Chapter Nine: A Goodnight Tenderness

I must have dropped off when the Professor and I headed home. One minute, we're were at the very outerskirts of St. Mystere, the sky was a furious red, and the sun was slowing disappearing behind the horizon. Then, I closed my eyes for what seemed like a second, and when I opened them, a bright full moon had taken the sun's place in the darkened sky, and we were back at the Professor's home.

"Ha ha, welcome back, Victoria," the Professor chuckled beside me, "You dozed off, my dear. Although, I can hardly blame you. It does take it out of you, after all. Why don't we go inside, have a cup of tea, then you can head off to bed. Does that sound okay?"

I gave him a tired nod, then followed him into the house. As the Professor disappeared off into the kitchen, I slumped onto the red sofa. I felt like a little girl again. Dozing off on a car journey. Having a 'bed-time' drink before being sent off to bed. I smiled, and slightly shook my head at the thought.

"Alright, my dear?" The Professor asked, returning with two cups of tea. He handed one to me.

"Excuse me?"

"Just then, I saw you shaking your head."

"Oh right!" I gave a small laugh, "That, oh, I was just reminiscing."

"Oh?" The Professor answered, after taking a sip of tea, "Well, what about?"

I sighed happily, then shrugged my shoulders in a shy manner.

"Just..the whole bedtime routine when I was little. You know, someone making a drink, your eyelids start to get heavy. Then before you go bed, you get a goodnight kiss, and a 'sweet dreams' from who-ever. And then you go off to sleep." I paused, taking a sip of tea, "Now I'm all grown up, I don't get that anymore. I suppose in a way, it's a good thing. But sometimes, I miss it."

"I know exactly what you mean, Victoria," The Professor replied, "It's not much, but it's the little things in life that we miss as we get older. When we're younger, we take all those things for granted. Then, the years fly by, and they just disappear."

I nodded in agreement. I drank the last of my tea, placing the cup on the table.

"So, this Bruno guy," I began to the Professor, "Will he have a lead on why Flora went missing, and why a robot was put in her place?"

"My intuition thinks so," he answered, "Bruno is a robot specialist, and the robot replacing Flora looked a lot like one of his specimens. However, if you remember, Matthew told us Bruno hasn't been in St. Mystere for quite some time. We just need the tiniest clue on where he might of headed, then we begin to look for him."

"Sounds like a plan, Professor," I agreed. I stood up from the sofa and stretched, "I'm going to head off to bed, Professor, I'll see you in the morning."

"Very well, my dear, goodnight," he replied.

I walked away, then began dragging my weary body up the staircase. I had never been so ready for bed in my life. I finally got to the top, then went to open my door.

"Victoria. ." I heard the Professor say softly behind me. I turned my head suddenly. I didn't hear him follow me up the stairs.

Wow, he has silent footsteps.

"Yeah?" I asked.

For a moment he did nothing, merely looked at me with his dark, mysterious eyes. He had a look of thought on his face. He then placed a hand on my shoulder, and quickly, gave me a small, soft kiss on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams, Miss Belladonna," he whispered, then quickly disappeared into his bedroom. I stood dumbfounded, trying to decide whether what just happened was real or not. I raised my hand, and then gently stroked the cheek the Professor kissed me on with my fingertips. I smiled, and tryed to conceal a small laugh I felt raising in my throat. Then, I finally entered my room, then collasped on the bed, happy and content.