Chapter Six

Challenger stood in front of the stone building until he saw them, they were stood in between two huts and he continued walking towards them.

Jasima watched them from a within the building through a slit in the wall, a skinny looking man around 25 stepped out from behind a red velvet curtain, he looked up at Jasima out of still and unmoving eyes. Jasima glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She pointed to the grapes "take those away and bring two new robes for my guests."  He nodded and hurriedly did as she bade; he knocked over a goblet in the process and spilled its contents.  Her eyes flared as she turned and looked at him sharply "Idiot!  Fool!  Be careful…I should have sent you away the minute she started to see sense.  I have no use for servants" she gripped him by the neck.  "Be glad that I am letting you live," she hissed, "your brothers fate was far worse."  He flinched as Jasima let him go and he ran from the hut and into the bushes.

'Veronica' watched him flee.  "Wonder what scared him."

'Marguerite' looked from him to the building.  "I'll give you three guesses."

"This place is deserted.  How did she survive here?" a deep voice interrupted their conversation.

"Oh, so you finally decided to come to your sense" her voice dripped with sarcasm.  "She probably survived the same way as Veronica," she guessed.

If Roxton noticed she was angry with him, he didn't show it.  "Well, this woman doesn't seem quite so equipped --."

"Well you've been looking close enough" 'Marguerite' got in before groaning "Why on earth am I putting myself through this again!"

That comment got his attention.  "What do you mean by that?"

By now Jessica was too annoyed with the man to watch what she said.  "You're the same as the rest of your bloody family!"

He stood directly in front of her.  "What do you mean about my family?" he demanded in a gruff voice.

It was 'Veronica that stepped in between them, effectively halting the brewing argument and cutting her friend off from speaking further.  "Marguerite is just angry, she doesn't know what she's saying" she covered.

Challenger coughed, interrupting the conversation, he looked directly at Roxton and Malone.  "So you came at least" he looked pleased.  "The Lady Jasima wants to speak with you."

Malone smiled.  "She's very hospitable."

"A very friendly young lady" Challenger agreed.

This time it was 'Veronica' that looked at Ned angrily.  "Malone!" she seethed.

Roxton began walking away.  "We have to go."

All three men start off in the direction of the building the professor had exited a few minutes ago and on to where Jasima awaited them.  "You're not going anywhere without us" Marguerite disagreed with their decision.

Both of them stepped forward until Challenger blocked their way.  "She doesn't wish to speak with the two of you," he said pointedly.

"I'm not a genie, and she's not my master, I couldn't care less what she wishes to do" Veronica responded, furious with how the men were acting.  This was not going as planned, not that they had wanted it to go down like this in the first place.

He shook his head and laughed.  "Maybe one day we will visit the treehouse."

"George!" 'Marguerite' couldn't believe some jungle hussy was controlling him, and he wasn't doing anything to resist.

"Of course.  What were we thinking?  We can't interrupt the hostess while she's entertaining her guests" 'Veronica suddenly spoke up as though she had just seen the error of her and 'Marguerite's ways.  "George, please tell the Lady Jasima that we'll speak with her later" Challenger smiled, pleased, and nodded before walking after Roxton and Malone, towards the building.

'Marguerite' got on 'Veronica's' thought train.  "Good thinking, now we can take a look around" they agreed that she would take one hut and Sarah the other.  They split up, 'Veronica' taking the hut on the left and 'Marguerite' the one on the right. After about five minutes of looking through crates of food, 'Marguerite' came upon a dark oak trunk; she opened up the squeaking lid and looks inside.  "Sarah!" she shouted.  Sarah ran in carrying a vaguely familiar red dress, while Jess was stood holding a grey suit "the woman in the red dress."

Sarah nodded grimly.  "There's a blue one too…and Don's suit."

"And Jack's is at the bottom" she informed her friend.

"How can she still be alive?" scratch that, Sarah didn't want to know.

Jessica was quiet for a few seconds, caught up in her musings.  "If the woman who stole Don is here, then where's the blonde that took Jack?"

Both woman ran towards the building and burst inside.  Jasima and Cali, the blonde, are on the bed feeding a happy Roxton and Malone cherries.  "Can we help you?" Jasima asked the two intruders.

"This is a private party," a snobby blonde added.

'Marguerite' ignored them both.  "Is it your mission in life to get in our way?" she wanted her questions answered.

The two nuisances looked at each other, clueless.  "Do we know you?" Cali questioned.

'Veronica' answered first.  "Think way back.  To Don and Jack" she gave them two quick and easy clues to remind them.

"Oh!" Cali figured it out first.

"Looks like we're not the only ones that can survive the ages" Jasima added.  To the four women, it looked as though Roxton and Malone were clueless as they lay back, apparently snoozing.

"Are you two body takers?  I knew one once, he was such a sweetheart.  He always picked the best people to control," Cali rattled on until Jasima cut her off.

"I don't think so…if I knew ya'll were friends I would've invited you along."

These two women had to stop finishing each other's sentences; it was staring to annoy Sarah and Jessica.  "We have some great men underground, take your pick, hell, we don't want them" Cali looked down at Malone.  "We have who we want."

"See that would be the problem because the men that you have now are the men we want back" 'Marguerite' was close to screaming.  She hated this.

"I'm sure the owners of those bodies would disagree with you there" Jasima retorted, knowing full well that Marguerite and Veronica didn't have a say in this.

Cali was not going to give up Malone now that she had him, and she made that fact perfectly clear.  "Roxton's and Malone's belong to us.  Have done for the past hundred years or so, give or take a century."

"It's your choice, stay on our good side or get on our bad side" Sarah wanted to wipe that smirk off Jasima's face.

"If I were you, I'd choose the former" Cali inserted.

Jasima practically purred.  "But I really hope you choose the latter.  I haven't had a good cat fight in years!"

Cali rolled her eyes and dismissed Jasima's words with a wave of her hand.  "She's just kidding.  Pull up a chair, pick a man, choose a room."

Apparently the only way to do anything would be to play along.  "Well…" 'Marguerite' began as though she were coming around to the idea "would we be able to spend some time with John and Ned sometimes?"

"Of course" the ex- woman in the red dress answered.  "We're not selfish just…protective sometimes."

"We'll share ours if you share yours" Cali grinned, liking the thought of having people other than Jasima to talk to.

'Veronica' and 'Marguerite' looked at each other as though they were deciding.  "It would get awfully lonely back at the treehouse" Sarah said thoughtfully.

"And this would be better than shooting them" Jessica agreed.  It had almost killed her to shoot one Roxton; she didn't want to have to do that again.

Jasima produced a sheet of yellow paper and a quill pen.  "Then sign --."

"On the dotted line -- " Cali continued.

"You're one of us now."

"Almost.  You read the fine print?" Cali didn't wait for answer "good" she took back the paper.

Jasima nudged Roxton into a sitting position and towards 'Marguerite'.  "We said we'd share."  Cali pouted and stayed beside Malone "we promised" Jasima chided, "We can do without them.  For a little while at least."

"And when you've finished with them, choose some for yourselves" Cali was resigned to the fact that she had to say goodbye for now.

"Don't take too long," Jasima warned before they left.  Sara and Jessica smiled weakly and then lead the two men from the building "don't let them out of your sight."

"Of course not!" Cali said incredulously.  "What kind of lady would I be if I pushed my man into the arms of another woman!"