randomplaces | Breaker 'verse 16

"Good. Now get outta de way." Collette pushed Henri gently aside and touched Alvin's face, frowning as he muttered in a language that she didn't understand.

"Oi, he's talkin' about some firefight." Jubilee put a knee on the end of the bed. "What happened? He was, like, okay this morning."

"Jesus, please help Vader be not sick," said Dove softly from where she crouched on the back of the couch wrapped in her wings.

"His foot be hurtin' him," said Collette, frowning as she noted the brown haired man's sudden stillness and pallor. "Jesus will help him, chile. Collette'll help, too. You bring me water 'n pan. I need t' tend t' dis foot. 'Tienne, hol' him down. Dat bandage might stick, 'n he ain' gonna like it comin' off." The fiery Creole woman looked at Henri, who stood behind her protectively. "You gonne protec' me from dis poor boy, sha?" She winked at him.

He gave her a grin, then started and looked down as Dove gently shoved Star into his arms before heading toward the kitchen.

"His foot?" Ettiene frowned at her.

Jubilee started to get up and help her heart-daughter, but then stopped and looked at the baby, her expression showing her uncertainty. "Where'm I, like, gonna be the most help, Collette?"

"He gonne t'rash. 'Tiene hol' his legs. Jubee, y' git on his chest."

"What's wrong with his foot?" Jubilee sounded a little peeved as she did so. "I just changed the bandage yesterday!"

"Wit' dis ol' swamp ya never know. 'T'ain't no fault. It jus' 'appen sometime." Collette bustled about, gathering her things as she prepared to remove the bandage. "Now, jus' hol' tight to dat man. Dis gonne get rough."

"Wow! Um, I burned the hot mitt," said Dove from the kitchen. "But the pan's okay, and the vater's getting hot."

Henri glanced toward her, then gasped and pointed.

"What?" Ettiene frowned and looked. "Sweetheart, don' get you fire dat close t' de handle 'a dat pot. De dang t'ing'll melt."

"Great jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" The little girl adjusted her grip.

"I take it dat be de fire t'ing she papa get so worked up 'bout de udder day," said Collette slowly.

"Yeah..." Ettiene turned back to his friend and adjusted his grip. "Okay, gal, do y' stuff."

"Yeah." Collette took a deep breath and nodded for Dove to set the pan down on the nearby foot locker. "Okay, now brace y'selves..."

* * *

"Al, you dumb..." Jubilee sighed and mopped his face with a cool cloth. "I oughtta kick your butt."

"Sorry... Beachhead, I'll try again."

"That's it, we're through." She tried to laugh through tired tears, then looked up as Collette tumbled down from the top bunk and came over.

"I tol' y' t' wake me at midnight." The Creole girl scowled and took the cloth. "Git y' tail t' bed now."

"I, like, didn't wanna leave him," said Jubilee softly. "He keeps sayin' my name."

"Yeah, dat natural. Now go'wan." Collette made shooing motions.

"Sheesh, I was..." Jubilee made to lift up from the bed only to find her arm held fast by the sleeping man. "Um. Well, dangit."

The Creole woman laughed quietly. "He know he found a good t'ing, sha." Thin brown fingers gently poked Alvin in the side and he let go, murmuring about 'five more minutes' and 'leave me alone, Beach...'

Jubilee hesitated, bright eyes on his face as she pushed the damp hair away from his forehead.

"Jubes." He turned his head, then frowned and shuddered. "Roadblock, watch out!"

"Come on, sha." Ettiene stooped to reach into the bunk and haul the Asian girl out, then straightened and heaved her into the top one. "Get y' some sleep. He ben t'rough worse'n dis."

Jubilee muttered something uncomplimentary and rolled onto her belly to give him a death glare.

The big marine smirked. "You gonne have ta get useta dis, 'tite." A sad smile moved across his face. "He seen a lot o' stuff and bein' ill only bring it out. Y' sleep for a piece now, non? He still be here when ya wake up." Reaching out, he brushed her hair away from her face and gently pushed her head against the pillow. "Sleep, mon petite."

She sighed and relaxed. "Yes, Dad. You suck, y' know that, right?"

Deep laughter threatened to come but he held it in. "Ya, I know. Ya tol' me enough times, neh? Now, close you eyes for me." He placed a hand over her face and slowly rubbed circles near her temple. When he heard her sigh again he lifted his hand and squatted next to Collette. "He gonne be a'right?"

"Oui, once de fever burn all de crap outta 'is body." She dipped the cloth and rung it out, then glanced at the silent child on the back of the couch. "Dat one, she never sleep all night."

"Hm." He rubbed his mustache absently. "I take care 'a her. You finish up here." Standing, he gestured to Dove who flicked her ears forward. "Ange', get you school stuff and de compy and we go outside to study, non?"

"(Father always says to eat first,)" she said in softly accented Acadian.

"(So he does. We eat, then we study,)" he replied, a wide smile on his face. "(Now, you truly sound like an angel, Ange'.)"

She twitched her ears in a slight smile of her own, then perked them toward the bed as Alvin groaned and gasped something in Cantonese. "His heart's going kinda fast. Is that normal, Uncle E?"

"Collette!" He rapped his chest quickly and pointed to the injured man, frowning.

"It's 'cause 'a de shiverin'," she said, sounding unperturbed. "I keepin' my eye on it. Get dat chil' fed."

He shrugged and turned back to his honorary niece. "Y' heard de lady. Let's eat."

