Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 12:04:26 -0400 From: Secret Dreamer Subject: Fall Down and Smile - 19 Quick Thank you to my sister for inspiring a big chunk of this chapter and the chapters to come. Yay to her. She forced me to write on my vacation *dramatic sigh* Oh, and a forgotten thank you to Danny for helping w/ Chapter 18 :-D (and your wrong about the fable - grrr) Okay, I'm buying a domain. I'm sick of Envy.nu shutting down all the time so I found a pretty nice host and I'm moving to my own domain. If any of you have an idea for it, let me know. The one I wanted is taken. Anyways, I hope you guys all like this chapter. I really like it. Lemme know what you think of it. I eagerly await your responses. I enjoyed Seattle immensely :) e-mail : website : update list : Aol Instant Messenger : Chapter 19 "At Your Most Beautiful" By Secret Dreamer awkward rhythms It was a dark and stormy Delete. Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap. The house on the hill was older than anyone knew. The stairs creaked under invisible feet and the couch made a pass at the chair. The curtains blew with a laugh as the footstool told a bad joke. The mantel rolling it's bricks with a grimace. "Ew." Delete. Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelete. "Fuck." Sigh. The door slammed. Triston sat in a high backed chair, staring at the picture in front of him. A man and a woman, so happy and free had an underlying secret of possible deceit. The chair across from me moved. He sloshed a goblet of wine in between his fingers, as the candles were burning low. His eyes narrowed until he could barely see straight and anger flashed behind his intense green gaze. I felt something burning through my skull. I looked up and nearly fell out of my chair. "For crying out loud. What are you doing home early?" I managed to get out. Dawn stared at me. Her hands were crossed in front of her on the table, her previously French braided hair was now limp and frayed. "I hate you," she growled, her eyes narrowing to slits. I blinked at her. "Excuse me?" Her face softened and tears began flowing down her cheeks. "I hate you. Why'd you let me move here? Why'd you let me follow my dream?" She sobbed. I frowned. "Are you trying to be funny?" She shook her head. "No. Why did you let me come here, Iya?" I slapped my hand to my forehead as if I'd just been enlightened. "Stupid me, I thought you wanted to come to California. I thought you wanted to pursue your acting career. Man, am I insensitive or what?" She put her head on the table and cried. I sighed and knelt next to her chair. "What happened?" She sniffled. "Curran sent me home. I was horrible today. I couldn't remember any of my lines. I can't fit into my wardrobe because of my stomach. I look terrible. Iya my life is over." "Is it act like a teenager day or is this going to be a regular occurrence? Honey, we have bad days. You had yours. You're life isn't over." She sniffled again, got up from the table and ran up the stairs. "Dawn!" I ran up after her and found her in the guestroom. She ran her fingers along the white wall. She sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. "I had such plans for this room," she sniffled. "I wanted to give her and James everything," she laughed bitterly and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. I knelt down in front of her. "She's not gone, Dawn," I laid my hand on her belly. "She's right here. Tali's not going to leave us, never." "I hate that name." I blinked. "Tali. I hate that name. I used to love it but to change it. I can't stand it anymore." I blinked again. "Um. Okay. I guess." Either this was a creepy new development or just a mood swing. I was hoping it was just a mood swing and she would change her mind. Dawn sighed and placed a hand on my cheek, stroking me with her thumb. I leaned into that touch, savoured the feel of her skin, the gentle nature of this woman in front of me. "I love you." I smiled and stared into her shimmering blue eyes. "I love you, too." She sighed again. "And then there's the trial. Fuck," a cynical look appeared in her eyes. "Let's leave. Let's get in the car, get James, and drive. They can't take her if they can't find us. We'll go to Canada." I smiled sadly, in pity almost. "No." She sagged a little. "I know." "Come with me to see Ian. We'll meet with the lawyers." "I don't want to do this, Iya. I really don't," suddenly, she looked tired and broken; defeated. "I know. Me either but we can't let them win, Dawn. We have to fight this." She frowned, lines creasing her forehead. "I wish we'd never met Andrew DuMont," a dangerous fire burned in her eyes. "I hate him." I stared at Dawn. She seemed like a different person. The sweet, caring, loving and doted girlfriend I'd fallen in love with, was gone. A different, haunted Dawn Reed sat in front of me. Her soul was on the brink of being ripped out. This new Dawn was frightening to me. The way her eyes kept darting from one side of the room to the other. The now rough way she