CHAPTER ELEVEN

Joe Lucas

"MOM!" I called through the house once I was sure that Smiley Miley was sitting and warming in front of the fire.

"Joseph, don't yell." Mom reprimanded when I found her starting to prepare lunch in the kitchen.

"We've gotta let the animals go." I said, glancing back through the kitchen opening; just down the hall and in the living room Miley was sitting.

"What?" My Mom looked purely shocked.

"I-I know we need them, but-but, it's wrong... It's wrong to keep them against their will, it doesn't make us any different than the curator and those jerks at the museum who kidnapped and tortured Miley." I urged, the look of complete betrayal on her face when she saw the chicken pen burning into my eyes.

"Oh, Joe, honey." Mom murmured, her eyes softening. Before I could say anything to convince Mom to let me free the animals - or at least the chickens - for Miley, Frankie must have come back from putting them back in the pen.

"JESUS CHRIST!" Frankie yelled and I felt panic run through me as I sprinted out of the kitchen and through to the living room where his voice had come from.

"Miley?" I got there and she was backed into a corner, staring at my little brother with wide, scared eyes. "Miley, it's okay, Sweetie." I tried to sooth, going over to her and kneeling in front of her. She really must not like clothes; she'd somehow managed to get the rest of her clothes off and I guess she must have been warming naked in front of the fire.

"Franklin Nathaniel, how many times have I told you not to take the Lords name in vain?" Mom followed me and I could vaguely hear Frankie appologising and stuttering. The poor kid had probably just hit puberty from the sight of a naked Smiley Miley.

"It's okay, Sweetie, he didn't mean to scare you." I assured her and she moved forwards, into my arms and I held her tightly. "It's okay." I cooed, stroking her hair softly before moving down and stroking her back between her wings, she seemed to like that the most.

"What is she?" Frankie finally burst out and Miley startled in my arms, hiding in them and I could feel her shaking, though I wasn't sure if it was because of the cold or fear.

"Franklin!" Mom reprimanded as I murmured softly to Miley, trying to calm her a little.

"Mom, it has feathers and wings!" Franklin said, his voice getting louder and I frowned, holding Miley closer. "It let the chickens out of their pen."

"Miley is not an it, Frankie." I snapped at him and she instinctively tried to hide herself behind her wings, almost cocooning us both. "It's okay, Angel, don't be scared." I tried to sooth her, moving closer to the fire to help warm her.

"I do wrong?" Maybe it was just me, but it felt like she always thought she did something wrong; maybe that's what the curator made her feel like when I wasn't there to protect her. It made me want to murder the bastard even more to think about.

"No, Smiley, you didn't do anything wrong." I assured her, but she looked doubtful.

"Why don't we let Miley get her clothes on, and talk about this in the kitchen?" Mom suggested pointedly and Frankie rolled his eyes before he left and Mom looked at me and Miley.

"Yeah." I sighed before turning back to Miley. "Smiley Miley." I murmured and she looked up at me. "I have to go talk to my Mom and Frankie for a couple of minutes, okay?" Miley nodded and I smiled and kissed her forehead softly. "Okay, Sweetie, I know you don't like them, but please try and wear the clothes?" I asked and she looked aprehensive. "For me?" I hated to do that, but I thought it was the only way and I didn't want my Mom to get mad at her for not being dressed, that would only make her scared and untrusting. "Will you?" She nodded reluctantly and I let out a breath. I didn't want to restrict her too much so I only helped her dress in my jacket and her underwear before I instructed her to sit in front of the fire to keep warm.

"Mom!" Frankie said as soon as I followed her and we both stepped into the kitchen. "Mom, it had wings!"

"Don't call Miley an it." I muttered lowly, glaring lightly at my little brother.

"Frankie..." Mom started and retreated onto a seat in the corner. "Frankie, I know Miley is different." Both me and my brother rolled our eyes. That was a bit of an understatement.

"What is she?" Frankie looked at me pointedly when he didn't call her an it.

"The Avis Cyrus." I answered quietly, the only way he wouldn't know what she was after the was if he'd been living under a rock for the last two and a half months.

"What?" I was looking down, but I knew Frankie was shocked.

"I saved her from the museum, they were..." How much should I reall tell an eleven-year-old? "The people at the museum were torturing her for their own amusement and profit." I eventually settled with the whole truth. "She's so sweet and innocent, she just wants to be free, I couldn't just leave her there."

"The point is, Frankie, that Miley will be staying with us for the foresee-able future and you will be on your best behaviour." Mom interjected, sensing that I didn't want to talk about the museum anymore.

"What about the chickens?" Frankie asked after about a minute or so of silence.

"We have to let them go, Miley doesn't like things being locked up like that, it's wrong; she was locked up in that cage for two months before I could get her out of there." I gulped, the images of when she was bruised and burnt filling my mind.

"What about if we build a propper chicken coup and take away the fencing?" Mom suggested and I shrugged.

"She might agree to that." I murmured and Mom sighed.

"Okay, then, that's sorted, and Frankie isn't going to startle Miley anymore, right?" Frankie nodded surriedly. "Is there anything else?" Mom asked as she started going back to making lunch.

