Note: Made some corrections and additions to past chapters. I can't believe no one had suggestions for romantic scenes for Duke and Jennifer. Bowie is named after David Bowie in homage to his character in Labyrinth, and Babs is named after Babs Bunny from Tiny Toons.

I apologize in advance if Nathan and Jennifer act too out of character. Hopefully the chapter will explain their actions. If not, please let me know, and I'll clear it up.

Ch. 8: Big Brother is Watching You . . . Again

Nathan looked at Audrey and smiled as they rode their horses through the forest. This is the happiest he'd been on this visit. Sir Howard and King Garland had to return to their respected regions to handle internal personal business.

This means that Nathan had 5 days to spend alone with Audrey. However, he knew Sir Howard would pay people to spy on them. So Nathan told the staff that he and Audrey would be doing 'wildness training' to prevent prying eyes. This was great: just he and Audrey together, no one to bother them, no interruptions, and no stress.

"You know, I think Jennifer's rubbing off on you," Audrey said, getting Nathan's attention.

"In what way?" Nathan asked, smiling at her.

"You haven't told me where we're camping," Audrey said.

"We're going to turn over here," Nathan said, directing Blue. After he waved some bugs away from his face, he noticed Audrey wasn't with him. He stopped Blue, and looked back. "What's wrong?"

"Nathan, if we go this direction, it will take us to Rouge Pond," Audrey said.

"Didn't you like it there?"

"I did, but Duke—"

"Duke does not own Rouge Pond; he protects and maintains it," Nathan said as he rode back to Audrey and stopped next to Lucy. He then leaned in close to her. "Plus, no one else knows how to get there."

Audrey's eyes widen, understanding Nathan's words. "Where—"

"I think we lost them when we entered the forest," Nathan said. Audrey sighed as the sun set.

"It would be harder to track us in the dark, unless we stay here talking," Audrey said. "Plus if anyone could relate to have privacy, it's Duke."

Nathan nodded and they both trotted their horses off to Rouge Pond.

"I think that's enough," Audrey said as Nathan lit another lantern to give them enough light to see when they reached Rouge Pond.

"How about I start a fire and cook us dinner, while you begin to unpack?" Nathan suggested.

"Ooh, you read my mind; I like it," Audrey said, smiling.

Audrey and Nathan kissed before he left to collect firewood. He was about to return, when Nathan heard something that made him stop.

"Are you sure about this, Duke?" Jennifer's voice asked.

"You did ask me, and I said it was possible," Duke's voice responded. "Now, are you going to get on or just stand there?"

"There you are, Nathan," Audrey said, walking up to him. "Where did you pack—"

Nathan quickly put down the firewood and motioned for Audrey to be quiet, as he continued to listen.

"I don't know if I can fit," Jennifer's voice said.

"Just spread your legs and hop on," Duke's voice said.

Nathan drew his sword and ran to the voices; Audrey followed him.

"Okay," Jennifer's voice said.

"Good; now, up we go," Duke's voice said.

"Oh, my!"

"Just hold on tight; wrap your legs around if you're afraid you're going to fall off."

"Got it."

"We'll start off slow."

"Right."

"How are you doing?"

"This is really fun! Can we go faster?"

"Yeah!"

"Ah-ha!" Nathan exclaimed, with his sword ready when he reached them and saw . . .

. . . Jennifer on Dwight's back while Duke was watching them. When Audrey reached them, Dwight stopped and joined Duke and Jennifer staring in confusion at the new arrivals.

"Audrey? Nathan?" Jennifer asked, puzzled.

"What are you doing here?" Duke asked.

"Never mind me. What are you doing here, riding a bear?" Nathan asked, after he sheathed his sword and walked up to Jennifer. Dwight laid down so Jennifer could dismount.

"I like to visit Duke, remember?" Jennifer said, somewhat annoyed. "I wondered what it would be like riding a bear, and Duke asked Dwight if that was if that was okay, and Dwight was happy to help."

