Jaye drove to her sister-in-laws house with a box next to her on the seat. She was driving up the driveway when she looked inside the box and smiled. Inside was a tiny snub-nosed calico kitten that she found next to her porch steps that morning. Someone had obviously dumped it near the house somewhere instead of taking the tiny thing to the humane society. She reached into the box and petted the tiny kitten.
She pulled to a stop next to the house and climbed out of the truck and carried the box up to the front door. She opened the door, letting herself in. "Nancy, come see what I found this morning!!!" she called out as she shut the door behind her.
A barking greeting answered her instead and Cassie emerged from the study, heading for the visitor, and sat right in front, demanding a pat on the head.
Nancy came out after the collie, holding the evil plastic thing named Samantha who had been given to her years ago from her brother. A brush was held in her right hand. "You found the missing alien!" she assumed. "I thought Dashie buried him two decades ago." She smiled. "What's in the box?"
"Come see," Jaye said with a bright twinkle in her eye as she patted the collie on her head.
Nancy inched closer, her brown hair falling around the box, and she peeked inside. "A Kitten!" she exclaimed happily. Then she looked at her sister-in-law's face, which looked nervous, and a little green, matching her sundress. "Dash doesn't know about her, huh?"
Cassie gave another bark, sniffing towards the box.
"No, not yet," Jaye said worriedly. "I want to keep her though. But what if he says no?"
"Well, you could start crying," Nancy smirked, patting the calico kitten. "You know how he is when he sees you crying!" She held Samantha tightly in her arms, the brown hair doll's curls dangling near the box's edge, where the kitten playfully swatted at the hair. "What are you going to name her?"
"I was thinking about Alexis. What do you think?" Jaye asked smiling at her little find.
"Sounds like the character from Dynasty," Nancy said, scrunching her nose. "How about Bella?"
"Nah." Jaye shook her head. "How about Aingeal. Its Gaelic for a heavenly messenger, an angel."
"I like it! She was sent to you!" Nancy smiled, continuing to pet the kitten. "The only thing is that this angel is going to meet the devil, if you know what I mean!" She giggled, watching the kitten try and tackle the lock of the doll's hair.
"He better be nice to her or I'll make him sleep out in the barn," Jaye teased.
"It's like not the first time he slept in there," Nancy giggled. "Let me get this little thing some water, and something to eat. It looks like its starving." She then looked up at her best friend. "Want something to eat too?"
"No. Not hungry," Jaye said as she sat the box down on the floor next to the couch.
Cassie stationed herself next to Jaye, while keeping a close eye on the little rascal of a kitten.
Nancy rushed into the kitchen to get the little starving creature some food and water. "Morning sickness?" she asked.
"Yes, not as bad as with Cayden though," Jaye answered.
"Maybe it's a girl this time," Nancy stated, walking out of the kitchen with a saucer in her hands. She placed it down on the floor, right next to the little cat. The kitten immediately dived at the food. "Well, someone is hungry!" She sat down next to Jaye, placing Samantha on her lap.
"You know, you should have a real baby. You'd be a fantastic mother," Jaye told her sister-in-law.
"Ehh..yeah," Nancy slowly replied, holding the doll tighter in her arms, right on her stomach. She felt her stomach tighten from the mentioning of the word 'baby' and quickly added, "But I think I'm more parental with the animals."
Jaye noticed this and looked at Nancy with question filled eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Hey, hey," Nancy looked down at the kitten who was eating the food in the bowl with most of her body in it too. "Look at you." She placed the doll next to her, and picked up the small bundle. "You are surely a messy eater!" She stood up, trying to flee from the answer, hoping she could. "You need to be cleaned up!"
"Meow!" the kitten said, glancing around, wanting to flee itself.
"Nancy, come on, tell me what's wrong," Jaye said gently, standing up and putting her hand on Nancy's shoulder.
"Why do you think something is wrong?" Nancy asked, her eyes dancing in the edge of fear, hoping she did not know of their problems
"Nancy...I'm just going to come right out and say it. I heard you guys last week," Jaye said as she gently stroked Nancy's hair.
