Author's Notes:
Hello guys and welcome back. I am back with another chapter in the Falling in Love arc. I hope you are enjoying the plot so far. It looks like everything is working out well for our little macaws. Let's hope it stays that way.
Chapter 3:
The electronic lock flickered green for a moment before releasing the restraining bolt which clicked out of place. Since the event of the bird-napping a few weeks ago, Tulio had spent most of his time improving the security at a drastic pace… that is of course when he was not preoccupied on the task of treating Jewel's injury… that in itself became a top priority. Although Sylvio was allowed to keep his job, it became quite apparent that he was no longer enough to protect the birds within the Aviary. Upon this realization, state of the art electronic locks, security cameras, numerical keypads and other high tech security equipment had been set up. The codes and keycards needed to access the now restricted areas had been handed out to only a selected number of individuals. Tulio swung the door open and politely allowed Linda to pass him. "After you," he smiled, holding out his hand to help her gain easier access into the breeding chamber.
"Thank you," Linda grinned placing her hand into his. "You are indeed a gentleman."
"Yes," Tulio nodded straightening his glassed with a single hand. He arched his eyes and formed a confident smile. "Good manners and respect are such under rated things in today's word. They cost us nothing except for a few seconds of our day, plus they make you feel great knowing you've brightened the day of another person by such a simple act of compassion."
Linda released her hand from his and slid past allowing herself access to the artificial jungle… a sight which she had never seen at any time except for the few minutes where she would have access to the control room and even then she only saw the limited view from the monitors. Her jaw dropped at the sight. She stood in a large spherical room with a large dome skylight made out of tempered glass. Inside, a wide assortment of fake trees, fountain ponds, a man made waterfall fountain and larger rock formations created the illusion of a desolate and unmanned part of the Amazon Rainforest. Tulio smiled and proceeded to follow her gaze. With a flick of his wrist and keycard, the automated door slid shut behind him. He arched his eyebrows and formed an all knowing and flirtatious smile towards the young woman. "It's pretty impressive, isn't it?" he said as he himself became awe struck at the sight.
"I'd say," Linda nodded, those were the only words she could use to describe how she felt. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that this place, although different from the bookstore back in Minnesota, now served as Blu and Jewel's home. Everything about it screamed comfort at least that is what she imagined it would scream had she been born a bird instead of a human.
Tulio's smile deepened. "Since Blu and Jewel are our most important residents and guests. I thought they should have the finest jungle we could build. It took us six months, but we succeeded in making this as accurate to the Rainforest as humanly possible. Just you know, without the dangerous predators, and other dangers which may harm their chances of rebuilding their species."
Linda could not wipe the smile from her face as she peered around at the vast artificial jungle. She could not believe that all of this was meant for Blu and Jewel. It caused her jaw to drop as she tried to contemplate the reality of what she saw. "Wow, you know your stuff." Linda said still slack jawed as she stared in awe at the impressive sight. "I have no words on how impressive this is."
Tulio nodded once more. "Let's hurry and find those two love birds, I bet they'll be happy to receive our good news."
Linda wandered into the room a few steps. Cupping her hands together, she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Hello, Blu? Can you hear me?"
Tulio dropped down and folded his arms like a pair of wings. He lurched forward and called out in a mocking tone which only he thought resembled a bird. "Ooooh Ooooh awk awk squawk ahblaaak. Grabba Grabba, squablaaaaak"
Blu fluttered down from the trees and perched upon Linda's arms. He cooed as he rubbed his head against her neck. "That's my big brave boy," Linda smiled, "How are you today, Blu?" Blu bobbed his head in response and peered towards the artificial jungle.
"Where's Jewel?" Tulio asked, "Aren't you too supposed to be together?"
As if on cue, Jewel emerged from amongst the trees. Her eyes widened as she spotted the humans. "What are they doing here?" She asked the blue macaw a little uneasily, "I know they want to help but I really just want to go back to the jungle."
Blu shrugged his wings and peered back at the female. Linda continuously stroked his head, bringing a peaceful look to the macaw's face. "I don't know," he admitted, "I'm just as surprised as you are, but it's not really such a bad thing."
