CHAPTER THREE- FOREVER AND ALWAYS
Bill found he had a pounding headache soon after Ron and Ginny woke up. "Bill okay?" Ginny asked.
"My head just hurts." Bill replied.
"Kiss and make better." Ginny said and kissed Bill's head.
"Thanks, Gin. I feel loads better now." He said and she smiled widely. The nice heart-warming was soon over as something upstairs crashed. "Let's go check it out, okay?" Bill asked, standing up.
"Okay." Ginny said from in his arms. They went upstairs and found the twins and Ron chasing a chicken.
"Where did the chicken come from?!" Bill demanded.
"An egg." Ron exclaimed, tumbling over.
"We got it from outside." One twin said as the chicken ran under a bed. Bill inspected his hand and saw a very faint 'G'.
"George, why did you bring the chicken inside?"
"Ummmmmm I forget." George said.
"Fred?"
"I forget, too."
"Okay. Let's get the chicken back outside." Bill set Ginny down and peered under the bed. He screamed and fell back as the chicken flopped out onto his face.
"Chicken-face, Bill! Chicken-face!" Ron squealed happily, clapping his hands. Bill grabbed for the chicken but ended up with a handful of feathers instead.
"AAAAHHHH BILL!" Ginny screamed as the chicken ran for her. She leapt onto Bill causing him to crumble back on the ground.
"Ginny get off my head." Bill said as Ginny clutched his head.
"Get the chicken!" Ron yelled, running from the room.
"Why did you get the chicken?!" Bill demanded, peeling Ginny off.
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm I forget." Fred said.
"Ummmmmmmmmm me too." George said. There was a crash and the sound of something, or someone, thumping down the stairs and then Ron wailing. Bill ran down and found Ron at the bottom with blood all over his face.
"I tripped over chicken!" He wailed, pointing up the stairs. The chicken was nestled on one of the top steps. Bill picked Ron up, took him to the bathroom and cleaned up him. All the blood came from a cut over one eye, and his nose.
"You're okay now." Bill said.
"Thanks." Ron sniffled, hopping off the counter and going off. Bill went to the stairs and glared up at the chicken. He began sneaking up very quietly. The chicken was almost within reach when the twins pounced for it. They missed, the chicken ran off, and the twins fell on Bill who thumped down the stairs. He lay at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the ceiling and thinking, 'why me?' then asked if the twins were all right. He knew they were because they had used him as a sort of human stair sled.
"Charlie, Percy, there's a chicken loose in the house." Bill said, slowly getting up.
"Bill, help me!" Ginny whined from the landing. Bill pushed the twins off of him and went upstairs.
"What?"
"Carry me. Chicken scary!!!" She said, sticking her arms up. Bill picked her up and looked around.
"Help me find the chicken, guys."
"I don't like the chicken. Its mean!" Ron sniffled.
"You don't have to help." Bill assured him. He took Ginny and Ron upstairs. "Stay in here, okay?" He asked as he set Ginny in her crib. "So you don't get chased by the chicken."
"Okay Bill."
"Ron, you're in charge of her, okay?"
"Okay Bill!" Ron said, obviously very happy he was in charge. Bill shut the door and looked down at his brothers who waited for him to tell them what to do.
"Let's go chicken hunting."
*****
Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George searched the whole house for the chicken but couldn't find it. They often heard it clucking but simply could not locate it.
"Why did you idiots bring the chicken in in the first place?" Charlie asked, looking under a couch.
"Because." Fred said, lifting up a lamp.
"We wanted to." George added, looking under the rug.
"Shh, I can hear it clucking!" Percy said. They were silent and heard clucking upstairs. Suddenly Ginny screamed.
"Oh great!" Bill ran up the stairs and flung open the door. Ron and Ginny were huddled in the corner with the chicken flapping its wings and thrusting its beak at them. Ron was in front of Ginny, protecting her. Bill crept forward and pounced on the chicken, grabbing it by its legs.
"Bill caught chicken! Bill caught chicken!" Ginny screeched.
