwing her face back into her pillow.
Sighing, Debbie rubbed Danny’s head. “No, you are just a teenaged girl, but you are stronger than most. With mine and your father’s bloodline of stiff necks, you are lucky you can turn your head. Do you know Buffy can recite anything about you?” Debbie said.
“You talked to her?” Danny asked in amazement.
“Yeah, after I got those women something to wear, Daddy wanted some throne time after that many days in the woods. Daddy said he is not raking any leaves this year for any reason. Buffy has literally been with him 24/7 except the four hours that your insane father attacked the fifty-plus gang members and Buffy was protecting Mike. Her real name is Bridgett Summers,” Debbie informed Danny.
“See, she has got to fight with Daddy and I want to,” Danny said.
“That’s not funny, and don’t ever say that again,” Debbie in a very serious tone.
“Yes, ma’am,” Danny replied.
“Now get your face fixed; you’re blotchy. Everyone is gathering downstairs,” Debbie said and walked out.
Danny went and fixed her hair then went and put on a different t-shirt since there was that sexy soldier there. Maybe Matt would get a little jealous. While putting on some new earrings, she heard a knock on her door––probably one of those new girls, she thought. It sent shivers through Danny thinking about what they went through. “Come in,” she hollered. It was no one in this family; they just ran into someone’s room.
The door opened. There was little Buffy. Somebody had cleaned off her arms and face. Danny admitted to herself when Buffy got older, oh my word, was she going to be a knockout. “Come on in, Buffy. Did Mama send you up?”
“No, I wanted to ask you something, please,” she said, looking at Danny.
“Well, come in. The boys are always listening, trying to get us in trouble.” Danny said, starting Buffy’s lessons on brothers.
“I never had any brothers and sisters,” Buffy said, walking in and looking around. “Wow, purple is your favorite color.”
Danny snapped her head, looking to Buffy and almost asking her how she knew that, but instead asked, “What’s my favorite band?’
“Nickelbuck,” Buffy said.
Yeah, that’s what Dad thinks they are called, Danny thought. “Pizza?” Danny challenged.
“Pepperoni and black olives,” Buffy said.
“Why did Daddy tell you all this?” Danny said.
“I asked him,” she said.
“Why?” Danny asked.
“Because when he talks about you, he is really proud of you, and I want to be like you,” Buffy said.
“But you did not even know me,” Danny said.
“Doesn’t matter. Daddy is proud of you, how good you do in school, any sport you do, hiking, shooting, and martial arts. He said anything you do, you always give it everything. I want him to be proud of me just a little bit,” Buffy admitted.
“He is proud of you. I can tell by the way he looks at you,” Danny told her, feeling like the biggest jerk who ever walked the planet. “Well, what did you want to ask, Buffy?” Danny asked her.
Buffy just looked at Danny, and tears started running down her cheeks. “Please don’t stop him from being my daddy. I never had one, and he is the best. If I cry, he holds me. If I’m scared, he teaches me how not to be scared. I will do whatever you want, I promise. If I lose him, I have nobody. I saw how he held you when we came home then I saw you look at me like you didn’t want to share,” Buffy begged her, crying. “Please. I will do whatever you want,” Buffy wailed out.
Danny reached out, pulling Buffy to her and hugging her tight. Buffy wanted a daddy and a family. Danny started to cry with her, ashamed of herself. They held each other, crying, and from that moment on the two became inseparable.
“I promise I will never ever try to take Daddy away from you. Do you promise me the same?” Danny said.
“I can’t take him from you. You’re Danny, the one he trained, and he said sometimes you can even beat up the boys,’’ Buffy said, looking at Danny like she had lost her mind. Take Daddy away from her––yeah right.
“’Sometimes’ my ass, I can take them whenever I want to, but if I hurt them, I get in trouble with Mom,” Danny told her.
“Now, you have to learn when you really want something, you have to hold your head down like this and look at him with your eyes looking up at him. Now, don’t use it a lot, or he starts getting used to it,” Danny started teaching the finer art of how to manipulate Daddy, and Buffy just listened in awe.