Nancy's entire face turned whiter then the white shirt she wore, and she slowly sat down on the couch. "Yo-you-heard us?" she said in a small trembling voice. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes. The kitten scrambled from her clutches and raced into the kitchen.
Cassie stood up and followed the little runaway with an, "Woof!"
"Yes," Jaye said sitting back down next to her. "Only me."
Nancy took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Allie, don't let Dash find out about Brad, please," she begged, taking the doll back into her arms and holding her tightly once again. "If he finds out he took Wilma, we may have a G. I. JOE war on our hands."
"I won't tell him," Jaye promised. "Did you have a miscarriage?"
The question startled the other woman, glancing at the ex-covert operative agent, who was very blunt with the questions. "I-I'm sorry, what?" she asked, not hearing the question correctly.
"I know something happened. I got that much from what the two of you said. Was it a miscarriage?" Jaye asked gently, her arm went around the other woman's shoulders.
"No Allie, it wasn't a miscarriage," Nancy said, gently stroking the doll's hair. Her eyes avoided the green ones that studied her more closely.
"Honey, talk to me. We're all each other has anymore. I'll help however I can but you have to tell me what's going on," Jaye said gently.
For the first time since she had met the youngest Faireborn sibling, Nancy leaned against Jaye's shoulders and broke down, weeping tears of pain and sorrow. Her entire body shook, wanting to release the secrets she had kept bottled inside.
"It's alright," Jaye said soothingly. She held her tight and stroked her hair. "I'm here. Just let it all out it will make you feel better."
Nancy continued to let out all of her tears, letting them slide down her cheeks and down on the doll's face, making it look as if it too was crying. "Everything is a mess," she finally admitted while sobbing. "And it's all— all my –fault."
"How is it all your fault?" Jaye asked gently as she continued to hold her.
"I pushed my husband away," Nancy answered in a tiny voice, feeling the words tumble out, finally letting some truth sink in. She held the doll tighter in her hands, wrinkling the pink dress, and for the first time, she didn't care.
"What do you mean you pushed your husband away?" Jaye asked her holding her tighter and prayed that her husband wouldn't come looking for her. He had told her to stay home today because she had been sick off and on all night.
Nancy rose her head slightly, looking directly into the caring green eyes. "Allie," she closed her eyes before finishing her answer. "Brad and I can't have any children."
Jaye sat silent for a moment and then kissed Nancy forehead, motherly. "Oh, Nancy," She stroked the older woman's long brown hair. "Is Brad's Sky Striker shooting off blank missiles?"
"No!" Nancy immediately answered, her eyes growing wide. "No Allie, Brad is fine." She moved slightly away, her body quivering from the aftermath of her emotions. "I'm the problem, not my husband. I can't have any children, not now or ever."
"Have you looked into all possibilities?" Jaye asked her, her heart going out to her best friend.
Nancy sighed. "I don't think Brad and I have really talked about it. For the moment we just have it slip by," she said in a soft tone.
"Well, you and I are not going to let it just slip by. We are going to call around and look things up on the Internet and figure out what other options you have," Jaye said with great determination.
"Allie," Nancy spoke gently, taking Jaye's hand in hers. "Thank you for wanting to help, but I think it's too late." She let go of her sister-in-law's hand and rose up, holding the evil plastic thing in her arms, like holding a real child. "I know Brad wants a child, just like I do, that is why…" She slowly sat on the sofa's arm, her right hand resting on her left, touching the wedding band on her fourth finger. "I love my husband too much to see him like this. He deserves someone who can make a family with him, that's why I decided to let him go." Her last words felt like poison, sinking in, realizing what she had just said.
"WHAT?!" Jaye exclaimed standing up. "You can't do that!" She started pacing. "There are all kinds of options out there from adoption, surrogacy, in-vitro fertilization, fertility drugs. You can't do this. You need to wait and see what happens. To hell with his gambling. We'll get him some help!!!"
Nancy's heart jumped to her throat. She half listened to the words but one caught her attention, one word that had made their marriage turn dangerously destroyed. She gulped. "Allie, you know about his gambling?" she asked with slight fear in her voice.