was stroking my cheek. And the nearly feral smile that kept appearing. I blinked and my Dawn was back. She sat in front of me, smiling so lovingly and brightly. I felt my stomach churn at this swift shift in character. I swallowed roughly, afraid to move. What if I moved and that other Dawn appeared? Ready to storm out and create something. "Dawn?" She smiled at me. "Are you alright?" For a minute, the vengeful Dawn came back before the real one fought her down. "I'll be okay," she said and got up. She stretched her back and rubbed her stomach. She smiled that beautiful smile that she saved for important people. I got up and watched her walk from the room into our own. She took off the overalls she was wearing and pulled out a pale blue skirt that hugged every inch of her legs and thighs until it ever so slightly flared at the ankle. This was my favourite piece of clothing that she wore. Almost everything else she owned hid the fact that she was pregnant. This skirt hugged her belly like a second skin and screamed to the world 'I'm pregnant and beautiful'. And she was. She slipped the skirt over her body and pulled a tank top from the drawer. It was white with thin straps and a low neckline. She pulled it on and her swollen, full breasts protruded slightly to the top. She pulled her loose hair from the braid and shook it out. I took the brush from the top of the dresser and ran it through her hair. It shimmered and flowed down past her shoulders. She looked so beautiful. She turned to me and smiled. "What do you think?" I grinned and kissed her, placing my hands on her cheeks and letting my fingers slid down to her neck. "You're beautiful." ******* make you smile Dawn swung our hands back and forth as we left Ian's office. "He's nice." I laughed and kissed her on the cheek, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Let's go out to lunch." "Mmm. I could really go for a big ice cream sundae," she grinned and made a gesture about its size. Her charm bracelet clinked on her wrist and disappeared. Her face contorted in horror. "Where'd it go!?" "Calm down, we'll find it," I assured her. "We have to! Daddy gave me that bracelet," she was nearly in tears as she leaned against the wall of the nearby building. She kept on sniffling and snorting as I tried to find the charm bracelet. I was nearly on my knees when a movement caught my eye. I stared down into an alley and saw a little bobbing creature coming towards me. A puppy came into the light and trotted past me with something twinkling in his mouth. He set it down at Dawn's feet and smiled at her, wagged his tail and let out a little woof. She opened her eyes. "It's a puppy. And he found my bracelet!" Dawn squealed and picked up the bracelet, slid it on, and scratched the puppy behind the ear. "Thank you." He licked her hand and rolled over onto his back, exposing his tummy. I grinned as she sat down and gave the puppy's tummy a good rubbing. He lapped at her face. She giggled. "He's adorable," she continued to stroke his smokey blue fur. "He looks awfully thin," I stared down, wishing I had my camera with me. He propped himself up on her belly and licked her face and woofed lightly. He looked to only be a few months old. "Why would anyone get rid of a dog so sweet?" I wondered a loud. Dawn frowned. "He looks sick. You can see his ribs. Maybe we should take him home and feed him." I nodded. "He could use a bath too. Do you see a collar?" Dawn shook her head. "Nothing." "How do you suppose we can get him to come home with us?" She shrugged. "Carry him to the car?" "We can try. He's really small. Should he be this small?" "Well, we don't really know what he is. I guess we should take him home, feed him, bathe him and take him to the vet." The puppy licked Dawn's face before curling up in her lap. I looked down at him. "I guess that answers that question," I helped Dawn up as she carried the puppy in her arms. "He's awfully cute." "All puppies are." Dawn snorted. "I've seen some pretty ugly puppies. Believe me, they're not all this cute." I shrugged. "Yes dear." She opened the back door and I set him on the backseat. "Do you think he'll be safe?" "If I drive carefully, he should be alright, I think." Dawn nodded. "I hope so," she shut the door and came around to the other side of the car. As she climbed in, the puppy climbed on the coin holder between the two seats and placed his nose on Dawn's shoulder. I grinned and took her hand. She smiled at me and started batting her eyelashes. "Mommy can we keep him?" I laughed. