Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I still only own my OCs.

"So, do ya feel like explorin' tonight?"

The question comes just five minutes after sunset in the Roman diorama. Confused as to how Jedediah got into the Roman city this fast without anyone noticing, Octavius decides to ask the cowboy about his particularly sneaky ways this evening.

"Jedediah! You startled me!" Octavius gasps, turning around to face his best friend and brother. "How on Earth did you get over here so fast? The sun has barely even set," he asks, looking over Jedediah's shoulder to see if he even brought Lightning- Jed's loyal paint stallion- which would have made the journey shorter for the cowboy.

"Oh, I meant to tell ya, Ockie," Jedediah grins, grabbing Octavius' hand before dragging him towards the wall that separates the Roman diorama from the Wild West diorama.

"Jedediah, what is the meaning of this? You cannot just drag me through my own city like this!" Octavius complains, trying to dig his heels into the path to slow his advance.

The stares he is receiving from some of his soldiers is a bit awkward and Octavius tries to hide his face behind his helmet or yank free of Jedediah's vice-like grip. He is successful at neither of these options.

"Ta-da!" Jedediah says with a sweeping motion of his hands, dropping Octavius' hand in the process.

Octavius looks at what Jedediah motions to, and his mouth drops open in surprise.

"You—You actually finished this? We've been working on it for months; I'm impressed!" Octavius remarks with a grin, looking at the fine handiwork that is completed on his side of the two dioramas.

"Yep! Me, Shane, Bruce, Marcus, and Cato finished up the tunnel last night while ya were sleepin'," Jedediah announces, thinking back to last night's events.

Last night had been Wednesday night, the night Ahkmenrah had determined would be when Octavius would be completely healed. However, ever one to take the cautious side, Octavius determined he would rest for one more night in order to make sure he was completely recovered before getting back to his usual mischief with Jedediah or running the army like normal. The Roman general had slept most of the night away; he trained his army until around eleven o'clock-the sun had set around eight that evening and Octavius went to sleep in his quarters at eleven fifteen until the sun rose at about six A.M. the following morning. Jedediah and the two leaders' men must have done quite the work during the night while Octavius slept undisturbed.

"You did an excellent job on the tunnel, Jedediah! I could barely see it before you pointed it out," Octavius announces, clapping his hand over Jedediah's back in a gesture of praise.

"That was Marcus' idea, Ockie. He knew how much the tunnel's secrecy meant to ya since you don't want McPhee gettin' on ta Larry and then Gigantor getting' on ta us 'bout building a tunnel 'tween our dioramas," Jedediah smiles, knowing that now neither of them will get in trouble due to their personal extension of the exhibits.

"Well, I think it's absolutely brilliant! This must be how you got over here so quickly tonight," Octavius excitedly remarks.

"That's what I been tryin' ta tell ya, Ockie!" Jedediah shouts before running through the tunnel onto the Western side of the tunnel. "Now, come on, let's go explorin' with Cyclone!"

"Cyclone?" Octavius asks in confusion, not knowing who Jedediah is speaking of.

"Our Jeep, Toga Boy. Now, come on! I wanna get outta here 'fore the people think that I need to keep the railroad goin'."

"You named our car? That's strange even for you, Jedediah."

Jedediah simply hits Octavius' helmet to where it is covering the older man's eyes before giving him a shove towards the edge of the Western diorama.

"I'm still gonna pretend I don't hear your insults, Octavius," Jedediah softly remarks, hopping down the diorama with a couple feet of rope wrapped around his arm like a lasso.

"Well, they're true," Octavius quietly says with a smirk before calling out to his second-in-command. "Marcus! I am placing the army in your command until I return!" the Roman general calls in a loud voice, making a tall- in miniature standards- brown-haired man with blue eyes like the sea appear near the edge of the Roman diorama.

"Yes, my liege! When will you be returning, Octavius?" Marcus answers, cupping his hands around his mouth in order to be heard over the soldiers training on a makeshift battle-like course.

"Around midnight or one at the latest, I should say," he replies to Marcus, waving at his second in command with a smile on his face.

"Have fun, General Octavius. And, Jedediah, please take care of him," Marcus grins, saluting at both leaders.

