Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Chapter 3: A quiet evening
They reached the treehouse in the afternoon. John opened the gate that lead into the little garden that surrounded the tree on which their house had been built. Marguerite went through it first. John followed her and closed the gate so that the electrical circuit was restored. They could already hear voices coming from above. It was definitely Veronica's voice.
"Challenger, your tea is getting cold."
They could hear glass breaking and then Challenger cursing.
John and Marguerite exchanged knowing glances and they instantly had to smile.
"We're home!" John shouted.
Veronica's face appeared at one of the windows. She smiled.
"Welcome home. I've just made some tea and coffee." She turned her head and then lifted the little boy up, who had been tugging at her skirt.
"Here is somebody who wants to say 'hello' too."
The little boy was smiling and waved his hand.
"Hi, little one!" Roxton shouted.
**********
When they stepped out of the elevator, they were greeted by cheerful cries. Alasdair wasn't very good at speaking, yet, but when it came to screaming he was the champion.
"Mummy, Da'y." he kept on saying all the time.
Roxton lifted him up into his arms.
"It's okay, we've missed you, too."
He put him down on the floor again and put his rifle and his hat away.
"Okay, let's see what Veronica has got for us!" he said and shoved Alasdair slightly into the direction of the kitchen. Marguerite grasped John's arm. He turned.
"I think I'll go to bed. I'm dead tired and I'm not feeling very good."
John nodded.
"You look very pale. Are you sure you don't want George to take a look at you?"
"No it won't be necessary, I just need to get some rest."
"Okay. Sleep well, my dear." he said and kissed her briefly.
Marguerite headed for their bedroom and John turned to Alasdair. The boy looked after her, sadness showing on his face.
"Mummy?" he said.
"She's going to bed. She's not feeling well."
Alasdair didn't understand what that meant. His Mummy had gone to bed? But the sun was still shining.
John noticed the confused expression on his sons face. He lifted him back up into his arms.
"We go and drink some tea. Perhaps there are also some biscuits for you. And you like biscuits, don't you?"
The boy instantly started to smile, when he heard the word 'biscuits'.
"I knew it!" Roxton said, also smiling.
**********
"Where is Marguerite?" Veronica asked, when John entered with Alasdair on his arms.
"She went to bed, because she was so tired."
"Bisits." Alasdair shouted.
"She's not ill, is she?" Veronica asked with concern.
John shook his head.
"No, just exhausted." he sat down with Alasdair on his lap.
Ned and Finn were already sitting at the table.
"So," Ned started, "how was your trip?"
"Uneventful and not very interesting, but we've got everything George needed."
Alasdair started whining.
"Bisits." he said again and started jumping up and down on his lap.
John took a biscuit from the plate on the table and gave it to the boy.
"Here you are, little one. And now, stop it!"
The boy seemed to be satisfied and sat down again. Veronica smiled at him, and then she turned to John.
"Do you want coffee or tea?"
"Tea would be nice. Thank you." Veronica poured him some tea.
That was when Challenger entered the room. His red hair tousled and his face covered with soot. Everybody looked at him in surprise.
"Oh my God! What happened to you, Challenger?" Finn asked.
He shrugged.
"Nothing. Just an unsuccessful experiment."
Alasdair started laughing.
"Chager." he said and pointing his finger at Challenger.
John couldn't hide his smile.
"But why do you go on with your experiments? We're leaving the day after tomorrow. That doesn't make sense to me." Finn looked confused.
"You should know him by now. George will only stop his experiments when our balloon is about to lift off the ground." Ned said grinning.
**********
Roxton entered their room trying to be as quiet as a mouse, but that was very difficult, because it was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. So he had to be very careful where he was stepping. He made it to their bed and reached out his hand to find the bedside table. His hand hit something and before he could figure out what it was it fell to the ground with an earsplitting noise. It had been a glass standing on the bedside table.
"Dammit!" he silently cursed.
He didn't want Marguerite to wake up, but after he had caused such a noise, it seemed to be inevitable. And turned out to be right, because he could hear Marguerite yawn.
"John, is that you?" she asked with a drowsy voice.
"Of course. Why Marguerite were you expecting somebody else?"
She sat up and lit the candle on their bedside table so he could see where he was stepping.
