Welp. I'm gonna get yelled at, but I don't really care. I didn't appreciate Dream Daddy's lack of a female option. Moms can be single and get remarried too, you know. Not that I care 100%. This series is gonna be my female OC and her son as they overcome the death of the husband/father that was previously in their lives and hooking up with some of the dads from DDADDS. This first one is gonna revolve primarily around Damien and, while a lot of the plot will be similar, you will notice the changes as the story progresses. I hope you enjoy it, however corny it may be :P I do not own Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator. All rights to all products go to their respective owners. That said, if nothing I've said has deterred you, then read on!

Prologue

Ever since Daniel died, it has been hard on me and my son, Andrew. Every time I walked into the door of our house, it felt like… like something was very wrong. To have the love of my life taken so quickly and to not be able to do anything to stop it or bring him back… I'm sure many others had gone through this. I'm sure many others had gotten over it after two years and moved on. There were so many things that still made me cry though.

I used to be able to walk home after work at night. Daniel would always be there. Sometimes, we would ride home together in our car. After he died though… the night scares me. It reminds me of how he was taken. I started working day shifts.

Andrew remained pretty much the same. I knew he was trying to be strong for me. I knew it hurt him badly to lose another father.

Adopting him was one of the best moments of my life. He was young when we adopted him, but he was old enough to remember his parents. There had been no one else left to take care of him. He had been at the mercy of the system for some time before we found him.

I finally decided that we had to get out of that house. The memories of Daniel hurt too much. I didn't want to pull Andrew out of his school though. It was a good school and he was in his Senior year of high school. I couldn't do that to him. Besides that, I couldn't imagine changing jobs. I had worked at the same store for so long.

So, I sold our house and moved us across town. It was a small city, almost a town, but I knew there would be people in this new area that I didn't know, people who wouldn't constantly remind me of who I lost. My neighbors had been… less than supportive. At least my coworkers helped me cope and forget him at times. I guess not everyone understands.

We moved into a cute little cul-de-sac. I smiled as I imagine the little spot in the winter and how Daniel would probably be doing donuts until one of us peed laughing. We left our old house behind and moved into the fresh new one.

"Hey, Mom, we should get some coffee," said Andrew.

"After moving all these boxes into the new house, I could use a little something to boost my energy," I admitted.

"I saw a coffee shop just down the block. We should head there."

"Sounds good."

We walked down to the small coffee shop, "The Coffee Spoon". We talked to the barista for a bit and had some coffee. It seemed like a nice spot for college kids to hang out. I know I would have a few years ago.

As we sat there drinking our coffee, I noticed a dark, brooding man across the room. His stare was cold and he looked like he had killed a man. Somehow, though, I couldn't look away. The barista, Mat, saved me by presenting us with some banana bread samples.

"This is gonna be new to the shop, but I just can't think of what to call it," he commented, scratching his dreadlock-covered head nervously.

I glanced back to his chalkboard menu and noticed how it was full of 80's references. Coming up with a new one was a challenge at first until I noticed a little one-hit wonder that wasn't on his board. "How about 'Right-Said Banana Bread'?"

"Sounds good," replied Mat with a nervous smile. I smiled back and he quickly walked away.

"Good bread," commented Andrew.

"This is true," I replied.

We left the Coffee Spoon and Andrew said, "Y'know… I wouldn't call coffee and banana bread much of a break…"

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"We should go to the park."

"You just want an excuse to pet other people's dogs and then give me the whole 'This dog is so awesome, Mom. We should totally get one,'" I said, mocking him.

"No…" he said.

I rolled my eyes. "A walk in the park wouldn't hurt. At least we're outside getting some fresh air."

"And not inside huffing cardboard."

"Cardboard…" I said in my stoner voice.

"You're so weird, Mom."

"But you love me."

"This is true."

When we got to the park, I basked in the smell of the fresh air. "It's such a beautiful day," I said.

"This is a cool park," Andrew commented, eyeing the skating ramps in the distance.

"Oh, no. We are not visiting that era again."

"Come on, Mom. It wasn't all bad."

"Yeah, because that was totally not the reason I started greying at the age of 28!" I said flipping up my bangs to reveal a small line of grey roots in my hair. "You should be lucky I didn't have a heart attack," I said as I let my bangs fall back into place.

"Yeah…" he got quiet then. He started looking at his feet and I knew he was gonna start sulking.

Before I could start consoling him back into a happy state, my words were interrupted by a Frisbee to the head. "Ouch!" It hit me a little above the eyebrow, so my eye started tearing up. "That hurt." I held the abused area with my hand.

