Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty-nine of "Dark Desire." This chapter has lots of Tommy/Kim. Tommy's teaching Kim to live off the land resumes in the next chapter. Stay tuned for chapter forty.

XXXXX

Chapter 39: Forest Meal/Walk

Tommy and Kim sat before a burning fire close to the starship forty minutes later. The skillet lay on top of two stones. It contained six frying eggs. Two plates with forks in them lay between them on a stone. Their backpacks were close to them. They looked toward two jaguars walking by. They listened to their soft growling. They watched them until they couldn't see them anymore. They shifted their attention back to the eggs.

Kim checked the underside of each egg with the spatula. She was happy she and her boyfriend found eight more eggs while they were collecting firewood. She struck two stones together in which she got a fire going on the first spark. She revealed she enjoyed doing it. He was thrilled to hear that. She tapped the side of the skillet with the spatula three times.

"There is nothing better than cooking food over a fire, is there?" she asked.

"Nope," he agreed. "There is much debate on whether a gas grill or a charcoal grill is better for cooking food."

"Grills are mostly used for three types of cooking. High heat radiation cooking is when food is placed directly above the heat source. Indirect heat convection roasting is for things like whole chickens and roasts when the heat source is off to the side. The food cooks by warm air circulating around it with the lid closed. Indirect heat smoke roasting is done with the lid closed when the warm convection airflow is heavy with flavorful hardwood smoke," Kim explained.

"Gas grills are a marvel of expediency. They are among the simplest ways to keep heat and smoke out of your kitchen during the summer months. They're great for cooking fish, roasting vegetables, and making a fast dinner of sausages and peppers," Tommy pointed out.

"Gas grills are not good for high-heat searing. Even those that score highest in testing were found to be unsuited for cooking a steak or a hamburger. That is unless you deploy a cast-iron pan or steel plancha on top of the grates to help concentrate the heat and allow the meat to cook in its own fat," Kim murmured in awe.

"Cooking over charcoal or wood is a technique as old as humankind," Tommy replied with a soft chuckle. "It is not difficult as any caveman would tell you. However, it is more complicated than simply turning a knob on a stove. You have to build, bank, and tend a fire. You have to pay close attention to where it is hot and where it is not."

"Grilling that way may not be the best use of time on a weeknight. However, weekends are a great time for them. Steak is great for cooking over charcoal as long as it isn't too fatty. Chicken, pork, fruit and anything that will be cooked long enough in the presence of smoke and indirect heat are also good," Kim added.

"There is no charcoal on Clovis, but there is lots of firewood to use," Tommy commented.

"The firewood is all over the place. It is harder than gathering food, but it is easy at the same time. It doesn't even take long to gather it," Kim said in happiness.

He smirked. "I was the first person to find the first piece of firewood. That made you a rotten egg."

"It may have, but I collected the most firewood and started the fire," Kim responded and blew a raspberry.

"You might have, but I taught you all that stuff," Tommy said, giving her a wink. "You will be learning how to harvest coconut after we finish our breakfast."

She squeaked. "Yep. I can't wait for it."

She checked the undersides of all the eggs in which she found they were done. She grabbed the first plate while picking up the first three eggs with the spatula. She put them on it carefully. She gave it to him before getting the second one. She scooped up the last three and placed them on it. She laid the spatula on the stone and took the skillet off the fire. She laid the skillet next to it.

She picked up her fork, eyeing him doing the same with his. They stared at their eggs for a minute before licking their lips. They cut pieces of them while speaking gibberish. They poked them as they became quiet. They placed them in their mouths. They chewed slowly but surely. They swallowed before gulping loudly. They looked at each other and formed big smiles on their faces.

"The eggs are fantastic once again, Kim!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Thanks," Kim squealed joyfully. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Tommy said with much sweetness. He cut another piece of egg. He got it on his fork. He popped it into his mouth and started chewing. "Not once did I think we would find more eggs."

"I am glad we did," Kim replied, a giggle leaving her mouth. "We will be able to have it for breakfast over the next several days."

"In Beauty and the Beast, Gaston said he ate four dozen eggs to help him get large during Gaston. He mentioned he ate five dozen since he was grown. He did it until he was the size of a barge. I could tell he was being sarcastic. No human could eat four dozen eggs as a child. He couldn't eat five dozen as an adult. He would likely be dead," Tommy exclaimed and swallowed with a soft gulp.