"I've known for a while," Jaye admitted. "I've just never said anything."
"It's that obvious, huh?" Nancy asked, glancing down at the doll's dark curls. "He's lost with the gambling. He got himself too deep, and I try to help as much as I can, but whatever I do, I don't think it's helping. He pushed me away, like I did to him."
"Well, then, maybe I should do something. I've got connections. I can get him the help he needs discreetly," Jaye offered.
"No Allie," Nancy declined the offer sincerely. "He won't take the help. He's too proud to admit that he has a problem." Her eyes transformed from warm to a ghostly far off state. "Sometimes I think it's his way out from his sorrows. He's been never the same since he was dismissed from the Joes because of his night blindness. Or maybe it's just me that sent him down again to his gambling, deeper then he ever was."
"He has night blindness?" Jaye asked in shock.
Nancy stared at her in surprise. "You didn't know?" Her heart jumped, now scared if she had revealed her husband's secret. "Does Dash know?"
"No and he doesn't need to know either," Jaye told her. "We could have Brad committed for a few days to get him a jumpstart on help."
"Brad's going to kill me!" Nancy stated, her hand flying to her forehead. Her heart now roared in her chest like a wild Sky Striker heading for a landing with no airstrip.
Just then footsteps sounded on the porch and the squeaking of the door opening. "I'm telling you Brad, first my horse is missing, and now my wife!" Flint's voice came to their ears and in seconds the warrant officer was stepping into the living room, stopping dead in his tracks, with the air pilot right behind them.
Flint scanned the scene in front of him of his wife and his sister, who looked like she had been crying. "Well, at least we found them!" he grumbled, while walking over to his wife. "You are so grounded!" He bent down and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
"I'm sorry, Dash, I asked Allie to come here," Nancy said in a small voice, glancing quickly toward her husband, not knowing what to say to him about her appearance.
"Hey, it's all right," Flint walked over to his little sister, and knelt in front of her, taking her hand in his. "Is-" he went to ask when he felt a sharp pain on his pants. "OW!" he cried out, standing up, and glancing down to spot something small and furry dangling from the middle of his pants, right on his groin area. "HELL!"
The kitten hung, its claws still pierced in the fabric and a "meeeoarrrr" shot through the air.
Flint pointed at his groin area with the attached furball. "What is this?"
"Meoooorrr," cried out the kitten again.
"Ummm...It's a kitten. I found her this morning next to the front steps. I named her Aingeal," Jaye told him as she picked up the tiny little creature.
Ace looked at his wife wondering what was the matter with her.
"Sorry Allie, but you are not keeping it," Flint stated, crossing his arms and eyeing the little kitten with a death stare. He hated cats and everyone knew it.
Nancy closed her eyes. "Here we go," she muttered under her breath, knowing that a Joe war would easily start that moment in her household.
Ace walked over and stood next to his wife pulling her close to him.
"But Dash, her name means a gift from heaven. She was sent to me I know it," Jaye argued.
"Then return the gift!" Flint stated, not wanting to change his decision. "You are not keeping that beast!"
The kitten hissed at the warrant officer.
Jaye looked as if he had just killed her best friend.
"Ummm...Dash..." Ace tried to intervene.
Jaye burst into tears and ran with the kitten in her arms to the kitchen.
"Oh, that was very nicely done," Nancy scolded, shaking her head towards her brother. She tried to get up from the couch's arm, but Ace's signal of pushing her back down told her to stay put.
Flint shook his head. "All right," he muttered, his features turning softer. He strode towards the kitchen, and peeked inside. "Allie?" He spotted her by the table, sitting in one of the chairs, and the kitten on her lap, purring. "Hey, I didn't mean to make you cry."
"Yeah, sure you didn't." Jaye said sniffling. She was not playing, she had really been crying.
"I'm sorry, but you know I don't like cats," Flint reminded her gently. He walked into the kitchen, eyeing the furball as if it was Cobra Commander under those whiskers.
"But I do," Jaye said sadly. "I miss Adalaid too." She cried remembering her tiny pug dog that died the past winter.
