"You'll come straight back?" Will fussed as Amanda edged her way towards the front door for the third time.

"Yes, Will," the girl replied with as much patience as she could muster. He fussed almost as much as her Mom, sometimes.

"Okay, you've got twenty minutes. If you're not back by then—"

"I know. I know. You'll call out the army, the navy, the marines and probably even the national guard." Amanda repeated in an obviously flat monotone. To her credit, she resisted rolling her eyes as many her age would have done.

Amanda actually had her hand on the door knob when Will spoke up. "You know, I could just drive you over there, Only take a couple of-" Will began. Then he broke off, and Amanda could tell he was blushing just by the sound of his voice. "Uh, am I sounding like your Mom again?" he asked tentatively.

"Well... a little bit, yeah," she told him.

"Okay, I'm Sorry," Will apologized. "but I meant it. Twenty minutes."

"Yes, Will," Amanda said pertly and stepped outside, fast, waiting for Will to come after her again. But if she thought it had been hard getting away from Will, the harder fight was just about to begin.

"Caesar, what are you doing?" Amanda asked as the chimp stepped up to her smartly just outside the front door and put his hand on her arm. "Look, Will said I could go home for a sec."

"Caesar come too?" Caesar signed in to one of her hands.

Amanda did roll her eyes then, and she groaned out loud. "Oh no you're not," Amanda disagreed. "I know you're not supposed to leave the property without any of the grownups, Caesar. And I don't count."

"Will said yes," Caesar told her.

Something about that did not feel right. But as Amanda considered it, maybe in this instance, Will would let him go with her. At least, she would not be walking alone. Will would certainly like that, her not being alone. And, though Amanda would never admit it to anyone, no matter how tough and stubborn she acted, she really did not enjoy walking alone even in totally familiar areas. It would be nice to have Caesar for company.

"Caesar guide. Like your friend, Koba? Amanda show how?" The chimp was panting and practically bubbling over with excitement.

"Well, I don't know, Caesar," Amanda was so torn. "You'll have to put on a leash, and—"

Caesar promptly pressed a leash and collar into her hand.

"OH, I hate putting you on a leash, Caesar! I hated keeping Koba on one, too! But if you're really sure—"

The chimp gave one definite pant-hoot. In their little code, before Caesar knew Amanda's strange abilities, this meant a yes. He took the leash and collar out of her hand and put it on, himself.

Amanda swallowed hard, tears coming to her eyes. The sound of Caesar doing that brought back all the time that Koba had done the same thing.

"Okay, then let's split before the man changes his mind," Amanda said as she reluctantly put her hand through Caesar's leash, and the two children skipped out of the front yard.


They were unaware that someone watched them go. Will had retreated to his office, and Caroline was gone to work for the day, but Charles stood at a front window and watched until they both were out of sight. Then he sighed deeply and headed for his piano. He hoped he had not made a huge mistake by not stopping Caesar. But oh boy was Will gonna be mad if he found out!

Please, please kids! Please get back on time! Or we're all gonna get it, Charles prayed silently. To distract himself from absent children and impending family drama, he opened his piano bench and removed some new sheet music. As a surprise, hoping to cheer her up at least a little bit, Charles had gotten the piano score for that King Kong movie she loved so much. And he was determined to learn the main theme by tonight so he could play it for Amanda.


By the time they got to Amanda's house, Caesar sensed that they were already running late. It was not their fault, though. If so many of Amanda's neighbors had not stopped them to congratulate her on getting a new Ape guide, they would have made it in plenty of time. As it was, they tore into the house, and were halfway up to Amanda's room, when a loud buzzing sound erupted throughout the house.

"Oh, I forgot to enter the stupid alarm code!" Amanda shrieked as she tore back down the stairs. "Caesar, go on up. All the way to the top. I'll be there in a sec."

Caesar was delighted to find that Amanda also lived in an attic room all her own. He was even more delighted when Amanda silenced that terrible noise and finally joined him at the top of the house. But there was now little time for sightseeing.

"We got ten minutes to find my charger and... Ouch!" Amanda cried out as her foot struck something hard. "Caesar, at t he back of this room next to my bed, is there a stack of braille books sitting on the floor by the nightstand?" she asked, bending down and running furiously at her toes.

Caesar huffed twice.

"I knew it!" Amanda growled. "Mom's been up here re-arranging my room again! Now how am I gonna find my charger in less than ten minutes."

