Stepping into the light (one shot!)

Once upon a time…

Dean presented Bobby with his gift when they got back home. The old hunter took it out of its bag eagerly. It was not often that he got a present when it was not Christmas nor his birthday. The kids clapped when he opened it; Eileen joined in louder than her children. Bobby smiled at the caption "Mess with the bull. You get the horns" and blushed.

"Thank ya'… It' seems' too good for bed'… I'll wear that top as a Tee during the day as well!"

Eileen had a vision of Dean's uncle never getting properly dressed again. The happiest looking person was by far Mike who had grown a little tired of sleeping with a naked Bobby. It was getting late and Eileen told her boys to go and get ready for bed. They were not going to argue with her! Dean scooped up his Cass' and took her to the bathroom for a quick wash. He had promised Cassidy a story and he was determined to deliver on that front. His small daughter slipped into her PJs and sat back on the pillow looking expectantly at her daddy who had picked up a well-known fairy tale. Dean had reached the end of his tether with those insipid Princesses. He decided to spice up the tale!...

"Once upon a time there was a Princess called Cassidy…"

The little girl frowned at her daddy.

"That's not her name in the story… dad!"

Dean grinned…

"I'm changin' it a smidgen… ya' ll love it… she lived with her mom, the Queen, and her dad, the Prince Consort… she had two brave brothers…"

Cass' interrupted again…

"… let me guess… Prince Johnny and Prince Wayne!"

"Yeah… that's right! ... Let me continue… don't interrupt!... Princess Cass' had just turned eighteen on a beautiful summer's day in the Kingdom of Brandonia…"

Cassidy smiled at that exciting revelation.

"… her mommy felt that the time had come for her daughter to find her Prince but the Consort was not happy about that at all… no siree'! ..."

Cass sighed… her daddy would never let her find her Prince!

"… he hatched a cunning plan… Prince Dean would invite all the young eligible men in the kingdom and put them through their paces to see if they could ever be good enough for his darling Cassidy. He set up an archery competition to see which one could hit a bullseye at the greatest distance away from the target…"

"What were they wearing, daddy?"

"Does it matter?" Dean asked his daughter in an incredulous tone of voice.

"It matters very much… Princess Cassidy wouldn't marry a badly dressed young man. He has to have blond hair and blue eyes, too, and be able to dance all night!"

"Okey, dokey! Well… fortunately… they were all blond, blue-eyed, boys, and wore Levi's and Boss Tees… with Nike' trainers. None were as handsome as the Prince Consort, though, nor as fit…"

Cassidy begrudgingly accepted that undeniable fact.

"… Prince Dean put them all through their paces and three hit the bullseye. He dismissed all the others and invited the winners to a sumptuous banquet. They would then have the chance to meet the beautiful, talented, Princess…"

Dean's daughter sat up. She was beginning to warm to the story. Her father powered on…

"Prince Dean had hidden a golden coin in a delicious cherry pie and had concluded that fate should play a role in the decision. The young man to find it would have the first dance with his adored child. The Queen had decided to join them for the banquet so she could vet the contenders for her daughter's hand in marriage. One of the men did find the coin but unfortunately he choked on it and died instantly!"

Cassidy was a tad' shocked.

"Prince Dean did not give up hope, though. He challenged one of the men to a friendly duel with pistols…"

"How can a duel be friendly, dad?... Someone always dies, don't they?" Cass piped up.

"Yes, they do… but in a friendly way!" Dean huffed… "be good now and listen… the Queen's husband was a wonderful shot so the young man trembled as he put him in his sights. Prince Dean aimed his trusty Colt at the boy's forehead and very sadly it was a perfect hit and the doomed bachelor collapsed apologising for his "crap" aim as he fell to the ground and died…"

"Will I get to dance with one of them, daddy, before they all die?"

"Hey Cass'! Don't spoil the ending!... The Queen had had enough of her Consort's shenanigans and she decided to set the next challenge after one dance… only one, mind, with the Princess…"

Cassidy cheered up…

"… he was a terrible dancer and kept stepping on her pretty little toes so the Princess delivered a sharp kick to the top of his legs… Skidmore, that's the dude's name, fell down to his knees in agony at Princess Cassidy's well aimed retribution. He called her a bad name under his breath so Prince Dean paternally stepped in and punched him very hard but totally justifiably in his handsome face. Sadly, not really meaning to, he broke Skidmore's nose… Princess Cassidy was not sure that she liked him anymore but she was a kind Princess so she took her silk handkerchief out and dabbed it lightly on the young man's face to get rid of some of the blood. She knew that the Queen would not want it on her white sparkling carpet! She was one hundred percent right as the valiant Consort found out when the angry Queen gave him an almighty smack on his backside. Prince Dean was not put off, whatsoever, in his resolve to make his daughter happy. He rubbed his bottom tenderly and apologised profusely to his wife…"

Cassidy giggled…

"… Skidmore however was a tad' put off. He very politely got the hell' out of the Palace and the Prince was glad to see him go. That young man did not have what it took to marry his beautiful little Princess!... Cassidy, who was a very dutiful daughter, agreed wholeheartedly with her beloved father and they all lived happily ever after… safe in the knowledge that no goddam' stranger was going to ruin the perfect harmony of their peaceful kingdom!"

Dean gave his little girl a very proud look, happy that he had given his daughter an edgy twist on a tired old theme.

"Did ya' like it, honey?"

Cass shrugged her shoulders in a non-committal fashion.

"It wasn't very romantic, dad!"

"Yep! I agree… but what it lacked in romance it made up in kickass' action scenes… ya' sleep tight now… sweet dreams Princess!"

Cass gave her daddy a sweet little smile… "can ya' leave the light on for me… till I fall asleep?"

"Sure thing, darling… I'll come back and switch it off…"

Dean gave his daughter a very tender kiss and left the room to get back quickly to his Queen.

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