Our Future is in Our Past
By Captainkodak1
Chapter 7
Members of the Family
Another sneeze let Kim know that she and Ron needed to find some shelter and soon. Ron had his fortress of immunity, but right not they could not take any chances. After their little meeting with the mounted men, they had found their way to the intersecting road and made the turn. It started to rain soon after they had parted with the mounted men, then the rain had changed to freezing rain and sleet. By the time they had made the turn on the road it had started to snow. The road was just started to be covered when a dim light shown through the darkness. Ron pointed in the darkness to a shape that loomed out of the swirls of snow.
"KP, is that a house?"
Kim stared at the shape and recognized the blunt shape of a heavily built cottage nestled into the land on the left side of the road. A light shown through a window as the two of them made their way into the yard and toward the door. Pulling Kim next to him, Ron raised his hand and knocked on the door. Voices came from within as they heard wood rub on rub like chairs were being moved across the floor. It remained quiet for a moment, then there was the sound of the door being unlocked and it swung open to let a sliver of light out into the frigid darkness.
"What business do you have here?"
Kim's eyes quickly adjusted to the light. She could see a tall burly man standing at the slightly open door. His eyes scowled out to them, then softened.
Kim nodded to Ron.
"My name is Kim this is Ron we were looking for the Murphy family."
The man's hardened again.
"Just what would you be wanting with the Murphy family?"
Kim shivered for a moment.
"My mother was Anne Murphy, we have been looking for you for a long time. Ron and I hoped we could get shelter."
A tear flowed from the man's eye.
"Lord be praised, little Anne did have a family. I didn't think I would ever hear of her again. Come in child and your man too."
The man stepped back and held the door open wide. Turning he yelled across the room.
"Ahana! We need some dry clothes and blankets. Anne's daughter is here with her man. The bloody British seem to have been at it again."
Looking around as they enter the home Kim and Ron noticed the small family staring at them. The mother bustled into the main room from an open door. She had her arms full of blankets. A girl approximately Kim's age entered the room right behind her. She held some clothes. Two boys stared at them from across the room. Ron got a good look at the daughter. There was no doubt there was some resemblance. The wavy mane of red hair and green upon green eyes matched Kim's. Even the facial features were similar.
Ahana stepped over and helped Kim strip out of her clock and wrapped an blanket around her shoulder. Glancing over at her daughter, she gave Kim a little shove in the direction of door she just came out of.
"Eveleen, take her to your room and help her out of those wet clothes and into some dry ones."
Eveleen nodded and took Kim's arm and led her into the other room. Ahana looked over at her husband who was helping Ron out of his coat.
"Flynn, take that young man to the boy's room and help him out of those clothes and into some of yours. They'll be too big but for right now they'll do."
Flynn nodded to his wife then turned to Ron.
"Right mum, come on lad, let's get you out of them wet clothes and into something warmer."
Flynn led Ron up a set of stairs along the wall and upstairs.
The girl led Kim to a small room in the back of the house and closed the door behind her.
"Here now, let's get you out of those wet things. Looks like we are about the same size."
Eveleen turned and pulled a dress from a dresser along the wall.
"This ought to fit you fine. I'll let you get changed, just drop your wet things out the door and I'll take them to me mom."
Kim nodded.
"Th.. you."
Eveleen smiled.
"Tis nothing big as I like to say. You are family and we have to stick together in times like this. I'll go and see if I can't help mom get you something hot to eat."
Closing the door behind her, Eveleen left Kim alone in the room. Kim looked around the sparse room. It was not like the hut that she imagined most Irish lived in these times. She had heard most of them live in almost mud huts. Kim noticed the bed was like what they had at Blackbeard's house. A mattress stuffed with something on a rope net held by a wood frame. The cabinet that Eveleen got her dress out of was plain unadorned wood. Kim slipped her dress off onto the floor and slipped off the petticoat and the rest of the clothes that went with the rest of her outfit. Her experience last time had prepared her to deal with the variety of underclothes in the different time periods. Kim kept her underwear on and slipped the dress over her head. The cloth was some type of wool and itched a little, but it was warm. She picked up the wet clothes and took them to the door.
