It Could Be Worse (4th Season)
Episode 6: Baby, Baby
By Sulia Serafine
[A Protector of the Small fanfic set in an alternate universe; all credit goes to Tamora Pierce. I'm broke, so you can't sue me. Any other copyrighted things that don't belong to me in here in fact belong to other very businesslike people. Could you believe that? I guess that's why I'm broke.
E-mail me at silverwlngaol.com okay? And you know the drill: titles or subjects of emails are fanfiction.net, s.serafine, or icbw.
Rating of this episode: PG-13 for habitual cursing. Otherwise, I think the episode would be PG.
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"Here," Neal said. "I got you some orange juice."
Cleon looked up from the newspaper. He took the glass silently, nodding his head in thanks. Neal peered over his shoulder at the page of the newspaper he was reading. He would have expected to see the cartoon section but instead found himself staring straight at the front page, where all the serious articles were printed.
"Can I get anything else for you?" he asked nervously. Who was this stranger?
"No. If I need something, I'll get it myself."
Neal straightened up and placed his hands in his pockets. "Oh. Alright then." He turned to go, but something flashed in his memory. "By the way, we're going to see Roald, Lalasa, and the baby today around lunchtime. Is that ok with you? Do you want to go?"
The redhead nodded. "Yes, it's fine. And Neal?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't talk to me like you don't know me. I'm still Cleon." He smiled faintly, and then returned to reading the newspaper.
That was weird… Neal thought, scratching his head as he left Keladry's kitchen.
After the three men sleeping off hangovers in Keladry's bed woke up, it went unspoken that Cleon would stay with Keladry for a few days, just until they got his own apartment back. During the time that Cleon had gone, they'd finally put his personal belongings in boxes and into storage with Joren's things. Stefan had not rented out the apartment to anyone yet, so it was only a matter of getting the furniture back in.
Also during that time, Prosper had worked up enough courage to see Fianola and give her the bad news. No one knew what happened after that. They could not hear any cries or sobs from behind her door. All that they did know was that Prosper had not left yet. Neal suspected that Fianola had gone into a dead faint. He considered her lucky to have such a brother-figure like Prosper around to watch over her.
Keladry had gone ahead to see their friends in the hospital. Dom and Neal were waiting for Cleon to finish breakfast so they could follow her. Neither man had any idea how to speak to the sharpshooter. Since he'd been awake, he'd been a completely different person. It was frightening, to say the least. Cleon had not cracked one corny joke the entire time he had been home, nor had he laughed.
He did smile sometimes. But the smiles were empty. They were reflex.
"He's reading the newspaper," Neal told Dom, who was watching the Holoscreen in the living room.
Dom tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, tell him he can look at the cartoons in the car. It's been almost an hour."
"He's not looking at the cartoons. I think he's trying to finish the article on third world political instabilities," Neal informed, feeling much like he was in an alternate universe as he spoke the words.
Dom blinked. "Oh."
So they waited.
At last, they got into one of the Riders' Own vans and drove to the hospital. Neal watched Cleon critically. He'd not noticed until then the strange clothing the Cleon was wearing. They were the same type of garments the people of Enishijirou wore. He thought absently that the tunic looked good on Cleon. It made him look more adult than he acted sometimes (not that adult behavior was something that he lacked at that moment).
He paused before speaking. "So how were the wolves?"
"They were fine. I saw Borealize a few times, but he was always busy running the First District."
"Right." Neal pouted. "Then… how was… Joren?"
Cleon's eyes darted from the window he'd been looking out of to Neal's face. He studied him carefully. "How did you know he was there?"
"I was the one who helped him leave," he replied.
"Oh. Well, he didn't stay that long. He left again with Yukishiro."
"So he woke up?"
"Yes."
The conversation had gone stale. Neal cleared his throat and turned around in his seat. Dom cast a sidelong glance at his god brother and decided it wasn't worth the trouble to restart any talking. Cleon returned to his window observation. The rest of the drive was conducted in silence.
When they got to the hospital, Keladry was holding the baby at Lalasa's bedside. Roald was sitting on the bed with Lalasa, hugging his wife around the shoulders with one arm. They looked up when the three men entered the recovery wing, huge smiles on all their faces.
"It is… so good to see you," Roald said at once. Unlike the rest of them who had seen Cleon last at Enishijirou, the married couple had not seen him since before he left Tusaine. The new father stood up and circled around the bed to enfold his fellow "stooge" in a large hug.
Cleon patted his back. "You, too." He stepped back and turned his head. "Now where's this mini-Fal that I keep hearing so much about?"