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. We need to see if James and Peaches are okay with him." "Yeah. I see your point," the puppy nuzzled her shoulder. "Iyyya. He's being cute!" I threw the car into drive. "Don't worry. Only 10 minutes until we're home." She sighed and put the puppy in her lap. "What should me name you? Charlie?" I gagged. "No way." ******* i know you're closed eyes watching me "Jack." "No." "Orson." "No!" Dawn tapped her foot impatiently. "Than what?!" I shrugged. "I think we should feed him and bathe him before we do the naming thing." "Bruno." "Huh?" "We're going to name him Bruno," Dawn stated firmly. "Bruno," I tested the name on my tongue. "Bruno." He looked up. Dawn grinned. "I win." I stuck my tongue out at her. "You're lucky I love you so much." She smiled and kissed me. Bruno trotted around the living room sniffing out some of Peaches favorite spots and found her on the large armchair in the family room. He propped himself up on the cushion and smiled at her. Her ears flattened against her head. He tried to nuzzle against her but a fierce paw came down and snatched him across the nose. I breathed a sigh of relief that we had gotten her tendons snipped and picked up Bruno who was now cowering and whimpering at the stroke of abuse. I couldn't really blame Peaches. A strange animal was entering her domain and it wasn't one of her own species. Dawn came in with the phone. "I'm going to call Dr. Morris' office and see if she can get us in today or at least find out what to feed him." I nodded. "Good idea. I'm going to get him a bath. The muddy look really isn't doing it for him," I looked down at my soiled clothing. "Or me." She smiled and kissed me before going back into the kitchen and dialed the number. I took Bruno into our bathroom and set him on the floor. "You're going to hate this," I assured him. "But I promise you, you aren't going to be in any harm. It's just going to be a little frightening for you," I stopped talking. "I'm talking to a dog." And now I'm talking to myself. Dawn came in and sat down on the toilet seat. "Dr. Morris can see us at 3:30. She said to bathe him and feed him some vegetables just to settle his stomach and some corn and rice until she can see us." "Great," I turned on the water and let it fill up a few inches just to get his paws and a bit of his chest wet. I sighed. "You'll thank me later," I picked him up and put him into the water. He cried. He sat there and cried and cried and cried. He tried to shake the water from his paws over and over but continued crying when it didn't work. Dawn sniffled and wiped her eyes. She burst into tears. I sat in the middle of the bathroom floor completely dumbfounded, frantically staring from the puppy crying in the bathtub to my girlfriend crying on the toilet seat. I hugged Dawn and handed her a tissue. Told her I loved her and began working soap into Bruno's fur. He continued to cry and wail. Peaches came in and stared at the howling puppy, cocked her head, crawled on Dawn's stomach and purred loudly, nuzzling her cheek. I wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort Dawn or if she was terrifically pleased that the puppy whom had entered her domain was being tortured. The water quickly became a thick brown soup. I pulled the plug and turned on the faucet. Bruno scurried to the other side of the bathtub on wet paws that, more or less, caused him to fall flat on his face and continue howling. Each howl was like a knife in my heart. I was doing the right thing, right? Clear water soon replaced the brown and I was able to clean off all the dirt, mud, and old fur. He promptly stopped howling when I shut off the water. A very unhappy, soaking wet puppy blinked at me. I wrapped him in a large towel and rubbed his fur dry. Well, I tried to. The first moment he got, he leaned against me before wiggling free of the towel and pressing himself against my chest. He smiled sweetly at me. "I suppose I deserved that," I picked up the towel and wrapped him up again. "Let's get you some food." ******** i thought i saw a smile I set Bruno on the exam table, his black eyes darting around the room and settling on James who was sitting on the chair in the corner. His feet pranced back and forth because they didn't quite touch the ground. His gaze was fixed on Bruno. Dawn plopped down next to James, one hand on her belly, and grinning like mad. The door clicked and snapped as Dr. Morris came into the room. "So this is the new addition to the household," she stroked Bruno behind the ear. He leaned against her, his paws slid slowly on the metal tabletop until he gracefully fell onto his side. He stared up at me and blinked, not quite sure why he had fallen but accepted it very quickly and propped himself back up, making sure not to lean as the Doctor continued to stroke him. "Smart little fellow," she commented. We all sat in silence as she checked him over. Ears, rectum, stomach, mouth, gums, teeth, paws, tail, nose, eyes, neck, chest, the whole deal. "He's extremely malnourished but I think he'll recover nicely. He's got a little bruising on his neck but they aren't very recent. He's only about 7 weeks old." "7 weeks?" I looked at Dawn. "We thought he was nearly a few months." "No. He's only about 7, maybe 8 weeks old. He needs to be a good 10 lb. though I'd say. He's a mutt. Wolf, German shepherd, he's going to be huge. 120 lb. tops." "120 lb.!" She nodded. "Do you think you can handle that?" "Of course!" Dawn and James voiced together. She grinned. "Great. I'll