The clanking of plates and platters packed the dining room of the Malone house. The fireplace cast a warm glow upon the table, which in turn was covered in foods of all sorts. Roasted bits of assorted meat, still sizzling in their brown sauces, filled the room with a hearty scent. Thick puddings, of all flavors and shapes, juices and beverages, all of which crammed every inch of the table; Never had there been a feast like this before… at least, before Roddy came along.

The children came rushing to the table and filled the seats and benches. Mrs. Malone was carrying out more food, and Mr. Malone was lecturing the kids on table manners. They were all very excited: this was the most action packed day of their lives.

By a margin of massive narrowness, the entire town was saved from their dooms. Along with the family, the entire populous was endangered: and Roderick St. James had answered the call. He was the savior that the prophet had ranted about all this time, and in his honor the Malone family would have a feast of grand proportions.

The children seemingly came out of the walls; they streamed out of every nook and cranny towards the table. Roddy looked out upon the sight with renound emotion. He had never felt like had had belonged, and now here was a family he could call his own. "Isn't this a sight for sore eyes…" he managed with awe.

"Get used to it," came a sarcastic, yet sweet voice. Roddy spun around - from the kitchen, carefully balancing a stack of drinking glasses, emerged Rita Malone; his captain, and less formally, his best friend.

Roddy looked at her and smiled. "I wasn't being sarcastic!" he pouted.

Still as feisty as ever, and rolled her eyes. "Oh, I know. Now-a-days, I'm sure I can tell when you're telling the truth." She laughed softly and walked past him towards the table.

The truth…Roddy wondered if she was still angry with him for lying to her about his real life up top. He was still slightly unsure of himself, but he was sure she understood. She was a clever girl, after all.

Rita knew exactly his stance. She felt deeply sorry for him, and how the shadow of his former life still hung over him like the now-melting wave over Ratropolis. She wanted nothing more than to talk to Roddy about how she understood his situation.

But being emotional? That was anything but Rita Malone.

But, in a way… at least when she was around Roddy, she felt she could be more of herself than even around her family, or friends. Strange, she had never felt as open around anyone before. Rita could only wonder…

Regardless, this was no time to worry about problems, they both thought.

"Suppers' ready!" Mrs. Malone called out.

Roddy took another bite into a wondrous new white meat he had found on the table. He eagerly scooped it up into his mouth as Rita watched in amusement. She had never seen one rat eat so fast, not even her smaller siblings. What ever happened to the posh pet prune I met two days ago? she wondered. Roddy was fitting in quite well, she thought.

"This is absolutely fantastic! What is it Mrs. Malone?"

Mrs. Malone blushed. She enjoyed when her cooking was complimented.

"That right there, would be some plump larvae we found outback. Luckily it still hadn't grown full blown!" She laughed to herself, and continued to sip on her soup.

Roddy stopped and looked down at his plate. A familiar sick feeling came across his stomach.

"Really?" He asked with a smile, as he pushed away the plate as no one was looking: everyone except Rita, who couldn't help but snicker. The rest of the Malone family was also consumed in engorging themselves as heartily as possible.

"Do ye have enough 'ta drink, son?" Asked Mr. Malone of Roddy.

Roddy nodded his head, his cheeks stuffed with food, but Rita's father still insisted.

Mr. Malone turned to his wife. "Darling, would ye fetch some champagne from the kitchen? I dare say it's worth breaking it out in a time like this!"

"Oh, what a great idea! I'll be right back." Mrs. Malone proceeded to the kitchen, and her husband rose as well to assist her.

Rita caught herself staring at Roddy again, thinking about him, and his cloudy past. She knew nothing about him…what he had told her had been fake, and from what she could discern, she only guessed that it was very lonely. She wondered still if she actually wanted to learn about it. But either way, he was with them now; with her now.

Suddenly, an idea came to Rita's head. She waited until her parents returned from the kitchen holding four glasses of champagne. Obviously, the children, (and Liam, who was slightly disappointed when he counted the ratio of glasses to adults) were too young to drink.

