randomplaces | Breaker 'verse 3

"Great flamin' goobers of Gilead! Sunny, NO!"

Alvin peered out from under the hummer ruefully, then picked up the socket wrench and resumed his careful adjustment of the oil plug. "Funny how that's the stuff they always pick up first."

SE glanced toward where the little girl sat wrapped in blankets with Star and Alvin's old cat, then quirked an eyebrow.

"You quit grinnin'. That bit she said this mornin' she got from you," retorted Alvin.

SE merely shrugged at the younger man's attempt to get him to explain how Dove knew what he was saying, or 'not saying' as the case seemed to be.

After the incident with Deputy Kevin the day before, the quartet had relocated to Alvin's house in Gatlinburg. It was off of the beaten path. The children were outside in the shade of a pine tree, making friends with the ancient feline who was the dark haired man's roomie.

Alvin ducked his head and looked at his friend, then changed the subject. "As soon as she's strong enough I'm goin' back to where I found 'em and seeing if I can't find somethin' to tell me where they came from."

DID, signed SE absently. NOTHING.

Alvin let his head drop back to the ground in disappointment. "Well, I gotta do somethin'. I promised Sweetheart I'd find her parents."

"Uncle Alvin!" shouted the little girl in question, her voice shrill with panic.

"What?" He curved sideways to look at her, then blinked as the hummer's tires suddenly hit the ground with a thump. "Dang jack. I hate it when it does that."

He crawled out from under the vehicle and walked over to gather the trembling Dove into his arms, sweeping Sunny aside with his foot. "Shh, Sweetheart, it's okay. The hummer's too tall to hurt me when it falls down."

A tap on his shoulder made him look up.

CRAZY YOU, said SE, his jaw a little firmer than usual.

"Dangit!" said Dove, hiding her face in the crook of Alvin's neck. "Scared! Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!"

"Shh." Alvin rubbed her back. "I'm okay, Dove. I'm okay."

"Scared!" she insisted shakily.

"I know...don't cry. I've got you." He frowned at SE as the silent man tapped his shoulder again.

CAREFUL, CHILDREN NEED YOU NOW. SE's eyes bored into him accusingly.

Alvin started to say that he'd never been in danger, but then felt Dove start to sob and tensed with a wince. "Hey, Sweetheart. Don't cry... please?"

"Oh dang, that's hot!" she agreed softly, putting a hand over her eyes to stem the flow of tears.

Alvin rocked on the balls of his feet, thinking about what SE had said and feeling shaken as he realized that his friend was right. Star would probably be happy with anyone who kept him warm, dry, and fed. But Dove needed him. Him. Alvin. She'd already lost her parents and everything that was familiar to her, and that had nearly done her in. What would losing him do?

SE nodded. SEE?

Alvin nodded slowly and pressed his cheek against the little girl's hair. Father, help me get this right. 'N please, show me how to find the kids' parents. They know how to do all this stuff a lot better than I do.

SE gave his shoulder a reassuring pat, then looked down at Sunny as the grumpy old orange tom gave his pant leg a swipe in passing. JEALOUS.

"Lemme get it." Dove suddenly squirmed free, then tottered slightly before handing Star to Alvin and going to the hummer.

"What?" He gave the baby an absent kiss and handed him off to SE. "Sweetheart, what're you doing? You shouldn't be..." His eyebrows shot upward as he swallowed the second piece of gum in three days.

Dove looked over her shoulder from where she stood next to the faulty jack, her whole skinny body tense with effort as she lifted the entire front of the hummer from the ground.

SE slapped the choking man on the back till Alvin could breath freely again, both brows raised in amusement as the brown headed man murmured, "Great shades of Elvis, she's like Superman."

Alvin paused to catch his breath, then stepped forward and gestured with his hand that she should let the hummer down before gathering her up and wrapping her in the blankets again.

"No?" She perked her ears at him, one wing pushing free of the covers to grasp his shoulder.

"Not now, Sweetheart," he said softly. "You need to rest yet."

"Snakes do?" She looked at the silent man.

"Snakes can't do." Alvin frowned as he realized what had happened to his gum.

"Can't?" She put one ear back as he carried her toward the house.

"Er kann nicht," he explained.

"No?" Dove leaned back to look at SE as he followed them inside. "Snakes big."

"Ja, aber er kann nicht. He still can't do it, Sweetheart. At least not as easy as you did." Alvin set her down in a kitchen chair and went to the fridge.

"I can't believe you ate that bug!" she parroted thoughtfully.

"What? No!" He whirled, then narrowed one eye at her.

She blinked, then chuckled. "Bug food."

"No they aren't. Shrimp food?" He scooped some into a plate and set them in front of her.

She looked at them closely and sniffed, eyes going wide with delight. "Bug!"

Then she perked her ears at SE and nodded. "Got is greahh...." She cocked her head and put one ear back uncertainly.

"God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food," said Alvin, realizing now how she was getting words from the silent man.

"Amen." Dove twitched her ears again and stuffed shrimp in her mouth. "Sehr gut."

Alvin shook his head as he fixed a bottle for Star and then two ham and cheese sandwiches with all the trimmings. "Here, trade you this for that." He offered a sandwich to the silent man.

SE eyed it and made the trade, then sniffed it cautiously before taking a bite.

