TAMING THE LIONESS

A/N: alrightie let me warn you now, this probably isn't the best chappie I've written, and let me tell you why. SUGAR! yep that's it. This chapter is a result of a `mild` sugar HIGH! yeah so yeah. I lived on sweets and sunflower seeds when I wrote this if that explains anything. I tried to be funny but... what can you say? Hope you like it anyway and REVIEW...*goes to find more sugar*

Dedication: Last chapter was dedicated to all the lovely people who have put me on their favorite authors list. Well two more people added me to their lists so I thought I'd better thank them as well...Love and Thanks to: Rowana Silvakisma and Angel4eva. You guys are so sweet to put me as one your favorite authors. You aren't just doing that to get thanks and see your name in print are you? Just kidding! Thanks for your reviews! This is for you...

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
That's Friggin Impossible!

// / "Are you serious?" Alanna asked incredulously.

"Chh- " Eleni scoffed. "Yeah."

Alanna looked intently at her indulgent mother-in-law. "So, then what happened?" The two women had gathered their simple, unadorned lunch and had moved into Alanna and George's bedchamber. Alanna and Eleni settled themselves so they were facing each other, and were now sitting comfortably on the newlywed's large soft, fluffy bed.

"Well, George went back to the Dancing Dove and spent the rest of the long day and coming night locked and undisturbed in his chamber. Early the next morning, Solom knocked on George's door and delivered a thick vanilla colored envelope. It was a lengthy apology from Mandy," Eleni smiled in remembrance. She shrugged her shoulders hopelessly. "Who else would it be?" It was a rhetorical question she obviously didn't need answered. There was a slight smile playing at the corner of the aging healer's eyes.

"Oohh." Said Alanna. "Great. I thought, and hoped, that after that -the kicking- that she would just go away."

"No such luck." Eleni responded. "It was a real fat chance in any way that Mandy would go away. She had a way about her of making a lasting impression on people.

Alanna smiled half-heartedly and without much conviction. "Was George seriously hurt? I mean he was fine right? Because after they way the two of you we're talking earlier, and how you thought George would never be a father..." Alanna let the sentence trail not knowing what more she could say on the topic. She had gotten her point across.

Eleni raised one eyebrow maliciously as if she was hiding some deep dark secret, but Alanna knew it was all for show. "Well, not really." The healer said suddenly serious. "It's hard to explain and just as hard to comprehend. You see, George was really soar and stiff for awhile."

"Awhile?" Questioned Alanna, awhile mad it sound not so severe.

"Okay, it was two straight weeks. I tried to heal him as best I could- he still refused profusely to let me let me look at him any where near... that region. But there was not much I could do for him but try and lessen the pain. In any event, I don't really know if the pain subsided or if he just got used to it, because eventually he stopped complaining about it." Eleni grinned mischievously. "Maybe that was just to get me to stop asking to see 'it'. Either way, he was in acceptably bad shape."

Alanna interrupted. "That's friggen impossible! From just a kick in the...groin?"

Eleni nodded as if it was a simple enough concept. "I guess there was something about the force and exact, precise placement of the kick. I don't know for sure. And who's to say? It was fairly evident Georgie wasn't faking his distress.

Alanna sighed in acceptance. "So what happened after Mandy sent that apology?" She asked uncertain if she really wanted to know the truth, but curiosity won once again.

Eleni
gave a few
soft, inward,
silent
chuckles.
"Well that's
when..." /
//

It was the day, or maybe afternoon, he wasn't completely sure after being in his room all that time, after what George liked to refer to as the 'Painfully, mortifying, senseless, (hehe first initials spell PMS, I just noticed that. Aren't I clever?) embarrassing, never going to happen again, incident'. George lay stiffly on his back staring blankly at the ceiling. Earlier, he assumed that morning, Solom had come by his room and delivered a bulky, cream colored, sealed envelope to the young, waiting King of Thieves. George tore into the parchment, and retrieved the letter. He read it, in its entirety, the whole long thing, in disbelief. There were parts in it that made him think, parts that made him laugh, parts that made his eyes grow larger than normal and parts that flat out made him blush.

George sincerely thought about throwing the letter out the window and into the street. Then on second thought, if it was outside, anyone could pick it up and read it. So that was out. The way George was feeling, it wasn't out of the question for him to get really vengeful and burning the mass of paper. But thought was all he put into the matter; he didn't do much more about it. George plied himself from the softness of his bed and approached his wooden dresser and tugged on the top right drawer. And for some odd reason George casually dropped the sweetly perfumed letter into the near empty compartment. The only other thing in the dark space was a withering stripped carnation and a small white piece of paper. After reading the 'apology' from Mandy, George planted his weak body once again on his squishy large bed, and hadn't moved since.

Food. The only thing that stirred the King's clouded thoughts was a strong rumbling from deep inside the pit of his stomach. George was contemplating what to do about lunch but before he could get to far into consideration, there was a soft subtle knock that resounded through the near empty chamber. George's pacified mood brightened unnecessarily. He knew it was around noon and he knew that Solom was a good and trustworthy friend. The King of Thieves pulled his heavy body upright and landed softly on his feet. He staggered hurriedly across the hard wood floors in the false hopes that lunch would be waiting for him on the other side of the door.

George pulled back on the heavy wood as the door and its frame parted. He stepped back and his jaw dropped. All the color slowly drained from the King's visibly stunned face.