Neal and Dom exchanged worried glances. They had been afraid of Cleon's reaction to the baby would be, considering his name and the timing of his birth. They watched apprehensively as Keladry gently handed the baby to him. Lalasa grinned proudly.
Cleon sat on the edge of the bed, gazing quietly at the baby boy. Little Faleron was starting to doze off; they could tell by the way his small mouth opened in a yawn.
"Did you ever think you were going to be a father when you ran away two and a half years ago?" he asked Roald.
"Honestly, no. I wasn't expecting to even have a stable job or a home back then." The Vice President's son chuckled. "Has it only been that short a time? I could have sworn it'd been five years the way things carry on around here." He sighed. "Anyway, Cleon, Lalasa and I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure. Shoot."
Neal, Dom, and Keladry visibly winced at the word choice.
"Will you be his godfather?"
The sharpshooter looked down at the sleeping baby and smiled. "Yeah. No problem. Though, I think it's kind of unnecessary. I'll be his uncle eventually if Kalasin doesn't kill me first."
Roald nodded. He almost inconspicuously bristled about the comment of his sister. He still couldn't imagine being in-laws with Cleon, no matter how good a friend he was. But surely things would be different now that Cleon had returned. Different, at least. "Good. You'll be glad to know she's flying in a few days from now from Tortall."
"Great."
Keladry stood up from her chair and walked over to Neal, whispering in his ear. Cleon pretended not to notice, but it was obvious that she was asking how Cleon had been acting since he'd woken up. Though it was a little frustrating at first, he knew they only meant well. They were worried about him. It was only the ties of friendship that made their brows crease and their lips curl down in pouts.
The next day, Lalasa and Faleron Jasson were released from the hospital. Both mother and son were as healthy as could be. Their friends greeted the new family at their apartment, bringing balloons and belated baby shower gifts. Since the majority of them had been in the Eastern Yamani mountains during Lalasa's pregnancy, they had not been around for the normal celebrations. Even some people that the couple vaguely knew showed up, bringing congratulations and gifts.
Daine and Numair were there as well, bringing with them a brand new baby crib that was painted sky blue. Star plushies hung over the crib and spun around slowly while a "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" played in the background. It was a new parent's dream. Lalasa's jaw nearly hit the floor.
"It's beautiful!" she gasped. Her hand fluttered over her mouth in shock.
Her employer came forward, handing her a gift bag. "I'd like Faleron to have this, too. My friend thought he would like this."
Lalasa beckoned her husband over, who was holding the baby. She opened the bag and picked up a small stuffed dragon with shiny fabric and stitching to resemble scales. Little Faleron made happy gurgling sounds. She brought the toy in reach for his tiny hands to touch. He continued to make delighted sounds, bringing wide grins to both his parents' faces.
"The tag says the toy's name is Kitten. How cute!" Lalasa gushed. "Thank you so much, Daine! He loves it!"
"Our pleasure. Really. Congratulations!"
Everyone in the apartment started to bustle around, getting food out and bringing in more presents for the occasion. Keladry and Ulliver were about to give their present when Lalasa stood up and gasped. Roald was gently rocking Faleron when he looked up and gave his wife a questioning look.
"My ring! I left my ring at the hospital!"
"Your ring?" Numair asked, frowning.
Roald handed the baby to Cleon as he stood up to calm his wife. "She took it off during the last two months because it wasn't fitting. She put it on a gold chain around her neck." He kissed Lalasa's knuckles. "Did you take it off at the hospital?"
"Yes, I think it was on the bedside table in the recovery wing," she answered. "Oh, Roald! My ring!"
"Don't worry," Neal piped up. "We'll get it. Come on, Roald."
Keladry quickly glanced out the window. "Wait, I'm the only one not blocked in down there. I'll drive." She turned to Ulliver. "Do you mind?"
"No, of course not. I'll see you in a bit," he said, kissing her on the cheek. She smiled and retrieved her keys from the kitchen counter.
The three friends headed out the door with the mission of recovering Lalasa's wedding ring. Daine managed to calm Lalasa down and had her sit on the couch while the rest of the small party's guests waited on mother and baby like servants. Keladry smiled at the sight as she closed the door behind her.
They hopped into the squad car that Keladry was driving and headed toward the hospital. They were all gasping for breath just a bit, seeing as how they'd ran down the hall and from the elevator to the parking lot as well. Roald glanced at both his friends curiously from shotgun.
"You know, you didn't all have to come with me."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Neal snorted.
"You just wanted to get away from Cleon, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Keladry and Neal confessed in unison.
