Title: Daddy Mine
Characters: Jimmy Page, Summer Davis-Dylan, Bob Dylan, Sara Dylan, the Dylan kids
Word Count: 4,417
Rating: PG-13, some swearing
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Fathers' Day, 1975.

Author's note: This IS canon with the epic. Midnight Shift spoilers. Don't read if that bothers you.



Lying in the center of a large king-sized bed, Summer curled her arm under the pillow, her eyes dropping close. Sequestered in New York City for far too long, she was restless and needed more than just the nature of Central Park. Both she and Queenie needed more than that. Jimmy promised a surprise when he returned, but she did not even think that would abate her boredom. After spending nearly two months in the center of the Led Zeppelin storm, the past five weeks without them made her question… everything. She would sadly even admit to crying a good deal of the time, but never when Jimmy was around. Jimmy never let her cry.

However, if he did not return soon, she was certain the tears would begin to flow once more. She would drift off in thoughts about her mother dying and Robert leaving her behind. He needed to walk through the door right then and save her from her own darkness before… before… Fuck, she was already crying again.

The door to the hotel room opened and in bounded Queenie. Before Jimmy even closed the door, she pulled her leash free of his grasp and ran towards the bed. Jumping up onto the luxurious bedcover, the puppy hurried over to Summer and began to lick her face, catching the tears streaming down the young woman’s face. Jimmy’s dark gray eyes noticed the dog’s actions instantly and he set his package on the nearby chair. Wordlessly he approached the bed and crawled towards her. Summer pushed Queenie away as Jimmy neared, settling the dog on the opposite side of her. His talented fingers quickly cupped her chin, tilting her face up to accept his gentle kiss.

Her arms circled his neck as her lips parted slightly. However, Jimmy did not deepen the kiss. Frowning as he felt new tears join the slight dampness from the puppy kisses, he pulled back and looked down into her blue eyes.

“Why do you cry, princess?” he requested softly.

“Jimmy, I… I…”

He kissed her mouth once more briefly, “You are miserable here?”

“I miss… I miss my mom, Jimmy. I miss her so much,” she muttered.

The guitarist quickly shifted on the bed, pulling her into his arms, “I know, sweetheart. Sometimes… sometimes you call for her in your sleep.”

“I do?”

“It breaks my heart every single time.”

“I don’t… I don’t want to… upset you, Jimmy,” she stated.

“No, no. Do not fret about that. It is my duty to care for you, princess,” he proclaimed. “Perhaps we should go and see your father?”

“Really?”

His fingers brushed her long blond hair back from her face, “It would make you happy, yes?”

“I… it might.”

“Then we shall. I shall call and make arrangements shortly. But first you have a present to open,” he declared.

“Jimmy, you shouldn’t have.”

He waved her comment off, pulled away, and moved to retrieve his package, “Nonsense.”

Sitting back on the bed, he reached into the paper bag and pulled out a small box, held close with a white ribbon. Though she did not think for a moment that she deserved whatever was in the small box, Summer sat fully up in the bed and accepted the gift. The puppy barked softly, reaching for the tail end of the ribbon as Summer tugged it free. Jimmy instantly reached for it so that the dog could not swallow the ribbon. Flipping the box top up, Summer’s eyes went to the contents and widened slightly.

“Oh, Jimmy… I can’t… I can’t…”

“Nonsense,” he repeated, reaching in for the necklace.

Suspended from a black silk cord, which had been made from a cutting taken from Jimmy’s own black stage suit, a cluster of clear, pink, and red stones and crystals shined. Summer’s fingertips reached out and gently touched the amulet before her eyes went to Jimmy’s.

“Jimmy… It’s beautiful… I don’t… I don’t deserve–”

“Yes, you do,” he declared and quickly looped it about her throat.

Her fingers held the pendant to her chest as he tied it underneath her long hair. As his hands released the cord, he cupped her face and kissed her softly. Her eyes fluttered closed and her arms quickly circled his neck. As he ended the kiss, Jimmy pulled her into his lap, still holding her close.

“What are they, Jimmy?” she asked, tilting up the necklace to look at the stones.

“Rose quartz, pink tourmaline, and clear quartz are the larger stones. The dark ones are garnets,” he answered.

“Thank you, Jimmy. It’s beautiful,” she breathed as she released it.

His lips touched her temple, “Almost as beautiful as you.”

