The weary Caretaker plodded into the kitchen after an especially grueling day in his lab. He'd been up since four o'clock the previous afternoon setting up and attending to the painstaking process of purifying a fresh consignment of cockatrice anti-venom. It was a notoriously difficult process, and in the last 24 hours he'd had to repeat the entire protocol four times before he was finally able to produce a viable batch.
He filled the kettle with fresh water and put it on the stove, lit the burner. He removed a small teapot and a cup and saucer from the cupboard and set them on the counter, along with the tin of cookies from the food pantry. He then went to the tea pantry and stood there for several moments studying his vast, meticulously kept collection of teas. After a time he decided on a simple Darjeeling; it would go well with the spicy gingersnap cookies Cassandra had made earlier in the week. He plucked the small tea tin from the shelf and carried it to the counter, then began digging around in a drawer in search of the tea ball.
But he couldn't find it, which puzzled Jenkins a great deal. He had put it here just yesterday morning after washing up the tea things from breakfast. Or, at least he thought he had put back into the drawer. Perhaps he had absentmindedly misplaced it somewhere else. He began to go through all of the drawers in the kitchen, methodically searching for the errant tea ball. By the time the kettle began whistling, Jenkins had discovered that not only was the tea ball missing, but so were all of the tea strainers, several napkins rings, the pickle fork, and every single teaspoon the Annex owned. But the item he was most upset to find missing was a tiny, very rare and precious Japanese tea pot, made of whisper-thin cobalt-blue porcelain and decorated with a motif of nine dragons delicately hand-painted in pure gold, in flight amongst wispy silver clouds. It was one of his most treasured possessions, a gift personally presented to him by the Lady Murasaki Shikibu herself. He kept it in its original, custom-made aloes-wood box, in a particular cupboard in which he kept other rare and special tea items.
The lanky man stood in the middle of the kitchen and crossed his arms as he tried to reason out what could have possibly happened to the various items. Theft by an outsider was impossible; the Library would never allow it. Perhaps one of the Librarians had borrowed them. Of course, he thought, his brow furrowing in frustration. One or all of them has borrowed the items and simply neglected to return them. The missing silverware was irritating, but the missing tea pot was downright hurtful to Jenkins. He had made it very clear early on that, while they could help themselves to anything else in the kitchen, this particular cupboard was strictly off-limits. But, he reflected irritably, it was probably that very prohibition that made it the most tempting target, especially to Mr. Jones; such was the way of youth. And the tea pot was priceless, both in terms of monetary value and sentimental value. It would've been an irresistible target for the thief. Regardless, it was inexcusable for them to make off with such an obviously precious object. Jenkins rarely lost his temper, but if anything had happened to that teapot, there was going to be hell to pay.
Jenkins turned off the stove, then stormed off in search of the alleged miscreants, but they were nowhere in the Library. He briefly thought about calling them on the phone, but realized that he was too angry at the moment and needed to calm down. He went back to the kitchen and stood in the middle of the room. "Dammit!" he swore under his breath, his shoulders slumping in frustration. What was supposed to be a soothing end to a very stressful day was rapidly becoming even more stressful than the day itself.
Heaving a deep sigh, Jenkins decided that he still needed that cup of tea. And most definitely he needed a cookie, perhaps even three. Pulling a tablespoon from the drawer, he went to the countertop and opened the tin of Darjeeling. It was then that he noticed that the tea leaves inside were spilling out through a hole in the back of the tin. Glancing back the way he had come from the tea pantry, he saw tea scattered all over the kitchen floor in a ragged trail. Turning the tin around, he saw a huge hole that looked as though it had actually been chewed through the thin metal of the tin.
"Seriously?!" he yelled in frustration as he slammed the tin onto the countertop, loose tea flying everywhere. "What the hell is going on here?"
The Caretaker stalked back to the pantry, a scowl darkening his face. He looked at the shelf where the tea had been sitting, and upon examining each of the dozens of tins of tea stored there, he was shocked to discover that many of them had been chewed open, the contents strewn all over the shelf.
