IEHBD – MY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
CHAPTER 3
AUTHOR: Lady F. , TowandaBR
DISCLAIMER: All of the characters of the series "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World" are property of John Landis, Telescene, Coote/Hayes, DirecTV, New Line Television, Space, Action Adventure Network, Goodman/Rosen Productions, and Richmel Productions.
Veronica was surprised when she saw Summerllee, obviously awaiting for her, when she left the cottage.
"Good morning, dear."
"Good morning, professor. Why are you here so early?"
"I decided that I would like the company of a lady, and you are the chosen one." – he joked.
"I'm so sorry, but I need to get Tommy."
"Leave the little one with Marguerite." – Summerllee smiled - "She is doing a great job."
"I know, professor, but he seems so strange..."
"He's jealous, dear, that is obvious."
"Why?"
"Because Tommy thinks he is sharing something that always belonged only to him." - the biologist smiled, offering his supporting arm to the girl. - "Let's walk around, dear."
It was when Summerllee took Veronica for a long walk.
With Tommy firmly clinging to her hand, Marguerite left Assai's hut. She looked really tired and her muscles were aching (effects of a badly slept night).
She looked to the kid, who seemed as exhausted as she was. The hair tuft was all disveheled, his face wrinkled and he yawned.
"See what you did, little brat?" - Tommy flinched, noticing that at this time the heiress was really angry.
"I, Marguerite Krux, changing dirty diapers. You will behave yourself or I will kick you in the ass and send you back to your 'mama' without blinking an eye.
She pulled him by the hand and the boy ran with his short legs trying to follow the heiress's fast steps.
Marguerite not even hesitated. Dragging Tommy, she entered inside the hut where the hunter was snoring.
She looked at him envying his calm sleep.
"He's all yours!" – she yelled at him, practically throwing the boy over John, who imediately woke up.
"What the hell is going on?" - He woke up dizzy, with the child drumming the fingers over his thorax, facing him, while he saw only the shadow of the woman leaving the place quickly. - "MARGUERIIIIIIIIIIIITE!"
Roxton caught his pants, wearing them over his drawers. He put on his shirt, not even giving himself the chance to button it, and taking Tommy as if he was a potatoes' sack, started running behind Marguerite, who was almost in the other side of the village walking fast and angry.
"Marguerite, calm down."
"Calm down? You left that kid with me and put me down. Do you know how much did I sleep last night? NOTHING."
"But he wanted you."
"And you did not even try to help. You slept as a king. Now it's you who will take care of him, and don't dare to look for me!" – She pointed for them - "None of you two."
Marguerite left, stepping hard, while the boys exchanged glances.
"You two were lying together and staying awake? I envy you, kid."
Having no option, John took the child on his lap, and they walked back to his hut.
"From your look you didn't eat anything yet, did you, young boy? Not even awake completely... Let's take care of it... So, tell me one thing: does she use night-gown when she sleeps?"
"Oh, thank God!" - Marguerite thought, seeing the botanist smoking his pipe calmly - "Summerllee!" - she screamed, running towards him.
"Oh, Marguerite! Good morning. What happened?"
"A catastrophe!"
"Good Lord, tell me!" - Arthur got scared.
Breathlessness, she got the man's attention.
"Me... Tommy... Tommy and me..."
The botanist looked reliefed, seeming to know about what she would complain.
"But you're overreacting, Marguerite. Tommy only wants to be close to somebody that pays him attention."
"Overreacting?... Wait a minute. I don't pay attention to the little monkey, you're wrong!"
Summerlee wanted to laugh, but restrained himself.
"Well, then, what bothers you so much is not just the fact that he only wants to be with you?"
Marguerite would say something, but she decided to silence.
"Arthur, I would prefer that you did not make fun of me. I am not his nanny! What is special about me? Honey? Different spoons? Bananas!"
"It's not that, my dear. He only saw in you the figure that he wasn't finding in Veronica sometime ago. He's trying to punish her for having, in his opinion, shared her attention with another child."
"HA!" - she debauched - "Don't make me cry, I'm deeply touched, but yesterday night I didn't sleep not even one minute in peace."
Getting closer to them, Roxton didn't control his laughter. - "How does Marguerite do, young boy?"
"Rrrrrrroooooooo" - Tommy seemed to imitate a snore. Roxton couldn't contain his laughter.
"There he is, professor! The impertinent little guy! I don't snore!"
"HA! HA!" - the hunter provoked - "You say that you don't snore, but I have an absolutely reliable witness here that proves the opposite… Right, little rascal?"
"Rrrrrrroooooooo" - the kid agreed.
Challenger made a great work with the young mother and her baby. He provided valuable instructions that would allow both of them to have a fast recovery.
On that morning, the residents of the treehouse said goodbye to their friends of the Zanga village, replete of gifts and groceries that they put in a stretcher. As a little king, Tommy soon accommodated himself over it, being carried on by Malone and Roxton.
After some time, he decided to walk. The men hardly had time for stopping and he was already jumping a little unbalanced from the stretcher.
The boy ran for the heiress, holding her hand. Everybody noticed that subreptitiously he was pulling Marguerite in a way that she would be side-by-side with Veronica, and he would be between them. Sometimes he slid his small hand in the blond's hand. When he noticed that she lowered her eyes for him, the kid obviously swang the heiress's hand, opening a smile to Marguerite.