"And you allowed her?" Nathan asked, turning to face Duke.

"I was watching," Duke said. "You still haven't explained why you are here."

"Audrey and I are going to spend some time together," Nathan said, glaring at Duke. "We're not doing anything to hurt Rouge Pond."

"Which is why we should get back to unpack," Audrey said, trying to get Nathan away.

"Oh, me too," Jennifer remembered, making Nathan look at her.

"You're staying here? Where?" Nathan questioned her.

"Hey, back off," Duke said, stepping in front of Nathan. "Just because you have a sword, doesn't give you the right to push people around."

"It does when it involves a low-life royal brat like you," Nathan said, glaring at Duke.

"Oh, you think you're tough? You may have a sword, but I have a bear," Duke shot back.

Dwight's eyes widen in disbelief and made some growling-grumbling sounds, which caught Duke's attention.

"What do you mean 'don't get me involve?' I thought you had my back, Dwight," Duke asked. Dwight continued to talk as he turned around and walked off. "Come on! This is not a 'petty human squabble!' Dwight!"

Duke followed Dwight, pleading with him to return. Nathan walked up to Jennifer.

"Do Vince and Dave know you're here?" Nathan asked.

"Kind of . . .?" Jennifer reluctantly said. "They know I'm helping someone who is cursed, and I told them that I wanted to spend a few days with him for support."

"You call this support?" Nathan exclaimed, gesticulating around the woods.

Before either Audrey or Jennifer could talk, Duke returned.

"Well, Dwight's not coming back, but he is willing to be ridden," Duke said and looked at Jennifer. "He must really like you."

Jennifer smiled. "Let's return to your cabin."

"Sure," Duke said, offering an arm and Jennifer took it.

"Wait! His cabin?" Nathan asked, disgusted.

"Yes, Nathan. I am staying at Duke's cabin," Jennifer said. "It's what people do when they're a couple."

Audrey proudly smiled, while Nathan looked like his brain just got fried.

"You and . . . him?" Nathan slowly got out.

"That's the definition of a couple," Duke said with a wide grin.

"Jennifer, you can't be serious," Nathan said.

Jennifer looked hurt, while Duke looked like he was about to hit Nathan. Audrey had enough.

"Now I see the real reason you wanted to stay at Rouge Pond," Audrey said, crossing her arms across her chest. "You wanted to flirt with Duke."

Nathan whipped his head back to stare at Audrey in disbelief, giving Duke and Jennifer a chance to escape, laughing together.

"A swing?" Duke asked Jennifer.

They were back in his cabin, sitting in front of the fireplace, in their nightwear, wrapped in blankets, drinking hot chocolate, cuddling together.

"Yes, it would be fun," Jennifer said, smiling. "The tree in the back to the left would be perfect! You could push me . . ."

"But it seems unfair having you push me when it's my turn," Duke said, but then he smiled. "Maybe I can make a swing big enough for two . . ."

"I like that," Jennifer said, still smiling, and leaned her head against Duke's shoulder, "sounds romantic."

Duke's smile grew and kissed Jennifer on her forehead. He then gently lifted her chin to kiss her lips . . .

"Hey, Duke, are you in here?" Nathan called out from the doorway, breaking them apart. They heard footsteps and then Nathan saw them.

"Oh, hi; listen, we're low on blankets, so I was wondering if we could borrow some of yours?" Nathan asked in an overly friendly tone.

"Sure, go right ahead," Duke said, deadpan. Duke made a mental note to install locks on his doors. "Do you need any help finding them?"

"No, don't get up. I can find them myself," Nathan said and walked around the cabin. "Nice place you have here. Do you mind if I look around? We also need some towels, plus . . ."

"We're not going to—" Duke began, looking at Jennifer, as Nathan continued to talk.

"Nope," Jennifer said, resigned to a ruined romantic night.

Three minutes later, Audrey came to retrieve Nathan, and had a long serious talk with him when they returned to camp.