"I know, I miss her too," he said, while walking next to her and touched her shoulders, starting to massage them.
The kitten once again kissed and swatted towards Flint's groin area once again with a "Rrrrrr!"
"Evil creature, ain't it," the warrant officer stated truthfully, trying to maneuver away from the sharp tiny claws.
"It's because she knows you don't like her," Jaye said petting the kitten to calm her down.
"I'd rather be dealing with Serpentor on a date!" Flint joked, continuing to massager her shoulders. "You all right? I went to the house to pick up some papers and you were gone. Thought you went in the fields."
"I found the kitten and brought it over here," Jaye said as she got the kitten to purr again.
"So my little sister lied," Flint teased, now knowing the whole truth of her whereabouts. He took a deep breath. "Fine, you can keep the kitten."
Jaye smiled giddily and got up a little too quickly.
Flint lost his balance and fell with a thud on the floor. He looked up at his wife in surprise for a second before he burst into laughter. "I guess that made you happy!" he stated, placing his hand on his head.
Jaye knelt down on the floor next to him, kitten still in hand and kissed Flint fully on the lips.
He wrapped his arms carefully around her, not wanting to squish the new family member, and deepened the kiss, sending sparks flying everywhere.
"Are you two going at it on my kitchen floor?" Nancy asked from the doorway, causing them to break off the kiss and stare at her with rosy cheeks.
"Ummm...no. We were just heading home," Jaye said and looked at Flint. "Right, Dash?"
Ace walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
"Ehh...ye--yeah," Flint stammered, helping his wife up from the floor. "We're going home for a nice nap." He grinned at his wife. "Without the kitten." He then chuckled watching her features turned stone deadly. "Just joking!" He kissed her on the side of the head.
Cassie mumbled from under the kitchen table, then placed her head back on the floor.
"Meow!" came from the fluff ball.
"No, you are not going to join us in bed!" Flint told the kitten who hissed at him.
Nancy giggled, starting to relax in her husband's embrace, though felt a little uneasy from her conversation with Jaye.
"I'll talk to you later, Nan," Jaye said as her and Flint left.
Nancy listened to the door slam as her brother and his wife rushed out of the house, starting to tickle each other while calling each other names. She caught a glimpse of them from the screen window.
"Scardy Cat!"
"Rag Muffin!"
"Allie! You pulled down my pants!" Flint shouted, while walking after his wife, who stuck her tongue out at him.
"Serves you right, you meatball head!" Jaye shouted back, ducking away from his reach. "You gotten old, Faireborn!"
"I'll show you old!" Flint stated, grabbing her with one swift move and started running at top speed towards their home.
Nancy turned to her husband, trying to break the awkwardness she was feeling. "They never grow up, do they?"
"That's all part of their charm," Ace said as he kissed her neck.
"You're home early," Nancy stated, closing her eyes from his lips touching her skin. "Not that I'm complaining."
"Yeah. I know I've been gone a lot. I want you to know that no matter what, you are the only one for me," he told her genuinely.
Nancy wanted nothing more then for the floor to split open and swallow her whole from the guilt that now dominated her heart. The words came back to her like a haunting dream, trying to emerge to life. She slowly wrapped her arms around her husband's waist, and held him close, finding herself rekindling the touch she missed for these past few months. "Brad, you mean everything to me," she said truthfully. "Always remember that."
"I do, Honeybear." Ace kissed the top of her head.
The guilt in her conscious made Nancy drop her hands to her sides, leaving his hold. She glanced up towards the crystal blue eyes, that only showed how deep he cared for her, and she closed hers. She didn't want to break down again.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Ace asked and then noticed the doll with the wrinkled dress.
Before Nancy had even a chance to respond to his question, which she wanted more then anything to divert away from him, he passed her and picked up Samantha, who had been sitting on the couch, waiting for someone to pay some attention to her. Nancy spotted the loose ribbon, and the curls that had been messed by the little rascal of a cat. "Poor Sam," she said, walking towards her husband, not wanting for him to go up the stairs to the evil plastic things room. Her heart now hammered in her chest. "Here Brad, I'll fix her," she reached for her treasured toy.
