Author's note: Well, this has taken far longer than I expected. g I apologize for the long wait. I know there's nothing more frustrating than reading a story that the author never finishes. I have every intention of finishing this story. Eventually.
Especially if I can control my tendency for starting a story, then going back and nitpicking it to death rather than continuing on with it. As I've done with this story.
Thankfully, my beta has given me a swift kick to the hind quarters. So things will get rolling again. Hopefully, I'll be more expedient in posting in the future. In the mean time, after a very long pause, here's Chapter 4.
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"Finally," Finn groaned dramatically as the tree house came into view. She picked up her pace and jogged ahead of Roxton on the familiar, well-worn path. "I hope there's some breakfast left or I swear, I'm gonna eat my foot off."
Roxton grinned at her antics as she skipped towards home. Although he had missed having Marguerite accompany him, he was glad Finn had volunteered to go with him to the far side of the Plateau to gather some much needed plants for Challenger and do some hunting. The trip gave Finn an opportunity to work on tracking skills, and unlike Marguerite, she had no complaints about sleeping on the ground and eating trail rations. However, after three days, even Finn was ready for the comforts of home. Overall, it had been a very successful trip. They found everything on their list, and just this morning, they bagged a small wild pig which would be greatly appreciated once they got it home. Nearly everyone was tired of raptor meat. "It's much closer to lunch than it is to breakfast," he warned as she snorted dismissively.
"Yeah, but I know that breakfast is edible. I'm hungry and I don't want to have to wait until tomorrow to eat," she explained as she turned to face him. Walking backwards, she maintained her brisk pace. "Vee or Ned usually make breakfast, so it tastes good. But tonight is Challenger's night for cooking. And I love the guy and all, but somehow, he makes dinner seem like one of his experiments."
"Experiments?" Roxton asked, valiantly trying to keep his expression serious but failing. Unlike Finn, he had seen some of Challenger's early cooking attempts, including the slightly infamous 'chicken soup' recipe. Those first few nights had produced some truly spectacular results. At least now Challenger managed to focus solely on keeping an eye on the food rather than wandering back into his lab. Unable to stop himself, Roxton teasingly drawled, "But Finn, you always have a hearty appetite on George's nights to cook."
Finn rolled her eyes at him, unwilling to let the challenge slide. "This from the man who 'happily' eats Marguerite's cooking." She laughed at his sheepish expression as she approached the gate and lifted the latch. "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, big guy. Especially since you eat Marguerite's cookies and those things could pass for rocks."
"She's gotten better," he protested, knowing it sounded slightly hollow even to him. He inwardly cringed, hoping Marguerite hadn't heard them approach as Finn began to howl with laughter. She was nearly doubled over as she crossed into the yard.
"Better? Better!" she gasped in between peals of laughter. "Oh man, if she's better now, I'm glad I wasn't here in the beginning." Roxton opened his mouth to defend his beloved when a small boy came racing around the trunk of the tree raced into view, heading straight towards Finn.
Finn stopped dead in her tracks as the boy came darting around the base of the tree, laughing manically as he looked over his shoulder. She noticed that he was heading straight for them. "Hey, stop!" she shouted as she instinctively reached down to catch him.
The boy whipped his head around and gasped as he noticed the people in his path. He shifted his weight, trying to slow himself and void the impending collision. However, speed and momentum were not on his side. He tripped over his own feet, and managed to roll himself into a ball as he fell. He tumbled forward, bumping into Finn's legs as he came to a stop. "Owww," he whined as he unfolded himself and flopped onto his side.
Roxton watched in concerned amusement as the boy gingerly picked himself up off the ground and began rubbing the injured parts of his anatomy. He got a good look at the child. The boy's fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes were at odds with the Zanga style of clothing he was wearing. Roxton guessed that he was probably a Hagan, but wondered what he doing running around the tree house.
"Are you Veronica's sister?" the boy asked as he curiously peered up at Finn.
"Umm...no," she stated, the beginnings of a grin creeping on to her face. She fought down a giggle as he absently rubbed his behind. "I'm Finn, and this is Roxton."
"Oh," the boy said, craning his neck to get a good look at the tall hunter before turning back to Finn. "You're sure you're not Veronica's sister? You kinda look like her," he helpfully added. When she bit her lip and nodded, he wandered over to stand in front of Roxton. "What are you doing here?"
"We live here," Roxton answered, staring at the child. The boy looked very familiar, yet he was unable to say where or when he would have met the child. There was something about this situation that made him feel wary. Someone should be here with him, he thought to himself. It's simply not safe, even inside the fence, to allow him free run of the area without any supervision.