The Next Day

Nathan actually felt better today. Audrey's talk made sense to him and he did feel more relaxed not having to worry about Duke and Jennifer. Dwight even demonstrated that he was neutral by showing Nathan a great place to hunt pheasants. Right now, Nathan was returning to camp with a good number of pheasants he had shot as the sun began to set. He was starting to clean them, when he overheard Audrey and Jennifer.

"Thanks for helping me with the laundry, Audrey," Jennifer said.

"Not a problem," Audrey said. "By the way, I wanted to tell you last night: congratulations!"

"Aw, thanks!"

"You do look happy with him," Audrey said.

"It's great being with Duke, especially when we sleep together." That was enough for Nathan to stop and search for Duke. Unfortunately, he left before he could hear the rest of the conversation.

"Wow, the sex is that good?" Audrey asked with a smile.

"Oh, no, not like that," Jennifer said and laughed. "One time he made advances and I was ready, but I told him to stop."

"Really? Why?" Audrey asked.

"I explained to Duke what could happen if I got pregnant," Jennifer said. "I mean, what would happen if I got pregnant, while Duke is still cursed? Would the curses affect our children? Would they be otters with human minds, anthropomorphic otters, or could they switch between forms? Duke completely understood and stopped."

Audrey blinked as she took in what Jennifer said seriously. "Wow, I never really thought about how complicated it might be for you two to have a family if Duke was still cursed. Still, I'm glad Duke acted like a gentleman and is respectful." She then paused. "But didn't you say—"

"Oh! I meant sleeping together literally," Jennifer said and the women laughed at their misunderstanding. "It's just so . . . comfortable lying close to him, snuggling together."

Audrey was about to say something when they heard a ruckus, and they went to see the cause.

"What's your problem?" Duke asked, dodging Nathan's sword.

"You took advantage of Jennifer!" Nathan said, trying to hit Duke.

"I never did that!" Duke defensively said.

"Liar!" Nathan said, raising his sword.

"Nathan, stop!" Audrey ordered, as she and Jennifer stood in-between the men.

"Audrey, get out of the way," Nathan said. "You heard Jennifer—"

"I meant literally!" Jennifer exclaimed, exasperated.

Nathan slowly lowered his sword and sheathed it, looking somewhat embarrassed. He then turned around and walked away. Audrey gave Duke an apologetic look before she went after Nathan.

"Are you all right?" Jennifer asked as Duke let out a breath of air.

"Physically, yes," Duke said. "Mentally . . . I'm not sure. I didn't know Nathan was that protective."

"Me neither," Jennifer said and noticed a nice spot of flowers. "Let's go over there and relax for a while."

Duke agreed and they sat down on the grass.

"Jennifer, do know a way to have Nathan . . . tolerate me?" Duke asked. Jennifer softly chuckled, and then she got an idea.

"What if you fix dinner for them?" Jennifer suggested. Duke made a face.

"I don't think the solution that's simple," Duke said.

"Hear me out: We'll invite Nathan and Audrey to your cabin for dinner. If you're the one making the peace offering, Nathan would have to realize that you're better than the other Crockers, and maybe he'll back off," Jennifer explained. Duke thought it over.

"That could actually work," Duke said. "I could take Dwight up on his offer to go salmon fishing tomorrow."

"I think Nathan and Audrey are going for a hike, then they have an appointment with a farrier tomorrow. I'll tell them to stop by your cabin when they return from their hike, and let them know about the dinner double date," Jennifer said, getting happy. Duke looked at her and smiled.

"Did I ever tell you I love that you're a genius?" Duke asked, grinning.

"Not yet," Jennifer said with a teasing smile.

"Well, you are," Duke said and leaned to kiss her, but paused. "Do you think he's watching?"

"No."

"Good." Duke then completed his kiss.

The Next Day

Duke got out of the water, dragging the large salmon with him. Jennifer bent and took the fish from Duke, and placed it in the pail next to the one he caught earlier.

"They look great; let's go back," Jennifer said.

