Disclaimer: I do not own Human Target or any of its characters. They are property of Fox and the people belong to themselves. I intend no copyright infringement.

Authoress Note: I needed a break from "Of Magic & Formulas" and thought I'd write out one of my other ideas to loosen up my brain a little. Enjoy!

A Daddy's Job

"Little Dude?" Guerrero looked up from his papers – a file on a few goons working for some hacks trying to call themselves members of the mob – as Jason, his five year old son, stood in the kitchen doorway in his Captain America pajamas. His eyes were wide and he looked a little shaken. That was concerning. "What's wrong?"

Jason padded across the room to his father, looking sheepish. How do you tell your daddy – whose not afraid of anything at all – what's wrong? Jason looked up to his dad. Guerrero could see the typical hero worship - the kind all young boys had for their fathers - in his eyes and could also see he wasn't sure if he should tell his father of his concern. "Come on," Guerrero sighed, putting his papers down and picking his son up, putting him on his leg.

Jason hugged his daddy and mumbled into his chest. Guerrero gave a rare open smile. "Can't understand ya like that, little dude," he said, pulling Jason up to look at him. Jason pouted before mumbling. "Monster, daddy." Guerrero blinked a few times before he understood. Monster. Like under the bed or in the closet. His son wasn't calling him a monster. Even if the statement was true.

"Monster, huh?" he asked and Jason nodded, looking back towards the hallway he'd come up. "Mommy scared it away last night but it's back again," he whispered, as if said monster was peeking around the corner and listening. Guerrero chuckled and stood, hefting Jason up in his arms. "Come on. Show me where he's at and I'll get him, kay?" Guerrero said, playing along. He had a vague memory of his old man doing the same for him when he was little… Before he left.

Jason nodded and clutched his daddy's shirt tightly as they rounded into his room. It was a typical little boys room. A toy chest filled with all kinds of toys and games, walls decorate with clowns and circus animals (not his idea), and drawings of all kinds stuck to the wall with sticky tack. His bed spread was Captain America themed; gift from Uncle Chance.

Guerrero sat Jason down on his bed and pulled the covers over him. "Alright, dude," he whispered, playing along, "where is he?" Jason lowered his head and pointed to his in-wall closet. Of course. It amazed and sometimes frightened Guerrero how similar him and Jason could be. He'd had his own closet monster when he was younger as well. He nodded and walked over to the closet.

He heard his son gasp loudly and the covers shift – most likely him pulling them up over his face – as Guerrero opened the closet. Inside he found the boys clothes, baseball equipment, board games, and even a few stuffed animals. He turned on the light inside and stepped back for Jason to see before stepping somewhat inside. "See? No monsters, little dude," he said with a smile as Jason peaked from under his cover, lowering it slowly and tilting his head. When he did not see his daddy get eaten or scratched, he smiled. "You scared him away?" he asked and Guerrero nodded. "Sure did," he said before stepping out and shutting the closet again after turning off the lights.

Jason beamed and stared at his daddy and awe. It was that look that Guerrero loved and detested. He was no hero. His son would learn that someday. He would learn that his father was a monster. A living boogeyman… But for now, the looks were pure and Guerrero couldn't bring himself to wipe it from his face. "Alright," he said, sitting down on the end of the bed as his son smiled widely, "time to get back to bed, little dude. You got a birthday party tomorrow, right?"

At this Jason made a face. "A girls birthday party," he grumbled, "icky Amanda." Guerrero tried not to scoff at the distaste on his son's face. The cootie stage. Had to be the funnest stage for any dad to watch their son go through, considering one day girls would be all he'd think about. "Do I have to go?" Jason asked, looking pleadingly at his daddy to say no. But Guerrero knew Elsie would throw a fit. Guerrero tended to stay out of her parenting choices when it came to Jasons social interaction. He wanted his son to have a better relationship with people than he did. Hopefully that would keep him off the path he himself had taken.

"Sorry, dude. Mom says ya have to go. But hey," he said, seeing the defeated look on his sons face, "at least you'll get birthday cake, right?" Jason smiled a little and nodded as Guerrero reached out and turned on his Thor nightlight before turning off the above head light. Jason yawned and fell back onto his pillow. "Night, daddy," he said, sounding slightly groggy now as he yawned again.

"Night dude," he said before shutting the door, leaving it cracked enough for some extra light to shine inside like Jason liked. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and made his way back to the kitchen. He wasn't surprised to find a new – hot – cup of tea set out for him or see the neatly sprawled note written on a purple sticky note – "Come to bed soon, kay?" – stuck to his untouched files. He'd heard her heading for the kitchen while he'd been checking the closet out.

Taking his cup, he sipped it as he sat down and grabbed the sticky note and tried not to smile before grabbing his files to finish up a few more things before he'd head to bed.

R & R Plz

What can I say I'm a sucker for "cute moments between fathers and sons/daughters" ya know? I'm so into cutesy Guerrero lol! It's sad really.