"No, not today." she gave him a smile.
"That's very reassuring." he said while he started to get ready for bed.
"Have you put Alasdair to bed?"
"Two hours ago."
When Alasdair was 4 months old he started to sleep through the night. And because Roxton and Marguerite were sharing her room he got his father's former room.
"Good. He didn't make a fuss, did he?" she asked.
Roxton shook his head, went to the bed and slipped under the covers.
"No, he was to tired to protest." He moved closer to her.
"Are you feeling better now?"
He turned onto his back and took Marguerite in his arms.
"Yes, just a little thoughtful."
"I hope it's nothing, I should worry about."
She shrugged.
"No, you don't have to worry. It's," she hesitated for a moment, "It's nothing."
He looked deep into her eyes and instantly knew she wasn't telling the truth.
"Marguerite, don't try to fool me. I know you better than you think. You can tell me." he seemed to be hurt, because she didn't share her worries with him.
"I'm not trying to fool you. It's just, I'm not sure if I really want to get home." Now he was stunned. He didn't expect her to say that. Marguerite, who usually couldn't stop complaining about the 'bloody' Plateau. Who used to praise the civilized world -as she used to call it- to the skies.
"What?" he had to ask to make sure he didn't mishear her. But she seemed to be serious about this. She shared all her worries with him, about her past, about her destroying his reputation and about their child'ren'. When she had finished he took her in his arms.
"Nobody is going to harm us. Nothing is going to happen to any of us. Not to you, not to me and not to Alasdair." he touched her belly that seemed to be just a little more bulging than before.
"And not to him or her." She had to smile. He had said this with so much conviction that she almost believed it.
"I hope so." she said and snuggled up to him.
End Chapter Three...
I'm so sorry but my introductions are always that long. I write and write and then I notice: 'Oh this was already Chapter 3 and nothing has happened yet.'
Thanks to everyone, who has the patience to read my story and special thanks to the people who reviewed: keys3303, TheChosenOne3, A. Windsor, pandagal, Lexie, zeusfluff, Spirita, E1stwin and LoveMR. I hope I didn't forget anybody. Otherwise feel free to contact me.
Chapter 3: A quiet evening
They reached the treehouse in the afternoon. John opened the gate that lead into the little garden that surrounded the tree on which their house had been built. Marguerite went through it first. John followed her and closed the gate so that the electrical circuit was restored. They could already hear voices coming from above. It was definitely Veronica's voice.
"Challenger, your tea is getting cold."
They could hear glass breaking and then Challenger cursing.
John and Marguerite exchanged knowing glances and they instantly had to smile.
"We're home!" John shouted.
Veronica's face appeared at one of the windows. She smiled.
"Welcome home. I've just made some tea and coffee." She turned her head and then lifted the little boy up, who had been tugging at her skirt.
"Here is somebody who wants to say 'hello' too."
The little boy was smiling and waved his hand.
"Hi, little one!" Roxton shouted.
**********
When they stepped out of the elevator, they were greeted by cheerful cries. Alasdair wasn't very good at speaking, yet, but when it came to screaming he was the champion.
"Mummy, Da'y." he kept on saying all the time.
Roxton lifted him up into his arms.
"It's okay, we've missed you, too."
He put him down on the floor again and put his rifle and his hat away.
"Okay, let's see what Veronica has got for us!" he said and shoved Alasdair slightly into the direction of the kitchen. Marguerite grasped John's arm. He turned.
"I think I'll go to bed. I'm dead tired and I'm not feeling very good."
John nodded.
"You look very pale. Are you sure you don't want George to take a look at you?"
"No it won't be necessary, I just need to get some rest."
"Okay. Sleep well, my dear." he said and kissed her briefly.
Marguerite headed for their bedroom and John turned to Alasdair. The boy looked after her, sadness showing on his face.
"Mummy?" he said.
"She's going to bed. She's not feeling well."
Alasdair didn't understand what that meant. His Mummy had gone to bed? But the sun was still shining.
John noticed the confused expression on his sons face. He lifted him back up into his arms.
"We go and drink some tea. Perhaps there are also some biscuits for you. And you like biscuits, don't you?"
The boy instantly started to smile, when he heard the word 'biscuits'.
"I knew it!" Roxton said, also smiling.