Jenkins began examining the entire pantry for some sign of what had happened to the tea. He bent nearly double in an attempt to look underneath the lowest shelf of the pantry, but he couldn't get low enough to see anything that way. Folding his long legs beneath him, he eased down onto his hands and knees and bent his head low to the floor as he peered under the shelf. He thought he could just make out the shadow of a hole in the wall along the baseboard. A mouse hole? It seemed rather large for a mouse. A rat, perhaps?
As soon as the thought entered his head Jenkins involuntarily gave a sharp yelp and reflexively pushed himself away from the pantry. He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, at the same time moving as far across the room as possible. He absolutely hated rats; he had very unpleasant, traumatic memories of the nasty creatures. He literally shuddered at the thought of a rat in his kitchen, of a rat being anywhere inside the Annex or the Library.
At that moment he heard the voices of the returning Librarians and their Guardian drifting in from the workroom. Cassandra was calling his name.
"I'm in the kitchen," he bellowed in response, panic tingeing his voice. As each of the four younger people entered the kitchen, they stopped and fell silent at the sight of the open pantry door, the tea-strewn floor and a pale, distressed-looking Jenkins all but cringing on the opposite side of the room. Eve Baird immediately went into Guardian mode, drawing her sidearm and stepping quickly to the front of the group, scanning the kitchen for the danger.
"Jenkins, are you all right?" she asked, her voice tight with concern.
The white-haired man stood up to his full height and began straightening his clothes in embarrassment.
"Yes, of course, I'm fine, Colonel," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "We just seem to have a little bit of a situation." He nodded in the direction of the open pantry. "I think we may have a..." He shuddered again in fear. "A...RAT...living in the pantry. There's a large hole in the wall beneath the bottom shelf."
"A rat!" Cassandra squealed, a look of disgust on her face as she took several steps backwards. "Oh, ICK ICK ICK! I hate rats!" Knowing the full extent of Jenkins's fear of the rodents, she went to his side and quietly placed her hand reassuringly on his arm. He glanced down into her face, a tiny smile of gratitude coming to his lips in response.
"Oh, please," said Ezekiel, rolling his eyes at the redhead's reaction. "Rats are nothing but great big mice, Cassandra. No big deal." Suddenly, the thief also remembered the Caretaker's phobia, and tried to walk himself backward quickly.
"Of course, they can be nasty buggers, though—we don't want to risk catching the Plague…" He smiled weakly at the older man.
"Yeah, well, where there's one rat you see, there's bound to be fifty more you haven't seen yet," said Jacob Stone matter-of-factly as he crossed to the pantry and dropped onto all fours to take a look.
Jenkins snapped his head towards the Librarian, eyes wide. He hadn't thought of that, and the idea of an entire colony of rats, right here, where he lived… He felt a cold knot forming in his stomach, and his mouth suddenly felt very dry.
"We need to get rid of them. Now!" he blurted, his panic beginning to rise. Cassandra gently squeezed his arm.
Jacob shook his head as he came back up from the floor. "That might be a lot easier said than done, Jenkins. Once a nest of 'em gets established, it's hard to clean 'em all out. Might take months to get all of 'em." He brushed the knees of his jeans off as he stood up. "That's a pretty big hole, too. Damn thing must be the size of a dachshund!"
Jenkins felt light-headed, then realized he had stopped breathing as Jacob was speaking. He struggled to keep his voice steady as he spoke.
"What do you suggest we do, Mr. Stone?"
"Call an exterminator?" The younger man shrugged. "That's what normal people do."
The Caretaker shook his head vehemently. "No, no, that's absolutely out of the question! We can't have strangers wandering around the Annex or the Library! We have to take care of the problem ourselves. We'll have to use traps or poison or something equally deadly. We don't have anything on hand, though, we'll have to buy some as soon as possible."
"Me and Stone'll go," Ezekiel piped up. "We can stop and pick up a pizza on the way back. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving."
"Oh, guys, please don't get the traps that snap shut on them and kills them, that's just so cruel!" Cassandra pleaded. She hated rats, but she also hated to see anything suffer. "Get the 'have a heart' traps that'll catch them without killing them. We can use the back door to relocate them to a nice, rat-friendly forest in Siberia or Outer Mongolia or someplace later!"