Caesar took her arm and made low soothing noises to settle her down. He knew how she felt, but at least he could see to find things on the rare occasion that Caroline went on a cleaning spree. He thought it was mean of Amanda's mother to move her things without asking her first. Not to mention dangerous.

"There's no time to search," Amanda declared. "I'm just gonna grab my other braille display. Least I can charge that with standard USB.

But Caesar's attention By Amanda's bed was something in a large frame. Caesar sat down on the edge of her bed so he could peer at it better. It looked like some kind of official document, but it was the photo in the center that most captivated Caesar. It was of a younger Amanda, her arms around a chimp who was wearing what looked like a modified guide dog harness. It was impossible to tell who was beaming more, Amanda or this ape.

Then, Caesar read the fancy lettering around the edge of the document:

Amanda Grace King

With friend and Guide Koba

1st out of 15!

"Caesar? Hey, where'd you go?" Amanda called from the other side of the room.

With a start, Caesar tore himself away from the frame and ran to join Amanda on the far side of her room. He wanted to ask her about the document but held back all his burning questions. Koba was a very painful and sensitive subject, and he had no wish to upset Amanda about him again. But he cast one more look back at the picture, hoping to set that face in his memory. For he meant what he had said to Amanda. Somehow, some way, when he was grown up, he would find this Koba, and re-unite him with Amanda.

"What were you staring at over there? My guide school certificate or my Kong and Anne dolls?" Amanda asked as she straightened up with another piece of equipment hanging around her neck.

Kong and Anne dolls? Caesar whirled around, and gasped. He did not know how he missed it, but at the foot of Amanda's bed sat a huge King Kong toy. It was taller than Amanda and resting in its hand was a much smaller doll of the woman Caesar had seen in the film.

Amanda laughed. "Kong kinda jumps out at you, doesn't he? I take it by that reaction you were staring at my guide school certificate. It's okay, Caesar. I'm not gonna get hysterical if you mention it. And I was hoping we'd have a few minutes to play up here, but we gotta run."

She must have meant that literally because before Caesar could think of an answer, Amanda was by the door at the top of her staircase. "come on, Caesar. We got six-and-a-half minutes."

With a startled yelp, Caesar leaped after his human friend, and in no time, they were jogging back towards home. They made it to within sight of the front door when Caesar skidded to a halt and gave a low groan.

"Caesar? What is it?" Amanda cried, clearly startled by his sudden stop.

"It's me," came a familiar man's voice. "come on up here you too. Thanks for getting back on time, barely. Caesar, you and I are gonna have a long talk."

"You didn't get his permission, did you?" Amanda accused in a stage whisper.

Caesar just hung his head as he guided Amanda to the front door."

Will, it's not his fault," Amanda burst out. "I asked him to come with me, and—"

Will put one hand on each youngster's shoulder. "Amanda," he began. His voice was gentle but very firm. "Don't make it any worse for him. You go on up to your room. I wanna talk to you too in a little bit."

"but Will," Amanda started to protest even as Caesar started to complain as well. He could not let Amanda get in trouble on account of him.

"Amanda, upstairs. Caesar, my office ... NOW!"


While Amanda sat up in her room, kicking herself for not putting her foot down and making Caesar stay home, there came a knock on her door.

"It's open, Charles," Amanda answered the knock, and the elderly man came in, his expression sympathetic.

"You're in the doghouse too, huh," Charles commented quietly as he came and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Looks like it," Amanda told him.

"Well, I hope there's room for me, too," Charles replied with a grin.

"You? What'd you do?" Amanda asked.

"It's what I didn't do. I watched you guys leave and I didn't stop you." Will's father informed the little girl.

"Ah, Charles," Amanda groaned out loud.

But Charles only laughed and gently ruffled her long hair. "Don't let it get you down, Princess. Someday you and Caesar will look back on all this and have a big ol' laugh together."

"What's Will gonna do to him?" Amanda worried for her friend.

"Probably make him stay in his room most of today or take away his Golden Gate model for a couple of days, something like that."

"Well, just as long as he doesn't cancel Muir Woods this weekend. Caesar's really looking forward to it."

"Oh, I don't think he would—" Charles slowly trailed off. "Maybe I'd better get down there and see how things are going, you think?"

"Yes, yes. go!" Amanda urged before she helped him up and aimed him towards the door.

"I'll do what I can, but no promises, sweetheart. Oh, I have a surprise for you for this evening?"

"What?" Amanda leaped off her bed and leaned out the door. "What surprise?"