Summer flushed, “I’m not beautiful. If I were beautiful, Robert wouldn’t have–”

“Nonsense. Your beauty has nothing to do with his issues. He is a fool. I have told you that a number of times and it is just as true each time I must repeat it,” Jimmy stated.

She sighed, “I just… I am so glad I have you, Jimmy. I don’t know what I would do without you. I would be so alone and hopeless and lost.”

“That’s never going to happen, princess,” he claimed. “Never. Now why don’t you put on something pretty and we shall go out for dinner? I shall call Bob whilst you do so.”



Letting Queenie hang her head out the window as soon as they left the large metropolis, Summer struggled to not push the dog aside and do so herself. Cities were fun and exciting and New York was the best of them, but after living all of her life surrounded by tall trees and blue skies, she ached for the rural, the untouched, the uncrowded. Jimmy noticed an instant change in her demeanor once the windows were rolled down and the country air filtered into the car. She relaxed visibly and her eyes began to sparkle a bit more. He knew now he had to get her out of New York City, the sooner the better. In fact, he was going to ring Peter as soon as they reached their destination to press him about her passport. Taking her to his home seemed a logical solution to her depression. But until then, he would do whatever he could to make her smile, even let the dog hang out the window of the car.

“Jimmy?” Summer turned to face him.

“Yes, princess.”

“How long will it take for us to get there?”

“I know not, but I should think fairly soon,” he responded.

Keeping hold of the puppy’s leash, she shifted over in the seat, snuggling up against the guitarist, “Do you think we could stay longer than just the night? It smells so good out here.”

His arm folded easily about her, “I am certain Bob would like that very much, Summer. Besides Sunday is Father’s Day here in America, well and in England as well. You should be with your father then.”

“What’s Father’s Day?” her innocent eyes went to his.

Jimmy blinked, “It is… a holiday… where you celebrate your father.”

“Oh,” she responded. “Like how? What am I supposed to do?”

He stared at her again for a long minute, “Most children give their fathers small gifts and cards.”

“Oh,” she looked away briefly before her eyes returned to his. “You’re a father, Jimmy. Did Scarlet send you something?”

He smiled crookedly, “Yes. But I promised her to not open it until Sunday.”

“I should have something for Bob, shouldn’t I?”

His eyes flicked to the farmhouse as the car pulled into its driveway, “We will go find something before Sunday, I promise. But first, we shall go spend time with Bob.”

Her head whirled around, “We’re here!”

Before he could say anything, the young girl and her puppy jumped out of the car. Jimmy slid across the seat to get out of the same door instead of waiting for the driver to open his. He trotted up the front steps after her, reaching her side as the door opened from her knocking. Both of them stared at the plump, blond woman who answered for a long moment.

“Um, is Bob here?” Summer asked.

The woman stared down her bulbous nose at the girl, rolled her eyes, and moved to close the door. As she had not answered, Jimmy’s hand shot out, holding the door open.

“We are not fans stalking Mr. Dylan, ma’am. He is expecting us. If you would please just show us in, Mr. Dylan will–”

“We moved in here quite some time ago, sir. There is no Mr. Dylan here and if you don’t get off my porch right now there will be no Mr. Whoever you are either,” she growled.

Jimmy let his hand fall away, “Forgive us. We were misinformed. Good day.”

Turning away, his arm slipped around Summer’s waist as he guided her back to the car. Pausing to let the puppy pee on the woman’s lawn, the couple got back into the car silently. Jimmy instructed the driver to return them to the hotel, glancing briefly at Summer. Her large blue eyes met his once more and he could already see tears rimming her eyes. As the car began to pull away, Jimmy pulled her into his lap and kissed her softly.

“Peter probably has not updated his contacts, princess. We both know Bob does not like him. I shall call Bob directly myself once we return to the city. We will see your dad before long. I promise,” he vowed softly.

She nodded and sniffled.

“We shall find him, princess. We shall.”



Hanging the phone up triumphantly, Jimmy began to pace the hotel room. If Summer had not been out walking her dog, something she insisted on doing alone while he worked on locating Bob, he would have pulled her to him and kissed her excitedly. Instead he had minutes – how many he was uncertain – to wait out until she returned to give her the good news. He should… he should pack. That way they could call the car almost immediately.

Entering the seemingly empty hotel room a few minutes later, Summer removed Queenie’s leash and looked around. She instantly frowned upon not seeing Jimmy. Had he too left her like so many before? What was she going to do now? Her father was nowhere to be found. Robert had left her for the wife and family on the other side of the ocean. Her mother was dead. What was she to do without Jimmy?

