I don't really need to worry about disclaimer, I've already put it at the beginning of the FanFic. First a big thank you to my beta reader: Jacqueline, she help with the goat sequence, took care of the grammatical errors and added some sentences to make the story run smoothly. Secondly a massive thank you to all those nice charming people who reviewed my stories. Thank you, it's really appreciated.

Short chapter, but hey I've been pretty busy working on my others FanFic, which I'm plugging, go and read them if you haven't, just to name a few Missing You, The Wedding Banquet, The Call, Restless Spirits. I know shameless!!! Enough said! I'll leave you to read...

Well, whose child is it?

Chapter II

Previously:

"I have no other choice but to leave our child in your care. Please take care of him." Malone finished reading the note.

"Our child!" The words stuck in his mind.

Visibly perplexed looks covered the explorers' faces.

"Whose child and who was the father?" were the questions that were in everyone's minds.

****************************

"There must be a mistake." Roxton took the note from Malone's hand.

"Obviously there's a mistake," Veronica said as she snatched the paper from Roxton.

"One big mistake." Marguerite joined Veronica from behind; she, too, took a gander at the letter.

They stared intently at the letter, hoping to find more meaning in it, but it said nothing more than what Ned had said. Both of the women took into consideration various factors that were obvious. Whoever had left that child in their care knew what they were doing. They would not have abandoned a child in the hands of strangers.

Closing the gap between Veronica and herself, Marguerite looked directly at the men, waiting for an answer. However, when it seemed that she was going to get none, her brain began working double time. It was the law of nature. There had been a woman or two; which no doubt, they had been more than acquaintances with. Those thoughts did nothing but infuriate her, and she stared blankly at Roxton and the child. She saw the resemblance. The child had Roxton's deep green-brown eyes; the more she scrutinised every feature, the more she was eaten up by jealousy. Not liking what she saw, her countenance became sombre.

On the other hand, Veronica was certain it was Ned's child. His blonde hair matched Malone's to a tee; everything about him said Ned Malone. Her shifting gaze continued for a while, back and forth, from Ned to the young innocent.

"Did they leave anything else?" Challenger's calm voice broke their chain of thought.

"No, that was it." Feeling quite awkward, Ned Malone stepped closer to Challenger.

"How old do you think he is?" Lord John Roxton finally had the courage to speak up. The way the two women were looking him and Malone sent shivers up his spine.

"Oh, I say he is about two years old." Challenger was beginning to feel for his friends.

"Why, you know who the mother is?" Marguerite snapped at Roxton.

His facial expression was priceless. Confusion and embarrassment warred in his face; he had only asked a simple question! "No!" he replied emphatically.

"Marguerite are you blind? He is the spitting image of Malone." Veronica said. Lifting the child up, she positioned him at the same height as Malone. She was obviously seeing something there that the rest did not see. "See!"

Malone immediately backed away; he did not like where this was going. It wasn't that he was running from responsibility; on the contrary he thought he would make a great dad. But there was something deep inside that told him that this was not his child. True, there was a possibility of him having a child but not a human child. Wasn't Kaya some kind of water species?

"What, virgin boy here? You have to be kidding." Marguerite laughed at the notion of Malone fathering a child. She remembered clearly their meeting with the so-called fairy.

"Now Lord Roxton here has been with every tramp we've come across with. Let's see about two years ago you were with that..." Jealousy reared its ugly head.

"Marguerite!" Roxton's eyes were wide with denial. He was appalled that she would even consider it.

"No! Let me finish." She was determined to speak her mind.

"Now what is it that they say, Marguerite? 'Jealousy: it is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.'"

Marguerite shot him an icy glare, sending him a message loud and clear. Shut up or face the consequences.

"I think we should be worried about how are we going to take care of this child." Challenger, the voice of reason, spoke up. Things weren't progressing at all; the women seemed determined to get to the bottom of things by means of accusation instead of calm reasoning.

"I think Veronica has everything under control," Marguerite remarked as she nodded towards the woman. The heiress, for the sake of her sanity, needed to know who the father was.

Settling the child close to her shoulder, Veronica began pacing the room. The child didn't last long; soon he was overcome with sleep. "I'll be right back," she said as she left for her room.