"I would say Gaston ate four eggs every morning as a lad. Then he ate five eggs after he was grown up," Kim suggested.

"I agree with your suggestion," Tommy said, pointing his fork at her.

"Don't point that fork at me!" Kim yelled in fake fear. She cut another piece of egg and poked her fork into it. She popped it into her mouth. She proceeded to chew. "It might go off!"

"Okay. I won't," Tommy said, pulling it away and tapping it on the side of his plate. "How about I use my fork to comb your hair after we finish our breakfast?"

"No way. I am not becoming Ariel from The Little Mermaid," Kim shouted, shaking her head rapidly as she swallowed.

"What's wrong, Kim? Are you chicken?" Tommy taunted.

"Nobody calls me chicken," Kim retorted in Marty's voice.

"Nice imitation of Marty's voice," Tommy complimented.

"Thanks," Kim said and smacked her lips. "It's unbelievable that so many people lose their shit when they are called chicken."

"If more people practiced self-control when it came to being called chicken, then there wouldn't be as many dangerous risks being taken," Tommy said bluntly. "It is not worth hurting yourself to prove you are brave."

"Ditto," Kim agreed.

The lovebirds cut more pieces of their eggs. They got them onto their forks and popped them into their mouths. They chewed quickly and swallowed while letting out loud gulps.

"It is going to be fun harvesting coconuts," he said excitedly.

"Tell me about it," she agreed. "I've had fun harvesting fruit, gathering eggs, and building fires."

"I bet I will spot coconuts before you do," Tommy commented with much pride.

"No way," Kim responded, shaking her head fast. She waved her fork at him. "I will spot them before you do."

"Don't wave at the fork at me anymore," Tommy said as he mimicked her movements with his head. He made a funny noise. "You are making me dizzy."

"Okay," Kim said and stopped doing that. "Just don't poke your fork in my butt."

Tommy formed a big smirk on his face. "I won't if you won't do the same to mine with yours."

Kim giggled. "It is a deal."

Tommy and Kim leaned toward each other and kissed softly. They turned back to their eggs and proceeded to eat more of them.

00000

A mother jaguar lay on her stomach in a dense part of the rainforest thirty-six minutes later. She observed her two cubs playing around. The first cub leapt at its sibling with a determined squeak. It missed when the cub moved off to the side. It landed softly on its feet and shook its head. It turned around, a playful growl leaving its mouth. The second cub swiped its paw at it, hitting it in the face. Their mother started to lick her paw as her whiskers twitched.

The first cub leapt at its sibling again and pinned it to the ground. It playfully bit its ear. The second cub squealed, getting out from underneath it very quickly. It stood up and took off running. Its sibling followed very close behind. The other cub caught up and flung out its paw. It tripped its sibling. It got on its back. It gripped its teeth into the scruff of the cub's neck.

The cub's sibling wiggled itself free. It raced toward its mother, the other one following very close behind. She looked up as they pounced on her head. They grabbed her ears and tugged on them. Their mother shook herself out of their grasp and swiped her paw at them. They jumped back with playful squeaks. She repeated her action when they tried to approach her.

The mother jaguar rolled on her back as she purred playfully. The cubs leapt at her in which they bit at her face. They stopped as she rolled back on her stomach. They purred softly at her nuzzling them with much affection. They licked her face. She responded with licks to theirs. They heard approaching footsteps and headed off into the undergrowth.

Tommy and Kim came out from behind a tree. They looked around as they listened to the distant screeches of monkeys. They focused their attention on the path in front of them. Without warning, a tapeti hopped out in front of them in which it forced them to come to a halt. They watched it disappear into a hole in the ground. They looked at each other while shaking their heads in disbelief. They emitted loud huffs.

"That's the second time a rabbit has taken us by surprise," Tommy grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah. You can never be sure when an animal will run out in front of you," Kim responded as they resumed walking.

"I should tell you that was a tapeti or Brazilian cottontail rabbit," Tommy admitted and cleared his throat. "The former is more commonly used. I have no idea why it isn't called a rabbit by Brazilians."

"It seems strange they won't call it a rabbit," Kim whispered and licked her lips. "Have you ever hunted, cooked, and eaten rabbits?"