test him for any transmitted diseases and get him caught up on his shots. I'll be right back." ******* i've found a way Bruno's tests came back negative and he squirmed through every shot but didn't cry out too much. It was my guess that all his wails had been used in the tub earlier that afternoon. When we got home, he trotted into the house and I carried a large bag of puppy food in my arms. Dawn came trailing behind with a dog carrier and James was happily cradling Bruno's dog dishes. I set down the bag with a huff and James eagerly filled one of the bowls with water and set it in front of Bruno who eagerly lapped it up and whined at the screen door to be let out. James opened the door and followed him out. "Should he be on a leash?" "We'll get a leash tomorrow." We followed the boys out the door and watched James throw rocks for Bruno to fetch. The puppy skidded to a stop in front of the rock and ran back to James, slobbering all over the object and setting it in his hand. James giggled and squealed with joy and cuddled the puppy to him with every retrieved throw. I sighed and placed my chin on Dawn's shoulder. "Bruno's going to be a nice addition." She nodded and leaned against me. "I hope Peaches doesn't mind." We watched the sun set as James and Bruno continued to play. "We should go out." "All of us?" Dawn shook her head. "Just you and me. Like a date." It hit me. "We've never had a date before." "Hmm?" "We never had our first date." She was silent for a second. "You're right. We haven't." "Should we?" "That would be nice." "I'll call Jonathan and see if he wants to baby-sit tonight." ******* whisper i love you Dawn stood in front of the mirror, brushing out her hair. "You know, you aren't as large as you think you are," I told her as I poked the earrings through my ears. "What are you talking about? I'm a freakin' whale!" I laughed. "Oh honey. Let me show you something," I pulled a box from the bed side table and opened its tin lid. "This is what I looked like when I was pregnant." Dawn took the picture, stared at it, stared at me, stared at the picture, stared at herself, and then stared at the picture again. "Golly. You win." I giggled and kissed her cheek. "I love you, though. You're beautiful." She smiled and bumped shoulders with me. "I suppose your right." James came into the room, Bruno bumbling behind him. "When is Uncle Jonathan coming?" "In a few minutes honey. Are you excited?" He nodded wildly. "Can Bruno come too?" I sat on the side of the bed and hefted him onto my lap. "Bruno needs to stay here, tonight. He needs to know that this is his home." James nodded sadly. "Okay. You'll pick me up tomorrow?" "Absolutely. Don't stay up too late, okay?" "Okay," he leaned against my shoulder and sighed contently. He looked at Dawn. "You look pretty," he whispered shyly. She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, James." He grinned and buried his head in my shoulder. I chuckled and stroked his hair. The front door closed. "Hello?" "Up here, Jono!" James shot up. "Uncle Jonathan!" "Hello there, kiddo," he swept him up. "Uncle Adam is waiting in the car, are you ready?" He nodded wildly. "Bye Mama! Bye Dawn!" We waved as Jonathan carried him down the stairs. "Bye honey!" we called together. Dawn giggled in spite of herself and got up. "Shall we go?" I nodded and took her hand. "After you, my dear." "Thank you, love." ******* you always listen carefully I helped Dawn out of the car in front of the Garden Strip. She smiled and sighed. "Where we met. Oh Iya, it's perfect," she threw her arms around me. I handed my keys to the valet and escorted Dawn inside. "Reservation for Moon-Reed." The waiter smiled and grabbed two menus. "Follow me, please, ladies." We were seated at a nice little table with a candle burning in the center of it and two roses in a glass vase. "Your waiter will be with you shortly. Would you like any wine this evening?" "No, thank you." He looked at Dawn and noticed her stomach. "Oh, madam, I'm so sorry I did not notice the little bundle. Would you care for some Sparkling Cider or Mineral Water?" Dawn smiled. "Sparkling Cider would be wonderful." "For you, too, Madam?" I nodded. "Yes, please." He bowed slightly at the waist and went to retrieve our drinks. "This is fun," Dawn giggled and opened her menu. I followed suit and looked over the many dishes available. Everything looked so nice I could barely decide. From the looks of it, Dawn was having the same predicament. "What are you getting?" "I have no clue." We giggled nervously as the waiter came up with the bottle of Sparkling Cider in a bucket of ice and two wine glasses. He poured for us. "Can I get you ladies anything?" I bit my lip. "What would you recommend?" He glanced at the menu. "The linguini with clams is excellent this evening. Also the fettuccini with grilled chicken in a nice Alfredo sauce. I would recommend the garden salad to start with a little vinegar and oil." "That sounds nice," Dawn nodded. "The clams for me and the chicken for my girlfriend." The waiter