"You'll see," Charles called back over his shoulder in a sing-song tone


"Caesar... I just don't know what to say," Will began. "first you sneak out when you know you aren't supposed to. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you did that?"

"You meet Caroline," Caesar signed.

He thought his human father was going to crack a smile, but it never fully materialized. The corner of his mouth only twitched a little bit before he got it under control.

"And why did I meet Caroline, Caesar?" Will pressed on relentlessly.

The chimp hung his head.

"Caesar hurt," he signed.

"Exactly," Will said sternly. "And this time it's even worse. Because you not only snuck out, but Amanda tried to lie to cover up for you. And you lied to her, didn't you?"

Caesar whimpered mournfully.

"You know what I ought to do. I ought to cancel our trip to the park this weekend. Maybe that would—"

"Will?" Charles voice called from down the hall.

"Hold that thought. Yeah, Dad," will called back as he got up and stuck his head out the door.

"come here for a minute, will ya?" Charles answered back.

"In a minute, Dad—"

"No, son, right now!" Charles tone suddenly became much harder, and unseen by Will, Caesar winced. That was the tone Will sometimes use with him, well, only once before.

"right Dad." Will turned back to Caesar.

"Go up to your room and stay there, Caesar. I'll be up in a little bit to finish this."

Opening the door wide, Will ushered Caesar out in front of him. "Go on, buddy. I won't be long."

Caesar was a little relieved that Will called him Buddy. This was almost always a good sign. Halfway up the stairs, Caesar turned back and hooted loudly.

"What is it, Caesar," Will turned back to ask, and Caesar began giving Will his best sad pitiful face.

"Amanda come up?" the young chimp pleaded.

Will heaved a sigh. "Alright, if she's not busy, Amanda can come up and stay with you. Now scoot!"

Hooting happily, Caesar went to Amanda's room.


"What's wrong, Dad?" Will burst in to where his Dad sat by the piano, idly fingering the keys.

"sit down, Will," Charles pointed to a chair.

Will groaned, but he moved to obey his father. "Look, Dad, don't ask me not to punish him, alright? You know what he did was wrong and dangerous."

"Wrong, yes. Dangerous, well, we could have a good old debate about that," Charles replied. "I know he needs to be punished, but don't take away Muir Woods, Will. You know he needs all that time in the outdoors," Charles insisted.

"Ah Dad, you think I want to punish him that way? But—":

"No buts Will, just don't do it. Anything else but that. You weren't that hard on him the first time he snuck out."

"Well, this is different," Will argued.

"How," Charles demanded.

"You know how, Dad. He went out even farther this time, and ... Amanda," Will responded, and Charles groaned.

"Amanda is perfectly fine, will. In fact, I'd say she and Caesar did great together out of doors. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, yes, Dad, but—"

"no. No buts, Will. Think about it. It's ultimately up to her folks, of course, but if we could let Caesar out with Amanda, just a little and with limits of course, this could be good for both of them. And can you look me in the eye and tell me you think Caesar would ever leave Amanda's side when they were out together?"

"no, I know he'd never do that," Will said with complete certainty. "She might but Caesar wouldn't."

Charles smiled. "So, you'll talk with her folks then?"

"We will talk to her folks," Will said with a slight grin. "Maybe you can think of how to keep her Mother from having a conniption at the very thought?"

"One problem at a time, son, Charles got up and patted his son on the back. "And you won't cancel Muir Woods either, will you?"

"Oh, I give up! Okay, Dad, you win. I won't cancel our trip to Muir Woods this weekend." Will promised.

"At a boy!" Charles grinned.

"don't gloat so much, Dad," Will grumbled, but he was grinning, too. "say, how's the Kong theme coming along."

"Not bad," Charles sat down again at the piano and ran through some quick scales. "I think I can pluck it out tonight without too many clunkers. Too bad we can't get that Evans woman to come sing it, too."

"Good. Amanda will love it, Now I gotta go finish talking to the kids." Will started to turn away, but Charles called him back.

"Will, go to your office and do some work or something. Cool off a little more first, huh?" the old man suggested.

Will threw up his hands in an exaggerated expression of defeat. "Okay, Dad, maybe you're right. I'll give the kids, what, about an hour or so?"

"Or so," Charles commented, but most of his attention was already back on the piano as Will left the room.

A/N:

This was a little shorter than I expected, but I hope you all enjoyed it just the same.

As always, much thanks go to all my wonderful patient readers. And, huge welcomes go out to any new reader who may wander in and decide to stay awhile in my little corner of this universe. 😀

New chapter out soon.