Roald shook his head. "I know he's different now, but honestly—"
"It's downright scary, Roald. He's freaking me out!" Neal exclaimed. "I mean, don't get us wrong. We still love 'im like always, but it's just weird to be around him. He'll grieve in his own way and we'll grieve in ours."
Keladry more or less concentrated on driving, but after a few minutes when they pulled into the hospital parking lot, she spoke her mind. "When do you think would it okay to ask him about it? We haven't really said anything out loud. Cleon's simply being here has been all the indication so far. I… want to know."
"I think when he laughs again. Really laughs. I know I'm not going to ask him until then," Neal replied.
They entered the hospital with similarly dejected spirits. They all knew that Cleon might never laugh again. And silently, they knew that they didn't consider it a selfish action on his part. Cleon had more right to the information he knew than all of them combined. After all, he had been the one to stay behind. He had been Faleron's best friend. They would wait for Cleon to tell them. And if he never did, that would be fine, too.
Roald led them straight up to the room Lalasa had been put in after the birth. The room was empty, the bed sheets and pillows even taken to be washed. Roald checked the bedside table, the drawers, and even beneath the bed for any signs of his wife's wedding band.
A nurse passed by the room. She peeked in and saw the three friends there. "Can I help you?"
"Yes, we're looking for my wife's ring. She left it here this morning," Roald answered.
She stepped inside the room and sighed. "You might want to check at the desk. They might know something about a ring."
They followed her advice. Roald led the group to the front nurse's station inside the Maternity Ward and waited patiently for some assistance. Finally, an intern rolled toward them in his office chair. He looked up at them expectantly. "Yes?"
"We're looking for my wife's ring. She thinks she left it in her recovery room."
The intern nodded. "One of the staff did turn in a ring to the desk this morning. I think a doctor had another patient who said she'd lost hers, so he took it with the intention of giving it to her."
"Well, it's not hers!" Neal protested.
Keladry elbowed him. "Yes, we know that, Neal." She turned to the intern. "Can we find out where this doctor is?"
"I believe Dr. Griffin is at the end of the hall. He's tall, has a hawkish nose and large hands. Good luck."
"Thanks!"
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Lalasa shifted on her seat. "Cleon, would you mind holding him? I'd like to get something to eat."
"Sure. No problem." He held his arms out to receive the infant. When he took him into his arms, Lalasa made an awed sound and impulsively kissed Cleon on the cheek.
"Sorry. Couldn't help it. I know we haven't spent a lot of time together since we moved to Tusaine, but I really did miss you." She cooed at her baby. "And the two of you look so cute!"
Cleon blushed faintly. "Thanks, 'Lasa."
She got up from the couch and looked down fondly at him. "You know, Kalasin missed you, too. She visited quite a few times while you were gone."
He didn't reply. She nervously cleared her throat and giggled to hide her confusion at his lack of response. Lalasa went to the kitchen for a drink of water. Ulliver was sitting on the armchair across from Cleon. He watched the redhead with interest. Since their drunken encounter, he wasn't sure how to approach him. He looked around uncomfortably at the other guests.
Numair and Daine were busy talking to each other (perhaps making plans for a baby of their own, if they ever got around to tying the knot and qualifying tabloid rumors). The oddly authoritarian trio, Raoul, Buri, and Flyndon were also stuck in their own little world, probably talking about a fugitive as they were apt to do, even when off duty.
There were a few people he did not know that probably worked for Daine at her main office downtown. They appeared friendly enough, but he did not know how to start a conversation with them. He wished Wolset was there, or at least some of the Riders. Prosper had been unofficially branded as Fianola's caretaker. Lerant and Yuki were still sorting out their private problems and had more or less cut off contact with the rest of the world in order to concentrate on themselves.
However, Qasim, Dom, and Seaver had all promised to come later. The Riders had become a fixed presence in their lives—"their" referring to Keladry and the rest of the Roger-fighting group who had traveled as fugitives themselves when wrongly accused. He knew that those bonds were hard to break. Ulliver had no wish to intrude upon them, but it still felt awkward to be left out of an inside joke that no one ever spoke aloud.
The COM screen rang. Ulliver jumped up. "I'll get it!"
He turned on the screen and looked to see who was calling. The digital picture of Qasim seemed apologetic.
"Seaver's poison arrow frog escaped. We're looking for it. We'll be even later than we thought we would be."
"What's happened now?" Lalasa asked as she came up behind him.
Ulliver said goodbye to Qasim and terminated the connection. "One of Seaver's pets escaped. They'll be late."
