Taking Responsbility

by Reena

Disclaimer: They. Are. Not. Mine. Happy now?

Rating: G

Summary: A look into the colourful future of Michael and Maria.

Michael walked into his bedroom to find Maria sitting in a chair by the window reading a book.

"Maria. You've got to help me here. Please?"

Maria looked up from the book she was reading and promptly dropped it to the floor. She doubled over in laughter at the sight of him.

"This is not funny."

She glanced up at him, and continued her fit of laughter. "Oh?I?beg to differ?this?this is very funny."

Michael was a rainbow of colors. His disheveled hair was blue, his skin was pink, his shirt was green and his pants were yellow. Yes, she thought to herself, this is very funny.

The cause of Michael's predicament stomped into the room, standing right beside Michael. All two and a half years of her. She looked at Michael, then up at Maria.

"Daddy looks pret-ty, huh Mommy?" Pride was shining in her large hazel eyes.

"Oh, yes, baby. Daddy looks very pretty." The blonde mass of curls with the hazel eyes looked at her father with a goofy grin. She poked his t-shirt and it changed from green to orange. Then she left the bedroom in a fit of giggles. Michael looked at his wife, exasperated. Maria continued to laugh at the sight of her husband.

"Oh, I look pretty, do I?" He was beginning to get annoyed. This was not funny. Looking like a walking ad for a rainbow was not funny. His adorable monster of a daughter was enjoying her newfound powers a little too much. And his wife was no help.

"Yes, honey. You look pretty. I like these colors on you."

Umph! His teasing wife was enjoying this too much to be of any help to him.

"You know, she's your daughter. You could help me out, you know. Instead of just sitting there, laughing." His wife responded with more laughter.

Yeah, it wouldn't be funny if she was the object of her daughter's little color-tirade.

"Oh, no?she's your daughter. I contributed the hair, the nose, her innate cuteness. Those are your eyes. Those are your powers. That little hellion is your daughter."

Michael rolled his eyes at his wife.

"Oh, really? That hellion part is all you. That is your daughter."

"The hellion part is me? Hardly, oh, temperamental one. She is all yours at this moment."

They both turned their attention towards the door as they watched their little hellion run down the hallway still giggling.

"Maria. Please? No matter what I tell her, she ignores me."

"Yeah, that part is you too, pal-ly."

"You are not helping me. You should she what she's done to the kitchen!"

"She'll change it back when she feels like it?"

"Mr. Snuffles is still blue?" Mr. Snuffles was their daughter's pink elephant.

Well, a month ago it was pink.

"Oh, Michael, calm down. I'll talk to her."

"Really?" Michael leaned in and gave his wife a quick kiss. She smiled, her emerald eyes sparkling. Then she reached down, picking her book off of the floor.

She caressed her husband's cheek. "Just let me finish this chapter."

Argh! That was it for Michael. He snatched the book out of his wife's hands.

"No, not after you finish this chapter. Now. You are going to help me now."

Maria reached for the book in her husband's hands. "You are such a baby, Michael."

"A baby? No, I'm like six different colors at the expense of your innately cute daughter."

"But honey, you look pret-ty. And didn't you see how proud she was?"

"You know, if it was you she was changing colors, this wouldn't be so funny?"

"But it's not me, now is it?"

Michael was getting beyond frustrated. On one hand, his wife was enjoying his predicament a little too much. On the other hand, well, she was turning him on. Arguing was always a form of foreplay for them. This time was no different.

Maria could read the look in her husband's eyes. Desire. She was leaning forward to capture his beautiful pink lips when their daughter burst into the room.

"Daddy!" She ran towards Michael, clutching and pulling at his hand. "Come see!"

It was hopeless for him. He loved his little monster too much to deny her anything, so he dutifully followed her as she led him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

Maria had just returned to her book when she heard her husband's booming voice. "Maria! Get into the kitchen now and take responsibility for your daughter!"

She just laughed to herself as she saw her daughter run past their room, giggling, into her own room.

And then Michael appeared at the doorway and she dropped her book for the second time. At the sight of a very angry and purple Michael. Snorts of laughter erupted from her small frame. And Michael groaned. He was purple. Purple! And his laughing hyena of a wife wasn't going to be taking any responsibility for her daughter.

He looked into his daughter's room. She was playing with her blue Mr. Snuffles.

"Daddy?wanna play wiff me?" Deceptively innocent eyes looked up at him. And he groaned, again. His wife was still laughing at him, and he wasn't capable of refusing his daughter anything. So rainbow-Michael trudged into his daughter's room to play with her blue elephant that used to be pink?just like he did.

THE END