randomplaces | Breaker 'verse 10

"No, everything's okay. Yeah, I'm sure. ... Look, bub, do you really want Wolvie TO'd at you again? Heh, such language around a lady. Don't say it, or I'll come down there and go postal on your hick boy butt." There was a peeved sigh and a clatter of cast iron. "We don't need it! There's LaFittes all over the blasted place, last thing we need is a bunch of insane military jerks added to the mix! Beachhead, you @#$%&* @#$%&* @#$%&*, stick your pushy nose..."

"Don't cuss," said Dove anxiously.

"Whoops. You jerk, you made me curse in front of the kid. I am so gonna... Fine! But she's not gonna tell you to come out here, either! Creep. Oh, he makes me mad..."

"Uncle Vayne, you made Auntie Jubes mad! No, Auntie Jubes is not alvays mad! She's très gentil! You're being a @#$%&*!"

Oh, Lord. Help. Alvin sat up and looked toward the table, where Dove sat with her ears back and her brows lowered dangerously.

"I'm mad at you!" she snapped. "Vader needs time to get to know us vithout the whole clan here right now! Und Uncle Ettiene be needin' paix et tranquillité, und you..." She ran out of words and banged her fist on the table in frustration. "You not paix et tranquillité!" Then she blinked and drooped her ears. "Now I vake Vader up. I'm a goober..."

"Come 'ere, goober, and leave Jubes alone with her cooking." Alvin held out his hand.

Dove hopped down from her chair and walked over to him, offering the phone. "I don't like Uncle Vayne."

"Me either," said Jubilee, sticking her head in the fridge.

"Uncle Wayne is a good and honorable man," Alvin replied loud enough to be heard over the phone. "Like the LaFittes, my buddies mean well but need to know when to hold off." Then he took it and listened to the silence on the other end.

"Ah get it, Breaker." Wayne said finally.

Alvin held it out to Dove. "You apologize."

"Vhut's apologize?" she asked anxiously.

"Do you really not like Uncle Wayne? Has he ever done anything to make you dislike him? Has he ever hurt you?" He pushed her, knowing the Ranger was listening. It was almost as hard as doing PT.

"No..." Her ears went back and her eyes filled with tears. "Uncle Vayne don't hurt me. Made Auntie Jubes mad... I goober." She plopped down on the floor and hid inside her wings.

"No, Sweetheart, you're just a little girl. But you need to say sorry..." He paused and added the meaning in Dutch and German, watching as her ears perked over the tops of her wings.

"Ja." She moved them out of the way and reached for the phone. "I'll say."

"That's my girl." He watched as she spoke softly to the cell phone, then took it as she handed it back. "You still there?"

"You didn't have to make her do that," said Wayne gruffly.

"Yes, I did," said Alvin softly. "It's the right thing to do."

Silence again filled the line before, "Call me if anythin' comes up," followed by a click.

You are a hard man, Wayne Sneeden... Alvin took a deep breath. "Is that what I think it is?"

"KD." Jubilee looked at him guiltily. "I'm sorry."

He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand rather rakishly on end. "Beach is trained to do and get it done. He means well."

"I just wish he'd listen to me for once!" She banged the pot down on the table, then winced and bit her lip as a gasp came from the bottom bunk. "Crap..."

"It's not you if that's any consolation. He steamrolls everyone."

Dove shifted as he leaned forward a bit, big eyes turning toward him. "Vhat's steamrolled?"

"Too many people being in charge, Sweetheart. Not like now. You hungry?" He winked at the black haired woman as he asked for a bowl. "You did make enough, right?"

"Enough fer everybody..." She stared into the pot, then sighed and nodded. "Yeah, anybody that wants some. The cheese's a little lumpy, but I didn't burn it or forget the salt."

Alvin shoved himself to his feet and limped carefully to the cupboard for a bowl, then came back to the table and fixed a portion of the mac and cheese, which he offered to Dove.

The little girl peered at it suspiciously. "Not food." She poked it, then shuddered and climbed up in her chair. "No thanks."

"Like, maybe with a little ketchup?" Jubilee seemed to rise out of whatever funk was weighing on her.

"No, she's a pretty fussy eater." Alvin sat down and bowed his head over the bowl for a moment, then looked up. "She's got to be careful or she gets sick."

"Vader?" The little girl in question looked up from her scribbler.

"Yeah, Sweetheart?" He turned toward her, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

"I did eat. Three big bugs from the fridge." She perked her ears at him and twirled her red pencil over and around her slender fingers.