**********
"Where is Marguerite?" Veronica asked, when John entered with Alasdair on his arms.
"She went to bed, because she was so tired."
"Bisits." Alasdair shouted.
"She's not ill, is she?" Veronica asked with concern.
John shook his head.
"No, just exhausted." he sat down with Alasdair on his lap.
Ned and Finn were already sitting at the table.
"So," Ned started, "how was your trip?"
"Uneventful and not very interesting, but we've got everything George needed."
Alasdair started whining.
"Bisits." he said again and started jumping up and down on his lap.
John took a biscuit from the plate on the table and gave it to the boy.
"Here you are, little one. And now, stop it!"
The boy seemed to be satisfied and sat down again. Veronica smiled at him, and then she turned to John.
"Do you want coffee or tea?"
"Tea would be nice. Thank you." Veronica poured him some tea.
That was when Challenger entered the room. His red hair tousled and his face covered with soot. Everybody looked at him in surprise.
"Oh my God! What happened to you, Challenger?" Finn asked.
He shrugged.
"Nothing. Just an unsuccessful experiment."
Alasdair started laughing.
"Chager." he said and pointing his finger at Challenger.
John couldn't hide his smile.
"But why do you go on with your experiments? We're leaving the day after tomorrow. That doesn't make sense to me." Finn looked confused.
"You should know him by now. George will only stop his experiments when our balloon is about to lift off the ground." Ned said grinning.
**********
Roxton entered their room trying to be as quiet as a mouse, but that was very difficult, because it was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. So he had to be very careful where he was stepping. He made it to their bed and reached out his hand to find the bedside table. His hand hit something and before he could figure out what it was it fell to the ground with an earsplitting noise. It had been a glass standing on the bedside table.
"Dammit!" he silently cursed.
He didn't want Marguerite to wake up, but after he had caused such a noise, it seemed to be inevitable. And turned out to be right, because he could hear Marguerite yawn.
"John, is that you?" she asked with a drowsy voice.
"Of course. Why Marguerite were you expecting somebody else?"
She sat up and lit the candle on their bedside table so he could see where he was stepping.
"No, not today." she gave him a smile.
"That's very reassuring." he said while he started to get ready for bed.
"Have you put Alasdair to bed?"
"Two hours ago."
When Alasdair was 4 months old he started to sleep through the night. And because Roxton and Marguerite were sharing her room he got his father's former room.
"Good. He didn't make a fuss, did he?" she asked.
Roxton shook his head, went to the bed and slipped under the covers.
"No, he was to tired to protest." He moved closer to her.
"Are you feeling better now?"
He turned onto his back and took Marguerite in his arms.
"Yes, just a little thoughtful."
"I hope it's nothing, I should worry about."
She shrugged.
"No, you don't have to worry. It's," she hesitated for a moment, "It's nothing."
He looked deep into her eyes and instantly knew she wasn't telling the truth.
"Marguerite, don't try to fool me. I know you better than you think. You can tell me." he seemed to be hurt, because she didn't share her worries with him.
"I'm not trying to fool you. It's just, I'm not sure if I really want to get home." Now he was stunned. He didn't expect her to say that. Marguerite, who usually couldn't stop complaining about the 'bloody' Plateau. Who used to praise the civilized world -as she used to call it- to the skies.
"What?" he had to ask to make sure he didn't mishear her. But she seemed to be serious about this. She shared all her worries with him, about her past, about her destroying his reputation and about their child'ren'. When she had finished he took her in his arms.
"Nobody is going to harm us. Nothing is going to happen to any of us. Not to you, not to me and not to Alasdair." he touched her belly that seemed to be just a little more bulging than before.
"And not to him or her." She had to smile. He had said this with so much conviction that she almost believed it.
"I hope so." she said and snuggled up to him.
End Chapter Three...
I'm so sorry but my introductions are always that long. I write and write and then I notice: 'Oh this was already Chapter 3 and nothing has happened yet.'
Thanks to everyone, who has the patience to read my story and special thanks to the people who reviewed: keys3303, TheChosenOne3, A. Windsor, pandagal, Lexie, zeusfluff, Spirita, E1stwin and LoveMR. I hope I didn't forget anybody. Otherwise feel free to contact me.