HOME ME, he signed.

Alvin nodded and looked down at Star, who was chugging like milk was going out of style. "Things oughtta be okay now." Then he looked up as someone knocked on the door and hollered his name. "Aw no, there's Bert. Here, hold Buddy while I get a cup of sugar."

SE quirked an eyebrow and took the baby, then quickly gave him the bottle as the tiny mouth turned toward his hand.

"His pension ain't that big, 'n most of it goes to the rent," explained Alvin, filling the paper cup quickly and heading for the door. "I think he gets most of his sugar and matches from me."

Dove was finished eating and had her head on the table when he came back inside. "Sorry, Pastor stopped by to see how I was doing, then Jack wanted to know if I wanted to go fishing. Sweetheart, you eat more?"

"Nr," she said sleepily. "Dove all done."

Alvin frowned at the small pile of cocktail shrimp that still lay on the plate, but grabbed a piece of plastic wrap and covered it, then stuck it in the fridge. "Okay. Let's get you to the couch."

SE knocked gently on the wall and Alvin turned toward the door, then looked at him questioningly.

BUSY BUSY, said the silent man.

Alvin paused and looked through the window. "I can't just ship out. I gotta find the kids' folks."

NOT HERE. SE shifted and got to his feet, then settled Star against his chest and carefully put the glass soother he'd brought that morning into the baby's mouth, his eyes smiling as the little one sighed and curled close.

"Wish I could get a picture of that for Shana." Alvin grinned, then came back to the table and picked Dove up. "Come on, Sweetheart."

"Sveetheart," she murmured, wrapping her wings around his shoulders and nuzzling her face against his shoulder.

"I ain't Kleenex." He shook his head and smoothed the T-shirt that she wore as a dress, then carried her to the living room and lay her on the couch.

"I ain't Kleenex?" She perked her ears, then yawned and shuddered as he tucked a blanket around her.

"Never mind. Get some sleep." He smoothed her wing, then bent his head to look at the tiny, iridescent scales that ran along the arm of it. I wish I knew what they were. Why don't Buddy have wings? 'N how'd Sweetheart do that fire thing the other day? Father, help me do what I'm supposed to.

"Snakes." Dove twitched her ears at the silent man in what Alvin had realized was her equivalent to a smile. Her face moved very little, most of her expressions were conveyed by means of her eyebrows and those mobile ears.

"Uncle Snakes," Alvin corrected gently, flopping down on the end of the couch and absently looking for the remote. Marvin's supposed to be on that talk show to tell about his new book...

"No." Dove lifted her head to look at him. "Uncle Alvin."

"Snakes is uncle too," he said, then took the remote out of the Kleenex box and switched the TV on.

"No." She put her ears back. "No Snakes Uncle."

"Why not?" Alvin muted the TV and turned his whole attention to her, unconsciously mimicking his oldest sister's husband.

"You uncle." She pointed at him.

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Uncle. Onkel."

She gazed back blankly.

"Oom?" He tried.

Dove blinked. "You not Oom. You Vader."

Alvin's mouth fell open as SE began to shake with silent laughter. "No I ain't."

"Ja. You Vader," insisted Dove, her ears flicking around as she searched for English words. "You get us home. You house. You geben Sie zorg. You Vader."

"I take care of you, yeah, but that don't make me your father, Sweetheart. Uw vader en moeder zijn naar huis nog achter, het wachten op u om terug te komen." (Your father and mother are still at home, waiting for you to come back.)

She cocked her head. "Ja."

"Well then I'm not father."

"You Vader." Her ears went back as her voice dropped. "Dove und Star verloren. You vind Dove und Star."

"That makes me father?" His forehead creased as he translated.

"Ja." She shook her head yes.

"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat." He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay."

HI DAD, said SE.

"Shut up. 'N gimme Buddy," growled Alvin, taking the baby and laying him against his chest. "You wait'll you 'n Shana have kids."

SE snorted and turned to look at the TV. A knock sounded at the back door and he waved for Alvin to stay put with Star as he walked through the kitchen to see who was there.

"Never realized how popular I was." Alvin looked down at Star as the baby sucked contentedly and chuckled in his sleep, then caught one of Dove's feet and rubbed the bottom gently with his thumb as she accidentally kicked him. Looks like a paw, he thought. But even with that and the tail there's no doubt she 'n Buddy're people.

"Feuer," said Dove contentedly, peering at her wrist.

"Not on the couch," said Alvin, watching as Marvin talked without sound and the talk show host laughed at whatever the big black chef had said.

"Okay." She pulled the blanket up under her chin, then wrapped herself in her wings and went to sleep.

Where could I take 'em that's outta the way? S'pose I could go break into the Pit, but that's no place for little kids. Besides, I think there's already squatters there. He scratched his chin and reached into the Kleenex box for a piece of gum, skillfully unwrapping it one-handed and sticking it in his mouth.

Then the cell phone rang, causing Star to start and throw his little hands out.

Alvin winced as a tiny claw caught him on the chin and drew blood, then rubbed the baby's back as he pulled out the phone and frowned at the screen. "Yes!" He turned it on and put it to his ear. "Hey, Ettiene! Buddy, you still got that cabin out on the back of that bayou?"

next