"Did I do a good job being in charge of Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Yes, you did. Very good job protecting her." And Ron wore a smug look. All seven of them trouped outside for the releasing of the evil chicken.
"Never bring a chicken in the house again. At least not until Ginny is older." Charlie told the twins.
"Okay Charlie." They chorused.
"Let's go inside. It's been some day." Percy said, adjusting his glasses.
"You can say that again." Bill said, picking Ginny up. It wasn't till they were inside and gotten their hands washed when they realized they were down one family member.
"Where's Ron?" Charlie asked.
"Must still be outside." Bill said and went outside. "RON!!" He called but no answer. "RON!! GET OVER HERE!" But no answer. Bill began panicking. He raced around, searching and finally found him. In the pond. "RON!"
"Bill!" Ron cried, splashing about. Bill ran over but couldn't reach Ron by hand. "I'm scared I can't stay up!" Ron said and his head disappeared under the water then bobbed back up. "There's shark in here!" Bill knew perfectly well there was no shark. But the pond was deep and Ron could easily drown.
"Splash over here, Ron." Bill said. Ron was even farther from his reach.
"I can't!" Ron cried. Bill stood up and pulled off his shoes, and over shirt. He slipped into the pond and found not even he could touch the bottom. He swam over to Ron and pulled him out.
"What were you doing in there anyway?" Bill asked, climbing out.
"I was chasing the chickens and fell." Ron sniffled, pale and shaking as he clutched to Bill's neck. Bill got his stuff and went inside.
"What happened?" Percy asked.
"Fell into the pond." Bill sighed. He took Ron up to his room, dried him off and got him changed into dry clothes.
"Thanks for saving me." Ron said, sniffling still.
"I'd never let you drown. None of you." Bill said. "You're my siblings. And since I'm the big brother I need to watch out for every one of you."
"I'm a big brother, too." Ron said.
"Yes you are." Bill replied with a nod.
"I'll watch out for Ginny. Forever and always."
"Right."
"And you'll watch out for the rest of us? Forever and always?"
Bill smiled and rumpled Ron's hair. "Forever and always."
Bill found he had a pounding headache soon after Ron and Ginny woke up. "Bill okay?" Ginny asked.
"My head just hurts." Bill replied.
"Kiss and make better." Ginny said and kissed Bill's head.
"Thanks, Gin. I feel loads better now." He said and she smiled widely. The nice heart-warming was soon over as something upstairs crashed. "Let's go check it out, okay?" Bill asked, standing up.
"Okay." Ginny said from in his arms. They went upstairs and found the twins and Ron chasing a chicken.
"Where did the chicken come from?!" Bill demanded.
"An egg." Ron exclaimed, tumbling over.
"We got it from outside." One twin said as the chicken ran under a bed. Bill inspected his hand and saw a very faint 'G'.
"George, why did you bring the chicken inside?"
"Ummmmmm I forget." George said.
"Fred?"
"I forget, too."
"Okay. Let's get the chicken back outside." Bill set Ginny down and peered under the bed. He screamed and fell back as the chicken flopped out onto his face.
"Chicken-face, Bill! Chicken-face!" Ron squealed happily, clapping his hands. Bill grabbed for the chicken but ended up with a handful of feathers instead.
"AAAAHHHH BILL!" Ginny screamed as the chicken ran for her. She leapt onto Bill causing him to crumble back on the ground.
"Ginny get off my head." Bill said as Ginny clutched his head.
"Get the chicken!" Ron yelled, running from the room.
"Why did you get the chicken?!" Bill demanded, peeling Ginny off.
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm I forget." Fred said.
"Ummmmmmmmmm me too." George said. There was a crash and the sound of something, or someone, thumping down the stairs and then Ron wailing. Bill ran down and found Ron at the bottom with blood all over his face.
"I tripped over chicken!" He wailed, pointing up the stairs. The chicken was nestled on one of the top steps. Bill picked Ron up, took him to the bathroom and cleaned up him. All the blood came from a cut over one eye, and his nose.
"You're okay now." Bill said.