"Amphibians and reptiles. Yuck," she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "Come on, Ulliver. Sit down with me and tell me how things are going with you and Keladry."
The major shrugged, but she could tell he was hiding his pink cheeks. "What is there to say? I really like her."
Cleon heard the last part of his sentence as they sat down beside him. Lalasa sipped from her cup before making a funny face at her baby. Little Faleron watched his mother almost instinctually. Lalasa giggled and leaned back. Cleon shifted him around in his arms, careful to support his head.
"That's right. I've been gone too long," Cleon muttered. He raised his voice a bit. "So, Ulliver! You'll have to pretend I've been under a rock for a few months. Are you and Kel dating?"
The other man nodded. "Yeah. We've been dating almost since she came back."
"That would explain why you were in her apartment. I was wondering through my haziness what you were doing there." Cleon frowned. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of his Keladry dating just any guy that wasn't Joren. He really couldn't take Joren's attitude sometimes. And he hated how the blond influenced Keladry and made her cry.
But it seemed like they were meant to be. Now to hear that she'd been dating Ulliver almost since she'd been back—it was quite a shock. Joren must have left right away again for that to happen. Why had the blond returned to Enishijirou? Was it for Faleron? That couldn't be right.
But what if it was? Were he and Faleron the cause for Joren and Keladry's break-up?
It was paranoid and quite unreasonable, but though Cleon found himself now a very serious and grave man, there was still enough room in him to be foolish. He made a mental note to ask Keladry what the whole deal was. He didn't want to offend Ulliver when they knew so little about each other.
The baby began to cry. Cleon frowned and gently rocked him.
"I think he needs a diaper change," Lalasa explained. "Must be. I fed him just a few minutes ago. Here, I'll take him."
Cleon handed the infant over thankfully. As attached as he was to his soon-to-be god son, he did not wish to have to endure that aspect of parenthood. He watched his friend walk away with her new baby into the bedroom. Faleron. Faleron Jasson.
He's the most wonderful thing I've ever seen, he thought. You would have liked him. Knowing your ego, you would have liked anything named after you. He smiled.
"Can I get you something to drink? Non-alcoholic, anyway? I don't think they have that here," Ulliver joked nervously.
The redhead had no reason not to like Ulliver. In fact, he thought the SWAT team leader was a very pleasant man. But the overlying fact that he was Joren's replacement irked him. He hid his displeasure and nodded. "Thanks. Some orange juice should be fine."
"Orange juice?"
"Don't worry, it'll be on the table. If Roald knew I was coming, he'll have gotten it out for me."
Confused, Ulliver simply nodded and went to the kitchen.
He's a nice guy. And Keladry deserves a nice guy. Just not… Oh, curse it all. I should just look forward to Kalasin coming here.
Roald, Keladry, and Neal stumbled in four hours later, looking quite aggravated and exhausted. By this time, some of the party's guests had already departed, but the three missing Riders had arrived and were just starting to get into the swing of things. The Holoscreen was on and a high profile motorcycle race was taking place live.
Cleon was holding the baby again, leaving Lalasa free to go up to her husband. She surveyed him wonderingly. His hair was mussed and he looked like he'd been in the dirt and who knows where else.
"What happened?"
Keladry rubbed her shoulder, exchanging tired glances with Neal. Unlike her two male companions, she did not seem so dirty at all. Just a little scruffy, like she'd taken a hit or two that she hadn't seen coming. Neal looked worse for wear, just like Roald. There was actually a piece of trash in his wavy hair. He picked it out and groaned.
Roald fished into his pocket and produced his wife's ring. She accepted it and blew on it to get rid of the dirt granules.
"Hey!" Raoul waved the air in front of his nose. "What stinks? Sheesh! That reeks!"
Lalasa fixed her husband with a demanding eye. She could smell the stench just as badly.
"It's a long story," Roald told her. He glanced at himself, then his two companions. "If you don't mind, 'Lasa, we're going to wash up." He led them to the guest bathroom while he wandered into his bedroom into his own bathroom.
Lalasa was so surprised that she did not follow her husband for a few moments. She looked to Dom, who shrugged at her. She narrowed her eyes and walked into the bedroom with a determined look in her eyes.
She saw the light turn on in the bathroom behind a closed door. Lalasa went straight to the closet and picked out a new set of clothes for Roald. Then she marched into the bathroom.
"Roald! What happened?"
Her husband was stripping off clothing and crawling into the bath tub like he'd lost the strength in most of his limbs. Half naked and still dirty, he just lied there like he was about to fall asleep.
