CHAPTER TWO
(chapter title – Flight or Fight)
Early the following morning, Ella and Marius went to see Hope. Ella fell asleep on the way to Joly and Courfrayac's barn. Marius was on his second cup of coffee which he got at McDonald's.
Ella opened her eyes and watched the sun come up. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It reminded her of the opening number of her favorite movie The Lion King.
"All right, sweet girl, we're here." Marius told Ella as he turned off the ignition. Ella sat up and stretched before exiting the car.
Courfrayac met them in the barn, a broad smile on his face.
"Joly's still sleeping, but he'll join us later," Courfrayac explained. He turned to Ella, "if you think that owning a horse is all fun and games, it's not. They have to be fed, watered, shod, stalls mucked out, have regular checkups and make sure they get plenty of exercise."
Ella nodded, knowing that owning a horse came with big responsibility.
"I'll show you how to muck out stalls, okay?" Courfrayac told Ella. She nodded and followed him to the feed room. He handed her a rake, muck bucket and broom. He exited the feed room and had Ella follow him down the aisle.
"We'll start with Hope and work backwards," Courfrayac told Ella. She nodded and watched him get Hope out of her stall. "While I'm mucking stalls, you can brush the horses and Marius can refill their water buckets."
The three of them worked together and an hour later, all the horses had fresh shavings, were brushed and had their water buckets filled. The three of them also worked together to feed each horse.
"What have you been feeding Hope?" Ella inquired.
"Let's start her off with three scoops of grain and half a flake of hay. She's new, so I don't want her to get sick right away." Courfrayac answered. Ella nodded and measured out the grain into a green grain bucket. Courfrayac got the hay for Hope. Together, the two of them headed back to Hope's stall.
Hungry nickers greeted Ella's ears as she, Courfrayac and Marius got each horse their breakfasts.
"Once their done eating, we'll put Croissant, Hope and Dreamer's Beauty out together. The three girls seem to get along pretty well." Courfrayac told Ella.
"When can I ride her?" Ella asked as she snapped a lead rope to Hope's halter ring.
"After your dad, Joly or I ride her, just to make sure she's safe. We don't want you hurting your ankle even more." Courfrayac answered. Ella sighed.
The three of them spent more time with Hope before Marius and Ella had to go. The two of them thanked Courfrayac for his kindness and got back into the car.
"Who was here?" Joly asked as Courfrayac came back into the house. Courfrayac stopped to use the bathroom and wash his hands before joining Joly.
"Ella and Marius. They helped me feed the horses, clean out their stalls and brush them. We then turned Croissant, Dreamer's Beauty and Hope out together." Courfrayac answered, climbing in next to Joly.
"We are perfect for each other, aren't we?" Joly asked as Courfrayac covered him with kisses, his hands slowly sneaking up Joly's shirt.
"Yes, we are, love." Courfrayac whispered in Joly's ear, gently nibbling on the other man's earlobe. Joly moaned with pleasure as he removed Courfrayac's shirt. Courfrayac removed Joly's pajama bottoms, along with his boxers. Joly mirrored Courfrayac's movements.
The two of them made love for a while before getting dressed and went to check on the horses.
Enjolras' car pulled into the driveway just as Courfrayac and Joly were tacking up Dreamer's Beauty and Saul. Enjolras, Eponine and Sara exited the car. They greeted the two men before turning to the horses.
"Can I see Ella's new horse?" Sara asked. She was a miniature version of Eponine, but had Enjolras' spirit, sense of humor and kindness.
"Of course. Follow me." Joly said, having Sara follow him into the barn.
"Eponine, I'm sorry you can't ride." Courfrayac said as he mounted Dreamer's Beauty. The elegant mare tossed her head and stomped her foot. Enjolras mounted Saul and turned to Eponine.
"Will you be all right if Courfrayac and I check on the cattle?" Enjolras asked.
"I'll be fine, here. Don't worry about a thing." Eponine assured the men. They galloped off into the distance as Sara emerged from the barn.
"Mama! Mama! You've got to see Ella's horse – she's beautiful!" Sara told her mother, pulling on Eponine's arm.
"Serephina Ashlyn Thenardier, quit it!" Eponine snapped. Sara stopped and looked at her mother sadly. Sara was extremely sensitive, so Eponine and Enjolras had to be careful about their tone of voice. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm just tired and I didn't mean to yell at you."
Sara continued to stare at Eponine, tears forming in her eyes. She ran back into the barn, crying. Courfrayac exited the barn and looked to Eponine.
"Are you all right, 'Ponine?" Courfrayac asked in a soothing voice.
"Yeah, I'm all right. I yelled at Sara and she disappeared into the barn." Eponine explained, tiredness in her voice.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Courfrayac asked. Eponine shook her head and slowly stood up. She hoped that Enjolras wouldn't take forever looking at the cattle – she had an appointment that afternoon to find out what she was having.
