The Lake Of Adventure

Summary: Bill cursed silently. A hostage situation! Really, one could never go out anywhere with these four together and not fall into some kind of adventure ...

A/N: Seems I've been feeling adventurous again ... :D This is a prequel to my other Adventure-Series-Stories. It's also (until now) the only multi-chapter actual adventure story I've written for this fandom.

Awilliamsbbc.98 is in the process of beta-ing this for me. Many thanks to her for doing a great job!

Disclaimer: Check my profile for the usual disclaimer!

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Chapter 1: Reunited At Last

Jack wiped his sweaty palms on the rough fabric of his shorts. The nearer the train drew to his destination, the more nervous he felt. It even outweighed his joy at coming home. Of course he was looking forward to it as well – but seeing his family again was one thing; having to face Aunt Allie's wrath was quite another!

'She's going to wring my neck,' he thought to himself, looking out of the window and absentmindedly scratching Kiki's poll. The parrot, perched on his shoulder, seemed to sense his tension. She hadn't made a noise in a long while, but quietly nibbled on his ear as if to encourage him.

The train gave a loud whistle and drew into the station and even before it came to stop completely Jack spotted Philip and Bill waiting on the platform. Through the window Jack could see them turn their heads this way and that, looking out for him, as he sped past them inside the carriage.

It took another minute until the doors to the carriages opened, and Jack heaved out his trunk onto the platform. By now Bill and Philip had seen him and were approaching fast. Philip reached his friend first and greeted him with a heavy nudge in the side before they both shook hands enthusiastically. A moment later Bill arrived as well, panting a little.

'Jack! Thank goodness!' he exclaimed. In his excitement he all but pushed Philip out of the way as he caught hold of Jack's arm. 'You're back at last. Allie will be relieved.'

'She'll have my head,' said Jack sheepishly and made everyone else grin.

'You bet she will,' said Philip, sounding a little too cheerful for his friend's liking. 'You had better be prepared. Anyway, it's good to see you! And Kiki, of course. Tomorrow the girls will arrive, and then we'll all be reunited!'

Jack was surprised. 'Tomorrow?' he asked. 'Haven't the hols already started? Why are you here?'

Philip grinned, feeling rather pleased with himself as he replied, 'It's not holidays for me anymore, remember? It's been our last year of school, and it finished a little earlier because of the exams. Surely you haven't forgotten that you dropped out just before the finish?'

'Aunt Allie will be sure to remind me,' said Jack darkly but cheered up a moment later, clapping his friend on the shoulder. 'Never mind that now just now. How did the exams go?'

'Phew, don't remind me,' said Philip, who had had the most dreadful school term. It would have been bad enough having to study twice as much as usual to get through the exams at the very end. But he had had do all it without the company of his best friend.

Three months before the end of their school term, a well-known British naturalist had contacted Jack. Mr. Painshaw had been so impressed by some of the bird photographs Jack had sent in at the magazine NATURE'S GREATEST that he had invited him on a trip to New Zealand to do a report on the county's bird population. Jack had accepted and had taken off without telling anyone but Philip until he was out of the country. Of course, that had meant he couldn't finish his last year of school together with Philip.

And as if Jack's absence hadn't been bothersome enough, Philip had also been chosen to take part in the yearly relay race. Every year their school had their graduation year choose a team of ten boys to compete with two other boy's schools in a five-mile-relay, which was something that Philip could have gladly done without; but the PE teacher was Mr Mills, who also taught biology and was Philip's favourite teacher – and that had put him into quite a dilemma!

Jack grinned at him. 'I bet the exams went well.'

'You know me,' said Philip. 'Did well at sciences, but nearly blew it all by messing up at literature.' He shrugged. 'Not my fault I can't make head or tail of Shakespeare.'

Jack chuckled for he understood very well what his friend meant. 'What about the race then?'

Bill spoke up before Philip could reply. 'Never mind right now,' he said, urging them all to get going. 'Allie will want to see you, Jack, we had better head home now.'

On the way home Philip told the story of the relay race. 'We lost of course – as every year. Not thanks to me, though. I trained quite hard, especially after you were gone. I suppose we might have even stood a chance to win but that idiot Davies stumbled and fell, right on the finishing spurt.'