"Well," the Vice President's son began, "We went to the hospital. And it turned out that a doctor picked it up who thought it was his patient's. This patient had lost a different ring, but did not realize it until she was checked out of the hospital. Then, as tight as she was on money for being a single mother of three, she pawned it." He made a sound that sounded like a half snort, half chuckle. "A strip club bouncer bought it for his wife—check this out: one of the strippers." He waved his hands about crazily. "We tried to get it back and the other bouncers got defensive and you can guess what happened then." He leaned down to smell his shoulder. "Geh. I still smell like dumpster."
Lalasa was silent for a few moments before she folded her arms across her chest and fixed him with a scathing glare. "You were in the strip club?"
Roald bolted upright. "No way!" He smirked. "We sent Neal in. He was glad to go, no surprise there. We only got into the fight when they picked him up like a Frisbee and tossed him out the door."
As amusing as the mental image was, she continued to drill him for information rather than laugh.
"Then how did you get the ring back?"
"Kel went in and had a civil conversation with the stripper until things got sorted out; money was doled out for compensation, yadda yadda."
Lalasa looked down at her ring. "Oh, Roald. That sounds like quite a day." She stood up and cheerily smiled at him. "Thank you so much, dear husband mine!"
And with that, she turned the shower on and stepped back. Roald's body jerked as he let out a cry of outrage. He stood up and started sputtering. The water was ice cold.
"And scrub really hard, sweetie! I don't want you to touch the towels until the filth is all gone. You know that sort of mess leaves residual smell on everything! Here, don't even use your silly soap—use mine!"
He grimaced. "It smells like gardenias. I can't smell like gardenias!"
"Roald!" She stomped her foot on the tiled bathroom floor. Roald rolled his eyes and flung the shower curtain around the bathtub to effectively end the conversation.
Back in the other bathroom, Neal was in the bathtub with the plastic curtain drawn. Keladry was braced against the sink. Her jacket was on the floor, as were Neal's shoes and socks. She rolled her sleeves up and scrubbed her arms above the sink. At least she wasn't that dirty. She just needed to freshen up. Lalasa had plenty of body sprays. Perhaps she could find one that didn't smell too strong.
"What do I do with my clothes?" Neal called.
"Rinse them out as much as you can while you're in there. We can't put all of that dirt into the washer. It would destroy it."
"Ugh! This stinks!"
"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out," she replied sarcastically.
Ulliver knocked on the door. "Can I come in?"
She glanced at the shower curtain. "Um, sure."
"Hey, are you guys okay?" he asked.
"Oh yeah," Neal called out over the noise of the shower. "In fact, I threw myself into that dumpster. Yeah, we're peachy."
"Don't mind him. He was just disappointed about his first strip club experience."
Ulliver's eyes widened. Keladry shook her head to indicate that it was better that he not ask.
In the living room, everyone else was quietly musing to themselves to the reason of the three's disheveled appearances. That was, of course, except for the sports fans seated on or around the couch watching the motorcycle race. Cleon busied himself in entertaining the baby, rocking him in his arms and humming nursery tunes. He did not like looking at motorcycles since they reminded him of Joren and what mysterious falling-out that the blond had had with Keladry.
Daine appeared at his side, looking over his shoulder at the infant.
"He's got his father's looks. Don't you think?"
Cleon nodded. "Sure does."
The Councilwoman touched his arm. "Cleon, it's good to have you home."
She had been the on to allow Faleron to come to the Eastern Yamanis with the DJPF officers. Faleron had talked her into letting him go. Cleon only wondered what guilt she felt. Daine probably thought that it was her fault that Faleron went and got himself hurt. He sighed. He'd hoped to avoid other people's guilt, but it seemed inevitable. The redhead hesitated before replying. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't going to come home."
Shocked by the revelation, she waited for him to continue. He gazed down at the tiny person in his arms.
All of this time… It's almost like you gambled with Fate, made a wager, and here you are again. You're such a manipulative sneak, Fal, you know that?
"I almost didn't come home," he repeated to Daine. He leaned down and kissed the crown of the baby's head. "But I'm glad I did."
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Author's note: It's definitely May 20, 2004 and I've finished another episode again. Oy. This is weird. I'm writing these episodes pretty rapidly now that I'm graduated, but I won't post them so close together. That ruins suspense and such. Not that there is much of that anymore. When was the last time I put in a cliffhanger? Hmm.
I know, everyone's still sad about Faleron. Cleon seems like a completely different person. You could have picked THAT up well enough from the parallel/sequel series The Gift. Go read it if you haven't yet. It's quite a tease for the aftermath of ICBW, even if ICBW isn't finished yet. .
Sulia S.