"Okay." He grinned and reached over to ruffle her hair, watching as it clung to his hand like a living thing. Then he glanced up at Jubilee and a slight crease appeared between his eyebrows. "Why don't you sit here 'n write while Aunty Jubes 'n I go 'n sit on the couch?"

"Sure, Vader." She twitched her ears, already intent on her book. "I vrite numbers."

"Okay." He reached over and hesitantly touched Jubilee's hand.

She blinked and looked at him. "Hmm? How is it?"

"Fine." He jerked his head toward the sofa. "Since it's all done, come sit with me."

"Sure." She got a plate and served herself, then went and flopped onto the couch, tucking her legs up beneath her.

He followed, bowl in hand and gingerly let himself down beside her, sighing with relief. "This ain't one of my better days." A caramel brown eye gave Jubilee a side glance.

"No?" She played with the food on her plate, then turned a concerned look toward the bunk as Vangie stirred and murmured. Ettiene rumbled a soft reply without waking and his younger sister snuggled against his arm and sank back into sleep. "Oi, she's still wearing Road Pig's shirt."

"Dude makes my skin crawl." Alvin thought for a minute. "I wonder why the Dreadnoks were out here? They've only been this way once and their reception wasn' pretty. It's not like them to be this stupid... okay, it is, but it still makes no sense."

Jubilee scowled and gave her macaroni a wack with her fork. "They were after me. Or Burnout was, anyway."

That earned a double browed stare. "What'd you do to earn his attention?" He cringed and tried to backtrack. "I mean, not that you aren't worth attention, I mean, I'd pay attention, well, I do pay attention, except for when I don't..."

It was Jubilee's turn to stare, bright blue eyes wide with surprise.

Then she giggled softly and patted him on the cheek. "Yeah, definitely cute for a military jerk."

He turned bright red and focused on his food for a moment before cutting a glance over. "You didn't answer my question. How does he know you?"

She sighed and withdrew inside herself again, eyes darkening as they gazed at nothing. "He 'n my guardian clashed a few times. Then one time when he was goin' after Wolvie he saw me 'n decided that I was his girl." She shuddered and scowled darkly.

Shifting sideways, he eased his feet to a more comfortable position before facing her directly. "And what did you decide?"

"I put the dumb @#$%&* in the hospital," she said flatly.

"Don't cuss... sorry," came from the table.

Alvin shifted again. "Dangit. Dumbest thing I ever did, stupid feet."

Jubilee's only response was to hunch her shoulders and set her plate on the arm of the couch, then lay her head beside it. "I wish he'd push off! Next time I see him I'm gonna gut the..." Her shoulders started to shake. "And now I can't find Wolvie. 'N Vangie's havin' a bad spell. 'N..." Tears started to puddle on the worn wood.

"Hey." Long arms reached for her and pulled her close. "If he's stupid enough to take on Ettiene's family, then he'll be out for a while..." He smoothed her silky black hair. "Wolvie? I think I might know where he is, if it's the same person."

"Logan." She cuddled against him like a child, burying her face in his chest.

"Dove, bring me my laptop, please." Alvin swallowed against the beating of his heart and blinked toward his daughter.

"Sure, Vader." She slid down from her chair and went to the door, pushing it open carefully. "Vader vants his laptop. Please give it to me, Uncle Henri?"

"Where it be, sha?" asked Collete's voice.

"Under bench, dere. Merci!" She closed the door and brought the computer to the couch.

"Thank you, Sweetheart." He maneuvered the computer to the side while the woman in his lap. (Oh, Father!) snuggled closer. "Let's see here. Snakes IM-ed me earlier, telling me another tracker friend of his was coming to take a look for the bogeys 'round his cabin up in the mountains..." He bit his lip, deep in concentration as he brought up a satellite scan of those coordinates. "There... is that him?" A small grainy photo popped up revealing a tall blond headed man standing on a ridge next to a shorter stocky man with wild black hair.

She moved against his chest, arms still tucked between them, then sagged in relief. "Uh huh. Should 'a known you'd know Snakes."

Her movement sent tingles up his spine and he shivered involuntarily. "Yeah, Snakes is a good friend of mine." The silence fell and stretched into minutes before he realized she was asleep. Eyebrows raising, he closed the computer and slid it between the outside cushion and the arm of the sofa. Scooching a bit, he made himself as comfortable as possible, then caught his breath as she murmured and made a nestling motion.

"Vader?" Dove looked up from her scribbler. "Vhat's vrong?"

"Nothing, Sweetheart," he whispered wonderingly. Nothing, except a girl who says my name when she sleeps.

