Alexander
by Thomas Mc


Chapter 4 : Family Ties

Alexander woke with his heart overflowing with joy. He was in love! He reached out and felt Alexandra's presence. She was already awake and was radiating joy as well. He projected love at her and felt her happy response. At breakfast, he cheerfully greeted everyone he saw with a huge grin plastered across his face. Halfway through his breakfast, an emergency work crew was put announced. Every able bodied person that lived Below took their turn on the work crews and it happened to be Alexander's turn in the rotation. Normally he disliked this type of messy labor but this morning he was humming as he joined the rest of the crew.

The work crew was performing emergency repair on a leaking water main, which had been discovered last night, before it could burst and bring an unwanted city work crew down into the upper tunnels. It had become a running joke in New York that the city utility workers had such a light workload because the utilities were infested with gremlins that had become so addled that they went around fixing things rather than breaking them. A couple of decades ago the city had sent a crew down into the utility tunnels to find out why there were so few failures. The only result was that there had been a dramatic increase in failures in the areas where the investigators were operating. In the end, the city pulled them out and the problem rate soon dropped back down to the levels that they had become accustomed to. After that, the city had adopted a live and let live attitude about the whole thing.

All day as he worked with the repair crew, the others noticed that he seemed to be uncharacteristically bubbling over with happiness and they teased him about it. Several of them asked him what had brought on his good mood. Some suggested that the confinement to the tunnels had caused him to go off the deep end. Some wondered what type of mischief he was contemplating this time.

Someone asked if one of the young girls of the tunnel had finally gotten through his customary reserve. By his blush, they concluded it must be a girl. They were soon speculating about which one of the tunnel girls it might have been that landed him. He took it in good sport and wondered what they would say if he told them that he had been captured by the monster hunter from Above.

~ o ~

As they were getting ready for the morning, Patricia asked William. "What are we going to do about Alexander?"

William caressed her cheek. "I think our best course of action is to stand back and let things develop on their own." He grinned. "Besides I don't think there is anything we can do at this point. Their feelings for each other are extremely strong. I have never seen two people fall for each other so hard so fast." He chuckled. "I'm going to have to start filtering my sense of Alexander or you aren't going to get much sleep my dear."

She giggled blushing as he leered at her. "Is that what set you off last night?"

He chuckled. "Well that and your irresistible beauty."

She smiled back at him then laughed. "Our son in love with a monster hunter." She began walking her fingers up his arm as she looked coyly up at him. "Like father, like son."

"Yea, but it looks like he is going to have an easier time of it than I did." He took her in his arms as he chuckled.

Patricia reached up and caressed his cheek. "Poor Will, I really did give you a hard time, didn't I."

He grinned back at her. "It was worth it to be able to have you in my arms now." He kissed her letting his love flow through their bond.

As they entered the dining chamber, they heard their son's cheerful greetings and glanced at each other. While they were getting their food, the work crew was organized and they were surprised to see Alexander join the group without any change in his happy disposition. No doubt about it, Alexander certainly didn't appear to be suffering.

That afternoon the park access restriction was officially lifted and things went back to the status quo.

That evening father and son crossed paths in the community dining chamber. As they both grabbed bowls of thick vegetable soup understanding passed between them. William knew the situating and accepted it while Alexander acknowledged his responsibility to proceed carefully and protect the secrecy of the community. All this without a single word being said

~ x x x x x ~

Life in the tunnel community continued as usual. William spent his days dealing with the business of running a loose knit subterranean community. Patricia spent her days at her job in the biomedical lab across the Hudson and her evenings doing what she loved most, tending to the needs of the youngest members of the tunnel community. Her Aunt in law, Linda, asked what was going on with Alexander, and was told that he had found a girl.

Often on the weekends over the next few months, Alexandra would sit with her grandfather and listen to him spin out the tales that Grandmother Beverly used to tell. To her they were no children's fairy tales but a glimpse into what must be Alexander's world. Then after dark, she would head to the park to again meet up with Alexander.

The two lovers would stroll around just talking about whatever entered their minds or exploring the extent of the link between them. By the end of the second month, the link was as strong in her direction as it was in his. More often, though they wound up in some secluded spot deep in each other's embrace.

Travis had taken to teasing his friend about letting a hunter turn the lion into a kitty cat. That only lasted until Travis fell hard for some girl that he had met while working at the hospital.

All the while, William watched over them discretely from a distance to keep them safe. A couple of times he had to divert some other denizen of the park to prevent their discovery. Despite being careful to filter his empathic sense of his son, he found that observing young love in bloom gave a boost to his own libido, much to Patricia's delight.

~ x x x x x ~

It was mid summer when Aunt Susan came into town for a couple of weeks on a business trip and was visiting the family for the week. They were all over at Grandfather Norman's place. Susan and Alexandra were setting the table for lunch. Alexandra had been unable to get away to the park that weekend and she was getting a bit antsy.

Susan noticed how distracted Alexandra was. "What's up Alexa? You seem to be a million miles away."

Alexandra's father spoke up. "She just wants to get back to the park. She's been hunting for Father's non-existent mythical Lion-man." His tone of ridicule was unmistakable.

Alexandra glanced over at her grandfather in the kitchen and, seeing the flash of annoyance in his eyes, was stung into responding with some heat. "He is not mythical. He's real and I've seen him."

Susan raised her eyebrows at this new element to an old family disagreement. She had always hated this gulf between her father and her brother. Now it looked like her niece was about to be dragged into it.

