A/N: It is six months later and Harry is nine. Sigfried and Roy now know he is living with Larry and Kate's family and has begun his apprenticeship with the magical duo. But they want to keep the young dove user a secret from the public eye for now.

Chapter 9: One Man's Meat Is Another Man's Girlfriend Part 1

"Okay Kitties." Roy said clapping his hands. "London Bridge. Let's go. Forward Feet."

"Ugh, Larry gross. Your paws are all sweaty." Kate said as they held each other's paws on two stands.

"Well what do you expect? Your showing me all eight nipples." Larry pointed out as he looked down her stomach.

Roy clapped eagerly. "Good meow meows. Sigfried come give ze kitties a hug."

"Not now, I am busy." The blonde german american man said as he sat on a bean bag seat reading a large, coffee table book.

"What? Your reading." Roy pointed out.

"No. I'm zinking of our next illusion."

"Gah." Roy said in disgust. "I hate it when you play ze magic card."

"Is ze card you are hate me for playing perhaps a 10 of clubs?" Sigfried asked as he flicked his wrist and a ten of clubs appeared in his hand.

"Amazing!" Roy said. "How do you always know?"

"Come. I will tell you over fondue."

"Mmm. Fondue. Break time kitties. Relax." Roy said as the magical duo left for inside a warehouse where they stored many of their circus equipment for their animal shows.

As if on cue Snack dropped down from a valve of some kind and landed on a swing for small animals. "Good news. I just dropped a bomb in a pot of hot cheese backstage."

"Nice." Larry chuckled. "What else is going on?" He asked as he moved for a row of boxes and sat down in front of them.

"Eh, went on another date with that girl last night." The gopher said lamely as if it wasn't anything important. "It was fine. You know me with the ladies."

"Come on, haven't you been seeing her like ten nights in a row?" Larry teased his friend. "And what's that smell?" He sniffed. "Is that soap?"

"I admit it Larry!" Snack said as he put his hands on his eyes in dismay. "I LOVE this girl! I took a bath! I even cleaned my business!" He motioned to his groin. "Larry, this girl is fantastic! She's sweet, she's funny, she's got the BIGGEST buck teeth you've ever seen!" He started swinging on the small swing. "I don't even know why I learned other numbers in math because I have found THE ONE!" He jumped off and flipped in the air to land on a see saw.

"Hey Kate! Snack's in love!" Larry said eagerly as his wife sat next to him.

"Oh how nice. Whose the lucky sock puppet?" Kate asked innocently as the lioness sat next to Larry.

"Not this time Kate." Snack said. "I've found my Soul Mate. Its not like that sham arrangement you have with Larry."

Sigfried and Roy's theme song, written by the great Michael Jackson, played as they came "on stage" again.

"Okay kitties. Through the hoop." Roy clapped as they walked over to a hoop on another circus stand with stars and stripes. "Larry you first."

Larry walked over on all fours toward the two stands with the hoop between them. He jumped but got stuck in the hoop with a fwump.

"Larry, why are you wearing of ze hoop?" Roy asked in confusion.

"He is not vearing it, he is fat. And since he is your lion that makes you fat too."

"I am going to travel forward in time and scowl at you." Roy snapped at Sigfried and he closed his eyes for a few moments. "I have arrived." He said as he scowled at his partner. "But you are right. Our lead lion cannot be a blubberpuss. Starting now Larry and I begin to diet. Between ze two of us we will lose at least fifteen thousand pounds."

Larry groaned. He was only five hundred pounds. Roy was just teasing him.

....

Sarmoti twirled a poker chip in his paw pads. "Come on Chaz. While we still have fur." He said to the black panther who was looking over his hand. Harry looked down at the game from the tree limb. He was reading his newest Grisham novel. He noticed throughout the game that night that the four other felines had certain "tells" when they had good hands. Chaz the panther flicked his tongue out. Duke the leopeard's fur frizzed up. Bernie the white lion twirled his whiskers. He had always been able to tell when someone was lying. It was a special talent of his. When he was on the streets he would sometimes ask someone to lie to him about their profession. It was all about the details. For instance, one time a surgeon told him he was a construction worker. For one thing he wasn't tanned as if he worked outside. And another give away was that his index fingers had lines on the tips from stretching sutchers for stitches.