"Ya have my word, Marcus. Now, come on, Octavius; let's ride!" Jedediah promises, jumping into the Jeep before making sure to click his seatbelt into place where Octavius won't have a fit.

Octavius sits down in the passenger seat, wasting no time clipping into his seatbelt.

Jedediah and Octavius head down the hall in the opposite direction of the Hall of Miniatures, having seen a secret passage they can check out this evening.

"Where are we exploring tonight, Jedediah?" Octavius inquires in a curious tone as Jed pulls their black Jeep to a stop.

"Well, I remember we said we wanted ta explore the air vents some night, so I figured it'd be a safe thing to do while you're still recovering," Jedediah says, opening the driver side door before jumping out onto the tiled floor, the rope falling off of his shoulder as he lands on his feet perfectly without stumbling.

"That is just as well. We shall endeavor to explore and map the unknown spaces held within these air vents!" Octavius shouts in excitement, moving to pick up the rope Jedediah dropped before attempting to throw it up into the air vent near the ceiling.

The Roman misses on his first attempt, prompting a light chuckle from Jedediah.

"What was that, Octavius?" the blonde jokes. "Ya missed by like fifteen feet, boy!"

"That is an incorrect statement, Jedediah. The ceiling is only ten feet high and the vent is about six feet in the air, as it is on the wall where a human could reach it. Besides, this is my first time throwing with that kind of rope. Give me one more try."

Jedediah steps back, allowing Octavius one more attempt to try and catch the rope around the air vent where the two miniatures can pull themselves up like movies portray gym students doing. Once more, Octavius completely misses the air vent; this attempt was worse than his first one.

"Give me the rope, Ockie. You're just bein' embarrassing, now," Jedediah jokes, taking the rope from his best friend's hands before swinging the long piece of rope in the air like a really long lasso, much like the one attached to the belt where it is resting on Jedediah's hip.

The cowboy hooks the air vent on his first try, causing him to puff his chest out and give Octavius a superior look.

"Well, I could have done that, too, if I had as much practice as you have," Octavius assures, making Jedediah scoff.

"Sure ya could have," Jed laughs, which makes Octavius roll his brown eyes in annoyance.

"Just start climbing, cowboy," the general commands, wanting to hurry this along where they will have time to actually explore before he has to go back and command his army in training.

"All right, all right. Keep your armor on, Toga Boy," Jedediah smiles, which makes Octavius laugh slightly.

"I see what you did there, my friend. That was a good play on a familiar phrase."

"Uh-huh. Now, I'll race ya to the top, Ockie!" Jedediah challenges.

"Jedediah, there is only one rope. There is no way for me to go around you now that you've already starting climbing."

"Then I guess we know who's gonna win then."

With that, both men begin to race up the rope, Octavius gaining steadily on his blonde-haired blue-eyed friend, much to Jedediah's disappointment. They both decide to take a break about thirty minutes into their climb and it's Octavius who realizes just how high up off the ground they are.

"Jedediah, are you sure this rope is sturdy?" Octavius inquires with a gulp, looking down at the floor as it seems to shift in front of his eyes.

" 'Course it is, Octavius! I mean, we've been a' climbin' up it for thirty minutes now, partner. You're completely safe; I promise," Jedediah assures, looking down at his best friend as he hears Octavius' breath hitch as the general breathes in.

"Okay. Well, can we keep going, please? I don't quite like the look of the ground from all the way up here," the Roman asks with a worried sigh, his brown eyes widening as he continues looking at the ground.

"Yeah, we can. Come on, Octavius," Jedediah says, moving up a few inches before stopping and turning back around. "Octavius, listen to me and listen good. I'm not gonna let nothin' happen ta ya again, kemosabe. You're not gonna fall," the cowboy comforts, pausing to wipe the line of sweat off his forehead.

"You're positive?" comes Octavius' worried reply, his brown eyes shut since Jedediah has stopped and the general does not want to make the mistake and look down at the ground again.

"As positive as can be. And I would never lie ta ya, Toga Boy. Trust me on that, partner. And, even if ya did fall, I'd catch ya, Octavius."

"Thank you, my friend. Now, let us push onward."