Tulio bent down and cupped Jewel in his hands. "It's okay," he soothed, "I've got some good news for you. Why don't we go to the treatment room and finally fix that wing of yours."
Jewel nodded her head in reply. She glanced at her wing and chirped.
"Yes," Tulio smiled, "I thought you would be happy about that."
#
Blu paced around the breeding chamber for what seemed like the hundredth time. Back and forth, his talons scraped along the cold dirt floor, picking up dust, and re-stepping in foot prints he had previously made during one of his many laps. His large chocolate brown eyes glistened, as his thoughts fell solely upon Jewel. His beak trembled as he remembered his promise. He would be by her every step of the way through her recovery. Despite knowing that he was not allowed in the treatment room when Jewel was being examined, however he could not understand why he could not be there while her cast was being removed. He recalled Tulio's words. They took her to go and finally fix her wing. At long last she would be able to fly again, and he couldn't be there to help celebrate the good news. "I wonder what's taking them so long." He frowned, "It's already been an hour. Gosh I miss her."
The green light flickered on followed closely by the loud click of the restraining bolt sliding aside. Blu turned to see the door slide open. He smiled as Linda entered and seated herself on the grass. In her hands, she carried a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a mug of hot cocoa. "Hi, Blu," she grinned, watching the bird draw closer. She tapped his beak with a single finger. "I thought we would spend some quality time together, I brought you your favorite snack."
Blu chirped and picked up a small cookie and proceeded to dunk it in the cocoa. He swirled it for a moment before taking a bite. "Heavenly," Blu smiled, "Just like back in Minnesota."
Linda watched him eat, toying with the cookie in her hand for a few minutes. Blu's tongue poked out licking the lower portion of his beak. "So are you happy with Jewel?" She asked a little sheepishly, her cheeks turning red. "She seems to suit you perfectly." She does? Blu arched a curious eyebrow. He lowered his head. I thought she did, but I haven't been able to say those three words. Those two phrases as well as Linda's question echoed through his brain consuming his thoughts. Linda rubbed a finger across Blu's head. Her smile deepened. "She's a spirited young bird, but that is what makes her unique. You are two sides of the same coin and opposites do attract." Blu nodded his head. He knew full well what she meant. During his life with Linda he had read many "Physics" books and all about how magnets worked. "You two are a lot like a magnet. You're just drawn together." She finished.
The door slid open and Tulio entered, he eyed the young pair and forced a smile. Placing Jewel upon the ground, he spoke rather sheepishly. "I-I-I am so sorry," he gasped, "I didn't think you were in here."
"It's okay." Linda admitted, "I was just spending some quality time with Blu. We haven't had much time together since we arrived here."
Tulio nodded in understanding. "I understand completely, perhaps though, we should give them some alone time. I booked us a reservation at one of the nicest reservation at one of the nicest restaurants in all of Rio de Janeiro, it's called Iraja Gastro."
"Really?" Linda scooped up the plate of cookies and mug of hot cocoa, she eyed Tulio as she passed by. "You didn't have to do that… really… I am just glad that Blu is happy."
Tulio turned back for a few moments, studying the macaws. "Now you two behave yourself. Let's not have a repeat performance of last time."
Only after the door slid shut and the green light flickered to red, did Jewel make any sort of movement. She eyed her wing for a moment, a small splint of wood had been bandaged along the bone, reinforcing it from the prolonged use of the cast. She couldn't help but let out a very disappointed sigh.
"What's wrong?" Blu asked, "What did they say to you?"
Jewel lowered her head to avoid his gaze. Her heart sank deeper into her chest the more she looked at the stick and bandage. "I don't want to talk about it," Jewel admitted.
Blu held up a talon and placed it along her wing. He studied it for a moment before responding. He knew deep down what she was thinking. "They put a splint on?" he finally said, "That's a good thing. It means your wing will get better faster."
Jewel shook her head. "I guess. It just looks like a piece of wood to me."
Blu chuckled and shook his head. "Believe me, Tulio knows what he is doing, you'll be flying again in no time."
"BLU!" her voice hardened. Her eyes glistened with frustration. "It's just a stick. Do you understand that? It's just a stick! There are several thousand in this room alone and a million more in the jungle. A stick is not going to help me fly again."