"Geez, Mom, are you okay?" Andrew asked.

Before I could reply, I was again interrupted, but this time by a small Welsh Corgi. Its little bark and waggle butt were all it took to make Andrew forget I existed. As he petted the dog, I heard his owner come up.

"Hey, Maxwell! Good boy!" said the deep voice. I looked up to see a burly ginger man. My eye was still teary, but I was able to greet him well enough.

"Nice throw," I commented.

"Sorry about that. Maxwell here can get going pretty far, pretty fast. I figured, the longer he has to run, the more fun it will be for us," said the man.

"Dad, she's probably gonna have a bruise now," commented his young companion, presumably his daughter.

"It's fine. I suppose the next time, I'll just catch it with my teeth," I said, quick to the smooth.

He chuckled. "The name's Brian, and this here's my daughter, Daisy," he said.

"It's nice to meet you both," I nodded.

"See you around?"

"Sure."

We waved good-bye and left the park. Andrew and I then proceeded home to finish unpacking. There wasn't a lot left, thankfully.

When I had stuffed the boxes of Christmas decorations and my mementos of Daniel into the spare room, I told Andrew to call it good. "I can't believe how much is still left over," I commented, seeing the boxes I had of Daniel's clothes, pictures, and presents he had gotten me. I had gotten rid of some things, but others… I couldn't bear to part with yet.

"It's okay, Mom," said Andrew, laying a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

I smiled. We then heard the doorbell ring. Andrew bounded down the hall and answered the door. I lingered by the spare room for a few moments before joining him. A tall, clean-cut blonde man stood there and was giving Andrew some cookies. He saw me and greeted me, "Hello, my name's Joseph. I just brought over some cookies to welcome you two to the neighborhood. I also came to invite you both to the barbeque we're having at my house on Saturday."

Before I could reply, Andrew cut in with, "Barbeques are cool." He said it coolly, but I knew how much of a carnivore he was. Just like his mom.

"We'd love to come! Thank you for the welcome and the cookies," I replied.

"Any time. You know, if you ever need anything, you should get on Siingle. I'm on there often. There are a lot of single parents out there who often need help, encouragement, or just clean friendship," said Joseph.

"It sounds an awful lot like a dating site…" I said suspiciously.

"Oh, no, you got the wrong idea! It's a completely platonic way of getting in touch with other single parents who are going through the same struggles. What you do with it is up to you."

I shrugged. "I'll consider it then."

"Sounds great. Well, see you Saturday at three sharp!" He waved and left.

I looked over to Andrew to see that the cookies were no longer on the plate. He held the last one, half-eaten, in his hand. I sighed and put a hand on my head. "What am I going to do with you?" I asked.

"What? I'm a growing boy," he said innocently.

"Fine then. I just thought I taught you how to share things with your mother, especially when they're sweets."

"You wouldn't've liked these anyway. You'd think they were too rich."

"Next time, let me be the judge of that."

"Ugh, fine." He handed me the empty plate.

I handed it back to him. "Nuh uh, you have to go over to Joseph's and return his plate."

"Okay." Before he could head out the door, I stopped him.

"Wait. Let's wash it first. That's a little more neighborly, I think." I wasn't used to having neighbors so close. Daniel and I kinda kept to ourselves for the most part, especially with how disapproving everyone was of our relationship.

I washed the plate and then handed it to Andrew. "You know, I know how you don't wanna get attached to anyone, but there's nothing wrong with making new friends, especially since no one here knows us," he commented.

"I know, Andrew. I know."

He knew I was brushing it off. "Okay, whatever, Mom. Be right back."

He left, but was back in less than a minute. "I thought you were gonna make friends," I teased.

"You should see Joseph's kids sometime. They're creepy as heck," said Andrew, peeking out of the blinds.

"All kids are creepy. I remember you when you were 13. That was the creepiest time of my life."

"Oh, yeah, my goth phase. Not going back there, promise."

"Good." I stretched. "Well, how about another quick walk, just to get the lay of the land?"

"I'm game."

We headed out the door and took another walk around the neighborhood. As we were walking around, a familiar voice called my name. "Carrie! Dude!"

I whipped around and grinned widely at the voice's owner. "Craig! Bro! I haven't seen you in forever! How've you been?" I greeted enthusiastically.

"Good, my dude, very good."

"You got fit, Dude!"

"Thanks. I kinda gotta be fit now that I'm a dad." I noticed the little one strapped to his chest.

"She's adorable!"

