So the next day the whole family wet in search of Alexi while Robbie cared for Stephanie. He never left his scope unless she had to leave the room. There were other entrances to his lair and he didn't want to take a chance. Right now he was making another sweep when she jumped and ran to him.
"What is it?"
"I feel him."
"Where?"
"Close. I can't pin point him but he's very close."
"Inside the barrier's close?"
"I don't know."
He looked thought the scope but didn't see anything. He trusted her feeling more then his eyes though.
"Where is that father of yours?"
"Near Pixel s."
"Ok try really hard to sense Alexi if he's closer then the barriers we need to move."
"I can't sense if he's in or outside them... Uh-oh."
"What's uh-oh?! I don't like uh-oh!"
"I don't feel the barriers. Pabbi wouldn't have taken them down and not told us."
"Shit. Come on." He said leading the girl to an ordinary looking wall. He whistled master of disguise and it slid open to reveal a room.
"You hear anything you don't like out here you send for your father." He said hearing someone in the tube.
The wall replaced and she listened hoping it was one of the family that slid down.
"Where is she?" Alexei said
"With one of her family."
"Strange your not lying."
Of course he wasn't she was with him and the hell if she wasn't as good as his daughter now.
"To bad I can't read your mind and figure out which one it would save me a lot of time." He hissed.
She heard a crash and that was all it took for her to contact her father.
"Pabbi!"
"Stephanie what's wrong?"
"He's in the lair! I think he hurt Robbie."
"Are you in the same room?"
"No I'm in one of his secret ones."
"OK We are on our way try to stay calm in case he can sense you."
The connection broke and she knew he was coming. She heard more crashes from the main room.
"Tell me where she is or die."
"I'll....never tell you."
She heard something and Robbie grunt.
"I'll find her and believe me when I do.....Never mind I don't have to. She's still here I can feel her."
Stephanie tried to calm down and mask where she was. Robbie in the meanwhile hoped to hell he didn't find a way to open that room.
"Here little girl...I won't hurt you I'll make your death painless if you'll just come out."
Stephanie scooted to the far side of the room she was in.
"There you are! Silly man I don't need to open the wall I'll make a damn hole in it!" He said closing his eyes.
Stephanie yelped as the wall blew open. Robbie's eyes went just as wide when Alexi stepped forward toward her. It took all the strength he had to get up and tackle him.
"Run!" He said to Stephanie.
She climbed out of the room and made her way to the tubes. Once she was on the surface she saw her father running toward her followed by the family.
"You better be our girl!" Nine growled grabbing her arm.
"Pabbi Robbie's got him." She thought to her father
"It's her." Sportacus said before jumping in to the tube without another word.
He found Robbie Laying in the corner of a room while Alexi kicked him.
"This ends here." Sportacus growled.
"Damn straight it does. If you'll excuse me." Alexi said before disappearing.
"Damnit!" Sportacus shouted
He really hated the fact Alexi could disappear it was a rare ability in thier people and made it nearly impossible to catch him.
"Stephanie it's ok your dad got him."
Stephanie turned at the voice. It sure looked like Robbie but Robbie looked off in someway then she noticed his eyes were bright blue instead of thier usual color.
"Where is Pabbi?"
"He didn't come up yet?"
"Robbie can we have Strawberry shortcake for desert to celebrate?" She asked
"What ever you want girlie." he laughed
"That s not him!"
Nine Devon and Isabelle jumped the man and Nine punched him hard enough to knock him out. Lilies turned to see her son and Robbie climb out of the tube.
"Robbie!" Stephanie said rushing to him.
"I'm ok Pixie." He said coughing.
"Got him knocked out. Now what?" Devon asked
"One of us has to kill him." Nine said
"It's still murder and still against the code." Isabelle said
"Not for me." Robbie said
"But Robbie then you'll go to jail." Stephanie said
"Look it will keep him from you." Robbie said.
"Wait I got another idea." Lilies said
"What s that mom?" Devon asked
"Belladonna."
"Where the hell we gonna get that?" Nine asked
"I have a small vial in the ship." She said walking that way.
"By the way Stephanie how did you know it wasn't Robbie?" Isabelle asked before hitting Alexi again to be sure he was out.
"Robbie knows I'm allergic to Strawberries." She shrugged
Lilies returned and pored the vial into Alexi's mouth. A few minutes later she confirmed he was dead.
The police were called and it was found that Alexi took his own life rather then confront the family. They knew it was a lie but it was the only way the family would stay together.
A few days later.
"Door!" Sportacus said only to have the bed fall down.
"Table?"
Nothing.
"Toothbrush!"
He got hit in the back of the head with a soccer ball.
"Control box!"
That popped up at least. He opened it to find a little bird.
"Did you get stuck again?" He asked cupping it in his hands.
"Door!"
It opened and he released the little bird.
"Pabbi why couldn't I open the door?" Stephanie said coming out of her room.
"A little bird was stuck in the control box again." He chuckled.
"Poor thing it ok?"
"It flew off fine. What are you going to do today?"