Eveleen was waiting on the other side of the door with some items in her hand. Taking the clothes from Kim, she handed the items to Kim. Kim noticed they were an older hairbrush, comb, and some ribbon.
"Here, mum brought these up for your hair. She thought you might want to fix it up. There is a mirror in the cabinet if you need it."
Kim smiled.
"Thanks, it'll feel good to get all these tangles out."
Eveleen nodded.
"Mum has some stew for you and your friend. I...I guess I need to ask. Are you two...?"
Kim shook her head.
"No, but I owe my life and everything to him. We've thought about it, but some how times just comes up and complicates things."
Eveleen blushed a little and giggled.
"He IS quite handsome, something about those ears is so attractive."
Kim laughed.
"Oh, I do love to tickle them when I can."
Both girls laughed for a few seconds. Then Eveleen turned to go into the main room.
"You can sleep in here with me. I hope you don't mind sharing."
Kim shook her head.
"No I don't mind. As long as you don't steal the covers."
Eveleen laughed.
"Come on into the kitchen when you are ready."
Kim nodded and stepped over to the bed to work on her hair.
Flynn lead Ron up a narrow set of stairs and into a room in the attic. There were two beds against one wall and a tall dresser. A table with a pitcher and basin sat on table. Flynn lit a lamp on the table and laid the cloths next to it.
"Now there young man, I hope ye don't mind if we have a little chat while you change?"
Ron hesitated for a moment with memories of Mr. Possible in his mind. He calmed down a second later. The two of them had already discussed what to say in certain situations so their stories would always match. He shook his head as he got out of his wet clothes.
"No sir. I don't mind."
Flynn nodded.
"Now, Ron is it?"
Ron nodded.
Flynn continued.
"Now Ron. I would like to know about you and my niece."
Ron thought for a moment.
"Kim is more than my best friend. I don't know what we would have done without each other."
Flynn's eyes rose.
"So the two of you are not..."
Ron finished for him.
"Married? No, sir. We have thought about it I guess but we never seem to get the time to go further than that."
Flynn nodded.
"Well then, I guess you won't mind sleeping up here with the boys. Kim can sleep with my daughter."
Ron nodded as he pulled the dry clothes on.
"No sir. I don't mind."
Flynn settled back.
"Now, I must say your accents are a little different. Are you English?"
Ron shook his head.
"No sir, we are American. Kim's mom, your sister, married an American man and moved to the U.S. Kim's dad was in the army and stationed out west. Her mom died when Kim was little and she barely knew her. My folks were on the same post so Kim's dad asked if they would look after her when he got sent to fight in Mexico. He made arrangements for another family to look after Kim's two brothers. Well, Kim heard what was happening here and remembered that her mom had family here. So she was coming to find out about her family here in Ireland. I have to tell you when she gets something on her mind there is no way you are going to change it. So I came along because I wanted to help Kim and was not going to let her take the trip alone. But someone on the ship stole all our money so the ship's crew just dumped us off in port."
Flynn's eyes hardened.
"The bloody British. Well, lad. Looks like you came at a poor time. But that is talk for later. Let's get you downstairs and something warm into you."
Ron finished changing and picked up his wet clothes. Flynn's clothes were a bit big but they were warm at least. Flynn blew out the lamp and led Ron back downstairs.
Nodding to the servant, Shego took the cup of tea from the tray as the servant held it before her. Settling back into her chair, her eyes gaze over to the young officer who had stopped by for morning tea. His resemblance to Monty was uncanny.
"Well Lt. I take it that you had an interesting evening last night. I heard you were on eviction duty with Squire Malcombe."
Fisk smiled at Shego as he stirred his tea and picked up a cracker from the tray.
"Ahhh yes, it was such a dreary duty. And the Squire's temper does not lead for a pleasant evening. I must say the only real interesting point of the evening was coming upon a couple out in the countryside looking for some family."