"Sha. This is River." He grabbed her little wrist and made her do a little wave. She smiled and gurgled happily. "Man, and this must be Andrew!" He looked at my son and I nodded. "Man, last time I saw him, he was smaller than River. You got big, my dude!" He ruffled Andrew's hair.

"Thanks, I guess?" Andrew commented.

"Craig and I are old college roommates. The college was co-ed and Craig told the administrators that he was gay. He didn't get caught in the lie till junior year," I said.

"Aw, man! You can't imagine how many girls I got to be with," said Craig.

"Yeah, but wasn't Smashley—Ashley, I mean, your girl?" I asked.

"She still goes by Smashley and we got divorced last year."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know you two were pretty tight."

"It's A'ight. Hey, we should race some time, just like back in college. I remember you used to be able to sprint pretty far pretty fast."

"Aw, man, it's been so long since I've ran for recreation… or any kind of running."

Craig laughed. "Well, we should hang out some time, catch up. We could go running and then grab a brunch, like we used to or you could come watch one of my girls' softball games."

"How many kids do you have now?!"

"Three. The other two are twins."

"Twins…" I was stunned.

"Well, I gotta get back to my jog. It was great seeing you again!"

"You too, Dude!" We waved each other off as he headed in the opposite direction. "Man, Keg-Stand Craig is a father of three…"

"Keg stands? Whoa, this dude sounds awesome," commented Andrew.

"He is awesome."

We headed home and spent the rest of the day chilling on the couch watching TV. Andrew received a text on his phone. "Oh, hey, Mom, is it cool if I go hang with Eddie P. and Eddie R.?" he asked.

"Sure, just make sure to be home before midnight and text me if plans change, K?" I requested.

"Sure thing, Mom. Love you," he said, heading for the door.

"Andrew! Jacket!" I called out.

He grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, whipped it on, and headed out. I sighed. "Well, now what do I do?" It was still early. "Think I'll hit up somewhere local."

I headed out and found a little dive bar called Jim and Kim's. I headed in and was immediately assaulted with old memories. I hadn't been to this particular bar before, but something about it rang so many bells in my mind. I took a seat at the bar and got a wine cooler. I still needed to get home after this, after all.

I looked down the bar and noticed a familiar face: the brooding man from the Coffee Spoon. I felt the blood leave my face when I saw him and I physically jumped when he looked at me and spoke, "Hey." His voice was gruff, but oddly alluring.

"Hey," I replied.

He said no more. He appeared to be watching the soccer game that was on the poor res TV. I remembered watching soccer with Daniel. One of our favorite teams was playing. It looked like they were winning.

It turned out being a close game. The brooding man rooted for the opposing team, for some reason. I laughed inwardly. I stayed until the game ended. My team won. I raised my bottle and he raised his glass. Respect.

He motioned to the bartender and he poured two shots of whiskey. One of them was slid to the man, the other to me. "The name's Robert," said the gruff man.

"Thanks. I'm Carrie."

When he asked if I was new to the neighborhood, I nodded. "Well, you've come to the right place. As slimy as it is, Jim and Kim's is the best in town." He paused. "What kinda drinks you prefer?"

"I'm down for anything, though I usually stick to the fruity drinks."

He nodded. "You down for a shot?"

I gulped down my shot of whiskey as a reply. I winced slightly at the flavor. I heard Robert giggle a little. "Been a while since you had something hard?"

"Kinda, but I'm good with it."

He smiled. "Be right back."

The bartender nods to me. "I've never seen Robert this talkative, he must like you," he said.

I shrug and blush, whether from embarrassment or the whiskey I wasn't sure. Man, it really has been a while since I drank hard liquor. I feel it in my skull.

Robert comes back and grabs his jacket. "I'm walking home, you heading my way?" he asked.

"I live in the cul-de-sac down the way."

"Me too. Come on." He ushers me onward and we head out.

We walk home and I discover he only lives a few houses away. Shit, a lot of attractive dudes in this area… I thought. I fumble with my keys and head inside. I didn't even make an effort to head to my room. I just fell onto the couch and slept.

I woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast. I shuffled over to the bar and sat down. Andrew scooped up some breakfast onto a plate and slid it over to me. "Best. Son. Ever," I said.

"You're welcome, Mom," he replied. He glanced at his watch. "Welp. I gotta go. Don't forget about that meeting with Mr. Vega after school."

"Oh, yeah, that one." I shuffled over to the breadbox where we kept our vitamins and pills and such. I took down a few aspirin and shuddered. "As soon as I wake up." Thankfully, it was a day off for me. So, I could have some time to recover from last night.