smiled and bowed. "I'll be right back with your salad." I held up my glass of Sparkling Cider. "A toast to Ta-." "-the baby," Dawn cut me off, lifting her own glass and clinking it with mine. "You're still set on naming her something else?" She nodded. "I know you love that name, Iya but I just can't stand it. It doesn't have any real meaning to me, I guess." I sighed and nodded. "Alright. It would be nice to have a name we both agree on." "Thank you for understanding." "Of course." ******* just to hear your voice We were enjoying our pasta over our second bottle of Sparkling Cider when our evening turned for the worst. Dawn was telling me about Lexy's marriage arrangements and Ethan, the man she was marrying, when two large looking men came into the restaurant and were seated two tables from us. They seemed nice enough until they began a rude conversation that could be heard through the whole room. "Where is the wedding?" I asked to try and forget about the new customers. "In England. I'm hoping I'll be able to go. I might not be able to fly and I can't ask her to interrupt her wedding to move it here." "But she's your sister..." She sighed. "I know but I want her to be happy and she wants to be married in England, as close to Stone Henge as she can get." "Maybe she'll change her mind." "I hope." "Hey! Hey!" One of the men from the other table yelled at us. We both ignored them and continued to try and enjoy our evening. "HEY!" He yelled again. "Hey, cute girls!" I groaned. "Should we answer them?" She sighed. "I guess they're going to keep yelling if we don't." I gave her hand a squeeze and turned to them. "Would you please stop shouting, we're trying to enjoy a nice evening." Or I'll freaking yank off your balls. "Sorry, we're just trying to settle a bet. Are you two girls free tonight to go out with two studs like us?" I groaned. "No." And turned back to Dawn and rolled my eyes at her. She giggled into her napkin and sipped her Sparkling Cider. "Aw come on. We're nice guys." "We aren't interested." "Why not? Not good enough for you?" "We're taken." "Who are they? We'll beat'm up." Dawn coughed. "I do believe that's a challenge, Iya." The two got up and brought their chairs with them. They set themselves on either side of the table. "You could hook up with us and your boys would never know." I glared at them. "Leave. Us. Alone." The waiter came scurrying up. "Is there a problem here?" "Yes!" He frowned at the two men. "I need to ask you to leave this facility. Disturbing other customers is not permitted in this restaurant." "All we want is for these two fine chicks to hook up with us." "Gentlemen!" the waiter fumed. "If you don't leave, the police will be called and you will be properly escorted to a jail cell." That got them moving. They were out of the restaurant so quick there were skid marks behind them. "I'm so sorry, ladies. You're dinner will be credited and free this evening." We nodded our thank yous and finished eating in an uncomfortable silence. ******* secretly We left the car at the restaurant and had decided to walk around a bit, just enjoying the evening, fingers twined together as we tried to forget the incident that evening. Dawn stopped in front of a coffee shop called 'Jillian's'. There was a rainbow flag hanging on the door. "Hey, there's a story teller, let's go inside. I could use a cup of tea." The scent of coffee was strong as we entered the house. We found a free table and sat down. "What can I get for you ladies?" a waitress asked, snapping a piece of gum. "Herbal tea, please." "Nothing for me, thanks," I said, holding Dawn's hand and rubbing her palm. The waitress smiled at us and placed the order. "This is nice," I remarked. "I feel overdressed," Dawn giggled as the lights dimmed and most of the conversation died down. A candle was burning in the middle of the room with a stool and microphone. The manager of the coffee house came up to the microphone. "Tonight's guest would like to be introduced as a grandmother of two and a step-grandmother of one. She likes to bake cookies and read poetry." Every patron clapped as the 50 some woman stood up in front and sat down on the stool. She adjusted the microphone giving all of us the opportunity to stare at her unique features. Her white-blonde hair was shorn nearly to her scalp, the remaining few inches were spiked and tipped red. A chain was connecting a nose stud to the dangling ring at her ear. She introduced herself as Queenie. Dawn leaned over to me and whispered. "Do you think she has any tattoos?" I shrugged. "Hell's Grandmother's, maybe? Aged Against the Machine?" She chortled and elbowed me lightly in the ribs. "That's awful. Awfully funny, though." I grinned and took her hand, kissing the back of it. It was delightfully wonderful to be able to hold her hand in public and have others just smile at us and coo. "Since tonight's theme is "sisterhood is powerful", I thought I'd tell you the story of Kate Crackernuts," began Queenie. "I hope that those of you who have heard it before don't