Shego dropped a lump of sugar into her tea and started to stir it.
"Is that so, what would be so interesting about some Irish."
Fisk munched on his cracker.
"For one thing, the young lady was quite pretty. Her large mane of red hair and those green eyes could captivate any man. Too bad she was apparently already taken as she was traveling with a blond haired young man. You don't see a lot of blond hair in these parts"
Shego forced herself to maintain her composure. Could they be this lucky?
"What makes you think they were a couple?"
Fisk took a sip of his tea.
"Well, they introduced themselves as Ron and Kim Stoppable. Now that is an odd name. They didn't sound Irish either. I could not quite place the accent. Not English, not Irish, maybe American, but what would Americans be doing here? They were looking for a local family."
Shego nearly dropped her cup when Fisk told her the names. Lady Luck had smiled upon her. She knew that Kimmie and the buffoon were already here. Now if Fisk just knew where they were headed.
"So, did you know the family they were looking for?"
Fisk nodded.
"Oh yes, the family is quite well known in these parts. They are fairly well to do but I don't know how long that will last. They try and help some of the other families in the area so they are not well regarded by many of the landowners, especially the Squire. One of my men made a pass at the daughter and she nearly broke his jaw. Her temper matches that red hair of hers."
Shego took a slight breath. She knew the name of the family she was looking for. Now if it just matched the family Fisk was talking about.
"What is the name of the family?"
Fisk finished his cup of tea.
"Murphy, Flynn Murphy."
Leaning forward as she picked up the teapot, she smiled demurely at Lt. Fisk.
"More tea Lt. Fisk?"
Running her hand through her hair, Kim glanced around the room. Sunlight was coming in through the small window set high in the wall. Eveleen was up dressed as she came into the room. She had Kim's clothes in her arms.
"Here are you clothes, mom had them hanging by the fire all last night and they are nice and dry. Your shoes are dry too. Come on in the kitchen when you are ready. Mom has some breakfast on the table. Your Ron is already up and eating."
Kim nodded and pushed the covers off of her. The plain nightgown she had on was comfortable and warm. Pulling the nightgown over her head, she dropped it onto the bed. Picking up her dress, she put it on quickly along with her shoes and socks. Running her brush through her hair a couple of times, she headed out the door to find Ron sitting at the table with Eveleen's two brothers. Eveleen was standing with her mother at the fireplace. She ladled something onto a plate and placed it on the table next to Ron. Kim sat down and looked at her plate, there were potatoes and cabbage with a little meat on it. There was a pitcher on the table along with a number of mugs. Ron picked up the pitcher and poured what appeared to be milk into a mug for her. Kim started to eat. It was a little bland but it was hot and filling.
It was about the same thing that they had been served the evening before. Except that the milk didn't have the extra in it from the night before. Kim had been very thirsty when she had gotten to the table late that night. Picking up her mug she had taken a couple of gulps of the warm milk before she realized there was something extra in it, as in whiskey. Kim and Ron were not used to something like that. The drink burned down her throat and set her to coughing. Ron rubbed her back as she got her breath back. The burning in her throat was replaced by a glowing warmth and she started to feel warm all over starting with her stomach. The late heavy supper, the little something in the milk along with the long walk they had before they got to the house enabled Kim to go to sleep the second her head hit the pillow.
Flynn came in from outside and sat down at the table across from Kim.
"Ron told me part of how and why you came to be here. My Anne passed after you were born?"
Kim slowly nodded and bowed her head.
"Yes, she...she got sick a couple of years after I was born giving birth to my brothers. I really don't remember her. Ron's parents raised me as much as my own father did."
Sighing, Flynn stood and walked around the table. He bent over and gave Kim a hug from behind.
"Well, we thank you for coming so far to help a family that you have never known. You are family and you are welcome to stay as long as you want. We welcome the help. I will also say that to find a young man willing to come so far just to help you and to stay by your side speaks a lot of him."
