Part 125

Knowing that the troupe had such a low opinion of him made Darius that much more lonely. He had thought he'd found a place to call home but the troupe barely saw him as a friend let alone a member of the team.

'But it is practically a free place to live,' he thought to himself. 'I just need to prove them wrong. To show them the kind of yak I am.'

"Very good, René," he heard as he walked past Chelsea's apartment. "You're getting so good. Now, Mommy needs to figure out dinner."

He smiled to himself, the gears in his head turning. He knocked.

A few moments later, the door opened. "Oh, Darius! Good evening. Is there something I can do for you?" The young mother asked.

The yak grinned. "I was actually wanting to invite you and your daughter to join me for dinner. I was thinking of going to this brick oven pizza place down by the waterfront and it's always more fun with friends."

The leopardess gasped. "Oh, that does sound very nice. But are you sure? I've heard of that place and it's not cheap."

He nodded. "I'm very sure. I'd love to treat you both to dinner. It might be pricey but it's a lot of food." He smiled at René. "What about you, do you like pizza? And the dining area has a huge glass window and you can watch Wild Dolphins playing in the water."

The little girl looked up at her mother. "I love pizza and dolphins! Can we, Mommy?"

Chelsea sighed. "Alright, it does sound fun. Thanks. Let me just grab my purse and my keys. René, bring your jacket in case it gets cold." She couldn't help but wonder about the yak's motives for the invitation. Well, it was a free meal with good company.

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Like the night before, Jerry insisted on accompanying Gerhardt back to his hotel. The older hog had grown quiet as dinner went on.

"I think I made a mistake coming here," he said sadly. "My brother just…"

Jerry shook his head. "Your mistake is thinking you know more than you do." The cat groaned. "Look, I want to help you but I can't help you unless you help yourself a little bit. Gunter doesn't need your help with Sarah. Gunter doesn't need your protection or your care. He's not a child anymore. He needs your support. He's your brother and that's all he needs you to be. If he tells you to not do something, you need to respect it."

Gerhardt nodded. "You're right. Gertrude wanted Gunter. And I need to accept it." He kicked the ground. "I should just go home. Just accept that my family is gone. I'm alone."

"That's not true," the cat countered. "You can't give up. You need to be here. Because you're the only family he has left too. In that context anyway. You have to be here when he eventually realizes that." He sighed. "In the meantime, I'll be your friend."

The hog tried to smile. "Thank you. I came to make things right with my brother. You're right, I can't give up. Not yet." He looked down. "As for… his lover… You did not tell me that he was so… troubled… You know how innocent my brother is…"

Jerry's eyebrow went up. "He's not. He's had issues. But no more than the rest of us. I mean… that's almost the point. Not one member of this family is perfect. We've all been through a lot of shit that's kind of messed up a few of us. Especially recently. And if you don't know, you really don't know."

Blue eyes met Jerry's. "What kind of…. shit?"

Jerry contemplated telling him since the hog had shared his secrets with him. "Eddie saved my life and stopped me from doing something terrible. Now, you cannot tell them that I told you any of this because I'm sure they're not ready for you to know. But I think it's important that you understand why Eddie is the perfect guy for your brother. Do you remember the statues in the lobby of the theater?"

"Yeah, the koala stood out to me. I assumed the sheep was related to Eddie," he said confidently but with a curious expression. "Why?"

Jerry nodded. "The sheep… that's Nana, Eddie's grandmother. She passed away a couple of months ago… but the koala… that's Buster… Mr. Moon…"

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After Neo and Noelle were both in their beds, the men regrouped in their bedroom. Johnny chuckled. "That little Noelle. I can already tell she's gonna be a pistol."

Ryan laughed, "Just like her brother." He sighed as they got ready for bed. They used to sleep completely nude but occasionally Neo needed them in the night and Noelle had them up every couple of hours, so they each wore a pair of pajama bottoms.

Johnny looked over at his husband. "What's wrong?"

The tiger shook his head. "It's Klaus… I worry about him. His ex wants to bring his family here for a vacation in the Summer, but he's… Isn't there a way we could help him? Maybe… set him up with someone?"

Brown eyes glimmered with a little mirth. "I could make him a dating profile online. Like I did for Miss. Crawly."

Ryan shook his head. "I suggested that but he didn't like the idea. Maybe your uncles might know someone."

Johnny thought about it. "Wait, you're serious? I could talk to 'em but… is it our business? If he doesn't want a dating profile, he might not like us setting him up."

He sighed. "Well, it doesn't need to be obvious. We just need him to casually run into someone who just happens to be his perfect match." He groaned at how impossible that sounded.

The gorilla kissed him gently. "We'll figure something out. I'll talk to my uncles. But… what will be will be." He promised.

Ryan buried his head in the crook of Johnny's neck. "I just worry about him. He doesn't deserve to be so alone. It's one of the reasons that he is the way he is."

The boys climbed into their bed, holding each other as they started to fall asleep. Johnny murmured. "It'll be alright Ryan." He worried about Klaus too. But the monkey was such a closed-off person. His walls were up so high and so strong, he knew it would be an uphill struggle.

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At home, Gunter tucked Sarah into her new four-post bed with its thick mattress. He wrapped her blankets around her so she wouldn't be cold. "I'm sorry about tonight, Sarah. I'll make sure that Uncle Gerhardt gets it through his head. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do and you don't owe anyone any explanations." He told her. "Of course, you can always talk to me. Especially about your mother."

