Guardian Angel

Or

Demon God Father

Part of the Omniverse Project

by Benji The Vampire Confuser

Based on characters and situations created by Joss Whedon.

Francis Krelik Horn sat under the tree in his backyard. He was not going to cry. His babysitter was wrong. He wasn't a monster. He grew horns sometimes. He was not a monster. Was he?

He was NOT going to...

"Poop." he muttered. There went the tears. Every time. Boys weren't supposed to cry. That was what girls did. He didn't cry when he'd skinned his knee. Not even when the dog next door tried to bite him. But whenever anyone saw him, REALLY saw him, and were afraid, or tried to hurt him, or called him a monster...He couldn't help himself.

Oh his mom tried to comfort him. She'd spout off some rhetoric (that had scared his dad, when little 4 year old Francis knew words like that. "Never get used to this kid being so much smarter'n me.") about people just not understanding. That didn't help. That was the whole problem. HE didn't understand. His dad, Maylor Horn was a Morphak Demon. His mother Harry (Harry was a boys name) was a Anthrodemonologist. He still had trouble pronouncing that word.

"It's not easy, I know." said a voice from the swing set.

Francis raised his head, trying to hide the fact that he was crying. There was a man sitting on one of the swings. He was wearing a green shirt with a brown leather jacket, and black trousers. He had short black hair and blue eyes. Francis had never seen him before, and yet, he felt like he had.

"Who are you?" Francis asked, suspiciously. His mother had warned him never to talk to strangers.

"Francis." the man said, smirking.

"That's my name."

"I know." the man said. "And you have my condolences believe me."

"You don't like that name?"

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." the older Francis grinned. "But your mom always liked it."

"You know my mom?"

"Long time ago. We were friends once upon a time. People make fun o' ya? Fer the name? That why you were crying?"

"I WASN'T crying. And no. Well they do but that's not why." He didn't know why, but he trusted this man, this stranger with his name. Enough to show him.

"Hey, nice horns. They suit you."

Francis smiled. Only his mom and dad had ever complimented him on the horns.

"Let you in on a little secret." the older Francis said, and his face changed. His skin went green, his eyes, red. And spines sprouted from his entire face.

Francis' mouth hung open. "Wow," he breathed. "That's much worse than mine."

His new friend laughed. "Sometimes life plays these little tricks man. Some half-demons can't even hide it. I was one of the lucky ones. You are too. I just wanted to talk to ya. Let ya know that you aren't the only one what's gotta deal with all this. Yer babysitter IS wrong you know. Yer not a monster. Any more than I was."

"Thanks." Francis looked down for a moment, feeling much better. Having someone to talk to who understood... "Wait, what do you mean-" He looked up. There was no sign of the man. The swing he'd been sitting on was moving gently in the breeze. "Was?"

"Francis?" his mother called from inside the house. "Francis?"

"Mom!" he cried excitedly, running back to the house. "Mom I saw a ghost! He had my name and he was part demon too!"

"That's nice dear." Harry said. Kids and their imaginations.

The End