The Vault

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Father - Jimmy Page Fic (requested)

July 14, 1979

"Daddy!" Scarlet giggled, hobbling down the steps so she could run to the front door, where her father had just come home from band practice.

She jumped down from the last step and ran into the front hall - her smile fell when she saw her father standing by the door, his suitcase was on the floor by his feet while his arms craddled the little sister that was just born about a year and a half ago. 

She didn't know why, but she was bothered by this. It bothered her endlessly, actually. She was just five years old… Why should she be bothered? She shouldn't have a care in the world, other than the fact that her father was home and she was happy. She loved her mommy and her brother and she simply adored her daddy. 

Maybe that's why it killed her? Daddy wouldn't take his eyes off of her sister since she was born… From the very moment they brought her home from the hospital, it was 'Zofia' this and 'Little Zo' that… It was all about the baby. She was slowly losing her father, in more ways than she could possibly understand in her innocent state.

Due to the fact that she was merely still a toddler, Scarlet's mind was growing much faster than her body. But she was still extraordinarily smart for a girl her age. She was developing her wit and her intelligence at an alarming rate - mostly due to the fact that both her mother and her father are incredibly witty themselves. But as witty and intelligent as she was, she was also very, very naive and still held the selfish tendencies of a child as young as she. She loved her sister endlessly, there was no doubt about that. She wanted the best for her sister, but she also wanted to have her father back. Her father, not the father that she had to share with her little sister. 

Immediately, Scarlet thought up a plan - she was going to win her father's affections and she was going to, once again, be the favorite. She was going to be the favorite, even if it killed her. With a sly little smile, she sauntered up to her daddy and smiled up at him, waiting patiently for him to notice her. After a moment or two of cooing at the little baby, Jimmy handed his youngest back to his wife, before bending down and picking up Scarlet, resting her weight on his hip as her little arms clung around his neck. 

"And how is my darling little princess this morning?" He laughed, making Scarlet blush and smile. 

"I missed you, daddy!" She giggled, leaning forward a bit and kissing his cheek, before resting her face in the crook of his neck. "I love mummy, but it's been rather boring without you."

He simply laughed heartily and kissed the top of her head as he carried her out of the front hall and into the livingroom. Sherrie followed closely behind them, with the baby in her arms. Scarlet peeked over her father's shoulder, looking at the baby. How could something so small and so cute, be such a big threat to her happiness? How could she feel so content with her family life one moment, and feel so threatened the next?

She sighed and continued to nuzzle herself into her father's arms. Upon hearing this little sigh, Jimmy chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head again. "What's wrong, darling? Are you tired?"

She instantly brightened up and giggled at him. 
"Nope, not at all!"

This made Jimmy laugh and sigh, recalling a time, back in 1970, when he'd brought Sherrie on tour with him to the States. He'd asked her the same question, to which she replied the exact same way Scarlet had. He couldn't help but to wonder just how much of his little girl was actually comprised of him. She looked exactly like Sherrie in every way. She sounded like her, spoke like her, acted like her in every single way imaginable. It was no wonder he had such a special connection to her.