The boy began to hop up and down with excitement. "I live here too!" he merrily announced as he did a little dance.
"You live...here?" Finn asked, taken aback by his answer. She exchanged startled glances with Roxton. Where on earth did this little kid come from?
His cheery attitude faded as he wrinkled his brow. "Are you sure you live here? I live here and I haven't seen you before, and you said you're not Veronica's sister. And Veronica and Challenger said that I live here, but you don't know that I live here so..." the boy trailed off, examining them again before shaking his head. "Nope," he stated authoritatively. "I don't think you live here." He firmly planted his hands on his hips, acting like a little barrier between them and the tree house. He seemed to be practically daring them to move him.
"Hey," Finn indignantly protested, unconsciously mimicking his stance. She was tired, she was hungry, and now this little invader was taking it upon himself to be the gate guard. How dare this little pipsqueak tell her that she didn't live here! "You know what? I do live here. I've lived here longer than you, and I've never seen you before. How do I know that you live here?"
The boy looked at her like she had grown a second head. "Because Veronica said so," he simply said, as if that answered everything.
Finn's retort died on her lips as Veronica came striding up to the group. "There you are," she huffed, her face a mixture of relief and irritation.
The boy let out a little sigh, his body posture becoming submissive as he watched Veronica approach. "Uh oh," he mumbled under his breath, not looking up at her.
"I thought I told you to stay by the garden," she scolded, ignoring Roxton and Finn.
"I know but..."
"No 'buts'." Veronica got down on one knee so that she was eye level with him. Reaching out, she gently tilted his head up so that he was looking at her. She couldn't help but sigh herself as tears began welling up in his blue eyes. "We talked about this. You need to stay where I can see you, okay?"
He nodded miserably as scrubbed his face with his fist, sniffling a little. "I'm sorry. We were playing and I forgot." Roxton couldn't help but smile as he noticed the dirt marks that the boy put all over himself. "I'm really sorry."
"That's okay," she said, flashing him a small smile. "I'm not mad. You just scared me a little." She gave his shoulder a reassuring pat as she stood up. "Why don't you go help gather up our garden tools while I talk to Roxton and Finn," she suggested as she gave him a gentle push in the direction of the garden.
"Okay," he chirruped, flashing her a sunny smile as he trotted out of sight.
"Uh, Vee...who was that?" Finn asked, feeling very confused.
Veronica flashed the duo a strained smile. "It's a long story. Why don't you go up and get cleaned up? Challenger should have lunch just about ready."
Roxton frowned as he watched Veronica's not-so-subtle attempt to edge in the direction the boy had gone. Unlike Marguerite, Veronica's actions and body language were very straightforward and easy to read. Her unusually tense posture and evasive behavior was setting him on edge. "Is everything all right? Is the boy in some kind of trouble?"
"No! No trouble," she answered, far too quickly for his liking. He flicked a glance over at Finn, who also looked a little unnerved. "We found him two days ago, not far from the house." Veronica looked over her shoulder before turning back to her friends. "It's a really long story. Why don't you go up and we'll be-"
Shrill childish giggles erupted from behind the tree, followed by loud shriek and then silence. "I've got to go," Veronica said, slowly walking backwards towards the garden. "We'll see you inside." Turning, she sprinted away, yelling "What are you doing?" as she disappeared.
"Oh-kay, that was weird," Finn muttered, shaking her head. They entered the elevator and she looked over at Roxton, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm gonna assume it's not real common for you guys to find little kids out in the jungle. I mean, in all the time I've been here, we've gotten our fair share of monsters, freaks, and weirdoes but no kids."
Roxton nodded grimly. "We've only once ever come across a baby in the jungle. It was an abandoned Trog infant. Veronica found it, named it Tommy, and brought it home."
"Ugh," Finn gasped, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "A Trog baby! Why would she bring home a Trog baby? What did you guys do with it?"
"Marguerite and I missed that particular incident. According to Summerlee, the Trog infant looked like a normal human baby, and had been abandoned by its parents because of its unusual looks. To be honest, the baby was gone by the time we got home. I never saw it."
"A Trog baby," she repeated as the lift creaked to a stop. "That's just gross."
"Finn, is that you?" Challenger called from the kitchen.
"No, it's the Tooth Fairy," she whispered to Roxton with a devilish grin. "Yeah, it's me," she answered in a normal voice. She exchanged her pack for the game bag and headed for the kitchen. "We got a pig this morning. That's why we're late."