"What's going on, Nancy? You never let your dolls look like this for even a minute," Ace said as he held the doll out to see.
"Umm," Nancy bit her lower lip for a second. "Well, Allie's kitten started playing with Samantha's hair. I didn't get a chance to brush her again."
Ace put the doll down on the couch and started to head upstairs.
"Honey, where are you going?" Nancy asked quickly, panic rising in her throat. No! Raced through her head, all ready knowing his destination. "Brad, I have the brush down here!"
Ace didn't answer. He went straight to the doll room. "What the hell..."
"SHOOT!" Nancy shouted in her head, starting to run up the stairs and into the evil plastic things room. Her heart now pounded so fierce in her chest she thought it might explode.
Ace stood there, motionless, his eyes wide from shock. It had to be shock. He glanced slowly around the room, his blue eyes not believing what he was seeing. The room, Nancy's little treasure chest that held enough dolls to create a Synthoid army, and books for a public library was totally empty! Nothing stood on the shelves. Nothing was displayed. No beds, no tables and chairs where the evil plastic things had tea. Even the three evil plastic things that were made to be Jaye, Scarlett and Cover Girl were gone. Empty like a poor man's wallet.
He strode to the closet and barged the door open, finding it too, empty. No dresses, no shoes, no hair ribbons for the plastic things, nothing. Everything was gone, vanished. "What the hell?" went through his mind again.
"Brad?" Nancy asked in the smallest terrified voice that she had ever uttered, being caught of her doing.
"What did you do?" Ace demanded, still staring into the empty closet.
Nancy stood there, watching his face, which was mixed with emotions. Was he angry? Was he upset? Was he both? She didn't know. But she didn't want to tell him, he may never forgive her. Would he? She took a step backwards, trying to flee from his questions.
Ace turned around. "Why did you do this, Nancy?"
"I-is that the phone ringing?" Nancy quickly asked, turning around and rushing out of the room. He found out! Damn it! She wanted him to know, but not like this. Her heart now slammed in her chest while she headed towards the staircase.
"Don't you run away from me," Ace said, his voice sounding hurt.
"I don't have the slight intention of running away," Nancy answered, rushing down the stairs.
Ace felt a tremendous wave of guilt wash over him. He knew precisely what had happened to those things and why.
Nancy heard his own thundering footsteps rushing down the stairs. She quickly maneuvered her way towards the living room when Cassie came bouncing out of the kitchen, wanting to play with her owner. She turned away from the collie, which barked playfully and slammed against on a solid object, her husband. 'I'm so dead,' she thought, glancing up at his face.
Ace just pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, Honeybear. I'm so, so sorry."
"I-I sold them," Nancy finally managed to say, smothered in his embrace.
"Please, forgive me," he said very softly.
Nancy's lips curved to a small smile. "Brad, I did it for you," she said truthfully, touching his cheek with her hand, letting the wedding band touch his two-day-old unshaven face. "I thought this was the only way I could help out."
"But I never wanted you to do that," Ace admitted, feeling his heart start to break.
Nancy sighed, taking her hand in his, and led him back up the stairs, towards the evil plastic thing room— only this time, she passed the now open door, and headed to their bedroom. She pushed the door open, allowing him to see a small glimpse, before she led him inside. "I couldn't sell all of them," she said, pointing to the display case in the room.
Ace let go of her hand, and slowly walked over to where several dolls were displayed. There, he noticed the three special dolls that were given to her from her family. A long haired one from her mother, a short haired redhead from her sister Brenna, and a curly haired one from her nieces, then his eyes traveled to the enchanted mythical one that Jaye had given her last year. But his eyes turned softer as he reached out, touching one of the lock's of a redhead's. The identical faces of Scarlett, Jaye and Cover Girl smiled at him. The three dolls that were given by him, on their first Christmas together, including the miniature Sky Striker.
"I couldn't part with them, they came from the people I love," Nancy said right behind him.
Ace pulled her tightly into his embrace as a lone tear ran down his cheek. He would make this better, he had too.