Jedediah nods in response before continuing the climb, making sure that Octavius is right behind him and checking the rope's strength every couple of inches. He would make sure Octavius got up to the top of the rope in one piece and unhurt. He wouldn't have another night like the car crash that occurred four nights ago. Jedediah still blames himself for that horrible night and for almost getting Octavius killed… He didn't know if he would ever forgive himself for that…..

They reach the top of the rope- and the opening to the air vent- about an hour and a half after they started climbing. If that feat doesn't say anything about their grip strength, then the two miniatures don't know what would. Jedediah of course reaches the top first, as he was the first one on the rope, so he extends a hand down to Octavius in order to pull the Roman the rest of the way up without his legs dangling any more than necessary. To be honest, the rope had been a bit too short to entirely reach the air vent; Jedediah needed a boost from Octavius in order to reach the grate of the air vent without falling.

"There ya are, Ockie. Back on solid ground," Jed smiles, handing Octavius the canteen of water he packed for them on their journey.

"Thank Jupiter for that!" Octavius says in relief, looking up at the air vent's "ceiling" as he doesn't want to look out to see the ground. "Smart idea to bring water, Jedediah. The thought did not cross my mind," he continues, earning him a surprised gasp from Jed.

"You mean I actually thought of something that the great General Octavius didn't?" Jedediah asks in a shocked tone, earning him a light smack on the back of the head from Octavius. "That one's going on the record!"

"Nothing of the sort is going on the record. Just so you know, Jedediah, if we were keeping these type things on the record," Octavius begins once more, pausing slightly to take a sip of water from the canteen. "You would be so far behind it would be unbelievable," he jokes, which makes Jedediah steal back his water canteen.

"Gimme my water back, boy! Those who talk bad 'bout Jedediah Smith don't get no water," Jed says in a huff, clipping the canteen onto his belt loop before moving off further into the air vent.

"Jedediah, it's 'don't get any water' and you know very well I am just kidding," Octavius explains gently.

"Yeah, I know. Now, let's go explore the vents!" Jedediah happily says, all but running down the vents, his boots echoing on the aluminum that makes up the vents. "Oh, I almost forgot, Ockie! Did ya 'member to bring the paper and somethin' to write with where we can map our secret areas?" he inquires like an excited child wanting to do some arts and crafts at school.

If you're the type of child who enjoys that sort of thing….. Some people- like Hannah, Ahkmenrah, Jedediah, Larry, and Teddy don't really seem to get how to do really any type of art, unless stick figures count. Madison- she is Hannah's sister-, Sacagawea, Octavius, Nicky, and even Attila, on the other hand are all very impressive artists in his or her own creative way.

"I did. You never leave Rome to explore an unknown territory without paper and a writing device to create a map to use upon your return home or back to the place you discovered," Octavius confidently remarks, pulling out the pieces of paper and a small enough quill that he would use to draw the map. "I also brought you a pencil, Jedediah, in case you want to try to map out the vents with me," he smiles, knowing that the cowboy couldn't draw to save his life.

Well, Octavius can't blame him. Drawing isn't really a skill taught to many people while they're young and impressionable; most people are either born with talent- like Madison and Sacagawea- or they were made to follow someone else's drawing for a purpose, which is Octavius' department and wheelhouse.

"Kay! I'mma do a better map this time, Ockie! The one for the American History Room was just for practice," the blonde assures, stopping slightly when he hears noise coming from below them in the air vent.

They haven't even been walking for that long….

"Shh. I think I hear something down there, kemosabe," Jedediah whispers, cautiously bringing his guns out of their respective holsters, not knowing if some bird or other foreign object that doesn't belong in the museum has entered.

"Be careful, Jedediah. I shall be right behind you," Octavius softly says back, drawing his sword and holding it in front of his chest, though making sure not to accidentally stab Jedediah in the back with it.

"Why is it that I always gotta go first?"

"You always insist on it."

"Yeah. Sure I do. Scaredy cat," Jedediah teases, turning around to face his Roman friend and brother.

"I am not a scaredy cat! You're just taller, that's all," Octavius says to try and cover for his dislike of going first in an unknown, possibly dangerous, situation.