"Or we can put 'em all in a big glass fish tank in Jenkins's lab for him to use in his double-top-secret, super-weird freaky magic experiments," Ezekiel joked.
"NO!" Jenkins fairly roared in protest. The others jumped at the unexpected sound. "I want them all dead! Tonight!"
Cassandra spoke softly to the upset man, but her icy-blue eyes shot daggers at Ezekiel, who had the good sense to look contrite. "Jenkins, sweetheart, let's let the boys take care of this. You've been working in the lab for a solid day now, how about you go out to the workroom and just relax for a bit? I'll bring you up a nice cup of tea. How does that sound?"
Grateful for the face-saving out, the immortal immediately calmed a bit. He stood up straight and again began to fuss with straightening his coat and pulling his sleeves down.
"Yes, I believe I will take you up on your offer, Cassandra, thank you." The tall man quickly exited the kitchen without a glance backward.
About half an hour later, Cassandra finally joined the anxiously pacing Jenkins in the workroom. Instead of a tray of tea things, however, her hands were full with a large cooler, a large canvas bag that held who knew what, a couple of thick blankets and a pair of pillows. She set the items down on the floor at her feet, and momentarily distracted from all thoughts of rats, he went to stand in front of her and the pile of objects.
"What are you up to, Cassandra?" the curious Caretaker asked. "Where are you going?"
The redhead smiled brightly at him. "WE are going to take the rest of the day off. You need a 'mental health day'!"
She handed him the cooler and the canvas bag, took the blankets and pillows herself, then moved behind the tall Caretaker and began pushing him in the direction of the Hall of Doors. "Go on!"
Blinking in uncertainty, Jenkins started walking; where ever they were going, it was away from the rat-infested Annex kitchen, and that was good enough for him.
She led him directly to the Hot Springs Room. Cassandra juggled her burden to open the dark violet-painted door and they were greeted by a soft gust of warm, humid air. The Librarian skipped through the doorway and stopped a few feet inside. She turned and looked expectantly at her husband; he was still standing in the hallway, reluctant to cross the threshold.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked, though she already had an idea of what the problem was.
"Cassandra, why are we here?" he asked, looking around nervously. She dropped the blankets and pillows onto the thick grass and went back to the door, taking his hand and gently pulling him inside.
"I started to make some tea for you back at the Annex, but then I thought that maybe you could use some time away. You've been working awfully hard in the lab lately, and now this rat in the kitchen thing—I thought this would be the perfect time for you to just get out of there for a while, even if just for a few hours in one of the rooms here." She shut and locked the door, then quickly spread one of the blankets on the grass next to a large hot spring pool. She sat down on the blanket and patted the spot next to her. "Sit!"
Jenkins carefully set the cooler and bag down and then reluctantly lowered himself onto the blanket, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Cassandra quickly moved to kneel behind him and began to slip his suit coat from his broad shoulders. He offered no resistance, and when the coat was off and laid carefully aside, she began to slowly massage his neck and shoulders. Immediately, his head fell forward and his shoulders slumped in relief.
"OH!" he groaned. "That feels wonderful, Cassandra!"
"I bet it does," the Librarian responded. "Your muscles are like granite!" She stopped massaging him and sat back on her heels. "Take your shirt off and lie down on your stomach."
"What?" the immortal asked, startled.
"Take off your shirt and lie down, so I can give you a proper massage. Better take your pants off, too," she instructed as she began to dig around in the cooler.
"I beg your pardon?" He turned around so he could see her, his face wary.
Cassandra pulled an opaque green glass bottle out of the cooler and set it on the blanket next to her. She began unbuttoning her own top as she answered him, speaking with exaggerated slowness.
"Take your shirt and pants off and lie down on your stomach so I can give you a massage. Unless you want to risk me getting this massage oil all over your fancy suit." Seeing the apprehensive look on his face, she laughed.