"Yep," Tommy said, nodding. "In fact, they will be part of your first hunting lesson. It is best to start with small creatures. Then we can work our way up to the large ones."

"I think that is a good idea," Kim said in much sweetness. "It will be nice to try cooked rabbit for the first time."

"We will kill several rabbits since they are small," Tommy answered in much seriousness. "One rabbit won't sustain both of us."

"No denying that," Kim agreed. "Just don't let the dead rabbits become undead and try to eat our brains."

"That was so funny that I forgot to laugh," Tommy said sarcastically.

"I love it when you use sarcasm," Kim said and ruffled his hair. "Yes, I do."

Just then, Kim tripped over a bump in the ground in which she stumbled forward. She regained her footing, holding her forehead. Tommy came to her side while crossing his arms.

"I guess we could add a bump in the ground to the list of stuff we've encountered," he said.

"Oh, yes," she answered. They resumed walking and looked around. They returned their attention to the path. "It can be hard to see those bumps, especially when you are keeping your attention on the area in front of you."

"What you don't want to do is step in a hole," Tommy whispered with a loud wince. "That can cause you to sprain your ankle."

"It can also cause you to break your leg," Kim muttered in some fear. "Horses have stepped into holes and broken their legs."

"It's difficult to mend a horse's broken leg. In most cases, it is euthanized," Tommy commented in much sadness.

"I can see why riders wear helmets when they are on horses. It is a long way down when they fall off them. They can hit their heads very hard," Kim pointed out and cringed badly.

"Everyone knows head injuries can be hard to detect. Sometimes, it is too late to save the patient once they are discovered," Tommy replied, rubbing his chin. They eyed each other closely. "It is important to watch for signs of a concussion. Among the symptoms are dizziness, fainting, losing concentration, and memory loss."

"When Little Ben asked Junior what the squiggles were doing over Roy in his painting of their camping trip in Problem Child, Junior said those were birdies people got after being knocked out. Ben told him that people didn't get birdies on their heads but concussions in real life," Kim explained with a shrug. "Junior mentioned that Roy had the frying pan to the head coming because he only pretended to be his father's friend. He said Roy didn't like Ben and that his family didn't like him."

He blew softly. "Ben told Junior he should let him know if someone was treating him badly. Junior said he had always been on his own and that nobody cared about him but him. Ben said he had a family now and that he cared about everything that happened to him."

"I hope you aren't thinking about hitting me in the head with our skillet," Kim said, grabbing the straps of her backpack.

"Nope," Tommy admitted, smiling. "I hope you aren't thinking the same thing with me."

She shook her head. "Unh-unh."

"Great," Tommy said, kissing her temple. "I would love to balance the skillet on your head, though."

"Do it. I dare you," Kim threatened playfully.

"Nah. It would fall right off," Tommy said while flicking her chin.

Kim huffed. "You are such a spoilsport."

He slapped her in the back of her head. He got a slap upside his from her in retaliation. They shared two sweet kisses before looking toward the path. She turned toward a tree, gasping very quietly at seeing bananas and passion fruit hanging not far above the ground. She gazed at him to tap his shoulder. He turned to her.

"What is it, Kim?" Tommy asked.

"Tommy, there is some fruit!" Kim exclaimed and pointed her finger in the direction of the bananas and passion fruit. He looked toward them and let out a light laugh. "I'm becoming quite the expert at spotting fruit, aren't I?"

"You sure are, Kim," Tommy complimented. They made their way over to the fruit. He grabbed a passion fruit, eyeing her as she removed her backpack from her back. She unzipped it and opened it. He placed it inside. He repeated his action with five more. He grabbed the axe to cut down the entire bunch of bananas. He returned it to his holster. She zipped her backpack closed. "How about we go find some more fruit?"

"Sure," Kim agreed while returning her backpack to her back. She resumed her walk, as did he with his. "It is amazing how many bananas we've seen ever since we gathered our first bunch." She squeaked in glee.

"I know," Tommy said, putting his arm around her. "We will teleport back to the hut after we collect another bunch of bananas. After we empty our backpacks of fruit and eggs, we will go hunting for coconuts, okay?"

"That's fine with me," Kim commented eagerly. She kissed his cheek. "I can't wait to cook and eat coconut."

Tommy gave Kim a small hug before planting a kiss to her temple. He proceeded to talk about the first time he hit his head on his desk while trying to get something out from underneath it.