Then Danny told her to take a shower. As Buffy showered, Danny went to her closet and pulled down a box of her old clothes that she thought would fit Buffy. Buffy walked out with a towel wrapped around her body. Danny looked at her still covered in dirt and led her back into the shower. Danny pulled off her clothes, getting in the shower with Buffy. Danny scrubbed her down then rewashed her hair twice then put some conditioner in it. Then Danny got a little nail brush and started scrubbing the end of Buffy’s fingers and toes, trying to remove the dirt as Buffy laughed, trying to hold still.
Danny asked Buffy if her mom ever did this for her, and Buffy said no, she had to work all the time. When she did get time off, she would go look for a daddy, Buffy told her. Danny got her out of the shower and dried her off, brushed her hair, then put some bows in it. Then Danny painted her toes and fingernails a light red color. Then Danny pulled out one of her first training bras that almost sent Daddy into fits. She put on a white shirt with short ruffled sleeves and blue jeans with silver thread. As Danny was showing her how to tie neat bows on the high-tops Danny had put on Buffy, Danny told Buffy from now on this was her room, too, and she was to sleep in here with her. Buffy wrapped her arms around Danny, squeezing her tight.
“Buffy, can I ask you a question? If you don’t want to answer, that’s okay,” Danny asked.
“Okay,” Buffy said.
“How long did you cry for your mama?” Danny asked. The thought of losing either Mom or Dad terrified her.
“I haven’t yet. Daddy said I had to wait. The bad people were trying to kill us, and I had to hold it in for now. But he said when we got here, he would put me in his lap, and we would cry together,” Buffy told her with a sad face but no tears. Danny did not think she could have done it.
“Have you called Mama Debbie just Mama yet?” Danny asked.
“No, I don’t think she wants me to. She didn’t think I did a good enough job helping Daddy. I did my best. I did everything he taught me,” Buffy said, defending herself.
“No, she was just mad that Daddy put himself in danger. I tell you what––when we go downstairs, walk up to Mama then tell her to lean toward you. When she gets close, call her Mama. I bet you a horseback ride tomorrow that she picks you up and squeezes you tight,” Danny challenged.
“Daddy said we can’t ride the horses right now,” Buffy pointed out.
“Details,” Danny told her, waving her hand. “You have to remember that we are Daddy’s princesses and the rules of others don’t always apply to us. Is it a bet? Don’t you want to ride one of the horses?” Danny said.
“Okay,” Buffy said, not convinced about either part of the plan.
Danny got off the bed and redressed then fixed her hair. Danny put on a little makeup then looked at herself in the mirror. Buffy watched her every move. Danny went to the door and told Buffy to follow.
The two went downstairs, and everyone looked at little Buffy, telling her she was beautiful. Everyone was inside, some in the den, others in the game room and kitchen. It was not overcrowded, but it was close. They found Debbie in the kitchen. Danny told Buffy to be brave and go on and do
it. Buffy walked up to Debbie then stopped, standing in front of Debbie, looking up at her. Debbie looked down at the beautiful girl in front of her and told Buffy she was beautiful as Buffy smiled up at her. Then, like Danny said, she put her finger out, motioning Debbie toward her. Debbie smiled, leaning closer. Buffy leaned toward her ear and whispered, “I love you, Mama.” Debbie snatched Buffy up off the floor, squeezing her tight, crying, and telling Buffy she loved her, too. Buffy wrapped her legs around Debbie as tears ran down her cheeks; she had a mama. Debbie held her for a long time until Susan called for her, and reluctantly Debbie set her down.
Buffy did not mind that Mama had to go to the other sister and brother. When she got back to Danny, Buffy smiled. “Told you. Now follow me,” Danny said, laying out her plan. “I’m going to sit on one of the arms of Daddy’s chair. You sit on the other. Watch me and do what I do. It works better in his lap, but his leg is hurt.” Bruce was sitting in his recliner with a bunch of men around when the girls came in. All of them said they were beautiful. Danny only had on a t-shirt, BDU pants, and combat boots but accepted the compliments.
Danny sat on Bruce’s right and Buffy on his left. Danny laid her head on his shoulder, so Buffy did the same thing. Danny put his arm across his chest, and Buffy did the same thing. Then Danny asked in a small little voice, “Daddy, I really need to show Buffy how to ride a horse. It will only be a short one. We can do it real early, and you can come, too. Please?”