/ // The story telling paused briefly as Alanna made her way once again out to the stables and retrieved Myles and George's plates. Eleni and Alanna gathered and washed all of their meals dishes in a indulgent, comfortable silence. They both laughed and talked about non-concerning life matters as they scrubbed. Hands immersed in warm soapy water neither woman seemed to have a concern, as Alanna sent away the servants. Together her and Eleni finished straightening the kitchens. Once their cleaning task was completed, the pair headed back to the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of the bedroom. // /

Years earlier, a strong, muscular, if somewhat stiff younger George Cooper stood rigidly in an increasingly more tense quiet than the one Alanna and Eleni had just experienced. He felt as if the bottom had literally just dropped out of his world. His stomach jerk violently as if he was falling a great distance and there was no mistaking the feeling of dread that was now consuming him. *This is friggen impossible!* George told himself in a stunned voice. *This can't be happening...* but there was denying it. Before George could say anything aloud, a gentle, musical, and remorse filled voice burst forward.

"I am SO sorry!" Said the familiar face. Mandy pushed her way passed George's firmly planted body and into the large vacant room. Then she reached behind her and shut the door firmly and menacingly behind her small frame. A mischievous, playful, and unsettling smile was upon Mandy's full rosy lips. He backed away from the door way. George stared at her saying nothing and making sure she kept her distance from him.

But at the moment, Mandy didn't seem to interested (at the moment) in coming closer. (at the moment) "I'm so sorry! I really am." She repeated with some sincerity. Then Mandy took a giant step forward, a step much larger than what seemed possible for such a small girl, closing, somewhat, the gap separating her from George. There was enough space between the duo to assure George some comfort, but not enough so he felt at ease in the least, and not enough to catch him off guard. That would never happen again, he would always be on his toes around this little vixen.

"Here," she offered. "Let me kiss it better!"

"NO!" George exclaimed firmly in pure astonishment.

"It will make you feel better, I promise, just lemme kiss it for you."

"No."

"Why not? You can't possibly kiss it yourself. I hate to break it to you but I don't think you're that flexible. I'm really just trying to do you a favor."

"Uh!" George bellowed in exasperation. "No, Nuh-uh! No way. No how." He backed away and sat on the edge of the bed looking strangely at the petite girl standing before him. She grinned with a smug look on her face. She had, once again, made him uncomfortable.

/ // Alanna's jaw was slack and her eyes wide in shock. "Let me kiss it better!" She repeated in shock. "How old was this girl?" She asked focusing her large eyes on Eleni as she waited for an answer.

"I believe, yeah- " Eleni reaffirmed her guess after doubting. "She was fifteen at the time."

"Fifteen!" Alanna roared. (just like a real lioness hehe) "That's way too young to think... to suggest..." she sputtered. "To offer......that. Oh that's just sick and wrong!" The Lioness stammered. "Er." She stated in disgust. "When I was fifteen...ooh." She shook her head.

"Calm down." The healer commanded steadily and soothingly. "You know as well as I do, that anger and stress are not good for the babe."

Alanna nodded. "I'm fine, really." She assured. "But..."

"No 'but's," Eleni stated firmly. The subject wasn't debatable.

"Er- if George... if he did...anything...with that...whore- "

Eleni interrupted. "Lady Knight Alanna of Trebond, Olua, and Pirate's Swoop!" She said a warning tone in her voice.

Alanna took no heed and continued carelessly "I mean she's fifteen. There's something wrong with that girl! You aren't lying to me are you?"

"No!" Eleni defended.

Alanna nodded. "I thought not. But fifteen! George was only seventeen! That's way too young for wither of them to..." (A/n: this is the part, if you think about it, that Alanna becomes a hipocrit because how old was she when she crawled into Jon's bed? 17! Yea...)

"Alanna!" Eleni
reprimanded for the last time.
/ //

George and Mandy endure a long and strained silence, both of the looking at each other, but not speaking. Suddenly and without warning, George erupted.

"OUT! Get out! I want you outta here. Now! I don't, and when I say that, I mean it, want to see you again. Ever." He stated firmly. "You are a vindictive imposter. And I believe a liar. You're pushy and overbearing, and I've had enough." George bound quickly to his feet, moved passed Mandy without even looking at her, and opened his bedroom door. "Good bye Mandy, I shan't miss you. And I hope you feel the same. Now will you please tell Solom that I am not to be disturbed, unless it's with food, for the rest of this disastrous day. Tell him that on your way `out` okay?" George put his hand on Mandy's shoulder and with a stable hand, guided her small frame out the door and closed the heavy wood on her back. Mandy said nothing during all of George's ranting, but as he closed the wooden door on her, there was a faint defiant glimmer in her starling blue eyes.

"Alright," she murmured under her breath. "I get it. But I trust you know that it's not going to be that easy. You know that don't you?" She smiled making her face once again vary pleasant and brushed a long, stray, chocolate curl out of the way; she tucked the spiral behind her right ear as she headed gracefully down stairs.

'''And now for more Thank you's you're proably sick of them but it's only right for me to give props to the people that keep me going. Here's to my reviewers! all three of you... grr! i don't know why I bother, what's to make me go on...?''' (as in *hint*hint* review more!!!!)

Liams Kitten: thanks. I'm sorry it dragged on to...I didn't really mean to... infact this wasn't even part of the story when i had the original idea...i don't know where it came from... I hope you still like it...

AmayaNightRain11: Short? sorry, but I've written shorter. This one is a bit longer... hope ya like it. Odd?? In a good way right?? Thanks tho here's your update

Forget-me-not: FINALLY! someone who gets and likes my sense of humor! Thanks so much that just makes me feel awesome inside. You ROCK! and no worries, Mandy's still got more in her...she's firsky! oh, I meant fiesty... whoops ^_^

and I still NEED a good TITLE for this...any IDEAS or SUGGESTIONS will be considered and GREATLY appreciated...THANKS

~ Lady Daffodil of Queenscove