Whether it was the buzz from the drinks, or her brave heart, she did not know; As everyone was seated again and continued to chatter, Rita stood slowly, holding her glass. She cleared her throat in attempt to gain the attention of the table; Roddy looked up at her with a questioning look, but the rest of the table continued to babble unceasingly.

She tried again, louder this time, but to no avail: As if in response, the volume of the room got louder.

"AHEM!" She almost roared.

The table was hushed, the children even stopped eating; their forks hung in midair with bits of food on them.

Rita was pleased with the result. "Well then, now that I have your attention…"

"Malone family, I'd like to propose a toast to our guest of honor: Roddy St. James of Kensington." Roddy's face immediately turned tomato colored. Rita gave him a crooked smile and continued:

"Without him, and I know he'd like to think different, none of us would be here today. He's become a hero, saved a town, and most importantly, gained the place he's always wanted."

She paused to look around, her brothers and sisters were all quiet and careening their heads forward, hanging on her next words. Her mother and father were looking at her, overwhelming pride in their eyes. Roddy's expression was the most priceless of all.

"So without further adieu, let's raise our glasses to the hero of Ratropolis, and my new first mate."

"Welcome to the family, Roddy." She finished, as her stunning gaze fell upon Roddy.

"Welcome!" they cried out in response. Everyone began to clang their drinks together.

Roddy's eyes had never looked so happy; Rita was glad to meet them. The Malone's all raised their glasses, the smallest children stepping on their tipsy-toes to get their short arms across the table.

Roddy was lost in happiness. I'm now officially inducted, and by such a beautiful…speech of course! Ahem…He blushed when he noticed Rita was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

He then realized his arm was frozen in midair with his glass raised; his mouth partially open. He was lost in his joy, and was suddenly brought back to earth. All he could do was beam as his glass clinked with the others.

Eventually, dinner came to it's inevitable close; which meant bed time for the children. In their panic, they began to frantically search for some method of escape from their sleepy dooms. One youngster in particular, Shocky, attempted to save them all.

"Roddy! Tell us a story!" he yelped out as the hands of his mum were about to descend upon him.

"Yea!" The rest of the children cried in agreement. They all crowded around Roddy, awaiting his response.

Roddy raised his arms and looked around his feet. All the small pairs of eyes staring up at him expectantly. He couldn't let them down, not on a night like this.

Rita and her parents helped clear the table, as Roddy sat down a warm sofa chair, seeping into its comfort. The children huddled around him, some lying on their stomachs, others sitting on top of one another. Even Liam, the most rebellious of the lot, began to take to Roddy; he leaned back on the wall watching the scene and waiting for the story.

And so, Roddy began to recount the events that transpired over the days he'd spent with Rita. He didn't leave out a single detail: even the slugs made their appearance, and the children laughed uncontrollably over Roddy's reaction.

In the kitchen, Rita and her mother were washing the plates and leaning their heads past the doorpost to get a view of the living room. A smile crept over Mrs. Malone's face.

"I remember the last time the kids were all huddled like that, that was your dad sitting in that chair and you in his lap. I didn't know Mr. James was so good with kids!"

Rita smiled to herself. He was owned by a child: or so she assumed, the room his cage was in was filled with children's toys…so perhaps that's where he picked it up. Regardless, he seemed so happy reciting their adventures to her brothers and sisters.

Mrs. Malone turned and took a look at the clock. "Dear me, it's past midnight! Rita, be a darling and go gather the kids."

Nodding her head, Rita came out of the kitchen and leaned on the wall, waiting for an opportune time to interrupt the story.

"…And then, those two dolts chased me right onto the river bridge; that's when I saw my final reprieve, the Dodger, come speeding around the corner." Roddy's hand gestures were priceless. He was so into telling the story, it was if he was reliving it. With the two rats right on my tail, I stood waiting for the boat to get closer. Suddenly…the drawbridge began to rise, right under my feet!"

Rita looked around at the children. Fergus was chewing his fingers in horror, the kids were all staring wide-eyed at Roddy, waiting for him to continue. She almost burst into laughter when she saw Liam: he was hanging over the couch, his eyes glazed with suspense.