Duke nodded and followed Jennifer back to his cabin, trying to dry himself on the way. He felt tired; he usually hunted for himself, never for others before, so maybe that's why he felt worn out. Duke still felt wet when he entered his cabin and stopped to sneeze.

He was about to look for a place to dry himself when he felt himself being picked up and covered with towels. Duke turned to see Jennifer drying him in her arms.

"I hope you're not getting sick. Do you feel ill?" Jennifer asked, concerned, as she dried him. Duke shook his head and yawned. Jennifer smiled and walked to the bedroom.

"You must be tired, since you were hunting for so many people. Let's take a nap before Nathan and Audrey arrive," Jennifer said, placing Duke and the towels on the bed.

Duke agreed and rubbed himself into the towels to finish drying himself. Jennifer laughed watching him as she sat on the bed.

Jennifer made herself comfortable as Duke, now dry, found a nice place to cuddle next to her. Jennifer gently stroked Duke as he fell asleep.

"I don't want to feel sad," Jennifer thought as she petted Duke, and found herself drifting off. "I have to keep telling myself that I will find a way to break Duke's curses, and one day, Duke and I will enjoy the sun together . . ."

"Jennifer? Duke? Are you here?" Nathan asked as he entered the cabin. Audrey was waiting outside with the horses.

Nathan looked in the rooms and his eyes widen in horror when he saw the scene in the bedroom.

"GET OFF OF HER!" Nathan yelled, waking up Jennifer and Duke.

"What's wrong with you, Nathan?" Jennifer asked, standing up.

"He had his hands on your breasts!" Nathan said, pointing accusingly at Duke. "I told you, Jennifer! He's nothing but a pervert!"

"Paws," Jennifer corrected.

"What?"

"He had his paws on my—"

"Whatever! He's still a pervert!"

"Look, Nathan, if you would calm down—" Jennifer started, trying to tell him her idea.

"He's going to use you, Jennifer, then toss you aside," Nathan said. "He's a Crocker! He'll never be faithful to you!"

"Don't talk like I'm not in the room," Duke said, but all the humans heard was a hissing bark which made them look at him.

"At least when you're like this I don't have to hear your voice," Nathan said, before looking at Jennifer. Duke was definitely insulted. "Audrey and I are going to be late to the farrier. When we come back, we'll continue this talk."

Nathan marched out of the cabin, slamming the door behind him. Jennifer sat down on the bed, feeling defeated. She sniffed, trying to hold in her tears. Duke placed a comforting paw on her lap, but she was too upset to even notice. Duke had enough and jumped off the bed.

"Okay, you leave me no choice. Normally, I'm a gentlemen, but you've gone too far, Nathan," Duke thought as he ran outside and into Audrey's and Nathan's tent. "Now it's time for revenge."

Nathan didn't go into detail why he came out of Duke's cabin in a bad mood to Audrey, but he could tell Audrey was getting annoyed with his feud with Duke. It wasn't his fault that the Crockers were liars, cheats, and fiends. He was just looking out for Jennifer, who was too sweet, innocence, and trusting, to fall in love with a Crocker.

"Nathan," Audrey said, as they dismounted from their horses, when they returned to camp. "Did we leave the tent flap open?"

Before Nathan could answer, something caught his eye.

"No, no, no, no," he mumbled as he spirited to a large mud puddle next to Rouge Pond. He saw to his horror he was right. There, lying in the mud, were most of his clothes.

Nathan snapped.

"I'll skin him alive!" Nathan screamed, as Audrey saw the mess.

"We don't know for certain that he did it," Audrey said, trying to give Duke the benefit of the doubt, but Nathan saw something.

"Does that answer your question?" Nathan said, and Audrey turned around to see an otter walking out of their tent, carrying Nathan's underwear in his mouth.

"Duke!" Nathan yelled and chased after Duke, who ran away, playfully evading Nathan's attempts to catch him.