"Don't worry, no one's going to see us—I locked the door, remember? We're all alone, I promise!" She stripped off her blouse and laid it on top of Jenkins's coat. He hesitated for a moment, then reached up and pulled his lime-green bow tie loose with one hand as the other began to unbutton his shirt. Within a few minutes he was stripped down to his boxers and stretched out on his stomach, his forehead resting on his folded arms. He had to admit that the warm sunshine in the room's sky felt awfully good on his aching back.
"Wow! In full daylight you're white as a sheet!" she teased, holding her hands in front of her eyes as though shielding them against being blinded. "Anyone would think you're a vampire with that pale, pasty skin!"
Jenkins only grunted churlishly in reply as he made himself more comfortable on the blanket. Cassandra removed her skirt and shoes, then straddled the prone man and picked up the bottle of oil. She poured a small amount of the cool liquid onto Jenkins's back and began to work on the tight, stiff muscles of his back and shoulders. She wrinkled her nose as she ran her hands over his heavily scarred back, criss-crossed with the long, ugly marks of a long-ago lashing. Someday she was going to get him to tell her the story behind those, but not today. Today she just wanted him to have a nice, relaxing evening.
As she rubbed the oil into his skin and worked the stiff knots of muscle out his back, shoulders and neck, Jenkins closed his eyes and alternated between deep sighs of contentment and soft groans as she discovered an especially stubborn knot. Between the soothing scent of lavender in the oil, the soothing massage, and the soothing warmth of the late-afternoon sun, it wasn't long before the stressed-out Jenkins slipped into a relaxed doze.
The Caretaker suddenly jolted awake. He quickly sat up, experiencing a momentary flash of confusion as to where he was and why he was nearly naked on a blanket before he remembered: Cassandra had brought him here. He looked around for the young woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. Immediately concerned, he scrambled to his feet and looked around the area again, this time calling her name.
"Je-e-e-e-n-kins!" He turned toward the sing-song sound of his name. The immortal's eyes popped open wide and his jaw hung slack at the sight of the glistening body of Cassandra stretched out languidly on an outcropping of rock in the pool—the lower half of her body replaced by the large tail of a fish. She looked almost exactly like she did at the mad magician Kirby's carnival a year ago—a skimpy bikini top barely covering her ample breasts, and her long, russet hair decorated with tiny gold starfish, seashells and seahorses. The immortal was embarrassed to remember the distinctly un-chivalrous thoughts he'd had about Cassandra at that carnival.
"It's about time you woke up, sleepyhead!" she sang happily. "Come swimming with me, Jenkins! The water's perfect!" She held out a hand as she tried to coax him into the steaming water. The Caretaker, however, was still confused.
"Cassandra!" he gasped, taking several steps towards the smiling redhead. "You're…you're… What's happened? How are you a mermaid again?! How did you..." His questions were cut off by her musical laughter. He stopped and stared at her, puzzled by her reaction. A realization suddenly struck him, and his brown eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"You're speaking English!" he said, almost accusatory in his tone. "Not that wretched squeaking sound you made the last time! What's going on here, Cassandra?" She laughed again, gently flicking her shimmering fish-tail in and out of the water below the ledge.
"So you do remember the carnival sideshow last year?" she asked coquettishly. Jenkins nodded his head impatiently, but remained silent, eyes narrowed. Cassandra eyed him seductively.
"I saw how you looked at me when you came to check on me and to lift me into that wheelbarrow!" she said, playfully reproachful. Jenkins started and nervously looked around to make sure no one else was around, even though Cassandra had told him they were completely alone and the door to the Hot Springs Room was locked. He turned back to Cassandra, his face guilt-stricken.
"I...I have no idea what you mean!" he protested weakly. Cassandra only laughed again.
"Oh, yes you do!" she chided. "I didn't realize it then, but I've seen that same look enough times by now to know that you were...'interested' in me!" She leaned back against the rock and stretched her bare arms slowly and lazily over her head, arching her back slightly as she thrust her chest forward. She saw with satisfaction that her husband's eyes immediately dropped to take in her shell-clad breasts.