'Poor old Mr Mills,' said Jack, who had liked their biology teacher a lot himself. 'He had such high hopes this time.'

'Do let's stop talking about school,' said Philip. 'I've a few weeks of freedom ahead of me before university starts, I need a nice little adventure before getting back to studying. The most excitement I've had lately was reading your letter from New Zealand. My word, you must've had the time of your life!'

Jack had to agree. An adventure indeed it had been – but one without villains or treasures or crime. Just him and Kiki and Mr Painshaw. And there had been so many, many birds at the places they had gone to – in short: it had been an adventure just the way Jack had liked it.

'We're here,' announced Bill, pulling the car into the driveway. He turned off the engine and got out to help Jack with his heavy trunk. Kiki fluttered above their heads, babbling excitedly at being home. 'Blow your nose! Wipe your feet! Ding dong bell – Polly's in the well! Blow your feet, wipe your nose. A-choo!" At her perfect imitation of a sneeze everyone laughed. Delighted at the attention she received, Kiki raised her crest and gave a few more sneezes.

But the fun was interrupted rather abruptly; the front door opened and out came Mrs Cunningham. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her mouth was in a tight thin line. 'Oh good, you're here,' she said without so much as looking at Jack. 'I need the car, Bill, to stock up on food. I'll have six hungry people to feed for the next few weeks.'

'Hallo Aunt Allie,' said Jack, feeling most uncomfortable.

She had been about to stride straight past him but at his words she stopped, looking up into his eyes. 'Hallo Jack,' she said in a frosty tone that wasn't like her at all. 'so you've returned then. Good. I left a list of things for you to do, it's on the kitchen counter. You had best start by calling your uncle. He phoned me the other day, asking to speak to you because the school had informed him that you had departed in midterm. He wanted to know what he was paying your school fees for, if you're not attending classes. I told him you would call him back.'

'Aunt Allie, I –'

But she wasn't done. 'Oh, and if you're wondering where the stuff is that you left behind at school, such as your uniforms and all – Philip's brought it all back. I put the uniforms in your cupboard, in case you wanted to go back next year and give it another try to finish your last year of school.' She looked him over carefully and Jack all but squirmed under steely gaze. 'Though I suppose those uniforms won't fit you no more, anyway. How much taller are you going to get?'

She didn't wait for his reply but took the car keys from Bill and drove off.

At Jack's dumbfounded expression Philip couldn't help having to chuckle. He had expected his mother to be snappy at Jack for a while. But it seemed worse than he had thought it would be, and he soon began to feel sorry for his friend.

Bill on the other hand was torn between both sides. He had seen his wife lie awake at night and cry with worry and anger more than once. Jack might not actually be her own son but she had fostered him since he was fourteen and had come to love him like a son of her own. Taking off the way he had, Jack had given poor Allie a few sleepless nights.

Philip had received a fine dressing-down as well, after Allie had found out he had known about Jack's plans and had kept them from her. Bill had been witness to that discussion, and afterwards, he wondered what his wife might have in store for Jack. But it would probably take a while before it would come out full force. Bill, too, would have to have words with him himself at some point.

After unloading the car, they sat down for tea; they ate biscuits and sandwiches with it and time passed by quickly. When Mrs Cunningham finally returned Jack offered her to help her carry in her shoppings. She was still snappy and when he tried to talk to her she merely said, 'not now, Jack. – Have you looked at the list I left for you?'

Jack had looked at it but had decided to put off doing the things she wanted him to do – at least for another day or two. He wished she would just listen to him for a moment, but he didn't dare to pressure her, for she was so edgy already. The tension was palpable and everyone was very glad when Mrs Cunningham retired early that night.

Bill, Philip and Jack played a few rounds of cards together, before they went to bed as well. Philip fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow but Jack lay awake for a long time. His sense of timing was completely messed up from traveling so far and he lay on his back, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Above him, Kiki sat on her perch, dozing with her head under her wing.