"Thanks." Ron sniffled, hopping off the counter and going off. Bill went to the stairs and glared up at the chicken. He began sneaking up very quietly. The chicken was almost within reach when the twins pounced for it. They missed, the chicken ran off, and the twins fell on Bill who thumped down the stairs. He lay at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the ceiling and thinking, 'why me?' then asked if the twins were all right. He knew they were because they had used him as a sort of human stair sled.
"Charlie, Percy, there's a chicken loose in the house." Bill said, slowly getting up.
"Bill, help me!" Ginny whined from the landing. Bill pushed the twins off of him and went upstairs.
"What?"
"Carry me. Chicken scary!!!" She said, sticking her arms up. Bill picked her up and looked around.
"Help me find the chicken, guys."
"I don't like the chicken. Its mean!" Ron sniffled.
"You don't have to help." Bill assured him. He took Ginny and Ron upstairs. "Stay in here, okay?" He asked as he set Ginny in her crib. "So you don't get chased by the chicken."
"Okay Bill."
"Ron, you're in charge of her, okay?"
"Okay Bill!" Ron said, obviously very happy he was in charge. Bill shut the door and looked down at his brothers who waited for him to tell them what to do.
"Let's go chicken hunting."
*****
Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George searched the whole house for the chicken but couldn't find it. They often heard it clucking but simply could not locate it.
"Why did you idiots bring the chicken in in the first place?" Charlie asked, looking under a couch.
"Because." Fred said, lifting up a lamp.
"We wanted to." George added, looking under the rug.
"Shh, I can hear it clucking!" Percy said. They were silent and heard clucking upstairs. Suddenly Ginny screamed.
"Oh great!" Bill ran up the stairs and flung open the door. Ron and Ginny were huddled in the corner with the chicken flapping its wings and thrusting its beak at them. Ron was in front of Ginny, protecting her. Bill crept forward and pounced on the chicken, grabbing it by its legs.
"Bill caught chicken! Bill caught chicken!" Ginny screeched.
"Did I do a good job being in charge of Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Yes, you did. Very good job protecting her." And Ron wore a smug look. All seven of them trouped outside for the releasing of the evil chicken.
"Never bring a chicken in the house again. At least not until Ginny is older." Charlie told the twins.
"Okay Charlie." They chorused.
"Let's go inside. It's been some day." Percy said, adjusting his glasses.
"You can say that again." Bill said, picking Ginny up. It wasn't till they were inside and gotten their hands washed when they realized they were down one family member.
"Where's Ron?" Charlie asked.
"Must still be outside." Bill said and went outside. "RON!!" He called but no answer. "RON!! GET OVER HERE!" But no answer. Bill began panicking. He raced around, searching and finally found him. In the pond. "RON!"
"Bill!" Ron cried, splashing about. Bill ran over but couldn't reach Ron by hand. "I'm scared I can't stay up!" Ron said and his head disappeared under the water then bobbed back up. "There's shark in here!" Bill knew perfectly well there was no shark. But the pond was deep and Ron could easily drown.
"Splash over here, Ron." Bill said. Ron was even farther from his reach.
"I can't!" Ron cried. Bill stood up and pulled off his shoes, and over shirt. He slipped into the pond and found not even he could touch the bottom. He swam over to Ron and pulled him out.
"What were you doing in there anyway?" Bill asked, climbing out.
"I was chasing the chickens and fell." Ron sniffled, pale and shaking as he clutched to Bill's neck. Bill got his stuff and went inside.
"What happened?" Percy asked.
"Fell into the pond." Bill sighed. He took Ron up to his room, dried him off and got him changed into dry clothes.
"Thanks for saving me." Ron said, sniffling still.
"I'd never let you drown. None of you." Bill said. "You're my siblings. And since I'm the big brother I need to watch out for every one of you."
"I'm a big brother, too." Ron said.
"Yes you are." Bill replied with a nod.
"I'll watch out for Ginny. Forever and always."
"Right."
"And you'll watch out for the rest of us? Forever and always?"
Bill smiled and rumpled Ron's hair. "Forever and always."