Chapter Eight:

Two And Two Together

Babs shut off the T.V after watching the interview. It was the first time she had actually seen Annie, and she was none too pleased about it. All the things that had bugged her over the past six months were suddenly starting to make sense.

The nervous edge that appeared in Buster's tone at the slightest mention of Annie's name. The never ending list of excuses he had made to prevent them from meeting face to face. His sudden insistence on having her in his film. His evasive response when she questioned him about the incident in the papers. The rabbit's feet had pretty much said it all.

But that was impossible, right? This was Buster she was talking about after all. Her husband! Her imagination was simply getting the better of her she told herself. Yet that nagging feeling remained, and she soon found herself snooping around in Buster's things.

She eventually stumbled upon a disc hidden between the pages of a book at the bottom of a draw in his desk. 'Words' was the title written on the face of it. She popped the disc into the computer and waited for it to read, then opened one of the files and watched as a video started. The image of Annie sitting in her stroller appeared on the screen.

"Mommy." Annie said as she pointed to one side. "Daddy." She said as she pointed to the other side. Whoever she was pointing at remained silent for a moment.

"She just called me Mommy." Dot said.

"She just called me Daddy." Buster said. Babs instantly recognized the sound of their voices.

"She just said her first words!" Dot and Buster said in unison.

"A tape recorder! We need a tape recorder or something in case she says it again!" Buster said.

"No need, I've been wired for sound and images since the day Annie took her first steps. This flower in my hair is really a digital video camera." Dot said as she pointed to the flower.

"Normally, I would say that's just a bit extreme. But ya can't argue with results." Buster said. "Incidentally, could I get a copy of that video later?" He asked.

"Sure." Dot replied. "She's just as much your daughter as she is mine after all." She added. Then the video abruptly ended. It was then that Babs happened to notice Buster's reflection in the partially darkened monitor. He gave a nervous grin, realizing she could see him. Her blood began to boil and she turned to face him.

"Why you blue eared devil, I ought'a clobber you!" Babs said as she rose and stalked towards him.

"Babs, Babsie, I can explain." Buster said as he backed away nervously. "See, no one actually had a baby. This bird just came along and left her at the tower. And somehow, according to a genetic test, she happens to be our biological daughter." He explained.

The following morning, Buster woke to find himself laying on the floor with a splitting headache and a swollen left eye.