Poker is all about bluffing. If you can't bluff, you won't win. And when your confronted with a lie expert...well...

"As Frank said to that foxy dealer at The Dunes. I'm all in." Chaz said as the panther pushed all his poker chips into the pot.

"How about you Duke you in?" Sarmoti asked the homosexual leopard.

"I'd rather be towel snapped by a bunch of rowdy high school boys than stay in this pot." The leopard snapped. He didn't put anything in.

"Bernie?" Sarmoti turned to the suck up.

"Oh what difference does it make cause your gonna win anyway right chief?" Bernie said eagerly. "This guys the best. He could sell mittens to a snake. Pogo sticks to a kangaroo. Extension cords to a-"

"Shut it." Sarmoti snapped.

"Absolutely." Bernie said, raising his arms. "It would be an honor to shut it for you sir. I'm in." He pushed his poker chips into the pot.

Sierra, watching a movie, looked back and saw their grandfather studying his friends faces.

"I call." Sarmoti said. Pushing his chips into the pot.

"Pair of sevens." Chaz sighed.

"King high." Bernie revealed.

"Two pair." Sarmoti chuckled. "Sorry boys, I win again." He said as he gathered up the chips.

"I'm busted man." Chaz said.

"That's it. I'm done." Bernie quit as well.

"I'm out." The gay leopard said. "Hey! Anyone wanna go to the Watering Hole? Its ladies night. We can drink cosmos and dish till we drop."

"Cosmos?" Chaz asked. "Man, that Duke really knows the ladies." The panther turned to Bernie sarcastically. "I can't believe ladies on his arms every night."

"Suiper gay!" Both Harry and Sierra coughed as the three felines left.

"Oh I forgot my ascot." Duke said as he took the blue neck accessory from the coat rack. "You know, its cashmere." He said in a sing song voice.

"Wow grandpa." Sierra said as she and Harry moved over to the poker table where Sarmoti was gathering up his winnings. He slapped Harry's hand away lightly as he reached for a chip. "It ain't luck. I figured out their tells."

"Their what?" Sierra asked in confusion.

"Their tells." The young human said making both lions look at him curiously. "Its how they give away their hands. When Bernie bluff's twirls a whisker. Chaz sticks his tongue out. And Duke gets his fur all frizzled up. Right grandpa?" Harry asked.

:"Right." Sarmoti said in slight shock. It took him years to figure out their tells. "How did you figure it out so fast? It took me years."

"Lie to me and see what happens." Harry said mysteriously as he went back to his novel.

"So basically your cheating." Sierra accused the old lion. A little weirded out by the boy's comment. She had noticed that he could always tell when anyone in the family was lying about anything. Even a small thing.

"There's no rule against memorizing tells actually." Harry told the lioness teen.

"The kids right. There are no friends in poker. Its kill or be killed." Sarmoti agreed with the young human as he nudged Sierra in the ribs teasingly.

"I can't believe I'm related to you." Sierra said as she laid back on the couch.

"Believe it." Sarmoti insisted. "That's where you get your brains, your courage, and your small but elegant feet."

"Goodnight Carol." Kate's voice came from the porch as she bid one of her friends goodnight. Sarmoti quickly hid the poker chips in his zebra rug's backside.

"What the?" Kate asked as she came in and saw several beer bottles on the coffee table. "Dad. Where you playing poker in here with your friends?" She asked as she held up a bottle.

"No." Sarmoti said in a scandalized tone. "I'm a drunk sweetheart. You know that." He said as he picked up a bottle and waved it with a grin.

"Whatever." Kate scoffed. "Just, no gambling in front of the kids please?" She asked.

"Don't you worry Kate." Sarmoti assured the lioness. "There's no gambling on my watch." He said as he scratched his chin.

:"Uh huh.": Kate said sarcastically as she left to throw the bottles out.

"Unbelievable grandpa!" Sierra said. "Now you just lied to my mom!"

"Shouldn't you be out uh...getting something pierced?" Sarmoti asked as Harry snorted in amusement. The human closed his book.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Sigfried and Roy want me up bright and early for more practicing with the doves. And designing my stage costume." The boy said with a yawn as he left the living room. "Night."

To Be Continued...

Can you figure out Sarmoti's "tell?"

The "Lie to me." bit was in reference to the show "Lie To Me."

Review Review Review!

Dean the Cuddly Fox