Kodak Moments
By
Gemsong

Author's Note: This was another challenge on the Yahoo Little Danny List. The inspiring picture can be found at the bottom of the page.

***
Jack turned the page of the newspaper, glancing through the metro section. All was quiet in the house. He paused. The house was quiet. About an hour ago his shrunken archeologist was having a rather severe meltdown. And over something the adult version would have blown off.

An argument with another linguist. Daniel had been right about the translation, but the argument had been rather loud and graphic. The words that came out of that five-year-old's mouth had been impressive. At least the languages that he knew. Hell, he didn't know Daniel could be so fluent. If words were actions, Dr. Porcher would be a pile of quivering goo on the floor.

Daniel had been right about his translation. But for some reason couldn't let go of his anger. Jack had brought him home after that since it was doubtful anything else would be accomplished. So the skinny little five-year-old with a 35-year-old brain stomped around the house occasionally kicking furniture.

Dinner came and went before Daniel was able to converse with his guardian in any kind of civilized fashion. Sending him up to take a bath had almost started another hissy fit, but Jack stared him down, using silence not words. So Daniel stomped up the stairs to take his bath.

That was two hours ago. Jack rose from the table and headed quickly up the stairs. His luck, Daniel probably tried to drown himself in a fit of spite. He eased open the door and looked into the bathroom.

The tub was filled with water, which was now verging on cold. Daniel had apparently decided on a little potty break before hopping into the tub. But all that temper had worn that little body out.

Daniel's head was resting on the chest near the toilet and his bare butt was hanging on the seat. Jack's mouth was twitching painfully. Silently he slipped out of the bathroom and back downstairs to snatch up his digital camera. He crept back into the bathroom.

Daniel hadn't moved, although his thumb had migrated to his mouth. Jack framed the image on the digital screen carefully and snapped several pictures. Daniel never woke, even when the flash went off.

Jack chuckled as he put down the camera and walked over to scoop Daniel up. His best friend was growing up all over again. Therefore Jack had a moral imperative to invest in blackmail shots. Sometimes his little guy's cuteness defied description. But pictures were worth a thousand words.

Fin

(Why is Daniel so Tired?)