"I had no idea that you had a thing for mermaids!" she teased. "I know you were too much of a gentleman to act on that 'interest' back then," she said coyly. "But now that we're a couple, you don't have to be so…proper!" She playfully flicked the warm pool water in his direction with the shiny red-gold fish-tail. One hand slipped behind her neck and slowly pulled loose the ties holding her top on. The two large clam shells fell away with a clatter, revealing the redhead's two tantalizingly plump, round breasts. Jenkins unconsciously licked his lips as he took in the sight with wide brown eyes, immediately feeling a familiar spark of warmth in his groin.
"But how did you become a…?" he asked faintly, trying unsuccessfully not to stare at the pair of lovely, pert nipples that were beckoning him. God, she was so...alluring, so...tempting! He'd had several wicked fantasies about 'mermaid Cassandra' since that day at the carnival, but he never dared to breathe a word about them to anyone, let alone Cassandra, fearful that she would be disgusted with him or think him 'weird'. The enchanting 'mermaid' smiled.
"I'm not really a mermaid," she stage-whispered, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "It's just a costume! See?" She slipped a finger into the near-invisible waistband of her fish-tail, showing the worried Caretaker that she hadn't been transmogrified again. "I just thought it might be fun for you to get to live out one of your fantasies." Jenkins's eyes widened in panic; how had she known?! She crooked a dainty finger at him.
"Why don't you come over here and see for yourself if you don't believe me?" she purred. Jenkins waded into the hot water before he even knew what he was doing. Cassandra was right, the water was pleasantly warm, very soothing, in fact, and it was quite a delicious sensation to feel it flowing over his bare skin as he moved in it.
Without warning, Cassandra dove off of the rock ledge and into the water. Before he knew what was happening she was on him, and grabbed hold of the tall man's underwear. She yanked them down, causing Jenkins to yelp in surprise. He reflexively attempted to cover himself while at the same time trying to escape her grasp. By then, however, his boxers were down at his ankles and he first stumbled, then toppled over into the water like a felled tree. Cassandra, her head popping from the surface of the pool, shrieked with laughter as she waved his sodden boxers over her head triumphantly.
Jenkins stood up in the water and stared at her, unable to believe what had just happened. He looked around one more time to reassure himself that they were actually alone, then hurried further into the water after the thief. Cassandra saw him coming and, squealing with delight, she dove into the water and disappeared from his sight. She popped up again back at the stone ledge and hauled herself onto it, laughing at her knight's discomfiture.
"Haven't you ever been skinny-dipping before?" she called.
"Certainly not!" he squawked, looking around yet again for any prying eyes that might see his nearly naked wife. "Well…not since I was a boy, anyway." Cassandra giggled at his nervousness.
"I keep telling you—it's just you and me here, Jenkins, and you should be used to seeing me naked by now!" She ran her hands through her wet hair, then turned her sea blue eyes directly onto his.
"Come here, sweetheart," she called, suddenly serious again, the low, throaty tone of her voice catching his attention. As he watched, she began to idly fondle one of her breasts, teasing the nipple into a hard nub. Jenkins, his breath becoming shallow and quick, instantly felt himself begin to harden. As if bewitched, he waded out to the ledge and pulled himself up onto it, sitting next to the sleek, seductive mermaid waiting for him. As soon as he was on the outcrop he wrapped his long arms around Cassandra and kissed her, slowly and deeply, his tongue gently begging for entrance. Her lips parted and took him in, her own quicksilver tongue darting into his mouth to tease him.
His hand quickly found her breast, and he gently squeezed and massaged it eagerly. He kissed a trail down her throat and collarbone, all the way down to the tempting bud of her nipple. He kissed it, the tip of his tongue flicking the nub several times before he took it completely into his mouth and began to slowly suck on it, dragging his tongue over it periodically before resuming his sucking. Fire exploded in Cassandra's belly and spread throughout her body, a low growling moan sliding from deep in her throat as her eyes closed and her head fell back. Her fingers instinctively snaked themselves into his thick, wet hair, her fingernails scraping his scalp and sending shivers of bliss through his tall frame.