mind hearing it again. Those of you who haven't, well, it begins a long time ago, in a place far far away, where magic was as common as crooked politicians... "A man had a wife, and the wife had a baby, and that child was beautiful from the very first day she was born to the day her momma died, some years later. Well, this man loved his daughter, and thought she needed a woman around the place to help her grow up right, so he found himself a widow woman who had a daughter near enough in age to his own that people assumed they were twins. The man's daughter was fair and beautiful, and the woman's daughter-that's our Kate-well, she was dark and handsome, but couldn't hold a candle to her step-sister in the looks department. Still, they were so fond of each other that you would never have guessed they weren't blood related, though they looked so very different. "But the widow woman, for all that she was beautiful herself, had an ugly heart, and was jealous that her own daughter might get passed by, as everyone was oggling the gentleman's girl. So she got a wicked idea into her head, and found the local witch. Now, this wasn't a good witch like Glinda. No fairy wings for this gal. She was as mean as she was ugly and as ugly as she was mean-darn ugly. "The widow woman said to the witch, 'How do I make my step-daughter ugly, for I mean my own child to be the prettiest in the family?'" "Now the witch understood the ways of man, and the ways of woman, and some of the ways of the other things that live in our world though not of it, so she knew just the thing. 'Tell that girl to come visit me, and I'll take care of everything. You just see that she doesn't eat anything before she arrives, or the spell won't stick.' "The widow thought that was an easy enough trick, thanked the old witch, and hurried on home before she was missed. The next morning she told her step-daughter to go on over to the old witch's house, to pick up something the widow had been promised. 'No dawdling, child. This must be done immediately.' "She was an obedient girl-but as she went through the kitchen she snagged a crust of bread to gnaw on as she went, for not having had breakfast she was very hungry. "When she arrived at the old witch's house, something stank to high heaven, and whatever it was bubbled in the cauldron over the fire. She wasn't too happy when the witch told her to just stick her head over the edge, but she did. Yup, it smelled awful, but when she lifted her pretty little head-and it still was her own pretty little head-the witch sent her home without the package she had been expecting, just a terse message that the woman had not upheld her end of the bargain, and would have to try again. "Boy was that widow woman mad-but she couldn't tell anyone, just bided her time. Next morning she escorted that step-daughter of hers to the porch before telling her to get going, and she was going good-but the flowers smelled so nice, and a friendly gardener was just picking some fresh new peas, and he gave her a handful to munch on her way. Well, she made good time, and there was the old witch and the nasty brew-and her pretty little head was still just as pretty as the day she was born, and again she was sent home with nothing but a queer little message about disobedient children. "Next morning, the widow woman walked the girl to the end of their property, told her not to speak to anyone and go the quickest route to the old biddy's house, or there'd be hell to pay. The girl was so hungry, but she did what her mama told her, and made it to the witch's house in record time. Again she obediently smelled that stinky pot, and this time, who woulda believed it, off popped her own head into the pot, and out of the pot jumped a sheep's head and stuck on so tight to the girl's shoulders that she couldn't pull or shake it off no matter how she shook and cried. Without waiting for any more queer messages from the witch, she ran home bawling-that's all she could do, because sheep can't talk and neither could she. The widow woman was mighty satisfied with the witch's work, and called her own dear Kate to see what her fine Mama had done. But Kate was not impressed. 'I did it for you!' cried the woman. 'But this is not what I wanted. I want my own sweet sister back,' and she took her sister's hand in hers, and walked out of the house. "They walked for miles, far from the old witch's sway-but the sheep's head stayed on. They walked into another kingdom, where Kate found work as a scullery maid at the castle and a corner in the kitchen to keep her poor sister. They hadn't been there very long, either, when the castle fell into some turmoil. The eldest son, heir to all he surveyed, was ill. He would eat nothing, nor drink nothing, and every day he was more pale and weak than the day before. Despite the most learned doctors and most pious priests, no one could figure out what the problem was. Even his younger brother could gain no insight into his troubles. "Kate decided that she was as good as anyone and suggested