The smell of bacon and eggs along with several other unidentifiable scents brought him to consciousness.

"Alvin, y' know what dat fille's papa gonna do t' ya if he see dat?"

Brown eyes blinked at the laughing tone. "What?" His voice was dry and cracked. Then a body shifted on top of him and he suddenly realized where his hands were.

Catching his breath, he slowly tried to extract them but the hands on top of them wouldn't let go.

"Five more minutes..." Jubilee pulled his embrace closer like a blanket.

Ettiene gave a chuckle from where he leaned on the table. "You gon' let her do that?"

A rebellious streak flared and Alvin turned on his side, pulling her between him and the back of the couch and turning his back on the big marine. "Shut up, E," he whispered over his shoulder.

"Well I be..." There was another chuckle, this one gentler than the last, then footsteps across the floor and the opening of the door.

"Mornin', Ettiene. Y' sure y' oughtta be up?"

"Jus' wan' a breath 'a fresh air..."

Alvin lay his cheek against Jubilee's hair and inhaled deeply, then faded back into sleep.

"Yeow!" He snapped awake as something landed on him hard.

There was a startled cry and the weight was removed. "Aunty Vangie, I hurt Vader!"

"No y' didn', sha," the cajun woman's voice was full of laughter. "Trus' me, dat de bes' way t' wake up papas."

"Don't teach my daughter bad habits." Alvin tilted his head back and rubbed his eyes with thumb and forefinger, then nuzzled his face against Jubilee's hair and closed his eyes.

"Y' gonna sleep all day, Papa Al?" Vangie chuckled, then cooed as her laughter developed a baby echo. "Lookit dat, Star. Papa snugglin' wit'out ya."

"Oh, holy..." Jubilee suddenly went stiff with surprise. "Crud!"

Alvin let go of her and rolled off the couch to sit in front of it, his face heating. "Sorry."

"Stop bein' stupid." Vangie snorted and cuddled Star's cheek against hers, then stood and walked out of the cabin.

Jubilee took a deep breath and turned to look at Alvin, her blue eyes thoughtful. "Sorry for what?"

"For... you know..." He buried his face in his hand to try and hide his growing blush.

"Snuggling?" she said softly. "Don't worry 'bout it."

He flinched away slightly as her hand touched his shoulder, then looked up at her, his eyes dark. "I gotta take care of the kids."

"I can help." She rested her cheek on her arm and watched him, then glanced at Dove and quirked a grin.

"Your... what's Logan gonna say?" Alvin looked up.

Jubilee shrugged. "I think he'll like you."

"Ya think?" He thought of stories he'd heard Ettiene tell and wasn't sure.

"I know."

"How?"

"'Cause I do."

Alvin felt his own mouth twitching at the corners as he drew a leg up and rested his elbow on it. She likes me. Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!

"Y' know, most guys'd try to make a move now," noted Jubilee.

Alvin choked.

Jubilee giggled and gave him a swift peck on the cheek, then got up and walked into the kitchen. "Ooo, cold fried ham, yum!"

"Ham is good." Dove's ears pointed toward her. "I ate some."

"Thought you didn't like salty stuff? Oh, it's fresh." Jubilee chewed thoughtfully, then got up to get the ketchup.

"Ketchup isn't food." Dove put her ears back.

"Ketchup is the food," retorted Jubilee cheerfully.

Alvin only half heard the exchange as his eyes drifted aimlessly toward the bunks. No E. That big lug ain't well enough to be up yet... Father, what do I do? Sweetheart 'n Buddy need my attention right now.

He scowled and rubbed his face, then pulled the laptop out of the couch and got to his feet.

"Oh, not again." Dove sounded exasperated.

"I'm only gonna be on the porch, Sweetheart." He looked down at her thoughtfully. "Why don't you come out too?"

"Henri 'n Collette're still out there," said Jubilee.

Alvin paused and looked out the window in time to see Vangie race by in the yard with a football hugged to her chest. Then he looked back down at his daughter.

"Uncle Henri's good," she said. "I like him."

"When did you meet him?" Alvin quirked an eyebrow.

"Last night. I vas taking care of you, so Auntie Jubes asked him to put Uncle Ettiene to bed." Dove flicked her ears toward a gleeful shriek from outside. "Vhat're Aunties 'n Uncles doin'?"

"Playin' football," said Alvin wistfully.

"Can I play football?" She looked up at him from under the shadow of her hair.

"Sure, if you want. Just be careful you don't hurt anybody."

"I'm careful."

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