She nodded. "Thank you, Onkel Gunter. Maybe someday I'll sing again but right now, it just hurts too much."

"Oh, I know it does. When Buster died, singing hurt because we sang for him. He was our boss, our dear friend. To some a son, a brother, someone to love," he said. "And ya, singing hurt. After the concert, none of us came to the theater for weeks. Nana kept it going for us but yeah, it hurt."

Sarah's eyes locked with her uncle's. "So you sang even though it hurt to sing. Does it still hurt?"

Gunter shook his head. "No, it doesn't hurt anymore. Because I know that he's watching and listening to us. We realized that… Buster would want to hear us sing. And see us dance. But that was how we handled it, Sarah. And that's just what worked for us. You need to do what works for you. If you want to sing, sing your little heart out. There's always room for you in the choir." He promised, hugging her.

She returned the hug just as Eddie came in with a glass of water, putting it by her bedside. "Thank you, Onkel Eddie."

The sheep smiled down at her and pet her forehead as she lay her head on the pillow. "It's my pleasure, Sarah. Sleep well. Miss. Crawly is just next door to you if you need anything. Or you're always welcome to come hop in our bed with us." He reassured her as she started to fall asleep.

Gunter watched his lover with his niece. "Oh, Gertie." He whispered. "Eddie and me, we are doing our best. She'll be okay. She will."

Eddie stood up. "She's a sweet kid. You know, I never thought I'd get to have this experience. Thank you for letting me be part of your family." He kissed the hog's cheek.

"I couldn't imagine trying to do it alone," he replied as they moved into their bedroom. "Gertie would have loved you." He pet the sheep's head. "I miss her. I never realized how much. I kept telling myself that I'll bring her over and I never did. I last saw her… a little over fifteen years ago…"

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Twenty-four year old Gunter rarely knew any emotion that wasn't positive. He hated being angry and he hated being sad so he always sought to find a way to avoid those feelings and remain positive. It was what he learned best from his mother who suffered from chronic illness.

But now, he couldn't do it. He was so angry that his whole body was trembling as he stuffed a small bag with some clothes and his passport.

"Gunter, dearest brother, I'm begging you, please don't leave," a young pig pleaded. "I'll miss you so much."

He shook his head. "How can I stay, Gertie? Father has no respect for me. He sent Leonhardt away! Father doesn't understand how I feel. And Gerhardt is a traitor. I can't stay."

"What about Mother? You know how weak she is. What about me? Aren't we worth staying for?" She begged. She proceeded to start unpacking the bag that he was trying to pack.

He sighed. "Stop unpacking my packing, Gertie. It won't be forever. When I am settled, I will send for you. I promise. One day, when I have a solid dancing career, I'll bring you and Mother over. And if you marry, I'll bring them too."

Gertrude wept. "But how long will that be? You know Gerhardt didn't mean to hurt you. Or Father. We all love you! Don't leave!" Suddenly, he hugged her tight.

"I'm sorry, Gertie, but I must. Right now, being around them makes me feel so… angry… I have to go where I won't be angry," he felt his own tears crawling down his cheeks. "Leonhardt told me where he was going. I'll try and find him."

The young woman sobbed. "You're not even going to get to meet my boyfriend. I told him all about you."

"I am sorry, Gertie. I can't stay," he whispered again, picking up his pack and putting it on his shoulders. He looked down at the ground. "I promise, it won't be long. We'll see each other again soon." He hurried out, running for the train station. He had to get to the port before morning.

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Eddie rubbed Gunter's shoulders as he mourned for his sister. "I should have sent for her sooner. I didn't get to say goodbye to my mother and now I've lost my sister."

It was rare that the sheep got to be the one to comfort his partner. Gunter didn't cry often except for occasionally when they were both thinking about Buster. But Eddie was grateful to be able to be there for him, to hold him while he gave into the urge to release the excess emotion.

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Jerry finished the sordid tale right as they arrived at the hotel. "And that's what happened. Eddie stopped me from making a terrible mistake and saved my life." He looked up at Gerhardt. "I hope you can understand and be supportive."

Gerhardt sighed. "My poor baby brother has been through so much. I'm sorry… Very well, I will withhold judgment until I get to know this Eddie better." He looked at his hotel. "Tell Sarah that I will see her tomorrow." He promised.

The cat nodded. "I will… but I want to make something clear. I want to be on your side and I want to help you. But if you make that little girl cry again, you can forget it." He threatened without any sign of irony. "I'm only doing this because I think Gunter would one day regret completely burning bridges. The moment I know he and Sarah would be better off without you, you're out of here. Do you understand?"

The hog studied the feline and nodded. "Maybe… I should give her some distance for a couple of days. But perhaps… Perhaps you might like to give me a tour of the city?" This cat was his best chance of reconciling with his brother.

Jerry considered it. "Alright. That might be nice. It's Saturday so there's no meeting or rehearsal. I'll come get you though. What time?"

Gerhardt nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I'm an early riser, myself. How does 7am sound?"

"7am, I'll call you when I'm outside," he put a reminder in his phone. "Good night."

As the hog went into the hotel, Jerry pondered the invitation. He could at least keep the hog occupied and away from Gunter and the others. No meeting didn't mean they wouldn't get together at some point. They were always finding excuses to hang out outside of work. Jerry still wasn't sure how he felt about that but they thrived in the environment so to each their own.

This was a new experience for him though. The hog had asked him to be his tour guide. Why? Just because he was helping him with his brother problems? Or was it something else?

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AN: Alright, this chapter has taken long enough. Please review.