Chapter 7: Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen

A/N: The chapter title is in reference to Magic Flute, one of Mozart's opera, and is the title of my favorite character's aria. I totally recommend it. Seeing it, hearing it…

Yeah. I'm in love with Papageno the Bird Catcher. Anyhoo, it means "A girl or a woman."

"You slept with him, Carmen," Pamina said flatly.

"How'd you figure that out?" I retorted.

"Oh, just the fact that he's not all that dressed and he's grinning inanely to himself."

James interjected. "It was on both of our terms, if that's what you're suggesting."

"Not at all, Admiral."

"You know who he is?" I asked.

"Naturally. The voice, the eyes, and the fact that if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have been on the side of that marching field. I saw him while I was working the bar, and since he was in no state to drive, I walked him to BHS and told him to wait for you. I probably should have figured something like this would have happened."

"Pamina, wait. You know you're never home. You never see me. You don't even know me. What does it matter to you what I do?"

"It would have mattered to Mother and Father, you know it!" she countered.

"But be serious, Pam. I've found a man that loves me for me. I may not have saved his life but I've taken care of him. He could be the answer to our problems—a real home and maybe a real family."

"I fail to see how a fictional man can make your life whole."

"I've seen him, you see him; I've made quite sure in more ways than one that he's real. Can't you just accept that I've found something to make me happy?"

"It would be a worthless thing to argue otherwise," she conceded. "Don't get pregnant, okay?"

James and I beamed.

"And no getting married till Miss Carmen Riordan graduates, got it, Admiral?"

James agreed.

Somehow something was missing. "Where's Jack?" I asked. Not good. A note in scrawly kindergarten handwriting was stuck to the bathroom door. "Gone to find Rosa. Maybe be back soon."

Fine then.

We told Pamina the whole story. Of course we did. She's my sister. In the kitchen, a pan of frittata was simmering peacefully.

"So I see you actually have more than one recipe," James noted kindly.

"Cooking is my best kept secret. If I advertise my cooking knowledge, next thing I know, I'm up to my nose in young boys with insatiable appetites."

"I see. So your deep singing and trumpet playing have not attracted such admiring hordes?"

"Just one," I said, lightly slapping him. Cheeky git. Pamina served the frittata with a motherly panache.

"Dig in, you two. Sorry about the lack of spice. Somebody made off with all the banana peppers."

James had to fight less with it. Most of it actually made it into his mouth. I'm so proud of him, although I feel a little guilty, taking him out of his very structured element. But then again, back in his "element," he was dead. High noon Sunday. Where's Rosa and where's Jack?

"We need to go find those two." I stated. "St. Isabel's would be a good place to start."

We all piled into the Pontiac, gunning for the other side of town, where St. Isabel's spires poked the sky in a somewhat jagged and unwieldy manner.

Indeed it was a good place to look, for there was a note pinned to the vestibule bulletin board. The outside read: To Pam, James, and Carmie, with love from Jack and Rosa.

Hastily ripping the note from the corkboard, I read it aloud with Pam reading over my shoulder and James gazing inside, towards the altar. Golly only knows what was on his mind.

Dear All:

Jack was the one who wanted to write this note, but I have better handwriting. Believe me, gone without a trace is something I was more hoping for. However. Jack touched the holy water, and as a negation of the Fountain of Youth, his fingers disappeared. Don't ask me how I figured that out. I don't know, myself. Anyhow, he called me over after Mass and gave me this little vial. He said that it was from the fountain and if I wanted to come with him, I'd have to drink it. Poison? Strangely reminiscent of Kool-Aid? No, baby. I decided to go with him to his reality. So don't be sad that I'm gone. I'm off to sail the seas with Captain Jack Sparrow. Hot damn!

Much love and hugs to all especially Mum, Dad, and the Brothers, and all of you.

Rosa and Jack

So that's the end of that. I wasn't sad at all to see her go. She's much better suited for a ship's deck than for Blackwater Hills.

James was still staring at the altar. "What are you thinking?" I asked, leaning on his arm.

"Nothing…just about what this summer will be like. I've never seen summer on the mainland."

"It's beautiful, but scorchin' hot. It'd make your cute little ponytail curl in such a funny way."

"I think I could live with that."

A/N: HALP! I need to figure out what to do on Monday with these two. No, I won't occupy it with smutty ramblings! But please. How can I mess with these two for one more day until the epilogue, and there will be an epilogue the likes of none! (Patterned slightly after a dream I had once.)