Title: My Daddy Says… Do You Like Scary Movies?

Author: Taz

Rating: G

Summary: Connor's been roped into babysitting. To while away the hours, he decides to have a little fun with Colm.

Author's Notes: From Connor's age (I've got him down as a teenager) you can tell I've screwed irrevocably with the timeline here… hope you can just accept it at face value and go along with it lol! I'm really starting to enjoy this story… he's coming into his own but man am I glad he's not mine! And a big thank you to everyone that's reviewed so far - I'm glad you're all enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it!

"Get your ass down here munchkin," Connor bellowed up the stairs at his little brother.

"Don't wanna!" Colm yelled back. "You're mean! You'll make me listen to Slipknot and I hate them!"

"No I won't! Dad said we had to stay together all night so you don't break anything. Now get your ass down here and watch the movie."

"Colm's head popped over the banister.

"What movie?"

"Disembowler Seven," Connor informed him. "C'mon, we're all waiting…"

"Who's we?"

"Just a few friends, now come on!"

"Fine," Colm tramped down the stairs, trying to hide his eagerness at the thought of spending an evening with his older brother's cool friends. "But can we watch something else? Horror movies are lame."

"No we can't," Connor snapped. "Sorry, kid, but we don't have anything here with a Disney logo on it…"

"But mommy said I could watch Homeward Bound! She really did!"

"Ooh scary stuff Colm," Connor teased.  "Think you could handle all the fluffy little animals?"

"No fair! You're being mean! I'll tell mom and dad on you!"

"Shut up, sit down and I won't hit you with the battleaxe," Connor threatened, pushing his little brother down into a chair in front of the TV.

Colm may have been many things but he wasn't stupid. He knew better than to argue with a teenager that was double his height and three times his weight and so settled obediently into the chair and stared fearfully at the screen. He may have been the son of a vampire and a slayer but he still didn't like horror movies, no siree!

As the film began the older boys all jeered at poor Colm, cowering behind a cushion as the flickering images filled the screen.

"Aw c'mon Colm," James, a swarthy blonde boy, teased mercilessly. "It's only the ads!"

"Don't care," Colm mumbled. "You're all poopy-heads for making me watch this and my daddy's going to kick your butts."

"Shut up pipsqueak, the movie's starting!"

As the film began to progress, to squeaks of consternation from Colm and cheers from the rest of the viewers, it became apparent that this wasn't your average slasher movie. It was gory to the extreme and soon had even Connor's stomach turning. As he'd discovered, death and destruction was one thing when it involved demons but when it was people it just seemed… horrible.

After around thirty minutes and about as many horrific murders Connor noticed that Colm was being awfully quiet. Turning in his seat he flicked his eyes towards the chair where he'd deposited his younger brother. It felt as though his stomach had fallen through his shoes as he realised that Colm wasn't there, only the cushion lay abandoned on the seat.

"Uh…guys?"  he addressed his friends. "Have any of you seen Colm?"

"Yeah," Corey nodded. "He's right… uh oh."

They all jumped up, regardless of the movie still playing away to itself on Angel's forty-inch plasma screen TV. As they all began searching the room and shouting Colm's name Connor began to panic. If his dad didn't kill him for losing the little brat, Buffy would. Just as his thoughts reached their state of peak desperation, a loud and furious knocking echoed around the living room. All eyes swung to the door.

Boom boom boom.

Whoever was knocking really had an arm on them.

"Go open the door, Connor…"

"Yeah man, go on."

"No way!" Connor baulked, he wasn't armed, he was surrounded by mortals and a potentially crazed axe man was on the other side of his living room door. Oh yeah, and his little brother was missing presumed dead.

Before they could argue the point and further, the handle began to squeak around. Three petrified teenage boys watched it turn until the latch clicked into place and the door began to creak open theatrically. As soon as the door was open a vicious looking demon shot into the room, flying straight at the boys.

At this point Connor did what any red-blooded teenage boy would do in his position; he screamed like a woman and dived behind the couch. However, something happened before the demon could reach them, it got its legs tangled up with the rug and sprawled, with a winded-sounding 'oomph', on the living room floor.

Connor recognised the noise and began to seethe angrily.

"Colm," he ground out through gritted teeth. "You better get up and sit down before I beat your rear end black and blue."

The demon rose regally to it's feet and threw it's weapon, a sharp blade, with unerring accuracy, pinning Connor to the wall by his shirt sleeve before spinning on it's heel and stalking out of the room.

"Why of all the stupid little…" Connor growled, ripping his arm free.

"Dude, your brother totally made you scream like a little girl," Corey laughed.

"Did I?" Colm appeared seemingly from nowhere.

"I oughta," Connor lunged at his brother. "What the hell did you think you were doing!?"

"What? What did I do?"

"You know exactly what you did… dressing up like that and throwing that knife…"

"But I was asleep…"

"What?"

"I crawled under the sofa 'cause I was scared," he hung his head shamefully. "And I fell asleep."

"Liar!"

"Dude, maybe he's telling the truth. If he'd gone out the room before, we woulda seen him come back in, wouldn't we?"

"Holy crap," James jumped up speedily. "Is that the time? Man I gotta be getting home."

"But…" Connor looked fearfully around the room; Buffy and his dad wouldn't be home for ages and if that thing hadn't been Colm…

"Yeah, man, I'm gonna have to go too," Corey grabbed his jacket and made for the door, heading back to his own home that didn't have it's very own knife-wielding thing.

Colm watched them go before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and heading for the door.

"Well, Connor, I'm going to bed, see you tomorrow."

"Colm! Wait!" Connor grabbed hold of his little brother's wrist and tugged him up the stairs toward his own room. "We can watch Homeward Bound, c'mon in with me, it'll be fun…"

Colm shrugged affably. Half an hour later he was settled in Connor's bed with his big brother lounging on the armchair in the corner, watching him as he slept. He wasn't a bad kid when he was asleep, sorta sweet looking really…

~*~Colm's thoughts~*~

You Big Meanie, Connor! Bet you never thought about that passageway from the office to the living room, did you? Hah! Just think what your girlfriend would think if she knew you and your friends were scared of an old Halloween costume! Well, I won't tell, and I won't do it again, just as long as you don't make fun of me again… but try anything like that again and maybe it'll be time for Mr Scary-Demon-With-The-Big-Knife to make another show…