"Spike and Whitey were right there, right about ready to grab my feet. I was tipping, my pants ripping because my legs were so spread, my entire life teetering on the brink…"

Perfect.

Rita stepped into the middle of the group, just about as the suspense was about to come crashing down.

"And the rest you'll have to hear from Mr. James tomorrow! It's past all your bed tim—"

Rita was cut off with a harmonious response of "Awwww, but Ritaaaaa!" From the entire room, including Liam. Rita burst out laughing.

Mr. Malone wheeled in, still in a position of authority. "Ye heard yer sister, off to bed, the lot of ye!" Rita nodded at her dad in thanks, and he nodded back.

Their fathers iron voice got the best of them, and they all scampered up the stairs to their rooms. Within a moment, the entire room was clear except Mrs. Malone and Roddy. Rita had disappeared into the kitchen; the soft clang of glassware could be heard.

Mother spoke first. "That was a good show, Roddy! We had no idea you were so great with children."

Roddy turned a shade of red and shrugged his shoulders. "It comes natural, I suppose." In the kitchen, Rita rolled her eyes.

"Well, how about we set up the couch for ya, shall we?" Rita's mother disappeared for a moment, and came back with an assortment of blankets and pillows. Within seconds, the couch was transformed into a cozy bed.

"Well then, if that's all, I'm going to go check on the kids. Good night Roderick. " Roddy thanked her, and she proceeded up the stairs. He admired the amount of energy she had, it must have been hell dealing with thirty-six (or so he had counted, it could have been more by now) children on a daily basis.

Roddy was by himself again. He looked around the house. It was quiet, but it felt so nice. The place smelled of warm wood, it had the 'homiest' feeling he could imagine. The fire still let out its warm glow, casting a cool shadow upon all the objects. The walls were adorned with photographs.

Roddy looked about the room, from picture to picture. There was one of the Malone wedding; for a moment, he thought it was Rita herself standing in a wedding gown next to a rat in a tuxedo, who looked not much different than Roddy, besides his blue eyes.

He slowly strolled to another picture, the one above the fireplace. It was the largest of the lot; a picture of the Malone family. The priceless chaos of the house seemed frozen in a frame, but bound by one word: family. Roddy smiled.

On the outside, the soft chirp of the crickets was muffled by the constant shifting of the house. Slowly but steadily, it began to subside as the children finally settled in their beds. Roddy slowly walked over to his makeshift cot and sat; it creaked under his weight. He let out a massive yawn.

"Well then, Mr. James. I bet you're tired from your long day, I would think?"

Roddy peeked over the back of the couch to see Rita emerging from the kitchen, a grin on her face. She was still wearing her usual clothes, her sea-green jumper and her union jack pants.

"Well, Miss Malone, you should be pretty exhausted yourself." He stretched out his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, opening one to see if his charm was working. Rita smiled and ruffled his brown hair.

She brought from the kitchen two cups of what smelled like tea. Roddy thanked her as she gave him his cup. She casually sat down in the couch across the small coffee table, which seemed to be constructed out of a small piece of driftwood and a Lego block as a single leg.

"That was really something today, yeah? It's not every day you foil a plan of an evil genius." Roddy said, as he placed a few grains of sugar into his tea. Rita laughed at his sarcasm.

"Sounds bout' right, besides the genius part. You give em' to much credit." Her cockney accent came through. Something about it made Rita's comebacks sound all the better.

"I'm pretty sure he was right on the spot with the whole 'damsel in distress' thing, in order to get my attention."

Rita nearly spewed out her tea all over the table. "W-wh-what?!"

She raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "I distinctly remember someone holding on to their tail… begging for me not leave them stranded."

Roddy composed himself, and leaned back casually with his arms behind his back as he prepared his defense. "I distinctly remember… persuading, that certain person to let me come back, actually."

Rita chuckled at the way he said persuading, obviously alluding to the entire way he'd charmed his way back into her heart. Her memory slowly wound backwards to those moments, and a strange feeling of warmth crept over her like a soft blanket.

"You're right, it was a good idea to keep you for comedic purposes." Roddy laughed at the joke.