"What's that gotta do with anythin'?" Jedediah all but hisses, trying to keep his voice low where he doesn't alert whatever may be below them.

"I don't know!" Octavius hisses back, not enjoying Jedediah calling him a scaredy cat.

The nerve of him to say that!

Jedediah and Octavius soon reach a small opening in the air duct in which they can see between the bars on the air vent. It is then that they notice the source of the noise.

"False alarm, boy. Put your sword up," Jedediah whispers as he sets his guns back into their holsters.

"Yes. I can see that. What are Teddy and Sacagawea doing in a remote part of the museum?" Octavius wonders aloud, putting on his famous and somewhat adorable thinking face. "They are usually in the midst of the museum's night life," he continues, watching as Teddy and Sacagawea step closer to one another.

"Maybe they just wanted to be alone," Jedediah says with a raised eyebrow, looking quite enthused by the whole situation. "Together," he adds in with a smile, making Octavius turn to face him with a slightly weirded out expression.

"Then maybe we should leave the two of them in privacy. They obviously wanted to get away from the constant throng of people in the museum lobby," Octavius whispers, not wanting to alert Sacagawea or Teddy of their presence in the air duct above them.

"Did you hear something, my dear?" Teddy asks mid-sentence, having heard what he thinks was Octavius' and Jedediah's voices.

"I feel as if I heard something, Teddy Bear, but I don't hear anything any longer," Sacagawea answers, using her nickname for Teddy that no one has ever heard. Until now.

"Teddy Bear?!" Jedediah howls with laughter, rolling over onto his back as he bangs his hands on the side of the air duct.

"Shush, Jedediah!" Octavius hisses through gritted teeth. "Do you want us to be found out?" he continues, doing his best to remain unseen by the president and the young Shoshone woman.

"There the noise was again, Teddy Bear," Sacagawea softly comments, turning away from Teddy and looking up towards the air vents where Octavius and Jedediah are exploring slash hiding.

That nearly sets Jedediah off into a fit of laughter again. However, noticing his best friend's amused face and hearing a slight chuckle starting to build, Octavius slips Jedediah's bandanna over the cowboy's mouth to serve as sort of a temporary gag for the blonde.

"Whoever is there, show yourselves and you will not be punished or reprimanded in any way. I promise this to be true," Teddy calls out, looking around the room, wondering if Larry or someone else is trying to spy on him and his love.

Octavius makes sure that Jedediah's bandanna stays in the cowboy's mouth, not wanting Jedediah to give away their hiding place. With the miniature men staying silent, Teddy and Sacagawea return to their own private world, one without eavesdropping men named Jedediah and Octavius.

"Ten gold pieces say they kiss," Jedediah whispers, which makes Octavius wheel around in surprise.

"What?!" Octavius whisper-shouts, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself or the blonde cowboy. "How in the world did you take your makeshift gag out of your mouth?" the Roman asks in astonishment, not sure how Jedediah was able to get his gag out without making any noise.

"Ya never tied my hands, Ockie. One o' the number one things ya learn in the West is how to get outta binds like this if cattle rustlers try ta come and take your herd o' cattle," Jedediah announces, quickly quieting his voice upon seeing Teddy turning around towards the air vent once more.

Once Teddy has turned his attention back to Sacagawea and whispering sentiments in her ear, Jedediah continues to speak to Octavius.

"So, do ya agree to the bet? Ten gold pieces says they kiss?" Jedediah smirks, knowing very well that he should win this wager.

"Under normal circumstances, I would agree to a wager you give me. However, this is a very different situation, as we are both well aware of Teddy and Sacagawea's love for one another," Octavius replies to Jedediah's wager. "Therefore, I will not take your bet, as it is insured that I will lose," he tells the cowboy, much to Jed's disappointment.

"Fine! Oh, Ockie, look! They're goin' in for the kiss!" Jedediah softly yells, jerking Octavius' shoulder to show the Roman.

True to Jedediah's statement, Teddy is passionately kissing Sacagawea, holding her head with one hand and resting his other hand on her back. Sacagawea has one of her hands in Teddy's hair- the twenty-sixth president's hat is now resting on a table nearby- and her other hand is resting on Teddy's left shoulder. Octavius watches with a slight blush tinting his cheeks as he watches the display of affection between the president and the famous tracker.