“Wait one minute,” Jimmy stepped out of the bathroom, toiletry bag in his hands. “Why are you frowning, princess?”

Her eyes instantly darted to his and she hurried over to him, wrapping her arms around him, “I thought you left.”

He tossed the bag onto the bed and circled her in his arms, “Where would I go without you, princess? Nowhere. Now stop your frowning right now, Miss Summer. We have to pack quickly before the car gets here.”

“Where are we going, Jimmy?”

“Minnesota, where Bob is.”

“What is he doing there?”

He chuckled and kissed her quickly, “He moved there over a year ago, princess. So that is where we are going. I spoke with Bob directly. He will meet us at the airport. Come, come. Let us pack and be on our way.”



As soon as the plane touched down, Summer’s fingers went to her seatbelt, flinging the metal away from her waist. Jimmy chuckled and slowly released his own belt, following her to the door that had yet to be opened. Accepting the girl’s squirming puppy from the flight attendant who had kept track of the dog while in flight, he was instantly grateful for taking a private plane from New York to Minneapolis. No other plane would have given them such freedom. His eyes flicked as Summer ran down the stairs as soon as she was able. Looking beyond her, he smiled slightly, seeing Bob approaching the plane. The blonde tripped and stumbled directly into the folksinger’s open arms.

“Hi,” Bob greeted with a chuckle, helping Summer stand up straight.

She remained clutching him, “Oh, Dad…”

“Summer, sweetie, why are you crying?” he asked, looking down at her.

“Because… because I’m so happy to see you, Dad,” she declared.

Bob kissed her forehead, “I’m happy to see you too. Let’s head to the car and head out of here. You can tell me all about what you and Jimmy have been up to in New York.”

Within a half hour of being in the car, Summer curled up in Jimmy’s arms and fell asleep. Though the drive from the airport was no more than two hours, neither man thought it a good idea to wake her. Jimmy knew she had not been sleeping well of late, waking early in the morning with nausea and generally unable to get back to sleep afterwards. Though Bob did not know this, he could not only tell that she needed it, but knew it would allow him the chance to speak freely with Jimmy.

“Why has she been so unhappy?” he asked, catching the guitarist’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

Jimmy sighed, “It’s hard to say. I think a lot of it comes from not being used to being so alone, not surrounded by people all the time. And the city does not agree with her. She needs to feel the sun on her face and the grass under her toes. And… she misses her mother and Robert and no doubt you as well.”

Bob nodded, “I expect you to stay longer than the weekend.”

“We had not planned to,” he closed his mouth quickly, looking at Summer. “We shall stay as long as she needs. I am hopeful that her passport will be processed soon so we may return to England, if only for a few days. There are many places I would like to show her.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Jimmy again, “And if her desires are to remain here with her family.”

“I would never deny her desires. Ever.”

He snorted, “Even if it were to reunite her with Robert?”

Jimmy did not even flinch, “Even if it were. That shall not be the case however. Summer knows I care deeply for her and would never let her down. How can she trust the same of Robert, especially after all he has done to her?”

“But he is your bandmate. Can you really think such things of him?”

“He may be the singer in my band, but that does not excuse his behavior towards this beautiful young woman. Robert is not my concern for the time being; Summer is. I shall deal with him when I must,” he stated.

Remaining focused on the road for a few minutes, he let the meaning behind Jimmy’s words fall into place. Of the members of Led Zeppelin, Bob trusted Jimmy the least and yet... the guitarist had not only exceeded Bob’s expectations of him but also Bob’s expectations of the entire band put together. Even the way he held Summer to him in the back of the car now, while the puppy leaned out the front passenger window, told Bob so much. His worries of leaving her with Jimmy were completely gone.

“Thank you for caring for my daughter in her time of need,” Bob stated softly.

“I will care for her until my dying day, Bob. Of this you can be certain.”



Letting the dog run freely in the backyard with her younger half-siblings, Summer settled in Jimmy’s lap and kissed him quickly. He smiled, settling his arms naturally about her waist. Feeling Sara’s eyes on her, the young woman pivoted slightly and looked directly at her stepmother. The woman barely held her gaze before turning and going back into the house. Passing his wife as he headed out to join the others in the backyard, Bob glanced at Sara, shook his head, and slipped into the chair next to the couple.

He lit up a cigarette, focusing his attention on the younger children playing with the dog, “She’s going to sleep well tonight.”