After settling the child down on her bed, she headed back to the living room. "So! What are we going to do?"

"Why don't Roxton and I head out to see if we can find some sort of clue as to who left the child?" Malone offered. It seemed like the wise thing to do; some sort of clue as to the mother's whereabouts had to be found.

The jungle beauty didn't seem to care whom were the child's parents. What interested her was... Why, after two years of caring for him, she just had abandoned him? Agreeing with the two men, she left them to go on their search. Grabbing their weapons from the shelf, the reporter and the hunter descended from their view.

Retiring to a nearby chair, the heiress didn't even bother to speak. She certainly didn't want anything to do with the child. Not my problem, she thought. She had come to a resolution. Picking up her book from where she had left it, she continued with her daily reading. Challenger did the same by retiring back to his laboratory.

In the kitchen Veronica began the meal preparations. She carefully washed the vegetables, dried them and headed to the chopping board. Slicing the carrots proved to be a hard task in itself. "Dammit!" she screamed in frustration as she embedded the knife onto the hardwood board.

Regarding her female companion from afar, Marguerite could tell that Veronica was probably just coming to terms with today's events. Rising up from her seat, she headed towards her. "If it makes you feel any better I feel the same," she said lightly as she tried to put Veronica at ease.

"I mean, just when I thought this man is the one, the man I want to spend all my life with...I have nothing against the child, it's just...that... I don't know!" Veronica raised her hands in frustration.

"I don't see what you are worrying about, he's after all a..."

"Not anymore," she remarked as she turned to peel the rest of the vegetables.

The heiress's attention increased at Veronica's wording. Not a virgin? Oh, really!

"Kaya!" Veronica ground out the name, recalling too painfully Malone's loss of innocence.

"Oh! I still think you are jumping to conclusions." Once again Marguerite saw no reason for why the young beauty worried. Kaya, if she remembered correctly, was a parasite or something to that effect. No human child could ever come out of that mating.

"There's a difference. Roxton, if I recall correctly, has kept himself very much entertained in this plateau... of all places. Can't expect a man not to scratch where it itches." Marguerite concluded with disappointment in her voice.

"Malone is no saint!" Veronica vividly recalled his escapade with the Amazon twins.

"Neither are you," Marguerite retorted. Arching her eyebrow, she knew she had hit a spot.

"Touché," Veronica said as she pointed her knife, admitting that Marguerite was right. "But Marguerite, think about it! Roxton's faithful to you."

Marguerite's face softened a bit. "The same could be said about Ned. Whatever they done, that's now in the past." She squeezed her fellow explorer's hands, and thought deeply for a moment. Did she really mean what she had just said?

Stepping out of the lift, Malone and Roxton interrupted their conversation as they entered the kitchen.

"Any luck?"

"No, there's no trace of anyone ever having been near the area," Roxton concluded. They had in fact searched the outside and inside of the perimeter. There were no clues whatsoever, no footprints, no branches or twigs broken; well, at least no human tracks. A couple of raptors footprints were all that they found.

"The only clue with have is this note," Marguerite said as she gingerly picked it up. "And it's untraceable handwriting." She turned as an idea struck her. "What about his clothes? Most of the villages we have encountered differ in style and fabric."

"I though of that and checked, but they are simple enough to have been made by any of the adjoining villages." Veronica continued peeling the vegetables.

"Had any of you thought about asking the child?" Roxton said, motioning to where the child was sleeping. He thought it might be a good idea.

"That's a good one Roxton, why don't you just ask him for his rank and number." Marguerite countered his idea with folded arms and a disdainful look. Sarcasm came to her naturally.

"He's old enough." He wasn't stupid but he had to ask. The child was two years old, and must have spent a considerable amount of time with his mother.

"I'll try but I wouldn't hold my breath," Veronica said.

"Before any more paternity issues arises- I'll be in my bedroom. Call me when dinner is ready."