"Audrey, have you seen Duke? I can't find him—" Audrey directed Jennifer to Nathan chasing Duke. The women looked at each other, then back at the men, and burst out laughing.

Duke was so focus at eluding Nathan that he didn't realize the sun was setting, and soon found himself running on his hands and knees . . . with Nathan's underwear in his human mouth. The women laughed even harder. Duke stopped, causing Nathan to trip over him. Audrey was having trouble standing up straight, while Jennifer was holding her sides, because they were laughing so hard. Duke stood up, slowly removing the underwear from his mouth. Nathan got back on his feet and turned to face Duke.

"Return my underwear!" Nathan demanded.

"Take it; it tastes awful," Duke said, handing Nathan his underwear, trying to spit out the taste from his mouth.

"You have gone too far!" Nathan said, enraged, when his underwear was back in his hands.

"Maybe you shouldn't have made Jennifer cry!" Duke said.

The women soon stopped laughing.

"Why was she crying?"

"Because we wanted to invite you to dinner, but you were too busy criticizing her!"

"I wasn't criticizing her, I was criticizing you!"

Nathan and Duke began arguing in earnest. This time, Jennifer had enough, and walked over to the two men.

"Shut up!" Jennifer yelled, getting their attention. She glared at Nathan. "You're . . . you're so selfish!"

"Excuse me?" Nathan said in complete disbelief.

"You're selfish! You only think about yourself!" Jennifer yelled, exasperated. "You want everything your way, not caring about other people's feelings! You want people to pity you because you can't feel! Duke has 2 curses! You're so lucky you can be with Audrey all the time! How do you think I feel? I can only be with Duke 6 hours or less! Get over yourself!"

Duke smiled, but that faded when Jennifer glared at him.

"And you should be more mature!" Jennifer yelled. She then stomped off into the forest, fighting off tears.

Audrey gave the men a look mixed with disappointment, anger, and disgust, before she followed Jennifer, taking a lantern with her, leaving Duke and Nathan silent for a change.

Audrey found Jennifer sitting on a log, crying. She sat next to Jennifer and placed her arm around her, causing Jennifer to look at Audrey.

"Why do men have to be so callous?" Jennifer said, sobbing.

"Eh, men are stupid," Audrey said, causing Jennifer to briefly laugh through her tears. "When I left them, it looked like you gave them a lot to think about. We'll give them an hour to think and see if they improve. If not, we'll leave them, and get ourselves a room and a meal at the closet inn."

Jennifer nodded. "B-B-But I feel bad . . . leaving Duke . . . alone."

Audrey looked at Jennifer. "You really care about him, don't you?"

Jennifer nodded again, but Audrey looked confused. "Wait, shouldn't that break Duke's curses?"

Jennifer sadly shook her head. "We need to live together as well, and staying with him a few days doesn't count."

Audrey nodded back, understanding and sympathetic.

"I want to tell Vince and Dave about Duke, and I know they won't speak about Rouge Pond; they're very good keeping secrets," Jennifer said and smiled despite herself, as her tears lessened. "But I don't know how to explain it to them, especially with . . ."

Audrey nodded again, understanding what Jennifer meant. Recently, they heard Wade has been more aggressive with his attacks to reclaim lands the Crocker family once own, and she knew Duke would be interrogated about his brother if Sir Howard and King Garland saw him.

Jennifer soon stopped crying, when suddenly, they heard sounds of marching armored soldiers. The women slowly got up as unfamiliar armored men marched into their sight, and saw them.

Nathan placed his arms on his knees as he watched the ripples spread from the pebble he threw in the pond. This is not what he wanted: to be alone. Even Duke left to do . . . whatever . . . but he looked equally hurt as well. He did the right thing . . . right? To protect the ones he loved; that what the King taught him . . . However, Jennifer's words still echoed through his mind and he knew she was right too. When he looked back on his actions and his words, he realized he was acting selfish, and not as a protector. He felt awful for what he said and did.

The sound of someone sitting down next to Nathan made him look to see Duke, mirroring his position.

