Timon had been hiding out a ways away so that no one would find him. He had run away with Taylor so as to cover his tracks, so to speak, with Tatiana.
Anyways… The kits grew up, as all do. They were now about as old as a sixteen-year-old human, in ratio, and had been taking on some characteristics that were nothing like Tatiana's or Aldi's. Taylor was the first to notice.
"Doesn't Samuel look a lot like Timon?" she asked.
"I've been wondering that myself lately," said Aldi. "These children hardly look like me at all." They were watching them play tag with some other meerkats their age from the colony.
"Maybe somehow these actually are Timon's kids and were switched at birth or something," laughed Vicki.Something clicked in Tatiana's brain and she gasped.
"Aldi, there is something I need to tell you," she said, remembering that day when Timon was looking for Taylor's house. She pulled him aside and whispered her horrible truth to him.
"WHAT?" he exploded.
"I am sorry!" she cried. "I love you though, not him! And I am not saying that this is true yet! We have yet to test them to see!" Aldi was too mad. He stomped off, leaving the girls alone.
-
"Father, he will not even listen to me," she explained later that day.
"Well, you should have told him sooner," he said.
"I did not think that they might be Timon's!" she said. "I just assumed that since it was only once that it would not matter!"
"Well it did!" he said sternly. "You must find Timon and tell him what he has done!"
Tatiana sighed and started packing her things. Lydia came in that night and asked her why she was leaving. She decided to tell her daughter the truth.
"Upendo, Aldi isn't your father," she said.
"WHAT?" she exploded as well. "What do you mean?"
"Listen and I will tell you," she said. Lydia sat down and listened to her mother's tale with fascination.
"Timon, the one Taylor used to be married to?" she asked.
"Yes, that one."
"Ho-ly... cow," she said with attitude.
"Watch your tongue!" she scolded.
"Sorry momma," she said.
"You must promise though, not to tell anyone!" she said. "Everyone must think that you are still Aldi's children!"
"What about Samuel?"
"Please try not to tell him. If he thinks something is wrong, he will come and ask. Otherwise, try to keep this between you, Aldi, and me. All right?" asked Tatiana.
"Okay momma," she said, hugging her.
"I must leave tomorrow," she said.
"Where?" demanded Lydia.
"To see Timon. I must inform him that he has children running around," she said.
"All right momma," she said. "I will go now." Lydia left the bedroom and went into her own.
Late in the night, when no one was even awake…
-----
"Do you think that I should tell the story from here on now dad?"
"Lydia…" warned Timon. He decided it wasn't worth arguing over."Oh all right."
"Thanks dad," she said.
"But only because you tell it better than me."
-----
Late in the night, when no one was even awake, Tatiana fell ill with a potentially fatal disease. Everyone was worried about her, yes, but Lydia had other things on her mind.
"Momma," she said to her mother.
"Yes dear?" she replied. Each child had five minutes alone with her before they were required to continue with their lessons.
"What about Timon?" she asked.
"He will have to wait to know the truth."
"But you could die!" protested Lydia.
"Then he will never know," she said.
"He has to know! I need him to know!"
"Lydia," said Tatiana sternly. "If I pass on, then your real father has no way of knowing! We cannot count on Aldi telling him and no one else even knows!"
"What about me?"
"You cannot go out alone so young!" said Tatiana.
"I'm a big girl and I can!"
"I'm?" asked her mother, repeating the contraction.
"I am a big girl and I can!" she fixed her sentence.
"Upendo, I just do not know," she said. "If I let you go off to find him, you might not even come across him, or you might get hurt."
"I can do this momma!" she said. Tatiana looked at her daughter lovingly.
"Honey, I do not want to lose you."
"You will not. I will make you proud!" she said. Looking her mother in the eye, she said, "Please let me find my real father."
"All right," said Tatiana. "But do not tell anyone where you are going! Try hard not to let anyone know you are leaving."
"Okay. I love you momma. Be safe," she said, heading out.
"I love you too," she said. "You be safe too!" Lydia left silently.
---
-sigh- Ok, I went back through the story and tried to edit it a little bit so it sounded... better... I guess... I don't think it worked, but at least I tried, right? Only one more chapter and then I'm done:) I'll start a new Lion King story and it will be a hundred times better! Of course, that wouldn't be hard, lol. Wish me luck, r&r, and all that stuff...
btw: Ochi, thanks SO much for taking time out to help me be a better writer, I really do appreciate it!