Bobbing her head in agreement, she let Marguerite get on with her reading. Now onto dinner. They had an extra mouth to feed, and she had to think of something suitable to feed the child. A purée of some sort would be adequate; she remembered the times she had spent among younger children. Glancing at both of the men, she noticed the strange looks they were giving each other; they were obviously still perturbed by today's occurrences. She sighed. "Don't just stand there, one of you go and milk the goat. We're out of milk and I have a feeling we'll be needing more of it."

Both of the men headed to the elevator, knowing full well that this simple task required two people. One to hold the goat and the other to milk it. Georgette was a stubborn little thing; the glint in her eye was very much like that of her namesake. Every time they got near the goat, she got angry. Assai had said that the goat was one of their best, but the little animal gave them more trouble than it was worth.

Stepping out of the elevator, Malone and Roxton both gave an acknowledging nod, they knew what they had to do. "You get the leaves; I'll get the bucket." Both men left to gathered their utensils.

Upon returning, Roxton and Malone headed to the enclosure, slightly hesitant to enter the enclosure. Both stopped to look at the now irritated goat. Having sensed their presence, she stroked her left hoof back and forth against the ground. Her whole body was rigid, and her gaze was steady at the gate, daring them to enter her abode.

Shaking his head in disgust at the horned animal, Malone flung the leaves into the pen and waited for the signal. "I don't know how Veronica does it," he sighed. He backed away to a safe distance. The goat was no dummy; she knew what they were up to and refused to eat the leaves until they left her terrain.

Leaving the goat to finish its meal, they headed toward the treehouse base; sitting on the small bench, they both stared silently at the small pen. "Sometimes I think the goat's nearly as smart as Challenger," Roxton observed.

"You're not wrong there." Malone chuckled slightly. His expression then turned serious and he turned his head to look at Roxton. "You don't think...one of us could have fathered a child, do you?"

Taken aback by his bluntness, Roxton blinked a couple of times and then said, "I don't think so. I'm not saying it's impossible but there's..."

"You get the feeling he's not yours." Malone cut in. He felt it too.

"I can't explain it, but yes, I feel that." Roxton began fanning himself with his precious hat.

"So do I. You think this is some sort of joke?" Malone asked, almost wishing that it was.

"Who would leave their child as part of a joke?"

"No, I guess you're right; they obviously knew where we lived."

"Not much of a clue, half of the plateau knows. "

Malone dropped his head into his hands in extreme frustration. "This is making me extremely uncomfortable. I was making progress with Veronica, and now this, it's thrown us out of the loop."

"I keep hoping this is some sort of misunderstanding," Roxton added.

"You're not the only one. Can I tell you something...it's funny enough…Kaya...is the only women I've been with." He waited for Roxton to come out for some kind of smart remark or at least to poke some fun but nothing came.

"Then, you probably have nothing to be worried about," Roxton replied. He stood up and set his hat back on his head. "We'd better get to it."

"Right!" Malone started after him. Whatever was going on in Roxton's head, it was best if he didn't ask.

Signalling Malone, Roxton entered the pen. The goat should be full now, and that would slow her down. He gently patted the goat, who could only stare back in disagreement on what they were about to do. Malone carefully entered the fold with the offending object. Carefully looping the rope around her neck, he pulled her out of the pen.

As Roxton sat down and began milking the goat, Malone did his best to entertain her by feeding her some leaves. The goat was left with no other choice but to comply. Fighting back could not work now, as she was feeling heavy and bloated, so she allowed the humans to get what they wanted. Unharmed, for now; she would have something prepared for them next time. Roxton's callous finger worked nimbly, squeezing a good amount of warm mill into the bucket. Obtaining as much as he could, he dried his hands and headed to the lift.

****************************

Having secured Georgette the goat back into her home, Malone and Roxton entered the kitchen. The wonderful aroma of cooked vegetables invaded their senses.

"Finally! What did you two do, talk shop with the goat?" Taking the pail from Roxton's hand, Veronica prepared to boil the milk to get rid of any offending germs. "Well, dinner is ready. Ned, why don't you help me set up the table?"

"Sure, " Malone said as he started setting the forks and knife along the table.

"Roxton, can you ... " She was interrupted by the wailings of the small child. "Never mind, can you get him?"

Lifting his eyebrow up in a questioning way, he wasn't sure he had heard her right.

