Parental Bond

Summary: As a parent, you'll move heaven and earth to be there when your kid needs you whether it's by saving the world or protecting her from the bogeyman. Cage-family fluff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of the characters.

Author's Note: So I'm back with another Cage-family fic. This fic will be a short set of time-jump one-shots following the same basic theme and I hope you guys enjoy it just as much as you did "Blocking."

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Johnny heard her before he saw her. He was quickly becoming used to getting nightly visits from his little girl.

When she had first been born, it had been the other way around; he had been the one visiting her. Creeping into her room, checking her crib.

Had she kicked off the blanket?

Did she have her teddy bear?

Had they closed the window?

He couldn't hear her cooing, was the baby monitor on?

Did he need to change the batteries?

Did they have the wrong end in her room again?

Eventually he'd stopped mentally making excuses to check on her and would just stand there, watching her sleep.

She was a miracle. His miracle.

Sure Sonya had helped and okay, so she was the spitting image of her mother but every time she'd gotten fussy when she didn't get her way, that was all him. When she'd disagreed with something and cut her eyes just so, every time she'd hammed it up for the dozens of cameras that had hounded them day and night for a snap shot of the famous Cage baby, he couldn't deny that she was his. And then she'd started to talk.

Yes, she was most definitely a Cage and there was absolutely no denying it.

Now at ten she had him wrapped around her little finger and he was secure enough in his manhood to admit that fact with pride.

Sonya didn't like it of course and he'd heard the speech many times before.

"She's a big girl, John. Big enough to sleep in her own bed and she'll never stay put the whole night if you keep letting her sleep with us every time a tree limb scrapes against the house."

Maybe his wife had a point but all he could think when she padded into their room almost every night was that his little girl needed him and what kind of a dad would he be if he led her back to her room and left her to face her demons alone?

Besides, if she was with him, she was safe.

He felt her poke his nose even as he squinted his eyes, halfheartedly playing opossum.

She was going to get him in trouble...again.

"I know you're not asleep," she whispered smartly and he opened his eyes to see her standing in front of him with one hand on her hip, looking very much like a miniature version of her mother.

He cocked a brow and propped himself up on his arm. "Oh you do, do you?"

She nodded, tugging nervously on blonde locks he knew she secretly found too long with the hand that held her faithful teddy bear.

"It's hot," she'd whined very pitifully once. His only reply had been that, when she was older she could do what she wanted but for now her mother thought long hair was absolutely 'darling' on their princess.

"You're a bad fibber," she informed quietly, cocking her own brow back at him as best she could.

His eyebrows shot to his hairline. "I don't know if you know this or not but I'm an actor," he began, leaning forward so that he was nose to nose with her. "That makes me an excellent fibber."

He wasn't sure what to think when she began giggling, bringing her bear up to cover her mouth and muffle the sound, but he couldn't stop a smile from creeping over his face at her amusement.

Was she calling him a bad actor?

She looked up at him after her giggles subsided. "Daddy, you were a very bad fibber in Ninja Mime."

"Ninja Mime is what daddy likes to call a low point in his career of professional fibbing," he explained very seriously. "Amateur writing team, first-time director, the choreographer was an idiot and it was an extremely low-budget production. You know daddy doesn't do low-budget, angel. I did my best with what I had."

Unfortunately for him, his biggest fan didn't look too convinced.

"I'll do better next time," he promised. "Scouts honor," he added earnestly as she crossed her arms, teddy bear hanging carelessly from one hand, and tilted her head in the exact same manner as he'd seen Sonya do at least a thousand times before.

Abruptly changing gears she said: "I had a bad dream."

Johnny sighed, collapsing back against the bed. "Oh come on, the movie wasn't that bad."

Cassie shook her head and poked his shoulder. "Not about the movie," she whispered, warily glancing at her mother's side of the bed. If Sonya woke up, she'd be going back to her own room and even her father wouldn't be able to save her.

Nodding soberly, he cautiously slid closer to his wife and lifted the covers for her. "Get in."

He wouldn't ask what she'd dreamt about or why it scared her so, he'd tried before but she was a rather tight-lipped child. Despite her frequent visits to their room, she wasn't frightened easily so whatever was bothering her must be something she took very seriously.

She would tell him when she was ready and not a second before. Much like her mother, she wouldn't be rushed.

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An hour later, as Johnny stared down at the peaceful face of his daughter, he felt his wife stir. His entire body stiffened as he prepared himself for the condescending speech he knew was coming but instead he was pleasantly surprised when she merely tucked her body into his side and reached across his stomach to push a lock of hair away from Cassie's face.

"I knew the moment she climbed into bed," she informed as though reading his thoughts.

"How?"

She shrugged and propped her head on his chest, looking up at him sleepily. "A mother just knows," she replied ominously, smiling as he kissed her forehead. "Besides, you two could have woken the dead discussing the merits of that god awful movie you made last year."

"I thought you said you liked Ninja Mime," he accused, eyes narrowed.

"Oh sweetie," she cooed, tweaking his nose. "I love you but come on. It was a movie about a mime."

"It was not about a mime," he whined pitifully. "It was about a ninja mime."

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Alrighty so this is the first part of this little one-shot series and it's a bit lighter than I had intended it to be. As always, please review.