Flynn stood up and stared over at Ron.
"Ron, my boy, as Anne's brother, I thank you for coming with Kim. You two may not be married but son, you are family to us."
Flynn walked around the table and shook hands with Ron. He took a seat again next to Ron.
"Now then, you two seem to know some of what is going on. Between the potato blight and the landlords around here it's amazing the more have not died. I guess you know that food is being exported out of Ireland by the boatload to line English pockets while the Irish workers starve to death."
Ron nodded.
"Yes sir, the boat we came on was going to be loaded with some grain to go back to England. We were surprised to see it. Some of the dock worker looked like they were going to collapse from working."
Flynn was getting ready to say something else when Ahana came up and touched Kim on the shoulder as she took a seat next to Kim.
"Tell me, how did you find your way here?"
Setting her fork on her plate, Kim turned to face her.
"Well, we knew from my dad that mom's family was supposed to be in this area. So we just walked up here. We tried asking a few places, sometimes they would help us and sometimes they would slam the door in our faces. I guess our accent didn't help. Well, late last night a group of men on horseback ran up on us. It was a group of soldiers and big fat man."
Kim caught the glance between the husband and wife so she continued.
"There was an officer, a Lt. Fisk. He seemed nice enough, but the fat man, he...he was not. He spent most of his time cursing at us or trying to get the officer to arrest us. The officer kept calling him "Squire" or "Squire Malcombe". It was Lt Fisk that told us how to get here. He mentioned something about Eveleen hitting some soldier."
The concerned looks on the parent's faces changed to slight humor. Flynn gave a short laugh.
"Yes my daughter is quite headstrong, but this time I approved of her actions. No young lady should have to be approached like that. But I fear it will cause trouble. This Squire Malcombe is the foulest of the lot around here with Lt. Fisk's father not far behind. Those two use Lt. Fisk as their whim to do what they please. There are new evictions each day. We will have to see what happens. But for now, Ron? I need you to to go with me to work on a road project. It doesn't pay much but at least it's money. The boys, Eveleen and Kim will work the farm and property. We are a little more lucky than others around here. We try and help as much as we can but I have a feeling that Malcombe and Fisk are looking for a way to hurt or get rid of us."
Ron nodded.
"I'll be glad to help sir. Hard work is not new to me. Kim and I have had to work a lot of different jobs at different times so I think we can fit right in."
Eveleen came into the room and put her hands on Kim's shoulders.
"I will be glad to have the help. Those two brothers of mine tend to want to play jokes instead of work. Another set of eyes looking out for them will be welcome."
Kim laughed.
"I have two younger brothers back home so I know what you are talking about. I'll be glad to help. What's do we do first?"
Eveleen handed Kim her coat.
"We have to get the eggs from the chickens while my brothers check on the hogs."
Kim's thoughts went back to the time the class was on the class trip at that old time farm and the trouble Bonnie had with the chickens.
"Well, let's get to work."
Flynn handed Ron his coat.
"Come on Ron my boy, let's get to the work site."
Walking around the table as she put on her coat, Kim walked up to Ron and gave him a hug.
"Be careful."
They broke apart to see Flynn and Ahana looking at them.
Kim blushed as she stepped back.
"Sorry, we've been on our own for awhile so..."
Ahana just laughed and waved her hand at Kim.
"Don't worry Kim. If Eveleen had as fine a man as you appear to do, I would not mind a little hug once in awhile, just at long as that is far as it goes if you get my meaning young lady. You may not be my daughter but you are my niece and I'll turn you over my knee just as fast as I will Eveleen."
Both Kim and Ron blushed even more as Kim shook her head.
"You won't have to worry."
Kim turned to Eveleen.
"Come on Eveleen, let's get to work."
So Kim and Ron have found her ancestors. Now they have to find out what they can do to help. They know Shego and Drakken might be around but when and where they will appear they don't know.
Shego was all the info she needs to put a hurting on Kim, Ron and the family.
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This is the Captain
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