The two sat in a silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the night, faint roaring of vehicles high above them. Rita looked out across the table at Roddy, who looked confident, for a change. A sense of command seemed to grab him as the events of the day unfolded.

In a way, he'd grown a lot more than Rita had expected. And, in a similar way, much closer.

"Rita?" Roddy asked questioningly. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh!" She noticed she had been gawking at him for the past few seconds, and quietly blushed.

Dear God, Rita, what on Earth are ye doin? She felt foolish, and attempted to regain composure.

"Ye, I'm fine." She leaned back, stretching her arms and yawning.

Roddy's gaze dropped for a second, wandering over the curvature of her body. The faint tinge of warmth in his stomach grew for a moment, and he suddenly came back to his senses. What on earth is going on with you? You're of the Saint James clan! SAINT!

Roddy attempted to sound official. "So, Captain, what are your plans?"

Rita tilted her head to one side "Our plans, mate." She smiled.

Rita stood and picked up the empty tea cups. "Well, if you'd have taken a moment to think, you'd realize we're a crew without a ship… So, First Mate Roderick, what do you recommend our next course of action be?"

Rita said this of course with the utmost comedic tone, so Roddy knew she was only playing. He, in turn, decided to play along.

When she returned from the kitchen, he had cooked up a response.

"Well, a crew cant be a crew without a ship… and we want to stay a crew." He looked at Rita sarcastically, as she was nodding.

"So, logically speaking of course, we need a ship!"

"Very good, Roddy!" She patted him on the head, and sat down on the couch again.

"And, we'll make a ship alright… With this." From her back pocket, she pulled out the emerald that Roddy had given her. It's luster shone in the moonlight which flowed through the curtains. Somehow, the memory it summoned made Rita feel all the better.

"Make?" Roddy asked with awe. He wasn't familiar with the concept, 'some assembly required'.

Rita laughed as she thought about that. "Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way…"

Rita's expression turned solemn as she thought of the Jammy Dodger.

Roddy noticed her smile began to fade. "The Dodger was special to me… well, because me and my dad built it from scrap. From nothing, we made something. I know it sounds silly…but a ship just isn't a ship if its pre-made..."

Rita felt a warm hand on hers, and slowly looked up. Roddy looked completely serious; he was clutching her limp hand firmly in his.

"It's not silly at all. And you'll do it again. Ahem, excuse me. We'll do it again." Roddy's smile spread quickly, and she in turn began to regain hers. "The Dodger's memory will live on!" he said triumphantly.

"So, when did you become a poet?"

Roddy laughed, relieved she was happy again. Yet, he was more relived that she hadn't jerked away as he rested his hand on hers.

Rita's eyes rolled towards the clock. "Well, it's getting a little past your bed time isn't it?"

"Ah, yes. Around this time I'd usually be curled up, sucking my thumb."

"We've got a big day tomorrow Rod, there's a lot to plan and a whole much more to do. Be ready to rise early."

"Sure thing, Capt'n." He gave a mock salute, as she rose towards the stairs.

"Good night, Rita."

"Good night, Roddy." She began to up, but stopped in case he'd say it again. Instead, she thought she heard a sigh of happiness. She smiled and shook her head as she continued up the creaky stairs.

She walked through the halls of her home, heading for her room, on the very top floor. She thought of the day's events… they'd accomplished so much in such little time, as well as demolished.

Yet the most prominent memory was that of the newest member of her family, Roddy. He'd grown so much, confident and commanding. And, somehow, grown his way into her heart.

Rita could only smile and sigh as she passed the last room on her long voyage upwards, that of her mother and father. Her dad's loud snore sounded with each breath he took, but it didn't bother anyone.

What is that racket up there, Roddy wondered as a loud, thunderous noise came down from the stairs. Sounds like someone has got a cotton ball stuck in their nose or something…Roddy shrugged the notion off, and pulled the thick covers over himself.

His last thoughts were of the girl who with whom he'd grown so close. Yet he couldn't shrug of the feeling, something special, he felt for her. It ate at his spirit, agonized him.

And, coincidentally, as Rita laid down in her bed, she felt the same way.