Right on cue, Enjolras and Joly arrived back at the horse barn. Enjolras sensed something was wrong and quickly dismounted Saul. Courfrayac offered to untack, brush and put both horses in their stalls.
"'Ponine? What's wrong?" Enjolras asked.
"I yelled at Sara and she's in the horse barn somewhere." Eponine told him between sobs. Enjolras kissed the top of Eponine's head and headed into the barn.
"Sara?" Enjolras called. He found her in an empty stall, crying. "Come here, sweet child," he sat down beside her and gathered her in his arms, "your mother didn't mean to yell at you. Shh. It's all right. I'm right here. It's okay."
Sara continued sobbing as her dad held her. Enjolras ran a hand through Sara's hair as he sang a little of 'Do You Hear the People Sing' to her. She eventually calmed down and rubbed the tears out of her eyes.
"Does mama love me?" Sara asked as the two of them headed out of the barn.
"Of course she does. She's just been exhausted because the baby's been keeping her up all night." Enjolras said, his tone gentle and quiet.
When they were almost out the door, Sara stopped and looked at Hope. She had her elegant head over her stall door. Enjolras smiled and rubbed Hope's ears. She rubbed her nose on his sleeve, making him laugh.
"We shouldn't keep your mother waiting. Do you want to come with us or stay here?" Enjolras asked. Sara looked to Joly and Courfrayac.
"Would it be all right if I stayed here?" Sara asked.
"Of course it would." Courfrayac answered, ruffling Sara's hair.
"We'll pick you up around five, okay?" Enjolras told his daughter. She nodded and told her parents she loved them as she watched them go down the drive.
"What would you like to do, sweetie?" Joly asked.
"Could I ride someone?" Sara inquired.
"Sure. I was going to take a ride, too. Would it be okay if I went along?" Courfrayac asked. Sara nodded and the two of them headed into the barn.
Sara decided to ride Sirius – a pure black Quarter Horse gelding with a gentle temperament. Courfrayac decided to ride Aladdin – a chestnut Mustang gelding with a bald face and two back stockings.
The two of them had the boys tacked up and rode in the indoor arena. They rode in silence for a while before Courfrayac broke the silence.
"I'm sorry about what happened this afternoon. Are you all right?"
Sara nodded and tended to a knot in Sirius' mane. Courfrayac stopped Aladdin and looked into Sara's beautiful brown eyes. He thought he saw tears forming.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Courfrayac asked, putting a hand on Sara's arm. Aladdin threw his head, but Courfrayac kept him under control.
"Ever since my mom found out she's expecting, she's been yelling at me more and more. I didn't do anything wrong!" Sara wailed. Courfrayac dismounted Aladdin and helped Sara dismount Sirius.
He sat down on a picnic table outside the arena and had Sara sit on his lap. He stroked her hair and held her, letting her know she was safe.
"Shh. It's all right. Let it all out. I'm right here." Courfrayac soothed. Just then his phone rang. Sara straightened up and wiped her eyes as Courfrayac handed the phone to her. "It's your dad."
"Dad?"
"Sara – your mom and I have good news for you. You're going to have a little sister." Enjolras said. Sara smiled and felt her heart soar.
"That's awesome, dad!" Sara squealed, forgetting why she was upset. "I can't wait to see her!"
"It won't be for another three months yet." Enjolras said, laughing into the phone.
"Can I talk to mom?" Sara asked.
"Sure, sweetie." Enjolras answered, handing the phone to Eponine. "Sara wants to talk to you."
"Hi, pumpkin." Eponine's voice was tired, but she was alert.
"Hi, mom. I can't believe I'm going to be a big sister!"
"I know. Are you having fun with Joly and Courfrayac?"
"I am. We just got done riding. My horse's name was Sirius and Courfrayac's horse's name was Aladdin."
"Pretty." Eponine sounded really tired. She handed the phone back Enjolras.
"Your mother is really tired, so we're headed home. Could I talk to Courfrayac, please?"
"Sure. I love you, dad."
"Love you, too."
Sara handed the phone back to Courfrayac and went to put Aladdin and Sirius back in their stalls. She heard her name mentioned more than once.
Courfrayac joined her as Sara put Aladdin in his stall.
"You're gonna spend the night here, is that all right?" Courfrayac asked.
"Yeah. That's fine." Sara told him, brushing Aladdin's soft coat.
"Ella might be joining us. Your dad said that Cosette has the stomach flu, so Marius is dropping her off shortly." Courfrayac told Sara.
Sara smiled and squealed – she and Ella were best friends and had been since birth.
The two of them walked up to the house just as Joly came out to meet them.
"I was starting to get worried. You two all right?" he asked, a scared look on his face.
"We're fine, sweetie," Courfrayac told his partner, kissing his cheek, "Sara and I were riding. Ella's coming soon – Marius is taking Cosette to the hospital – she has the stomach flu."
"Oh no! Poor Cosette!" Joly said. He turned to Sara and winked at her. "The four of us will have so much fun!"