His hands slid over her wet skin as he kissed and teased her, his manhood hardening rapidly in response to her moans and sighs. God, how he loved the feel of her body! Her soft, smooth skin; her soft, smooth curves; her soft, gloriously red hair—everything about her was so different from his own scarred, calloused, awkwardly angular body. She was perfect, absolutely perfect, and if they both lived to be a million years old, he would never tire of her.
His hand moved down to her lower half, and he was startled by the sudden change of texture as he touched the 'fish-tail'. He released her breast and pulled himself free of her grasping hands, sitting up to look down at where her legs should be. He frowned as he rubbed her thigh through the thick fabric of the costume.
"How does this come off?" he demanded huskily, his dark eyes glancing up to hers. Cassandra merely narrowed her eyes and smiled as her hand, starting at his face, brushed his flesh all the way down his body, ending at his inner thigh. She suddenly grasped his erection and gently squeezed him, drawing a shuddering gasp from the immortal as his eyes involuntarily closed in pleasure.
"That's for me to know and you to find out!" she whispered impudently. Jenkins's eyes snapped open again, fiery with desire now, and Cassandra gave him a very deliberate wink. He was always considerate and careful when they were intimate, almost paranoid about hurting her, but sometimes Cassandra wanted him to be more aggressive and forceful. They had come to an understanding between them that a wink was the signal that she wanted him to be more dominant.
Jenkins grinned wolfishly as he reached around his wife's petite body in search of the zipper or whatever infernal device it was that kept this mermaid's tail between him and his ultimate pleasure. As his large hands groped blindly over her backside, he took advantage of their closeness to hungrily kiss Cassandra again, his tongue slowly exploring every part of her mouth. But after several interminable seconds of fumbling, he still couldn't figure out how to remove the costume. His groin aching with want for her, his patience snapped. He seized the waistband of the costume with both hands and simply ripped it in two. For a moment there was a look of contrition in his eyes, but it was soon replaced again by his hunger as he peeled the tight-fitting tail away from her long, white legs. In one hand he grabbed a fistful of her hair and roughly pulled her into another deep kiss, while his other hand slipped between her legs and began to slowly rub her glistening sex.
The Librarian groaned into his mouth, squirming against his body and his teasing hand. Her own small hands slipped behind Jenkins and she scratched her painted nails up and down the length of his spine and over his buttocks. Her touch only fired his want to a white-hot intensity. He moved quickly on the ledge to position himself to enter her, but just as he was firmly separating her thighs, she unexpectedly slipped from his grasp and, laughing, dove again into the water.
The flummoxed Caretaker stared after her in surprise, then irritation. Cassandra's red head burst from the pool's surface several yards away from him, the golden ornaments sparkling in the evening light.
"If you want me you're going to have to catch me!" she called out tauntingly, then turned and began to swim for the shore. Without a word Jenkins threw himself into the hot spring; in hardly any time he had caught up to the fleeing Cassandra, tackling her just as she was climbing out of the pool and getting ready to run. The shallow water splashed around them as he brought her down, the young woman squealing and laughing as he tried to get a firm grip on her slippery body, the struggle serving to inflame his lust even more. Finally, he was able to pin her to the soft ground just on the water's edge. Quick as a flash he parted her legs and slipped his fully-engorged manhood into her, both of them crying out in pleasure at the sudden exquisite sensation.
Cassandra hooked her legs around his hips as Jenkins began to thrust into her, his rhythm hard and steady as he tightly grasped her hips. Her hands clutched his forearms as she arched her back slightly, adjusting herself so that his long, hard shaft was rubbing her swollen clit. She closed her eyes, moaning and gasping in bliss as he brought her closer to the edge with every hard stroke, losing herself in the sensation of his manhood filling her, in the feeling of his hips powerfully slamming into her. She loved his power, thrilled at his raw strength, usually kept so tightly under control. She loved that she was the only one who got to experience that power and strength so intimately, that she was the only one who could get him to free it in this way, just for her.
"More, Galahad!" she begged breathlessly. "Harder! Harder!"