Jimmy glanced at the puppy, “She normally does. I just hope her owner does.”

“I’m sitting right here, Jimmy,” Summer declared, smiling slightly.

He kissed her cheek, “I know, princess.”

“We only have a single guest room,” Bob stated as Sara stepped back outside.

“I am sure you will be comfortable on the couch, Jimmy,” the older woman stated.

“Sara,” Bob looked at her, “it is completely acceptable for Jimmy and Summer to share the bed. They have been for weeks now.”

“Bob, I don’t think–”

“Jimmy will not be sleeping on the couch.”

“Bob–”

“Jimmy will not be sleeping on the couch, Sara. And that’s final.”

She scowled at him and headed back into the house.

“She doesn’t like us, Dad,” Summer observed.

“Summer, I don’t think it’s that. She’s just–”

“She doesn’t like us,” Summer repeated. “It’s okay. Jimmy can be pretty scary sometimes.”

“What?” Jimmy’s eyes focused on hers.

Grinning her sparkling blue eyes met his, “You most certainly can.”

“What did I–”

She kissed him quickly and scrambled out of his lap. Without saying a word, she ran out in the grass, scooped up one of her younger brothers and blew a raspberry on his soft, bared belly. The little boy erupted into a peal of laughter, wiggling and thrashing about in Summer’s arms. The other three children let the puppy be and hurried to rescue their brother from Summer’s playful torture. The puppy instantly darted towards Jimmy, slipping underneath his legs for protection.

Bob laughed, “You’re so scary the puppy looks to you for protection.”

“I do not know what she means.”

He shook his head, “Sometimes, Jimmy, its better that we don’t understand what they mean.”



Looking at the small box once more, Summer sighed and looked to Jimmy, “Do you really think he’ll like it?”

“Princess, I do not doubt that Bob will like it. Now hurry and wrap it. I do believe they are waiting for us,” he glanced out the bedroom window into the backyard where the Dylans gathered around a picnic table.

Nodding she closed the box and quickly wrapped it in a plain brown wrapper, tying a brilliant blue ribbon over the narrowest part of the box. Gift in hand, her other hand slipped into Jimmy’s, letting him lead her out to the backyard. Queenie followed happily on their heels, though she ducked under the patio chairs as soon as she realized they were going outside and that was where the children were.

Unsurprisingly only one chair remained open, positioned farthest from Bob. As Sara remained cold, distant, and sometimes quietly hostile to Jimmy and Summer the past three days, both took it in stride. As Summer set her gift in front of Bob, Jimmy retrieved an additional chair from the patio.

“Happy Fathers’ Day, Dad,” Summer uttered. “I hope you like it.”

“Summer, you didn’t need to–”

“Yes, she did,” Jimmy interrupted. “I would never hear the end of it if she did not.”

Smirking, Bob reached for the small gift, having already opened the small gifts from his other children. He handed the ribbon to Anna who giggled and instantly tied it in her hair. His agile fingers removed the plain paper wrapper, something Jesse and Samuel fought over, likely wanting to turn it into something else. But Bob paid his younger children little attention as he opened the slim box. Instead, his blue eyes focused upon the gift inside upon a blue velvet platform. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached into the box for the small instrument.

“Summer, this is… amazing.”

“Yeah?” she smiled crookedly.

Lifting the shiny harmonica to his lips, Bob blew a single note, “Beautiful. Thank you very much. I will treasure this always.”

Her arms quickly circled his neck and she kissed his cheek loudly, “I’m so glad you like it, Dad. Really.”

She skipped over to Jimmy, completely ignored the empty chair he left for her and plopped into his lap, “You were right. Dad does like it.”

Smiling Jimmy kissed her quickly, “Of course he did.”

“You’ll have to open your Fathers’ Day present too, Jimmy,” she pointed out.

“It remains in my suitcase. I shall open it later.”

She nodded, kissed him once more, and slid out of his lap and into the empty chair. Chatting amiably and excitedly with everyone at the meal, Summer seemed completely happy and at ease in the moment. Jimmy never wanted to take her out of it. Alas, they had agreed to return to New York soon to check on the status of her passport. He only hoped she would carry that smile with her, hopefully even across the ocean soon.