Andrew had to be in trouble or something. It wasn't unusual. At least expulsion was never talked about.

I got to the school early. I was given a visitor's badge and headed down the hall. Man, I don't remember where it even is… Mr. Vega was new to the school for that year and they hadn't even gotten a name plate for a door yet. He taught middle school before this, I remembered.

I decided to ask for directions. The punk-looking kid sent me the wrong way; however, I only realized this after five minutes of aimless wandering. When I found him again, ready to rattle off on him, Mr. Vega showed up. "Thank God," I said.

"Lucien, why don't you head home?" requested Mr. Vega.

"Whatever, Dude," Lucien replied attitudinally. I slightly glared at him as he walked past. I should be used to it after Andrew going through the same phase, but… ugh.

"Come in," said Mr. Vega. I sit in one of the desks and my mind goes back to my high school experience. I shudder. I prefer not to think about those times.

"So, Mr. Vega, what's the problem?" I asked.

"Andrew is a bright student, he's just not very… engaged. He's not been turning in his assignments and he's been doing poorly on tests," said Mr. Vega.

"This is news to me. I don't even get to see his report card like I used to."

"I have to ask, is everything all right at home?"

"Well, we just moved, but… I don't think that's the issue. He was absolutely on board with it." I paused. "I'll talk to him about it, see what I can do."

"That's good, because I'd hate to see him miss out on the scholarship money he deserves."

"Thanks for the talk, Mr. Vega. I'll get it straightened out." We shake hands and I leave. That was about as stressful as I remember school being.

I head to the car and find Andrew waiting there. "Hey," he greets, not looking up from his phone.

"Hey," I reply back. We get in and begin our drive. We drive in silence for a little bit, Andrew texting on his phone. "We don't have to talk about it now, but we're gonna have to talk about it at some point. If there's anything bothering you, just tell me. I'm your mom, I can take care of a lot of things."

"Thanks, Mom. 'Preciate it," he replied.

"Who're you texting so fervently?"

He snorts. "Naomi."

"Does she go to your school?"

"Yeah."

"Do you… like her?"

"Mom…"

"Okay, all right, you don't wanna talk about it. That's cool."

"She's my friend, Mom."

"Allrighty then." It gets uncomfortably silent. "How 'bout some mall nachos? You up for some mall nachos?"

"Sure."

We head to the mall. We ate some super fatty food for dinner. It was the type of food that made you feel gross for the rest of the day.

I groan.

"Hey, we should head to that goth store," said Andrew, grinning mischievously.

"No…" I didn't mean it, but it just brought back scary times in my life.

"Aw, come on, Mom. They got chain wallets, ironic mugs, band shirts, and memories."

"Yeah, of that time I threw up in there and of your hideous goth phase."

"Come on, Mom. Please?"

"Fine."

"Yes!" He made a fist pump to celebrate his victory. I rolled my eyes.

We made it to the goth store, "Dead, Goth, and Beyond", and Andrew and I perused the store. "Oh, hey, you can still kinda see the outline of it," he said, snickering.

"Andrew, no," I said.

"It's been five years. Do you know how rare it is for a place like this to still be around and have a stain like that?"

"Five years isn't that long of a time-"

"Speech!"

"No."

"Speech! Speech! Speech!"

"Fine then! Fine." I cleared my throat and stood beside the spot, but I tried not to look at it. "Yay, for it has been some time since we last crossed the threshold of this store. The last time we had done so, I overconsumed. Though the Blue Raspberry Slushee, being my most favorite of all Slushees, was delicious, it proved to be the tipping point on that day. Now, we stand here beside the remains of the poorly cleaned mess of the hurling which I had done whilst trying on a corset. From that day forth, I vowed two things: One, I would never let an amateur tighten my corset again; and two, I would never overconsume. Let us hope this stain remains here as a reminder to eat and drink wisely." I curtsied low. "Thank you."

Andrew snickers and claps that slow, ironic clap. "Thanks, Mom. You really lighten up my life," he said.

I roll my eyes. Then, I hear another set of hands clapping. "Wonderful speech," said the man. "Well said." He was tall and had long, black hair that touched his shoulders. He wore old-fashioned clothes and a cloak, looking like a lord. His nails were manicured and his eyes were a mesmerizing purple. Clearly contacts, but they look good on him.

"My name is Damien Bloodmarch," he said, bowing with a flourish.

"I'm Carrie Adams," I replied with a curtsy. I suddenly felt horrendously underdressed in my skinny jeans and t-shirt.