Grandfather Norman hastened to speak up. "There's no need to defend me, Alexa. I don't really care if anyone believes me or not." He was trying to divert the brewing argument before his granddaughter got hurt. He also did not want to be the source of a break between his granddaughter and his son.

At that point, Susan jumped in adding her voice to the issue. "I don't care who's right. I came here to spend time visiting my family, not to listen to you two rehash that same old stupid argument." She moved over to stand next to Alexandra and crossed her arms. "If that's what you two want to do, Alexa and I will go shopping and leave you both to continue your foolish argument alone."

Alexandra's mother, who had also heard this argument so many times she was tired of it, chimed in. "Count me in. I have no interest in listening to the same tired old foolishness again, either." She then moved over to stand by Susan and her daughter. She crossed her arms, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

Alexandra's father stared at them with a pained expression. "Kate, please."

"I mean it, Robert. Every time you two get together it's the same thing." She stared at both of them.

For several seconds they all stared stubbornly at each other. Finally, Alexandra's father capitulated. "OK, Dad, whatever you say. I just want to have a nice visit with my sister."

Slowly the tension eased up and, by mutual agreement, the issue was tabled as they sat down to lunch. Soon everything was back to normal. The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly. The entire family went to an afternoon concert in the Central Park band shell.

Alexandra couldn't help glancing around though she knew Alexander would not be in the park at this time of day. Then she felt him and realized that he was nearby. She couldn't see him but he was defiantly somewhere near the band shell and he had responded with a hint of humor to her surprise. During the rest of the concert, they amused themselves by tossing emotional bombs at each other that related to their feelings about the music. When her father asked her what she was giggling about she just shrugged and smiled.

That evening they returned to her family's home in Brooklyn. Susan and Robert prepared a wonderful dinner for the family. Kate was a bit of a family joke as a notoriously bad cook and Robert was a top gourmet chef with his own five-star restaurant. Kate had often said that she had really married him for his cooking.

The dinner was a complete success and afterwards they all enjoyed a game of Cutthroat Pass-along Uno. It was supposed to have been Grandmother Beverly's favorite game.

Late that evening Robert was in the parlor watching the evening news on the video. Aunt Susan was on the internet doing something for her job. Kate was reading a new book that was the current number one seller. Alexandra and her grandfather were off in a corner of the library playing chess.

After nearly an hour of a hotly contested chess match, her grandfather looked up from the board, a worried frown on his face. "Alexa, was your dad right? Are you still going to the park hunting that creature?" There was also a hint of worry in his voice.

"Why shouldn't I?" She responded without looking up as she moved her knight. "Check."

"There's no need for vindication any more." He paused as he looked down at the board then moved his king out of check. "It's enough that you believe me." He looked her in the eyes. "The fact that the creature was actually standing over you when you encountered it gives me a case of the screaming willies. I'm so afraid that the next time you find it you might get hurt. I really would rather you didn't keep looking for it."

She smiled at him. "You misunderstand, Grandfather." She glanced down, moved her knight again then looked up at him. "I'm not going to the park to hunt for him." She paused, a hint of mischief in her eyes, and the ghost of a shy smile crossing her face. "I've been going to the park to meet him . . . Checkmate." She leaned back in her chair.

"What?" He stared at her stunned.

"That first time I saw him, I looked into his eyes. There was humanity there. Every night after that I went back hoping to see him again. Finally, the Saturday after I told you about that first encounter, he came back. We got to know each other." In her mind she was thinking, 'And how!' She paused a moment then continued. "Since then I go back to meet him every chance I get. He has become my best friend." She paused again as an idea struck her. "Why don't you come with me next weekend? I would really like for you to meet him." She took his hand in hers. "Please come."

Susan stepped around the corner. "Are you saying that the creature really is real?" She asked incredulously.

Alexandra and her grandfather both looked up in surprise. "You heard?" He asked.

"Enough." She replied. "I always half believed mother's stories when I was young."

"Oh he's real alright. He's nineteen years old, he loves old science-fiction books, he doesn't like cabbage, and his fur feels very soft."

They both noticed the way Alexandra blushed after she made the fur comment. Her grandfather looked at her for a moment then responded. "If you think he will allow it, I would very much like to meet him." He was very curious now, especially if his granddaughter was meeting this creature on a regular basis. He was very unsure about the whole situation and felt a strong desire to check it out for himself.

"I would like to go with you too." Susan jumped in. At the unenthusiastic look on Alexandra's face, she added. "If he's skittish, maybe I could hide somewhere nearby. I really would love to see him for myself."

This was getting out of hand. "That would never work." Alexandra shook her head. "He would know if you were near." She continued. "And I think that I'm going to have a hard enough time getting him to agree to meet Grandfather."

"How would he know I was there?" Susan asked feeling a bit stubborn. She was really curious now.

"He would sense your presence." She could see the stubbornly skeptical look on Aunt Susan's face and sighed. "He's an empath. If you are anywhere near, he can feel your emotions. That is why the Central Park Creature has always been so hard to find. He can usually feel your presence long before you see him." She looked down. "He would also sense my feelings and know if I was trying to trick him."

Susan was a bit skeptical about the whole sensing emotions stuff, though it did tie in with some of the stories she remembered from her childhood. She relented. "OK, but I expect to hear all about it later." She wagged her finger at them. "From both of you."

Grandfather Norman looked down at the chessboard for a moment then he realized he was checkmated. "How did that happen?"

Continued in Part 5


'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.