Jenkins couldn't keep his eyes off of his beautiful young wife, mesmerized by her pleading cries and the bouncing of her full breasts as he rammed into her. He took one of them in his hand and fondled it, rubbed his thumb over the dark pink nipple, teasing it. Cassandra whined her pleasure and arched her back a little more, pressing herself into his hand as she grabbed his arm tightly with both hands. He knew she was close, as was he. He could feel the familiar fluttering around his sex as he pushed into her, could feel his own climax beginning to peak. He continued to squeeze and play with her breast as he drove himself into her, his breathing coming in short, loud, half-grunting pants. His vision suddenly went dark as he came, shouting wordlessly as indescribable ecstasy filled him. He continued to mindlessly ram into Cassandra, his manhood pulsing violently within her. A few seconds later his Librarian joined him, screaming his true name as her own climax overtook her.
He released her breast and braced himself over her on his hands and knees, indulged in a few more strokes before he finally shivered to a halt. He remained inside of her, as he liked to do, while quickly pulling Cassandra up into a sitting position as he shifted his own, the pair ending up facing each other, legs wrapped around the other. Jenkins held her tightly in his arms as he nuzzled her neck and head, nibbling on her earlobe and whispering his love and devotion to her. Their lips soon found each other and they kissed, slowly and deeply, each threading their fingers into the other's hair. When they parted, the two of them simply sat and held one another close as their breathing and hearts slowed back to their normal rhythms, their love and their bond strengthening with each passing heartbeat.
"I hate to say this right at this tender moment, my dear," he murmured into her ear as he lightly bit her earlobe and the skin of her neck beneath it. "But we're probably starting to prune up a bit; perhaps we should get out of the water now?" Cassandra only smiled and nodded her head against him. As the two stood up, Jenkins scooped his Librarian up into his arms and carried her to the blankets. He gently placed her on the ground, slipping a pillow under her head, then unfolded the other blanket, spreading it over them as he spooned against her warm, wet body. He held her close, breathing in the scent of her wet hair and skin. For the first time in several days he felt completely relaxed and content.
"This was a very good idea, Cassandra, just what I needed," he rumbled softly into her ear. "Thank you for suggesting it. Though how, exactly, you knew about my…'attraction' to mermaids, I'll never know!" She snuggled into his arms with a sigh.
"I don't think it's 'mermaids' so much as just one particular mermaid," she said knowingly. "I've been planning something like this for a while now, but when I saw you in the kitchen this evening, I decided it couldn't wait any longer. You looked like a man on the edge!" The immortal chuckled quietly.
"Yes, I suppose I did at that," he admitted. "I didn't mean to bark like that, either. It's just the idea of...rats being in the Annex..." Cassandra felt him shiver against her body and his muscles begin to tense again. She rolled over and laid a hand on his pale, handsome face.
"Don't!" she commanded. "Don't even go there, Jenkins! Just forget all about that stuff right now, just concentrate on right here and right now. Just concentrate on the fact that you have a naked woman lying right next to you, and there's a nice hot spring nearby, and a nice big cooler full of food, and you have all night to indulge in all of the above to your heart's content!" She lay back down and wriggled into his arms again. Jenkins lowered his head to whisper into her ear.
"You brought food? What kind?"
"Some sandwiches, some salad, a couple of big slices of that chocolate cream pie that Eve made the other day." Jenkins immediately perked up.
"Chocolate cream pie, you say?" Cassandra nodded, then turned her head to look up at him.
"Do you want some of it now?" she asked. A greedy look filled her husband's eyes.
"Oh, yes, indeed! Colonel Baird makes excellent pies," he murmured, and began to suggestively stroke Cassandra's soft belly with his long fingers. "I'll wager it tastes even better when served on a particular Librarian." He waggled his eyebrows lustfully and the redhead giggled, playfully slapped his hand.
"For a very prim and proper knight you have an awful lot of naughty thoughts!" she teased. Jenkins wrapped his arms around the young woman and suddenly rolled her over so that he was on top of her. She felt his manhood twitch slightly against her thigh.
"Enough talk, woman!" he growled. "Where's the pie?!"
Late the next morning Jenkins and Cassandra finally gathered up their things and left the Hot Springs Room. They stopped by their suite of rooms first for a shower and to change into fresh clothes, then the couple walked hand in hand to the Annex workroom to see check in with the others. They found the Guardian and the other three Librarians gathered around something sitting on the end of the long table in the middle of the workroom.