"Hey," Duke greeted.

"Hey," Nathan responded.

"I just want to let you know . . . that I washed and cleaned the clothes that I dragged through the mud," Duke said.

Nathan let out a bark of a laugh, then let out a sigh as he looked out at the pond. "I messed up, didn't I?"

"We screwed up big time," Duke said, making Nathan look at him. "Hey, I'm not taking credit for what you did."

Nathan briefly laughed. "I guess you're not that bad."

"I can see why Audrey loves you," Duke said.

"I still think you're a deviant," Nathan said with a thin smile.

"And I still think you're uptight," Duke said, smiling.

The men laughed.

"So . . . what do we do now?" Nathan asked.

"Well, we could kiss and make up," Duke suggested.

"Not happening," Nathan said, and they smiled and laughed again.

"Or I could ask around and see if anyone saw Audrey and Jennifer," Duke said.

"Better," Nathan said and they stood up.

"No," Dwight said, shaking his head.

"I'm serious, Dwight! We want to find Audrey and Jennifer! You can track their scent!" Duke said.

Duke had called his animal friends to ask them if any of them knew where Audrey and Jennifer were. Some, like Claire, were willing to help, but others, like Dwight, decided to respect the women's privacy, or like Tommy, who didn't like to be awakened at night.

"Do I look like a canine to you?" Dwight said, as Nathan watched Duke's conversation in confusion and wonder.

"We just want to tell them we're sorry!" Duke said.

"Then you can wait to tell them when they come back," Dwight said.

"That's enough, Dwight. They realize what they did was stupid, and I think they suffered long enough," Claire said, and looked at Duke. "I'll help you look."

"Thanks, Claire," Duke said.

Duke was about to inform Nathan when they heard female screaming. They recognized the voices as Audrey's and Jennifer's. They looked in the direction the screams originated from. Duke ran his hand through his hair and swore. Nathan noticed.

"What's there?" Nathan asked.

"That area is controlled by Wade," Duke said. "His new army patrols it frequently. Audrey and Jennifer must have run into them."

"We have to—" Nathan them realized Duke was unarmed, while he only had his sword. However Duke was thinking ahead.

"Go on; Claire will lead you," Duke said. "Dwight, Tommy, you're with me; I need to pick up a few things at my cabin."

Nathan just nodded and the men ran in opposite directions. Nathan was glad there was a full moon out so he could see Claire's flying form nicely. He drew his sword when he saw men wearing black glistening armor, weapons ready, trying to surround Audrey and Jennifer. Audrey already had her sword out, standing protectively in front of Jennifer. Nathan attacked the nearest solider and Audrey did the same thing.

Not being able to physically feel anything was not helpful during a swordfight; especially when he saw blood dripping from his shoulder where a solider cut him. Soon, a Sasquatch Bear ran into the fray, angrily roaring, and on his back was Duke. Duke threw something at the solider attacking Nathan, which made it stumbled away. Dwight stopped when he was close enough to Nathan and Duke quickly dismounted, collecting the items that missed their target. Nathan's eyes widen when he saw what they were, while Dwight fought the soldiers.

"Shuriken?! You have shuriken?!" Nathan exclaimed as Duke picked up the last one. He looked at Nathan.

"I'll hook you up," Duke casually said and went back to the fight. He grabbed a soldier's arm and Tommy slid out from underneath his jacket and attempted to bite the soldier's fingers.

Audrey was busy trying to make sure Jennifer stayed safe while preserving her own life as well. She then saw an opening and swung, beheading her opponent.

That's when things got really strange. There was no blood; there was nothing inside the helmet, the body just dropped to the ground. It then began disintegrating into black oil-like bubbles that floated off. The humans were shocked, but that didn't last long when their survival was at stake.