After a few hours of merriment, Summer helped get the younger kids to bed before slipping back out into the backyard with Bob and Jimmy. As she passed her father, he held out his guitar, silently requesting her to play. With a slight smile, she accepted the acoustic and sat down. Strumming aimlessly for a moment, she adjusted the tuning before choosing a song. Both men relaxed and let the young girl play and sing uninterrupted for a few minutes. Sara appeared once, her eyes settled on Summer briefly, and she turned and went back into the house. Both men noticed but made no comment on it, having become used to it over the past few days.

Finishing her last song, Summer offered the guitar back to Bob, who merely shook his head. With a smile, she lovingly stowed it back in its case. Though there were empty chairs, she slipped into Jimmy’s lap, curling up in his arms. He squeezed her tightly, briefly, before relaxing.

“You have improved since you last played for me,” Bob stated.

Summer smiled, her eyes briefly flicking to Jimmy, “I play with Jimmy at least once a day. Sometimes more.”

“Good,” he responded. “Are you happy now, Summer?”

“Right now? Yes.”

“I mean overall. If you are not happy, we need to figure out how to find you happiness again,” he declared.

“I’m… okay, Dad. I have Jimmy with me and Queenie. He takes very good care of both of us.”

“But are you happy?”

She buried her face briefly on Jimmy’s shoulder before looking back to Bob, “Sometimes I am. But a lot of the time I am sad.”

“How can I help?”

“I don’t know, Dad. I don’t even know why I’m sad half of the time. Sometimes I will just be sitting in Central Park with Jimmy and start crying. I don’t know why.”

Bob glanced at the silent guitarist before returning his attention to his daughter, “While I find New York a creative and inspiring location. I do not think it is for you, Summer. You might be happier here.”

“No, I don’t think so,” she responded. “Sara does not like me and I cannot leave Jimmy. It will go away eventually. Jimmy will fix it.”

“Summer, I do not know that I can,” he softly spoke up, drawing two pairs of blue eyes to him. “I know that I shall try everything to make you happy, but I do not know that I can.”

“Of course you can,” Summer stated and kissed him softly. “Of course you can.”

“I will take you from New York. If not to London then back to California. New York is not the place for you,” he declared, caressing her cheek.

“See? I trust that you will help me be happy again, Jimmy. I do.”

“I hope so, princess.”

“Perhaps it would be better to be out of a hotel? As long as you are in New York, you may stay in the Greenwich townhouse,” Bob offered.

Summer’s eyes turned back to his, “Thank you, Dad. We’ll think about it.”



Sitting on the bed as Summer entered their bedroom plaiting her wet hair, Jimmy looked up and smiled. She closed the door behind her, turning the doorknob lock without even thinking about it. Approaching the bed, she scooped the small wrapped package off the bedside table and sat beside him, holding it out. He accepted it and kissed her quickly.

“Scarlet will be upset I did not call as I opened this,” Jimmy declared as he pulled the paper off the gift.

“She’s four, Jimmy. She won’t know,” Summer teased.

Opening the box, he laughed, “She made me something.”

His fingers reached in and pulled out a small sculpted … something. Holding it up, Jimmy turned it around, trying to figure it out. Confusion filled his eyes. Kissing his confused mouth, Summer slipped it from his fingers and turned it over. His eyes went from hers to the object.

“I do not see…”

“It’s a little guitar.”

He squinted slightly, “I do not…”

“This is the head and the fingerboard,” Summer pointed out. “And the sound hole. I bet she wanted strings and that’s what those squiggly lines are.”

“Oh. I see it now,” Jimmy smiled. “Thank god I had you here to show me.”

She chuckled, “Silly.”

Stashing it back in the box, he leaned over and set the opened box on the nightstand. Sitting back up, his hands went to Summer’s hips, guiding her closer to the bed, straddling his legs. His fingers left her hips to cup her face, guiding her into a sweet kiss. As her lips parted, he eagerly deepened the kiss, letting his tongue trace around hers. Pulling back, Jimmy looked into her eyes, finding he could not make out what he saw in her blue orbs any more than he could in the lump of clay Scarlet sent him.

“Summer?”

“Will you take me to meet your daughter, Jimmy?”

“Absolutely,” he responded without thought. “As soon as we get your passport.”

She kissed him quickly, “With how well you take care of me, I bet you are a great father.”

His arms slipped back around her waist and he quickly rolled, bringing her back to the bed, “I will do better.”

Her eyes remained locked with his as their lips met again. His hand traveled around her waist and pressed gently against her stomach. Only remaining static for a moment, he slipped his fingers under her nightshirt to caress her warm flesh.

“I will do better, Summer. For you.”