"Hey, guys! What's up?" Cassandra greeted the group, and four heads turned to look at her.
"Hey, Red!" Eve greeted her in return. The tall blonde eyed Jenkins closely. "You look like you're feeling much better today, Skip!" The Caretaker gave her a shy smile.
"Yes, much better, thank you, Colonel," he said. His attention then turned to the object on the table. "What's that you've got there?" Flynn Carsen's head popped up, a wide grin on his face.
"It's your rat, Jenkins!" he exclaimed happily. "Jake and Ezekiel were able to capture it last night. Come take a look!" Jenkins's face blanched, and he took several involuntary steps back from the table. Cassandra, her face worried, hurried to his side and took his hand. Eve punched Flynn's arm, hard. "OW!" he yelped.
"It's not a rat, Jenkins!" the Guardian hurried to reassure the frightened man. "It's not a rodent at all, in fact. Come see!" She held out her hand, her expression asking him to trust her. Cautiously, he approached the table, his hand tightening apprehensively around Cassandra's. She squeezed his hand and patted it encouragingly.
Jake and Ezekiel stood up and parted, allowing the two latecomers to look into the 'have a heart' trap that the two men had set up the night before in the kitchen. Inside the wire cage was a small, iridescent-green lizard-like creature about the size of a chihuahua, long and wiry in body with four small, clawed feet. It's longish snout was framed by several long whisker-like feelers. It's large, slightly bugging eyes stared back at the two humans curiously, then it emitted a soft, squeaking growl. It ;ooled like a miniature Asian dragon. Jenkins's eyes widened in surprise and excitement.
"Is that what I think it is?" he asked Flynn, and the Librarian nodded enthusiastically.
"It's a tea dragon!" the younger man shouted, slapping the Caretaker on the shoulder. "I bet he slipped into the Annex in one of your tea shipments from China a couple of weeks ago! What a stroke of luck, huh, Jenkins?! Those things are rare as hen's teeth!"
Jenkins poked a long finger into the cage. The small dragon immediately approached him and began to nuzzle his finger, making a happy, almost purring sound. The old immortal smiled.
"He likes you, sweetie!" Cassandra said next to him. "Aww, he's so cute! What will you do with him?" Jenkins scratched the dragon's chin affectionately.
"He will be given a very good home," he declared. "He will be pampered and spoiled and never want for anything for the rest of his life. Tea dragons are said to bring tremendous good fortune to those who care for them; if anyone needs extra good fortune, it's you lot!" He opened the cage and carefully removed the tiny dragon. It immediately ran up his long arm ad draped itself around his neck, its thin, snake-like tongue flicking out to tickle his ear. Jenkins chuckled at the dragon's antics.
"Hey, J, we fished out of all the stuff that thing had stashed in the wall, too," Jacob said. "It's all sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Damn thing even had a teapot squirreled away back there—11th Century Japanese, made by the Imperial kilns. Thing's priceless!" Jenkins instantly turned to face the historian.
"Was it damaged, Mr. Stone?" he asked anxiously. Jacob shook his head.
"Nah, not a scratch. There was a ton of tea leaves packed all around it." The Caretaker heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank heaven! And thank you, Mr. Stone, Mr. Jones, for taking care of this little 'problem' for me, it was well done and I'm very grateful! Now, come along, then, little one," he said, stroking the creature's head. "You must be hungry by now, let's get you some tea."
"You feed it tea?" asked Ezekiel, a perplexed look on his face. Jenkins nodded.
"They live exclusively on tea leaves," he explained. "I'll have to double my orders from now on if I'm to keep this fine little fellow happy." He held his hand out to Cassandra. "Would you care to join us, my dear?" She slipped her hand into his.
"I suppose I should give him a name," said Jenkins as they headed for the kitchen. "I think I'll call him 'Franklin'." Cassandra rolled her eyes, but said nothing. The others looked at each other, disbelieving expressions all around.
"Franklin?" they all chorused at once. "Franklin the dragon…?"