Morning came at last. Jack hadn't noticed he had fallen asleep after all until he woke with a start, wondering what had happened. Then a pillow hit him square across the head. Kiki screeched and fell into a cackle of laughter. She sat on Philip's shoulder bobbing her head up and down.

Philip stood laughing at Jack's bed still holding the pillow he had used to wake up his friend. 'I say, Freckles!' he exclaimed cheerily. 'It's ten o'clock already! How can you sleep that long?'

'Ten o'clock? Golly!' Jack sat up straight and ran a hand over his still tired eyes. 'When will the girls arrive?'

'Not until until twelve,' replied Philip and tossed the pillow onto his own bed. He was dressed already, wearing shorts and a comfortable shirt. He wouldn't miss wearing his school uniform!

'Then I've got some time to talk to Aunt Allie before that,' said Jack and jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. He combed a hand through his messy red hair and made to get downstairs in a rush.

But he found only Bill, working his way through an enormous amount of files which were spread all over the table in the sitting room. He was wearing a pair of reading glasses and Jack thought they made him look old. When he looked up, Bill took of the glasses.

'Jack! Awake at last?' he asked, sounding amused, and moped away the sweat from the bald top of his head. It was a hot summer day and the temperature in sitting room was far above the comfortable level.

'Where's Aunt Allie?' asked Jack.

'Gone into town to see an old friend of hers who fell ill and needed a hand,' said Bill. 'She asked me to pick up the girls at the train station. Do you boys want to come, too?'

Disappointed at not getting a chance to talk to Aunt Allie Jack nodded. Then he inquired, 'is there any breakfast left, Bill? I'm starving.'

'There's a surprise,' said Bill with a broad grin. 'I wonder, how come you've survived that trip of yours. Spending weeks and weeks in the middle of nowhere, in New Zealand – you must have been on the brink of starvation!'

Jack grinned back. 'You bet,' he said and went to find some food. Indeed Aunt Allie had left a plate with sandwiches and a boiled egg for him. Dear Aunt Allie – she always thought of him, even if she was angry.

At around ten to twelve Jack, Philip and Bill sat in the car to meet the girls. Their train unfortunately arrived five minutes late. When it drew into the station Kiki greeted it with her famous imitation of a train in a tunnel.

Philip saw the girls first; they were waving at them from a window. Not much later the two of them were out of the train and hurrying towards their brothers and Bill.

Lucy-Ann was absolutely thrilled to see Jack. She had got quite a shock when he had left for New Zealand without even telling her beforehand. But Lucy-Ann never held any grudges. She beamed all over her freckled face and threw her arms around her brother and gave a low screech when he lifted her off her feet for a few seconds to swing her around. When he set her down again she took a step backwards and looked him over.

'Good gracious,' she exclaimed. 'Jack, you're taller than Bill now. I say – you really are!'

Jack grinned. He felt quite pleased at her words. As they walked through the small station building Dinah also nodded approvingly. 'And taller than Philip,' she added, much to her brother's dismay. 'Broader, too. Whenever did that happen?'

'Shut up, Dinah – or just use your eyes!' said Philip as he drew himself up to his full height.

Lucy-Ann giggled, and Jack said, 'don't worry, Tufty, counting in your hair sticking up in the front you're level height with me.'

Subconsciously Philip lifted a hand to run it through his dark hair, that – just like Dinah's – always insisted on sticking up in front. He opened his mouth to retort but at that moment something unexpected happened.

There was a loud noise.

BANG!

Everyone stopped in shock – it had sounded just like a gunshot!

Then a group of men came running into the building from the street. One was indeed holding a revolver and there was a rucksack on his back. Their faces were all hidden by masks – or rather they wore socks pulled over their heads, with cut-in holes for their eyes and noses.

The people inside the station building began screaming and running about in panic. Bill reacted automatically. 'Everybody down on the ground and don't move,' he shouted and he, Jack, Philip, Dinah and Lucy-Ann all lay down on their bellies. Many others followed their example.

While keeping his head low Bill got himself an overview of the situation: there were five men with masks; two positioned themselves on either entrance of the building the others gathered around the people inside and chased them closer together.

Bill cursed silently. A hostage situation!

Really, one could never go out anywhere with these four together and not fall into some kind of adventure!