"I must confess that I did not enter this shop on as amiable terms as your lovely speech. I am glad you were here, however, as the anger I felt upon coming here has lessened a great deal."

I blushed. "I'm glad I made you happy."

He bowed his head. "I must take my leave for now. I hope to see you again soon."

"Me too. You." We both smiled. He then proceeded over to the cashier and began talking with her about how he did not receive the right type of clothing. The fashions he mentioned were only vaguely familiar in my brain. I took out my phone to look them up. I can see why he'd be upset at receiving Edwardian fashion. Victorian stuff is way cooler. I gathered that he had wound up getting a refund on the garment and I smiled.

"Hey, Mom?" Andrew took me out of my thoughts. "You okay?"

"Yeah, totally," I replied.

"Cool. I'm gonna buy this T-shirt." It was one of those Keep Calm tees.

"I approve."

As Andrew was checking out, Damien approached me. "That was some good negotiating," I commented.

"It helped that I had a level head when speaking to her. I must thank you again."

"It really was no problem."

"My neighborhood is having a barbeque to celebrate someone who just moved in, perhaps you would like to accompany me as a friend?"

"Do you live in the cul-de-sac?"

He seemed surprised. "Yes…?"

"My son, Andrew, and I are the newcomers."

"Ah! How delightful! I shall see you this Saturday at 3:00 then."

"Yes, I look forward to meeting everyone and seeing you again."

"Thank you." I saw a small blush on his cheeks. "Well, I must take my leave, for I have done what I came here to do. I bid you good day, madam."

Now, it was my turn to blush. "Thank you."

Saturday rolled around and Andrew and I brought my rendition of a Muddy Buddies snack mix. "I hope they like it," I commented to Andrew as we were walking over.

"Mom, your snack mix is awesome. It'd be inhuman if they didn't like it," said Andrew.

"I wouldn't say that," I said, embarrassed at the praise.

"It is. All the way."

"All right, well, try to let everyone try some. I don't want you eating just sweets."

"'Cause it'd be rude?"

"That's correct."

"Sure thing, Mom."

When we got there, I was shocked. Every guy there was so good-looking. Everybody I had interacted with in the past few days was here: Mat, the barista; Brian, the burly man; Joseph, clean-cut blonde; Robert, brooding and gruff; Craig, my old college roomie; Andrew's teacher, Mr. Vega; and Damien, the Victorian gentleman. I grabbed my son by the arm. "Is it too late to head back?" I asked quietly.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Hey, everybody! We're here!" he called everyone's attention. I punched his arm.

"Nice going," I replied, feeling shy about being around all these guys. There was only one other woman here. She seemed to be hanging around Joseph. I noticed the wedding rings on their fingers. Is Joseph the only married guy here? That made it worse.

"My mom brought snack mix. It's the bomb," he said, taking the snack mix from me and setting it on the table. He then conveniently slid away to go be social with some of the other kids.

I hate being here like this. I wanna go home. "I should probably, at least, try to be social. Damn it, Daniel, I wish you were here," I said to myself quietly.

Damien approached me. "Good day, Carrie," he greeted with a bow.

"Hi, Damien," I greeted nervously.

"Are you all right? You seem stressed."

"I have never been one for social functions or crowds," I replied. I looked to the ground and started rearranging soil with my foot in circular, clockwise motions.

"Come, I shall be right by your side." I looked up to him when he said that and smiled. He brought me around to the other guys I had met and found out they were all (excepting Joseph) single dads. Kinda weird, but okay.

I actually wound up having a good time. Joseph brought up to me, again, about the social platform Siingle. I decided I'd get on. I mean, all the other guys had accounts and it seemed like a good way to make friends without being entirely social.

When I got home, I set up the account on my laptop:

Name: Carrie Adams

Summary: Hey, guys! If you ever wanna hang out and/or grab a coffee, message me. I like going on walks, spending time with my son, and, really, doing anything fun.

On a Friday night, I am most likely to: Watch let's plays online

If you had one thing to take with you on a desert island, what would it be: An axe

What are your turn-ons: Openness

What did you want to be when you grew up: Writer

What's your favorite movie genre: Romantic Comedy

What's your ideal date: When we're together and we forget anyone else exists

What do you never leave home without: Wallet and keys

I spend a lot of time thinking about: Story ideas

I submitted this as the basic profile. I gaped at how honest I was in my responses. This won't be a dating site… it's just for hanging out. It's a social platform. I shook my head. Better not dwell on that more until tomorrow.

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed it. Please keep reading and reviewing, thanks :)