"Oh, Joly. You're such a girl!" Courfrayac teased. Joly rolled his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Sara covered her eyes and peeked though her fingers.
The three of them headed inside just as dusk was falling. Ella joined them a few minutes later. Marius rolled down the window and shouted 'THANK YOU' before driving off.
"I ordered a cheese pizza from By the Slice. While we wait for our pizza, we could have an appetizer and play a board game, if you girls want." Courfrayac told the three others.
"What games do you guys have?" Ella asked, hugging her stuffed dog to her chest.
"We have – Candy Land, Apples to Apples, Herd Your Horses, Battleship, Othello, Clue, Chess, Checkers, Mousetrap, Operation, Chutes and Ladders, Harry Potter trivia and Guess Who." Joly read all the games in the game cupboard.
"Harry Potter trivia!" the girls said in unison. Joly and Courfrayac looked at each other – the two girls were die-hard Harry Potter fans.
"Okay, we have the first though the fourth book and the fifth through the seventh book." Joly told the girls.
"Fifth through the seventh!" Sara stated. Ella grinned evilly.
"Okay, gents. Pick your poison." Ella said, already getting her favorite playing piece – Hedwig. Sara picked the Firebolt playing piece, Joly picked the Chocolate Frog and Courfrayac picked the Hogwarts Express.
All four of them put their pieces at Start and drew a House Card. Courfrayac was in Slytherin; Sara was in Hufflepuff; Ella was in Gryffindor and Joly was in Ravenclaw.
After the House Cards were drawn, the game was on.
"Okay, here's a tough one – who killed Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?" Sara asked Courfrayac. "Was it A) Sirius Black, B) Severus Snape or C) Draco Malfoy?"
"Um, B, I think." Courfrayac answered, hesitant. Sara grinned at him.
"Correct!" she said, handing him the dice. He rolled a seven. Sara handed Courfrayac the trivia cards and looked at the icon that Ella had landed on.
"Ooh! This is a good one!" Courfrayac said. Joly and Ella looked at each other as if to say 'will it ever be our turn?' The order went – Courfrayac, Sara, Ella and Joly. "In the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix what color does Nymphadora Tonks' hair turn when she gets mad? Is it A) Blue, B) Pink or C) Red."
"Easy! Red!" Sara squealed. She handed the dice to Ella. She rolled a five. Joly looked at the trivia cards and looked at what icon Ella had landed on.
"What did Harry and Ginny name their children in the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Was it A) Seamus, Neville and Luna, B) Bill, Charlie and Fred or C) James, Albus and Lily?"
"The answer is C!" Ella answered.
The game continued on for a while before Ella ended up winning. Sara came in second, Courfrayac came in third and Joly came in fourth.
They had decided to wait to eat the pizza until the game was over. The four of them were now seated in front of the TV, eating pizza and drinking either milk (Ella), water (Sara) or beer (Courfrayac and Joly).
The movie they had agreed on was Tangled. Throughout the movie, Joly felt Courfrayac rest his head on his shoulder. Joly wrapped an arm around Courfrayac's waist and drew him closer.
Courfrayac burst out laughing when both girls sighed at the same time. Joly smiled and didn't break contact with Courfrayac.
Once the movie was over, the girls got ready for bed while the men cleaned up.
"You've been really good with them." Courfrayac told Joly, kissing his jaw line.
"Easy, tiger. We can't do that with two ten-year-olds in the house." Joly told Courfrayac.
The two of them headed to bed. Courfrayac set the alarm on his bedside table for 5:00 AM.
Towards the middle of the night, there was a horrible storm. Joly felt something climb between him and Courfrayac, almost knocking him out of bed. Joly turned on the light and saw Ella snuggling as close as she could to Joly.
"Ella? What's wrong?" Joly asked as thunder boomed, lightening flashed and rain poured onto the roof.
"I'm scared!" Ella squeaked, hugging Joly even closer. He patted her back and let her lay on him. He turned off the light just as Courfrayac snuggled closer, wrapping a hand around Ella's foot.
"What the hell?" Courfrayac asked sleepily. He lifted his head off the pillow and saw Ella asleep on Joly's chest. "Joly, what's she doing here?"
"She can't sleep during storms, so I'm letting her sleep on top of me for a while." Joly whispered a reply.
"Is she asleep?" Courfrayac asked.
"Yes." Joly answered. Courfrayac got out of bed as Joly put Ella in his strong arms.
"I'll put her to bed. I'll be right back." Courfrayac told Joly.
"I'll be waiting here." Joly answered as he fell back asleep.
Courfrayac came back two minutes later and hugged Joly close to him.
A foghorn blowing at 5:00 AM the next day got both men up and dressed in a hurry. Joly knocked on the girls' bedroom door, which was actually the extra bedroom, while Courfrayac started breakfast.
Once breakfast was eaten, the four of them headed to the barn to check on the horses.
"Guys, Hope's gone!" Ella cried, pointing to the open stall door.
She was right – Hope was missing!