"Why was she naked?" Frankie asked and my head shot up. The kid had a look of complete wonder on his face.

"She, uh, she doesn't like the restrictions of clothes." I blushed and Mom frowned.

"Well, she best get used to it." She said and I blushed more, I should have been insisting that she wear clothes more in the week we were together, but she was too gorgeously sexy for me to have enough conviction.

Avis Cyrus

Avis Cyrus

"Smiley." Joe came back to me after a while and I was still in the same place he left me, I didn't want to upset anyone any more than I already had. I looked up at Joe and he smiled at me, holding out his hand. "Time for lunch, Sweets." He said and I slowly took his hand and he helped me to my feet before I started following him to the food room.

"Hello, Miley." Joe's Mom person greeted when he led me into the food room and I moved closer to Joe. I didn't like the Mom or the Frankie one, I only liked Joe. Joe was nice to me. "Would you like some lunch?" She offered, but I stayed behind Joe, what if her food was like the museum humans' food and it made bad things happen to me?

"It's okay, Miley." Joe soothed, sitting on one of the round people seats at the platform. I stayed close to him and stood between his legs, hiding my face in his neck. "Come one, Smiley, it's good food." Joe urged, but I shook my head.

"What if hurt me like museum?" I questioned softly, my lips brushing against the warm skin of his neck with every whispered word.

"It won't hurt you, Sweetie, my Mom isn't mean like the people at the museum, she's good, she'd never hurt you." Joe assured me and I hesitantly pulled away from his neck to look at him. He was smiling reassuringly, and his eyes were soft and sweet. "Here, I'll show you." Joe reached around me and picked up a piece of the sandwich the Mom had put in front of us. I watched closely as he took a bite and chewed it before swollowing. I waited, something bad always happened to me within a short time after I ate the food from the museum. Joe took another bite and I waited, I waited until he finished the whole little triangle, but nothing bad happened, he didn't go to sleep or stop breathing or anything.

"Joe not hurt?" I asked softly, leaning in close to check, but he looked the same and he even smiled at me.

"I'm fine." Joe assured and I reached up and touched his lips softly with my feathers before I kissed him gently. Joe kissed back just as gently and I smiled a little, nothing bad was happening to my Joe.

"Joe not hurt." I sighed, hugging him and he wrapped his arms around me as well, making me feel warm and safe.

"Will you eat now? Please?" Joe requested and I reluctantly pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes, the gold was especially standing out today. I slowly nodded and he guided me to turn around and face the other two who looked shocked or something. "Here." Joe picked up a little triangle and held it for me to take. I reached for it and peered inside, it was slightly warm and brown on the outside with gooey stuff in the middle. Joe called it a Grilled Cheese. "Good girl." Joe praised when I took a bite. I waited for the funny taste and then the dizziness before I'd pass out, but it didn't come. It tasted just like the ones Joe made me. Joe coaxed me into eating the whole triangle and then two whole rectangles as well before he was happy.

"What do now?" I asked, I was still standing between Joe's legs as he sat on the circle thing, and I was playing with one of his hand whilst the other was on my back, brushing up and down between my wings.

"Well... What do you say you help me with something special?" Joe suggested and that piqued my curriosity.

"What?" I questioned, tilting my head a little.

"I'm going to build a chicken house." Joe said and I furrowed my brow a little.

"Chicken house?" Joe nodded and I thought for a second. "No more cage?"

"No more cage." He confirmed and I smiled a little. "Is that okay with you?" I nodded happily and kissed Joe, smiling against his lips. "But, if you're going to come and help me, you have wear warm clothes." Joe conditioned and I frowned and shook my head. The warm clothes may have made me not cold, but they restricted me more and I didn't like it.

"No clothes. You keep me warm." I insisted and he sighed.

"I can't keep you warm out there, Smiley." Joe shook his head and I frowned deeper. "It's too cold."

"But, I want come." I persisted and he shook his head.

"You can come, Sweetie, but only if you wear more clothes, so you don't freeze." Joe repeated and I shook my head this time.

"No!" I denied stubbornly.

"Then you can't go outside." Mom-person spoke and I frowned and turned to glare at her, I wouldn't let her keep me from Joe.

"Joe?" I hopefully turned back to him, I wouldn't anything anyone but him said, it was my own choice now.

"I'm sorry, Angel." Joe sighed and shook his head. "I'm only doing this for you, so you don't get sick."

"Then you stay?" I requested, not wanting to be away from him.

"If I stay then the chickens have to stay in the cage longer." Joe countered and I bit my lip as I thought. I didn't certainly want the chickens in a cage, no-one deserved to be locked up like that. But, I didn't want to be away from Joe either, or have to wear more restricting clothes.

"I wear clothes and go with Joe?" I asked for clarification and he nodded. "Okay." I agreed with a sigh, my need to be with Joe and want for the chickens' freedom winning over my detestment for the restrictive human clothes.


Hola!

Sorry it took me so long, I didn't realize that this chapter didn't post and I didn't check my email.
Well, here it is...

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XOXO
Miley-Girl