Bruce let out a long breath and said, “Okay.” If Danny had told Buffy it was going to rain M&Ms, she would have believed it and run outside with a bucket. Mary asked them to come and shoot pool. Danny told Buffy to come on, and they kissed Bruce on each cheek.
Bruce knew he was going to hear about it from Debbie, but that was okay. The girls were happy together. Paul asked if that was Danny that Bruce told them about, and Bruce nodded his head. Nancy and Debbie walked in, and they handed them each a big glass of tea. Mike and Bruce thanked them.
Paul told Bruce, “I just don’t think a teenage girl can do the things you say, Bruce. Now she does have muscle, but take down a full-grown man? Come on.”
Bruce smiled at Paul then glanced over at the gimp, catching gimp staring at him. Gimp quickly turned his head when Bruce looked at him. Bruce called Danny over to him; she passed her cue stick off and went to Daddy with Buffy following. When she got to Bruce, she kissed him on his head.
Bruce pointed to the gimp, “Do you know that person?”
Danny replied, “Everyone said you named him the gimp.”
He pulled her close, whispered in her ear for a few seconds, and everyone saw her face turn red. Danny’s eyes got a distant look in them as everyone in the theater area got quiet, seeing the change. When Bruce quit whispering, Danny stood up straight, pulling a rubber band off her wrist. Then Danny pulled her hair back in a ponytail as she headed to the den.
Gimp was standing in front of the main door. Danny rounded the corner of the bar fixing to charge, but Marty and Ben were in her way. Seeing the look on her face, they moved very fast to get out of it. Buffy stopped at the corner of the bar.
When Ben and Marty moved, Danny ran toward the gimp, yelling, “You’re mine, bitch!”
Then Danny jumped in the air, pulling both knees to her chest and leaning back. Gimp looked up, hearing the yell just in time to see two small but hard combat boots hit him in the chest. The hit sent him into the door, which stopped his momentum, then crushed him against the solid steel door. Feeling her momentum stop, Danny arched her back, extended her arms, and hand sprinted back. Once she was on her feet keeping her momentum moving, she then bounced back toward the gimp as he was sliding down the door. Danny extended her right leg, with her right foot hitting gimp in the chest, causing gimp to fall forward. Landing on his side, he rolled onto his back. What little air was in his lungs was now gone.
Then Danny started dropping heel kicks on his chest and stomach, but they were too slow. He had tried to hurt Daddy. He did hurt Ms. Susan and little Cassandra, was what kept going through Danny’s mind.
Moving to the gimp’s side, she started snapping kicks off as fast as she could. The gimp started crying with the assault; this action only infuriated Danny. She jumped into the air, dropping on his chest with her knees, yelling, “You wanted to hurt my daddy.” Then Danny spread her knees, straddling his abdomen, and started throwing palm strikes then started alternating with chops to his body. Then Danny stopped, putting both hands on gimp’s chest and lifting her body into a handstand on his chest. Then Danny dropped both of her knees down on his stomach. Gimp tried to curl up after the knees hit his stomach, but he couldn’t because Danny shot back up into another handstand, pinning him down. Danny dropped her weight, bringing her right knee out. Curling her left into her body, she drove her right knee into gimp’s groin, sliding his body several inches on the floor. Then Danny rolled off of him before he could throw up on her.
Debbie was sitting by the fireplace in the theater room staring at Bruce, who was just staring back at her grinning, as she said, “Bruce.” Then Bruce turned and looked at Mike sitting in his chair beside him. They clinked their glasses together, smiling, as Bruce ignored Debbie once.
Again Debbie just said, “Bruce.”
Bruce yelled out, “That’s enough, Danny.” As Danny kept the onslaught up, Bruce said, “I’m not kidding.” Danny just kept raining down blows.
Bruce yelled again, “That’s enough.”
Danny stopped and stood up then walked to the end of the bar. How can he stop me? I have not even broken anything yet, Danny thought to herself. Everyone who was close to the gimp did everything they could to get the hell away from him so they could not be mistaken for the gimp. Danny paced back and forth at the end of the bar, judging how close her target was. Danny never took her eyes off the gimp; she continued pacing back and forth.