"Roxton!" She was busy draining the vegetables.

Giving no other option, he headed to her bedroom. The little child sat up on the bed, crying his eyes out, which seemed to worsen as he got closer. Picking the child up awkwardly, he headed back to the living room.

"Hold on!" shouted Veronica. Obviously Roxton didn't have any experience with children. As soon as she held the child, it stopped its crying. Smiling back at Roxton, she said, "You just need to let him know you're there for him."

"Easy for you to say," Roxton muttered as he moved to help Malone with the plates.

"Marguerite! Challenger! Dinner is ready," Ned called, as he settled the plates down on the table.

As the 5 explorers and their new member of the family sat down to eat, each member had its own preoccupation. Marguerite and Challenger had taken seats close to each other, leaving Veronica, Malone and Roxton next to the little boy, who sat contentedly on Veronica's lap, eating the smashed up vegetables.

Unbeknownst to both Marguerite and Challenger, they shared something in common. They both thought that the child had no place in their home. Having no child experience, they stared at the child with disapproving looks that implied fear, fear of his presence and fear of the burden that he could bring to the treehouse.

Veronica's smile, however, could not get any wider. She had never had a brother or sister. The closest she had to a sister had been Assai, and then later, Marguerite, and she could not forget Roxton, who acted much like her older reliable brother. She was more than willing to play the role of big sister to the tiny boy. The child had obviously taken a liking to her; his little eyes lit up when she talked to him.

Roxton and Malone both shared amused looks as they watched Veronica playfully converse with the child. Eating his final spoonful, the little child began calling for his mother. "Mamma," he called repeatedly, banging his spoon against the table.

"Mamma is not here," Veronica said as she rescued the abused utensil and tried to calm the child down. "I'm Auntie Veronica," she said to him. "You'll be staying with us until we find your mamma." Her tone was soothing as she tried her best to explain to the innocent child. He, for his part, seemed to be staring at her in an almost understanding manner, his eyes wide and solemn.

"That's Uncle Ned." She pointed at Malone, who in return waved shyly at the child.

"That's Uncle John," she continued. Roxton sat in his seat, not knowing what to do, but he managed to give the child a friendly smile.

"More like Daddy John," Marguerite whispered loudly enough for the rest to hear.

"That's cousin Marguerite. Don't mind her, she's a bit grumpy."

"Hey! I'd rather he know me as a distant friend than family. Besides, why do you get to be an Aunt?" Marguerite retorted, drawing her brows together in a frown.

Veronica hid her grin in the boy's soft hair. "We can't all be Aunts, the child will get confused." She knew that the heiress cared, much more than she liked to let on.

"More than he already is?"

"I though you didn't care." Veronica raised her eyebrow, hoping to have caught the brunette in one of her lies.

"Well I don't," Marguerite replied in a huff. Hiding her disappointment, she turned her attention back to her plate.

"And that's Grandpa George," Veronica concluded.

Imitating Marguerite, George barely looked up from his plate.

"Whether you like it or not, this child is going to be a part of us. So you better all start treating him like family." Veronica's tone wasn't asking; it was commanding. "He's staying with us and that's final." Making sure they understood her loud and clear, she left for the balcony. She had enough of their childish behaviours. He was just a small child, left in their care for reasons only the mother knew and for reasons obviously stated in her abandonment letter.

Realising that their family would now included a new member, Marguerite, Challenger, Ned and Roxton stared at Veronica. Who, seemingly, out of their group, was the only one mature enough to admit to what they all had cowardly been avoiding. The child had been left in their care, and as to why, it was because it stated in the letter that one of the men was the father. As they watched Veronica sing to the small child, each came to a realisation: that their new member, although small, deserved just as much care and attention as the rest of them did. He was their responsibility now. They would all co-operate the best way they could; apparently, as they watched Veronica cuddle the child and coo nonsense into his ear, some more than others.

To be continued...

Would the explorers ever find out who left the child? Will Marguerite & Challenger finally make an effort to get on with the child? All your questions will be answer soon, somewhere in chapter 6, which I may add is being written as I write this. Now, to speed up the process you know what to do.

Hit that Submit Review button and make a girl happy.