Jennifer felt useless as she watched the others battle. Even Claire was helping, flying in the faces of the soldiers. Dwight was extremely useful, using all his natural weapons against their enemy. As she watched Duke throw a hatchet into a soldier's face, she remembered when an old friend of the Teague brothers came to visit when she was little. He was a retired spy/assassin. He told her that anything could be used as a weapon. She looked around on the grass, trying to find a rock, but found a thick branch instead; that would have to do. She picked it up and swung the branch at the nearest soldier . . . and it broke apart on impact. The soldier turned to face her, but it fell to the ground, disintegrating into black oily bubbles, revealing Duke, holding his knife. His face was covered with cuts, scratches, and bruises. Their eyes met.

"Dwight, protect Jennifer!" Duke yelled. "Get her out of here!"

Before Jennifer could say anything, Dwight barraged through the soldiers and somehow scooped Jennifer onto his back. Jennifer held on tightly onto Dwight's fur as he ran. When he stopped, Jennifer saw he brought her to Duke's cabin. Jennifer slowly dismounted, feeling like collapsing and crying any second.

"No! I want to help!" Jennifer thought, shaking her head. "I will help!"

Jennifer ran inside the cabin and started a fire in the fireplace. She then lit as many candles and lanterns she could find. She gathered all the medical supplies in one room along with bowls of water. Jennifer ran into Audrey's and Nathan's tent to grab extra medical supplies and was grateful that they brought Gloria's new recovery ointment which sped up the healing process. When she could think of nothing else she could do, she collapsed on the sofa, breathing hard. Dwight came closer to her and rested his head on the sofa. Jennifer saw Dwight and noticed his wounds.

"I hope this works," she said as she got out the ointment and spread it on Dwight's wounds.

Dwight stood still as Jennifer applied the ointment. The only thing he did was grunt when the ointment stung a little. He then heard Jennifer put the ointment down and turned to see her crying. He gently growled out of concern and she looked at him.

"I'm so scared, Dwight," Jennifer said and hugged him. Dwight let her cry into his fur and rested his head on her shoulder.

Jennifer didn't know how much time had passed when she saw Claire fly through an opened window, her feathers were ruffled. As Claire began to preen herself, Jennifer got up and saw her friends returning. She ran outside to see if anyone needed any help.

Nathan was using Audrey as a crutch, while Audrey held an arm close to her body and Tommy was wrapped around her neck. Jennifer could see the deep injury on Nathan's foot. She quickly told them where to go before they walked passed her. Jennifer then saw Duke, feeling both happy and worried at the same time, when she saw the cuts, gashes, and bruises he had around his head, face, arms, and body. She ran up to him and hugged Duke, who returned the hug.

"I'm glad we're all alive," Jennifer said.

"So am I," Duke softly said and kissed her on the top of her head.

"He's a moron," Nathan said after Jennifer and Duke hugged. Jennifer looked at Nathan. "He kept getting in my way, taking blows."

Jennifer just looked at Duke and then helped him back inside.

It was mostly quiet as everyone tended to the wounded. Audrey's injuries were less severe and treated quickly, so she assisted Jennifer tending to the men, even though she had one arm in a sling. As Audrey was helping Nathan take off his shirt to examine the wound on his shoulder, Jennifer finally spoke.

"Who were they?" Jennifer asked, as she cleaned the cuts on Duke's arms.

"My brother's new army," Duke said, "didn't know . . . they weren't human."

"They're magical constructs," Audrey said, making everyone look at her. "If a magic-user gets their hands on a supernatural material, knows the right spells and enchantments, they can create artificial lifeforms. Magical constructs obey their creator and they have no independent thoughts . . . at least to my knowledge."

"That's probably how Arla charmed Wade by giving him an obedient army," Duke said, "because no sane being works for him willing."

Everyone laughed a bit.

"Plus now I don't feel bad killing them since technically they weren't living humans," Duke joked, but winced a little as Jennifer treated to the wounds on his head.

"Jennifer . . . I'm sorry I ruined your double date dinner plans," Nathan said, making her pause and look at him. "Would it be okay if we try again on a later date?"

"Yes . . . but you know . . . after everyone's healed," Jennifer said.