"Well since I no longer have to worry about being grabbed I thought I'd go play." She said
"I'm going to go talk to Robbie. He's right you and I are going to have to get an actual house. As much as I love the ship it's not exactly safe for you."
"It's safe."
"If your dizzy and try to climb down you could fall."
"If you think a house is best then ok just make sure Robbie looks with us because if he spends a lot of time with us he should like the house to." She said before asking the ladder hatch to open so she could climb down.
Sportacus found Robbie laying in the shade of his billboard staring at the clouds.
"Hi." Sportacus said stepping to stand over him.
"Mmmm nice view."
"Would you help me and Stephanie with something?"
"Depends how much energy would I use?"
"We need to find a house."
"Now you decided it's to cramped?"
"No but I got to thinking of all the things that could happen to her that high above ground. If she fell..."
"Eww. Yeah you need a house. Good thing for you I own one."
"Why don't you live in it?"
"Look either sit or go away your bouncing on your feet is annoying."
Sportacus shrugged and sat beside him.
"I don't live there because it's meant for a family. It's to big for just me."
"You and your parents?"
"used to be. When they passed I just couldn't live there by myself."
"Would you live with us? I'm sure Stephanie would like it and I would to."
"You think I'm gonna let you move in without me...Ha. Oh I'm coming all right. I'll still keep the lair to tinker meaning Pixie knocks before entering. I don't wanna have something blow up and her get hurt."
"Thank you Robbie." Sportacus said before leaning down and kissing him lightly.
Robbie seemed to melt and Sportacus smiled as they parted.
"Better then sweets?" He teased
"Hell yes." Robbie answered putting his hands behind his head.
Meanwhile Stephanie and her friends were having a snack across town.
"Isn t it weird having your dad like the man who tried to get rid of him all these years? Not to mention he was never very nice to us kids." Trixie said
"They love each other that s all that matters. Robbie is nice now."
"I still don't know why you won't tell us why you had to stay near Robbie's. I mean how bad was this guy?"
"Pretty bad. I can't tell you how bad but believe me if he had gotten me I think Pabbi would have died of grief."
"You think he would have killed you?"
"Yes Trixie he made it clear that what he wanted. I'm gonna go find Pabbi." Stephanie muttered walking off.
"Hey don't leave Pinkie." Trixie said jogging up and blocking her path.
"Why not?"
"I'll lay off the villain ok. So do you miss them?"
"My parents of course I do!"
"I meant his family but yeah I guess them to."
"I send letters and they send them back. I'll always miss my mom and dad. Look I don't feel so good I'm gonna go." Stephanie said
"Hope ya feel better Pinkie!" Trixie called.
Stephanie felt fine it was just that Trixie was very nosey and had a habit of hurting her feelings a lot lately. She found he wasn't in the ship so she just walked around slowly heading toward Robbie's.
"Something's wrong." Sportacus said looking up
"With?"
"Stephanie."
He stood up and flipped toward his daughter.
"What's the matter?"
"I just miss mamma is all." She sighed.
"I know I wish I could make it better." He replied.
"You didn't have to leave Robbie to come talk to me. I'm fine really."
"Join us?"
"Nah you two need you time. I think I'm gonna go find Ziggy he wasn't at the park today."
He returned to Robbie.
"She ok?"
"Yeah she's just missing her mother. She went to go play with Ziggy." He said sitting down.
He was a bit surprised when Robbie laid his head on his lap.
"I'm not a girl or nothin but I'd like to think she could come to me or you with any problem." Robbie said
"She knows she can she's still learning to control when her heart calls and doesn't."
"So about that house. When did you want to move in?" Robbie asked
"As soon a possible I suppose. What about you?" He said looking down at Robbie.
"Like you said the sooner she's out of the air the better. Rule one elf there WILL be sugary stuff."
"I wouldn't dream of changing you Robbie."
He wouldn't have to if what little Stephanie was slipping him worked maybe someday he would get Robbie to eat just one apple.
"Your not fighting me on this?"
"No as long as you don't expect me to eat it."
"And have you killed I don't bloody think so."
Sportacus strangely wasn't getting the urge to move while he was with Robbie. Maybe they were good for each other. He would help Robbie bond with Stephanie and in return perhaps the man could teach him to sit still for a few moments.
"You need to move?"
"Strangely no."
"Good because I'll be damned if I loose my pillow."
Sportacus raised an eyebrow before kissing the man lightly again.
A few minutes later Stephanie sat next to them.
"Ziggy didn't want to play?"
"Can t he's grounded. And the other's are at Pixel s playing videogames. I tried the ship but it's lonely up there alone." She said laying her head on Sportacus's other knee.
"I'm your pillow as well as Robbie s?"
"You were mine first Pabbi but I'll share."
"You aint got a choice Pixie."
"So Robbie found us a house."
"Really! That s great."
"He's moving in to."
She squealed sat up and scooted over to Robbie before hugging him.
"Down Pixie. Guess this means your ok with it?"
"Of course I am!"