"Um, Jedediah-" Octavius awkwardly starts off, not comfortable with watching a couple's display of affection without Teddy or Sacagawea knowing they are watching them. "There are some things that Teddy and Sacagawea would not wish for us to witness. And, I must confess, I do not really enjoy watching a couple's displays of affection without them being any wiser as to our eavesdropping," the Roman continues, heading for the edge of the air vent. "We should go now and give them some privacy," he speaks up as he reaches the end of the air duct.

"All right. Have it your way, Ockie," Jedediah pouts, beginning to head towards his best friend and Sacagawea deepens her kiss with Teddy, making the president blush fiercely.

With that, the two miniatures start their descent down the rope, having mapped a decent amount of the air duct for the night. Plus, it is almost eleven o'clock, the time Octavius told Marcus he would be back in the Roman diorama to train his army to make sure no soldier is slacking or lacking proper battle training.

After the two miniatures hit the ground with their feet, Jedediah pulls the rope down from the air vent as Octavius gets into the passenger side of the car. Jedediah then comes and jumps into the driver's seat, kicking on the ignition before sending their car cruising at a comfortable speed back towards the Hall of Miniatures.

"So, did ya have fun tonight, Ockie?" Jedediah asks, keeping his eyes on the road for once, not wanting to get into another accident.

"I enjoyed myself, yes. Though I am sure we breached Teddy and Sacagawea's privacy quite a bit with our escapade," Octavius responds, casting a glance over at Jedediah to see the cowboy smirking, his blue eyes lighting up at the statement.

"Yeah. But, hey, what they don't know won't kill 'em," the cowboy jokes before becoming deathly serious. "Ya have to swear never to tell, Octavius," Jedediah firmly says, not wanting any slip-ups. " 'Cause, I don't know about you, but I don't plan on havin' to face Teddy's speech about invading others' privacy like he gave Ahkmenrah after the Pharaoh hacked Larry's Amazon account," he shudders just thinking about Teddy's disappointed face and stern conversations when other museum inhabitants misbehave.

"I swear that I shall never tell another soul as long as I live. Or, well, you know what I mean," Octavius announces, raising his right hand in the air as he does so before fumbling over his last choices of words.

"Read ya loud and clear, partner. So, do you wanna explore somewhere else tomorrow night 'fore we go back to trainin' and buildin' railroads?" Jedediah inquires, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Indeed. I would very much like to go on another expedition like the one we experienced tonight," Octavius happily answers, ready to get back to his usual activities with Jedediah after being injured for four nights.

"I was hopin' ya'd say that, Ockie. How 'bout we visit the African Hall of Mammals tomorrow?"

"And what, may I ask, would we do in there, Jedediah?"

"Well… I've kinda always wanted to lasso a zebra and ride it 'round the museum to see if it's like a horse….."

"Jedediah Smith, you are going to be the death of me, my friend."

Author's Note: And there's Chapter 7! I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading and reviewing my story. You girls and guys are amazing! Shout out and thank you to arwenishtar for the suggestion for this chapter! I hope I captured your visions well; I had a blank spot for this chapter, so I'm glad you suggested it! I had so much fun writing it; I think it turned out great! If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to leave them in the reviews. (I still have one space left to fill in my chapter outline, so make your request soon!) Also, as always, reviews are always appreciated, so I thank all of you for those. Oh, and I'm going to the Smithsonian in two weeks with my family on vacation! I AM SO EXCITED! My sister- who is both Jedediah X3 when she's a guest and HotChilePepper when she's signed in- and I are already planning on taking lots of pictures and referencing NATM at any given moment while we're there! That's all I have to say this time- because it's 11:12 and I have to get up early tomorrow- so until Chapter 8, my amazing readers!

P.S. I almost didn't get this chapter up today because I have so much school work it is unbelievable! It's summer, but my school thinks we need to do work for five classes I'm taking this year for my Junior year in high school BEFORE school actually starts. So, this is the one story I keep updates constant on. You guys and girls are the luckiest readers I have! XD Lol. :) ;)