All, especially Summerllee, held a smile when noticing his intention.
When they arrived to the treehouse, they prepared the meal. It was Ned who brought the boy's food, who immediately took the plate from Ned's hands and went to sit down close to Marguerite, taking care that he had gotten the other's attention about what he was to do.
The days before Christmas were, at the same time, lively and mysterious.
Lively because evebody joined to decorate the treehouse for the party that approached.
Roxton and Malone brought a small tree that had been reached by a lightning during the storm, almost six months before. Its branches were very dry and no leaf was left. They decorated it with pieces of fabrics, dry leaves, flowers, and everything that could make it more cheerful.
Tommy contributed lending his puppets that were properly put in the largest branches. He also insisted to put some small spoons.
Marguerite made strings of popcorns to fall from the branches, but they mysteriously kept disappearing from the tree. She then renewed the strings, but they continued disappearing.
Challenger polished a piece of copper, which Malone cut in a star format to put on the top of the tree.
Roxton cut some rustic stubs of wood, that Veronica painted using vegetables inks done by Summerllee.
And then it was mysterious because when they left Zanga village, they all brought packages whose contents were not seen by the other ones. And when they were back to the treehouse, ever then and again they would hid themselves to organize the gifts for their friends, hoping their surprises would not be ruined.
And the treehouse started to have restricted areas to the concerned residents in preserving their secrets.
Challenger prohibited anyone from entering his laboratory. The only one that he took there was Tommy, who seemed to have became his accomplice.
Marguerite locked her room, and would just tolerate the boy, even so because he followed her inside the room whenever he noticed that the blond was around.
Roxton had his great wood box by the base of the treehouse, properly locked with a padlock, and from which key he never got separated. Once again the only to know his secrets was the newest resident - Tommy.
Summerllee kept the presents in his room. As well as Challenger, he knew that just a person would dare to enter there, having recommended him the opposite. On those occasions, anyone who passed outside would listen to a lively conversation between that senior gentleman and a child whose language nobody could practically understand.
Malone had more problems keeping his hiding place. His room was shared with Veronica and it was not an appropriate local to keep his secrets. After a lot of thinking, he found a place closer to the area of the elevator's machinery, whose maintenance was his responsibility. Because of the hydraulic principle of the elevator, a single and small space had stayed dry. And Ned caught Tommy, who hid Ned's presents in that corner.
Without option in her own house, Veronica spread her gifts in very visible places. If they were not so concerned in seeking hidden objects, the other residents wouldn't have difficulties in finding out the gifts that they would receive from their hostess.
In one of the rarely moments that Veronica had the luxury of napping by the couch of the common room, Tommy pulled Marguerite, who was sat meters ahead, sewing some garments for Christmas. For some moments he stayed by her side, until he slowly approached from where the blond was.
Marguerite looked at him over her seam.
Slowly he prodded the girl's arm slightly, but she didn't move. He prodded a second time, a little stronger and, when she turned slowly, he quickly lowered, trying to avoid to be seen. Veronica opened her eyes slightly and saw Marguerite trying to contain her laughter, at the same time that a hair thuft lowered close to her.
The young woman closed her eyes again, felt diminished by thinking that he had not been discovered, and retreated. Finally he caught a ramrod and got closer to Veronica again, using it for prodding her from a safe distance.
Slowly it prodded her again with the small cane. When there was no reaction, he pondered it even more and increased the pressure a little. When feeling it, Veronica opened her eyes, and he ran at the same time for Marguerite, hugging her now he was sure Veronica was looking.
Despite finding that behavior curious, and after Summerllee had explained her why he was acting in that way, Veronica was still not comfortable. The boy was so attached to her and she missed being as close to him as she was only two or three days ago.
But Tommy slept, and the unexpected happened.
As always, it was enough to put him in his cradle, that he would cover himself and hug his lion Edward, sleeping soon afterwards.
Veronica stopped in the entrance of the small room, observing the boy, missing his hugs and his affection.
Ned arrived from the back, embracing her by the waist.
"He's stubborn, isn't he?"
"To whom he took that after?"
"You."
"I'm not stubborn."
"No?" - He said pulling her closer, already nibbling her earlobe.
"I sense you don't have good intentions, Ned." – She whispered.
"You're wrong, I have the best intention of all." - They kissed each other passionately, already feeling the desire dominating them. Without interrupting their kiss, Malone carried her in his arms until their bed, where they pulled the sheet on. It was a habit they had acquired along the time to avoid any curious eyes.
"Ned, stop." - She whispered, badly controlling herself.
"Is there something wrong?"
"We have company." – she uncovered the sheet and they could see the boy, eyes shut, moving up towards them and finally getting accomodated hugging Veronica.
"He didn't do that since we left him with Roxton and Marguerite."
"And when he came for our bed was always in the middle of the night." -he complained.
"I'm sorry, Ned." - She caressed the young man's face.
"It's alright." – he smiled, kissing her smoothly - "But I had decided that I would sleep snuggled against you and I'll do that, even if have to make a sandwich. Come on, boy."
And Ned and Veronica slept snuggled against each other, having in the middle a very jealous little boy.
TO BE CONTINUED...