Blu lowered his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry," he replied.
Jewel's eyes softened, her beak dropped as she realized her mistake. She had not meant to snap at the sensitive bird. She knew it hurt him, and made him feel awkward inside. "No, I'm sorry, Pet." She frowned. "I didn't mean to be rude or to take it out on you. I just don't see how this stupid stick is going to help me get better. You also don't know what it's like to really fly. It's not just being off the ground or flapping your wings. It's freedom, when you fly it's like the laws of the world do not even have to apply to you, you can go anywhere at anytime. You don't have to rely on anyone. Not being able to have that security and comfort makes me feel so violated… so naked… and vulnerable. I would trade anything to get it back."
"Trust me," Blu smiled placing a single wing on her. "It will help you. If you have patience and give it some time, it will help you."
Jewel laid herself down upon the grass. Her eyes focused on him before she continued to speak. "Tulio also did something else in there."
Blu forced an awkward smile, peering back at the security camera which kept a constant watch on them. "What did he do?" Blu asked seating himself next to her.
"They wanted to check to see if I was carrying any eggs." She explained. "Why would they do this, Blu?"
Blu shuffled his wings together for a moment, pretending to think up an explanation, though secretly he knew the reason why. "They ummm wanted to see-"
"They wanted to see what?" Jewel mused, interrupting the macaw. "Come on, spill it, you know something don't you."
Blu lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the female for a few moments. His heart yearned to tell her. "Jewel," he began. "As you know we are the last of our species. There's only you and me. I was brought here from Minnesota so we could become parents to the next generation of spix macaws. They were checking to see if you were going to become a mother."
"Now it makes sense." Jewel sighed. "That's why they brought us here… that's why they brought you here, all the way from Tinysota."
Blu closed his eyes tight and braced himself for impact. He swallowed a large lump in his throat. His body trembled in fear towards the inevitable attack, an attack which did not come. Opening a single eye, he found her still sitting in place. She had not made any sort of advancement towards him.
"Huh? You aren't mad?" he asked.
Jewel shook her head. "Blu, let me explain something to you." She lowered her gaze down towards her wing. "When I lost everyone I knew and loved, I spent many years on my own. I had so many different men try to be with me and only want one thing. They wanted my body. They never cared about me. They never saw me as a living thing. They only saw me as a way to have fun. That's why I ran off earlier when you mentioned saving our species. I thought you were different than everyone else, because unlike them you were willing to sacrifice everything to be with me. You did not care about anything except being with me in your final moments." Her cheeks began to glow a bright red. "I guess I kind of like the idea of you and me," she admitted, "but the idea of me as a mother? I never really thought of that before. The idea is kind of scary to me."
Blu breathed inwards trying to grow more comfortable in the female's presence. True he had jumped to die with her and they had shared a kiss during what should have been their final moments, but he still couldn't be comfortable speaking his thoughts aloud, especially the romantic ones that continued to swell in his mind whenever he was with her. "Jewel…" he began, "I-I-I really want to tell you something."
The female macaw eyed him for a moment. Her sapphire eyes burned into his, zapping his confidence. "Yes, what is it?" she smiled sweetly,
"I-I-I-I lo…." He froze in his tracks. "I really think you would make a great mother one day."
Blu lowered his head as his large chocolate brown eyes widened as he realized his stupid mistake. Drumming his beak with his talon, he shook his head in disbelief at yet another failed attempt to tell her. "Stupid… stupid… stupid…"
Jewel wrapped her good wing around his body. "You aren't stupid, Blu. In fact you're far from it. You are one of the most intelligent, caring, and selfless creatures that I have ever met."
"Then why can't I do the one thing that I really want to do?" he asked, "Every time I try, I fail."
"I'm sure that in time, you will be able to do it." Jewel said, hugging him. In that moment she pulled him inwards into a heartfelt kiss. Blu wrapped his wings around her, feeling the passion of his heart, though it quickly became drowned out by the loud thumping of her heartbeat. Becoming lost in the moment he closed his eyes and wouldn't let her go, not this time. This was the moment he waited for, the moment of their second kiss. When the world stood still and nothing existed except for them.
