by Roaming Tigress and Shelley Inks, creator of Keleen Vanderchill
Chapter Fifteen:
Not so Bad
"Get up, I say!" Keleen barked, rapidly throwing a fist in the air. "Are you deaf as well as foolish? Get to your feet, chicken. Or I'll make you . . . "
The sight of her raised hand had made Steelbeak shrink back in fear. Memories of his abusive past were rubbed into his face. He had learned to fear the raised hands of any dominant female, knowing all too well that they'd more likely than not strike him. The rooster's pleading eyes never left her's, and this expression alone had caused her to lower her arm.
"Don't try to butter me up, I'm here for taking care of business. I want you to never harm Javert, no matter what the circumstances!" She firmly told him, taking off the spell that melted the ice from the beak. With a second spell, she melted the icicle.
Steelbeak, with his broad and sore back pressed up against the wall, groaned. He felt the water and blood trickling down his suit, and shivered.
"Yes . . . I guess . . . But I don't get one t'ing. Am I not allowed to defend my family? He shot my daughter, fer god's sakes!" In spite of his vulnerable, pained state, he still felt the need to speak up against the unfair reasoning behind this. He was angry, yet afraid of her capabilities.
"Dey mean so much to me, much more den F.O.W.L itself . . . If anyt'ing 'appens and Javert - "
"Well, you'll have to think of better ways to go about protecting them that don't involve killing Javert!" Keleen cut in, with a snarl, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked down at the still kneeling rooster, trying to make him take her as seriously as possible
"I can be reasonable as I can be cold. Promise not to harm him, and I'll go easy on you."
Steelbeak heaved a sigh, looking away from her. He couldn't make this promise. He had a family to protect, and a position to keep. If he didn't break the promise, he might as well leave F.O.W.L dead in a body bag -- it was either him or Javert.
"Isn't that right, Javert?" Keleen asked, looking over to the direction were Javert once stood. When she saw he was gone, she felt betrayed, abandoned. He had promised to her that he would stay with her until the mission was completed.
How could he do this to me, to leave me alone, to settle with this rooster?! I loved him once, but I don't know what to think of him now . . .
"Looks like I'll have to settle on you alone," she sighed, taking a seat on a bench. "Javert means everything to me, but I don't think he feels the same way toward me."
Hrm, interestin' . . . Steelbeak tilted his head to one side, eager to know the reason behind her love for him. "Dat's Javert fer youse, 'e 'as no time fer anyone but 'imself. Just outta curiosity, why of all people did you give yer soul out to 'im? I don't t'ink 'e'd appreciate such a t'ing if it was t'rown in his face."
"I have always wanted to be known here at FOWL. I wanted to be more than just a pretty face, and for a moment, he really did make me feel like a somebody . . . " Keleen answered calmly, taking her mind off revenge for the moment. There was sadness in her voice, and it didn't go unnoticed to the other F.O.W.L employee. Right now, she wasn't in the mood to kill anyone.
"Ah . . . Dat's soitenly a familiar feelin'!" Steelbeak couldn't help but to get a feeling of deja-vu. When he joined F.O.W.L, it was Diamond, his first girlfriend, that made him feel like a somebody.
"There's the whole cold-blooded killer thing about him. I'm attracted to cruel men, you see. Javert just seemed so right for me. I just wish he realized how much he means to me."
"You didn't loose 'em now, ya know," Steelbeak said softly, slowly getting to his feet. He had taken sympathy on Vanderchill, for he knew of the cruelty that Javert was capable of, and understood what she was going through. A tried and true villain he may be, but it disgusted him how the son of High Command could just walk away on her.
"Youse gotta get up and tell 'em what youse really feel about 'im. Look 'em right into 'is eyes, tell 'em straight you dat youse love 'em. If 'e can't believe youse, den . . . I 'ate to say it, but ya gotta look for someone who really does love youse."
Wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes, Keleen smiled and gently touched him on the face. She expected him to flinch away, but that didn't happen. He merely stood before her, almost humbled by the gentleness she was showing him.
She had felt bad for him for two reason. The first was causing him the pain he had recently went through, but she knew she had to defend Javert, so she forgave herself. The second was the fact that she knew it was difficult, if not impossible, to stop Javert from doing what he desperately wanted to do to the rooster. She couldn't forgive him for his vicious assault on her companion, but was slowly beginning to like him.
"You know . . . You're not so bad," she said sincerely, lightly tickling him under the chin with one finger. "Come, lets get that wound taken care of before there's even more blood on the floor."
"Me, not so bad?" Steelbeak scoffed. "I'm about as bad as all get out!"
"I believe it!" Keleen winked. "In all seriousness, I have admired your F.O.W.L way. Tonight might not have been a good night for you to demonstrate that, but . . . It takes guts to work for that place.
"Damn straight!"
Trusting her, Steelbeak lead the Vanderchill girl down the hallway and into the bathroom. Victoria and Tatiana had since gone to bed, and he remained as quiet as possible.
Watching the two through the bathroom window was Javert. As he watched Keleen take care of Steelbeak's wound, he came up with a devious plan. Perhaps if he could get her to really befriend the rooster, he would use her for live bait. There were so many ideas, so many possibilities, that he couldn't just settle on on just one.
Carefully he watched the two speak, wishing he could read lip synching. Just by watching their expressions alone, Javert could tell the two villains were speaking about something deep. Each time he thought they would look toward their direction, he ducked.
"T'anks, Kel, fer patchin' me up," Steelbeak said as the last bandage was applied over his back. "Yas really got me good dere."
"Hah, if you think that's bad, you should've seen what I did to a flirting eggman!" With a wry smirk, Keleen gave him a quick kiss to the back of his neck as a show of gratitude. "No need to thank me, I need to thank you for your relationship advice. "
"No prob, toots!" Steelbeak grinned. As she gave him a look of disapproval by being called that, he grinned sheepishly.
"Bad 'abit of mine, I suppose."
"Eh, I'll let it pass . . . " Shaking her head with a chuckle, she headed out of the bathroom. In the pit of her stomach she felt the dread of encountering Javert -- and her father.
What would they think of her if she declined to seek revenge upon the rooster and his family, now that they were beginning to grow on her? Killing anyone else was fine, but something didn't set right with the whole family slaughter. Maybe, just to avoid the humiliation, she wold go ahead with it, even if she would feel guilty about it for the rest of her life.
"Ah,
Keleen! What a nice surprise to see you out here!" Javert called out to
her, watching her come ut from the mansion.
"Er,
hi . . . " She responded somewhat nervously, wondering if she should come
up to him or not. Not wanting to make herself appear to be a wimp,
she approached him.
"Did he lay a hand on you?" Asked Javert with genuine concern, rubbing a hand over a balled up fist. "Because if he did I will . . ."
"No, no, he didn't hurt me at all," Keleen replied with a indifferent shrug, following him out to the car. "I just made it clear to him that if he touches you, he'll regret even blinking an eye."
Taking her by surprise, Javert slung an arm around her as he escorted her into the vehicle. It was half affection, half just plain chummy.
"Zat's
my girl!"