* * *

"Okay... now I know dem lessons be here someplace..." Ettiene frowned and clicked on another folder, trying to resist the urge to glare at Henri and snatch Star off the younger man's chest.

"They're not marked?" Dove leaned toward the screen to try and see it, inadvertently blocking his view in the process.

"Sha, y' be needin' ta move, so's I can see..." His voice trailed off as the file he'd clicked popped open. Removing his ever-present Marines cap, he scratched his head thoughtfully. "I ain' never seen one o' dose."

"One of wh... Sandeidechse!!!!" Dove's shriek made Star wail as Henri sat up, protectively cradling the infant as he glanced around for an attack.

"Dat big lizard, ya recognize it?" Ettiene looked down quizzically.

"Ja!" She rattled off something in her own language, gesticulating with her hands.

Ettiene exchanged a glance with his brother. "Er, what dat be in English or Cajun, sha?"

Dove paused and took a deep breath, muttering about 'jumpin Jehoshaphat' under her breath.

"That lizard, he's from where Star and I come from. He's a baby Draak. There's danger if he's around." Her wide blue eyes looked up at him earnestly. "He has poison that might hurt you."

"He one ugly lizard." Ettiene took a closer look at the picture, noticing the pool of liquid beneath the creature. "I t'ink he be dead, Ange'. See dat? It look like blood and dis be de wound." He pointed to the gaping hole in the hindquarters, then glanced up as Henri peered over his shoulder and grimaced.

"Good." Dove's ears went back, then she took another look herself. "Where is he? That's not the Wüste."

"What you two doin'?" Vangie came out and perched on the end of the empty bench, cradling a huge mug of coffee in her hands. "Teachin' de 'tite t'ings 'er papa gonna complain' 'bout?"

"Not dis time, Vange." Ettiene sighed and asked the air, "When was he gonne tell me 'bout dis?" Passing the computer to his sister, he rose and jogged off the porch.

"'Tienne?" she called after him.

"I gotta make a call," came his quiet reply.

* * *

"Y' ever git hold'a ol' Snakes, 'Tienne?" Vangie looked over at her brother where he sat on the front steps cradling Star in the crook of one arm.

"Nah. He not answering, but den, I din' 'spect 'im to. Did call Beach though. 'E had Mainframe pull up a real time GPS track on Snakes' PDA. Dey be pretty close in." The big marine glanced up at the sky. "I 'spect dey be here shortly. Maybe in de mornin'."

"Dey?" Vangie finished downloading the Jessica Alba theme onto his phone and glanced down at it as it beeped.

"'Im and de Wolverine and whoever be taggin' wid' dem." He snagged the cell and pocketed it, ignoring the beep just to aggravate her.

"Wolvie?" Vangie's scowl swiftly switched to concern, but then she was distracted as Henri lifted Dove away from the barbecue pit and hauled her up to sit her on the porch railing.

"Vhat's vrong vith me using my hands to stir the bugs?" demanded the little girl irately. "I only vant to help!"

"Sha, Henri, he like to do de cookin' by hi'self when he can. 'Sides, if he watchin' ya, he might get burned." Ettiene grinned at her.

Dove put her ears back and pulled her legs up to crouch, holding onto the rail with her wings. "Tante Collette, she let me help. 'N I catch all dat stuff!"

"An' you done a good job wi'd it, too. But Henri not Collette." Pushing his Marines cap back from his eyes, he motioned for the child to come to him, then lowering his voice to near inaudibility. "Why don' you 'n Tante Vangie go look f' pretty flowers for you Momma to look at. You can get de ones high in de trees real easy like."

"Get flowers for Moeder to look at?" Her ears went back again. "You lost me, Uncle E."

He shifted the wee tyke in his arms and gave his sister a glance and a jerk of his head.

"Come on, sha. I show you what de big lunk be meanin'." The pair wandered off the porch, toward the wooded area behind the house.

"Good save, mon frere," said Collete softly as she came out of the cabin and lowered herself wearily to the step next to him. "What all she bring 'ome?"

"Half de swamp, I t'ink. Anyt'ing we need ta throw back, bro'?" When Henri shook his head no, Ettiene sighed and gave the Creole woman a tired smile. "Ya be ready ta head 'ome yet?"

"We gotta, or dere ain' gonna be no garden lef'. An' dem pigs gonna be digging dey way free t' see where we done gone." Collette reached toward Star. "Al gonna be alright, de fever, she be broke now."

The big man handed her the boy and stood slowly, stretching his arms and legs. "Dat's good. You been a big help, 'Lette. I know Al, he wan' ready for all dis. You done a good t'ing, you and Little Bro." He made a teasing swipe at her close-braided hair.

She ducked and swiped back, scoring a hit on his arm. "Who could be ready t' have a fam'ly dat fast? Surprise me de man ain' snapped more den jus' layin' in de yard in de dark 'n talkin' to de frogs."

A dark brow rose. "Talkin' to de frogs?"

"Yeah." She described Alvin's search for answers in a low voice, not taking her eyes from the baby in her arms.

Ettiene listened in silence, watching her talk. When she finished, he lightly tapped her cheek to make her look up. "Collette, you know more about de Swamp den most. And ya know dat ever'one who be lookin' can find de answers. Who we be to say dat de Big Man can' be usin' de voice of an ol' Bullfrog?" He waited for her to process that idea. When a smile started to gather at the corners of her mouth, he winked. "Either dat, or Al be totally cracked, neh?"