Roxton chuckled to himself as he quickly finished putting away the equipment. As he listened to Finn's steady stream of chatter, he strode out into the living area, fully expecting to find Marguerite reading or working on some mending. His steps faltered as he scanned the empty room. Knowing Marguerite, she's probably resting in her room until lunch. I'll just go surprise her, he thought, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
Approaching as silently as possible, Roxton crept into her bedroom. His teasing words died on his lips as he noticed the lack of the room's occupant. As he heard the rumble of the descending elevator, he realized the most likely source of Veronica's uneasiness. The poor blonde must have been worried about leaving the boy alone with Marguerite. He chuckled to himself. Even after having been together for all this time, Veronica still fretted about many aspects of Marguerite's personality. She must have been worried that Marguerite would skin the boy alive over whatever had caused that shrieking. Watching the group exit the elevator promised to be very amusing.
"…So that's what we did," Finn concluded as Roxton came into view. She snatched up another carrot stick and popped it into her mouth, ignoring Challenger's disapproving glare. "Where'd that little goober downstairs come from?"
Challenger's knife paused in mid-stroke before continuing to cut mangos. "Little 'goober' ?"
She rolled her eyes, huffing in exasperation at having to explain herself yet again. "That boy who was down with Vee. Where'd you find the little refugee?"
Roxton saved Challenger from answering as he walked over the to table and surveyed the fruits and vegetables laid out for lunch. "I see Marguerite's managed to escape cooking detail yet again," he playfully griped. He reached for a carrot stick but stopped when he saw the look Challenger shot him.
"Yes, well," Challenger said, clearing his throat. "All things considered, we thought it for the best."
Noticing that Challenger was busy with Roxton, Finn took the opportunity to grab a handful of mango cubes and quickly ate them. "You never answered my question," she prompted as she licked the last lingering traces of juice off of her fingers. "Where'd that little kid come from?"
Challenger refused to look up as he resumed his work. "I assume you ran into him then?"
"You could say that," Finn laughed, a lopsided grin on her face. Leaning against the counter, she watched as the last few mangoes were efficiently turned into a neat little pile of cubes. "Vee said you guys found him two days ago and that it was a long story, but she forgot to tell us what his name is." She paused, giving him the opportunity to fill them in, then frowned in annoyance when he remained silent. Suddenly, the answer dawned on her. "You don't know what his name is, do you?"
The annoyed expression on Challenger's face provided all of the confirmation she needed. With a delighted clap, Finn pushing off the counter and rocked on her feet. "Can we call him David? He looks like a David. Or maybe a Daniel. Can I name him, puh-leaze?" she pleaded, clasping her hands in an imploring gesture.
"No, Finn!" Challenger practically barked, making both Finn and Roxton jump. He forcefully put the knife down with a loud thud. "The boy is not some stray animal. He has a name. We know what it is. How could we not, since he hasn't stopped talking since we found him." Taking a deep, calming breath, he continued. "This whole situation has been very…difficult for us, especially Veronica. To say that young Edward has been trying is an understatement. And Marguerite…." He looked up at his fellow explorers and noticed their thunderstruck expressions.
Both Roxton and Finn's thoughts were going a mile a minute. They were rapidly piecing the scant information together, and were reaching a most distressing conclusion. Veronica's discomfort, the boy's distinctly European and familiar features, and his name-young Edward. Roxton was the first to recover. "George, you can't possibly mean that…I mean, that boy isn't…you're not saying…." he asked, his voice strained as the elevator began its ascent.
Challenger stared at him as if he'd sprouted a second head until he figured out what Roxton was hinting at. "What? You think that….Oh, no! No! Heavens, no!" Recoiling, he flushed and looked extremely embarrassed. "I'm making a terrible muddle of this whole thing," he muttered to himself. Settling into his familiar 'lecture mode', he began again. "First of all, young Edward is not the offspring of Ned Malone. He is Ned Malone." He held up a hand to forestall any interruptions. "We're not sure how, but two days ago, Ned and Marguerite went out into the jungle to look for…something. We're not exactly clear on that yet. Veronica and I went looking for them, and we found Marguerite and Ned, who you've already seen."
He looked over his shoulder as the sound of children's laughter became audible. "Whatever you do, try to remain calm. We're looking for an explanation for this. Its not as bad as it seems."
"Challenger, what are you telling us? What's wrong with Marguerite?" Roxton growled as he moved toward the elevator.
Before anyone could speak, the elevator creaked to a stop and the passengers stepped off. "Hi," Ned called as he rushed forward.
Veronica froze as she noticed everyone's expressions. "I guess it didn't go very well, did it."
Roxton's attention was riveted on the enchanting little girl who was doing her best to hide behind Veronica. "Marguerite?" he croaked.
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A/N: Well, what do you think?