"I would love too," Nathan said, smiling, and Audrey nodded in agreement.

"I have some leftover stew we can eat tonight, since I can't prepare the salmon," Duke said then looked at Dwight. "And no, you can't have them. I'll put them in the 'freeze' box so they won't spoil."

"I'll do that," Audrey said, getting up as Dwight pouted. "I'll warm up the stew as well."

"So," Jennifer said to the men when Audrey was out of the room. "Does this mean you two will get along?"

"Mostly," Nathan said with a thin smile.

"It won't stop us from being obnoxious to each other," Duke said with a wide grin, and Nathan laughed.

"I'll accept that," Jennifer said and looked at Duke. "I want to check the injuries on your chest."

Duke nodded and removed his shirt.

Author's Note: There will now be a slight intermission so the female readers (and 10% of the male readers) can enjoy imagining Duke and Nathan without their shirts.

. . . . . . . .

Back to the story.

When Jennifer was done cleaning the wounds, she applied Gloria's healing ointment on them.

"You know, you can also kiss them to make them better," Duke said with a teasing smirk.

"I don't want to do that after I applied Gloria's ointment," Jennifer said, smiling back. "But I will do it later."

"Looking forward to it," Duke said, grinning more.

Duke and Jennifer then kissed. Nathan rolled his eyes, shook head, and softly laughed.

After dinner, Jennifer lost sight of Duke and found him in the bathroom.

"Duke, what are you doing?" Jennifer exclaimed, seeing him loosening his bandages. "You won't heal without them."

"They're going to be useless when I turn into an otter at dawn," Duke said in a serious tone and Jennifer understood what he meant.

"Maybe they'll shrink to fit you?" Jennifer said, trying sound optimistic. Duke let out a humorless laugh.

"Not with my luck," Duke said.

"How about we'll do this instead," Jennifer suggested. "You leave the bandages alone and wake me up before dawn. If the bandages won't stay when you change, I'll reapply them."

Duke agreed and Jennifer helped him tighten the bandages he already loosened.

When everyone was ready for sleep, Duke generously offered his bed for Audrey and Nathan, while he took the sofa, and Jennifer said she'll sleep on a big, soft chair. Once the sleeping arrangements were dealt out, everyone went to bed.

Jennifer awoke to Duke's voice and someone gently shaking her arm. She opened her eyes to see Duke.

"It's time," Duke said and adjusted himself on the sofa.

Jennifer sat next to Duke and sunlight came through the windows. When the sunlight hit Duke, he grew fur as his clothes vanished. He then shrank . . . the bandages fell off him.

"No," Jennifer said, upset and disappointed.

She didn't realize she was loud enough that it woke up Audrey and Nathan, until she saw them in the room.

"Jennifer, what . . ." Audrey asked as she and Nathan walked closer to her, and saw an injured otter covered in old bandages, laying on the sofa. They realized what happened.

"I'll help you," Audrey said, getting new bandages.

"I'll make us some coffee," Nathan said, limping to the kitchen.

Jennifer thanked them and began tended to Duke. She really hoped she was helping and not making things worse, as she reapplied Gloria's ointment to his injures. It did make her sad when Duke instinctively made a shrill whistling sound in discomfort. Duke did notice that sound upset Jennifer, so he gave off an appreciative chirp to thank her, which made her smile.

When Jennifer was nearly done, Audrey left to help Nathan carry in the coffee. When they came back, they saw Jennifer sitting on the sofa, cradling Duke in her arms like a baby.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing," Jennifer said, slightly sad. Duke made a soft chuckling sound to comfort her.

"You're doing fine," Audrey said in a reassuring tone.

"How about you take him to bed and make a nest of pillows and blankets so he can comfortably rest?" Nathan suggested.

Jennifer thanked them and carefully carried Duke to the bedroom.

Later on in the day, Nathan checked on them, and saw Duke curled up next to Jennifer, both fast asleep. Nathan's reaction to this was to smile and cover them with a quilt.