Then suddenly she lunged at him, yelling, “I’LL KILL YOU.”
Gimp was still lying on the floor as she grabbed his throat with her left hand, and her right hand grabbed his balls. When her right hand closed, she squeezed and twisted. Pain shot through the gimp’s body. Gimp could only manage to weakly grab her face, but then Danny let go of his throat and his balls at the same time. Danny brought her right hand up, spear handing him in the throat. Gimp was lying in the floor struggling to breathe. Danny stood up as Bruce yelled, “Enough!” She walked back by the pool table with the other teenagers. All except the family cleared away from her, but Danny kept pacing back and forth, breathing hard. Then all of a sudden, Danny took off running back toward the den. Bruce held out his arm, catching her as she went by, pulling Danny into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. Bruce whispered down to her as she tried to struggle, but she eventually gave up. Everyone started talking to each other as Bruce continued talking to Danny as she curled up in his lap.
Buffy walked over from the bar to stand beside the chair as Bruce held Danny. Then Buffy grabbed Danny’s hand, squeezing it to let Danny know she was there. Danny was the best sister anyone could have, and that was the coolest thing Buffy had ever seen.
Angela stood up from the couch and said, “I apologize to you, Bruce, for threatening to kick your ass today over the radio as we drove up to the farm. I only meant that for Big Daddy 2. Will you please tell your kids at no time did I ever threaten you? So they will not do that to me.” Everyone started laughing at her remark as she sat back down beside Alex and Cade. Bruce looked at Mike with a smile. Mike looked back at Bruce and started chuckling.
Nancy said, looking at Mike, “Mike, don’t you dare. That man in there cannot breathe. I don’t know what he did, but don’t do it.” She knew what they were thinking; it was as if she were inside their minds.
Mike turned his head. “Mary, come here, please,” he said.
“I’m not kidding, Mike. Don’t you dare,” Nancy said, looking at him.
Mary, who had gone back to shooting pool with the other teens, bounced over to her daddy. Nancy st
arted giving him a dirty look as Mike pulled Mary down to him and started talking softly to her. They could see shock cross Mary’s face then anger set in. Her eyes narrowed, and her breathing started getting deeper. Unlike Danny, Mary did not feel the need to prepare for battle nor announce to her prey that hell was coming.
Mary stood up and walked around Mike’s chair, heading to the den. Mary rounded the corner of the bar, heading toward the gimp, who had just stood up, coughing. Danny jumped out of Bruce’s lap, following Mary with Buffy in tow.
Mary walked up to the gimp and front-snap kicked him in the stomach. The gimp hit the floor face first. Gimp quickly got back to his feet, and then Mary started the beatdown. Mary’s assault was not as flamboyant as Danny’s, but it was in no way less in intensity or ferocity. Mary paused between the hits and kicks and yelled, “Who’s the bitch now?”
Gimp was doing everything he could to keep on his feet. He knew if he went down, the pain would get worse. He even attempted to grab and block her arms and legs as Mary threw punches, but she was too fast. Then gimp balled his fist and threw a punch at her. That was a mistake, which he paid for dearly. Mary grabbed his wrist and rotated her body under his arm. Then Mary pushed her hips into him and flipped him over her back. When he hit the floor, it was flat on his back. The air he had worked so hard to get back left him again, and gimp thought he would never get air again. Mary started working the gimp over; still holding his wrist, she was snapping kicks into his side.
Nancy told Mike, “Stop it.” Unlike Bruce, Mike told Mary to stop the first time he was told.
“Mary,” Mike yelled.
Mary, unlike Danny, also stopped the first time she was told. Mary and Danny looked at each other and knuckle bumped, walking back to the game area. Lynn came out of the kitchen after watching what both girls had done. Lynn walked over to them, hugging each girl and asking them what their favorite desserts were. They both said, “Apple pie and ice cream,” at the same time. Lynn told them that she would see what she could do. The girls walked back to the pool table, both stopping and kissing Bruce on his shaved head and Mike on each cheek.
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