that she be allowed access to his chambers. The King and Queen were at their wits' end, so were even willing to listen to a scullery maid. They agreed to give her leave to spend three days and nights with the boy, the two of them alone with no interference. She had a little pot to make nourishing soups for them both, and to keep herself busy and awake during her watch, Kate filled her apron with nuts to crack. The king himself wished her good luck and locked the chamber doors behind them. "That first day the prince listlessly lay in bed, barely registering Kate's presence, despite the racket her nuts made. She cracked the nuts, and the prince lay still, until the clocks struck midnight. Then he slowly rose from the bed. Kate tied her apron up, and followed behind him. She soon realised that she could make whatever noise she liked, as he took no notice of her. "He dressed in his finest garb, and opened the chamber doors with a key from around his neck. Then he went to the stables, called his hounds and leapt onto his horse. Kate climbed onto the horse behind him, determined to keep her watch. They rode right up to a nearby cliff face, knocked three times upon it, and the prince spoke, 'Let the lord of the castle in, with his horse and his hounds- "And Kate, with her wits about her, called, 'and his lady behind him.' The rock opened, and the prince entered. Kate quickly dismounted and hid in the shadows to see what might happen next. Beautiful beings-Kate realized they were fairies-helped him down, took his horse and hounds away to be cared for, and ushered him to the dance that was well under way. "Kate moved to a place behind a curtain in the great hall to watch the beautiful dancers, and cracked her nuts. She soon noticed that not all the fairies were dancing. There were a few old fairies playing with a baby in the corner, and gossiping amongst themselves. She started listening to their animated conversation. One old woman asked, 'What news from above have you, then?' 'No news,' said another. 'Just that Kate and her sister-the one with a sheep's head-have moved into the castle.' "'Ah,' said the first, 'if only Kate knew that all she had to do was tap the wand our baby plays with on her sister's sheep head, and she'd be restored better than new.' "And then they spoke of other things, but Kate fixed on the baby. It was true, the child had a strange little wand it was waving around like a rattle. Kate knew if she grabbed the wand away the babe would cry and then her place behind the curtains might be found. If only she could distract the child... her hands slowly reached into her apron, digging around for an unshelled nut. She found several, and rolled them towards the baby. It dropped that boring old wand pretty quick and crawled after the noisy little nuts. Before it could touch the ground, Kate had the wand and tucked it into her apron. "The dancing seemed like it would never end, but suddenly the prince was leaving the hall and she had to be quick to get on his horse before they left. The horse galloped hard, and got the prince and Kate back to the castle before sunrise. The prince collapsed into bed, his face whiter than white. She made him some nourishing broth, but he could not sip at it, and she feared that unless she could get him out of the fairy's thrall, he would die within a few days. "She spent the day trying to remember anything she knew about enchantments, but the fairy wand did no good for the prince's illness, and she only hoped it would heal her sister. "That night, Kate was not surprised when the prince, pale and terribly thin though he was, climbed out of bed and put on his dancing clothes. She followed him to the stables, climbed behind him on the horse, and when he reached the cliff face and called out, 'Let the lord of the castle in, with his horse and his hounds-' Kate added, 'and his lady behind him.' "Again she lost him in the complexity of the dance, but she watched and listened from her place behind the curtain. When the two old fairies sat down near her, with a baby at their feet, she strained to hear every word. "What news from above, then?' asked one crone to the other. 'No news,' she replied, 'except that no one knows what ails our fair princeling, or how they may heal him.' "Oh that,' sniffed the first. 'It would only take three bites of that birdie our babe plays with to make him hale and hearty. Let's talk of other things, then.' "Kate looked hard at the baby. Sure enough, it had a little yellow bird on a string. And despite her quiet coaxing, it didn't seem to want to let go. She rolled out a few nuts. The baby eyed them, but stayed put. She rolled out a few more, and it lunged but held onto the birdie tightly. Finally Kate rolled all the nuts she had left at the baby and it giggled and let go of the bird. Kate grabbed its tether and put the bird in her apron, then settled down behind her curtain, hoping no one had noticed. "The prince made a sudden exit, and if Kate had not been keeping careful watch she might have missed him. She jumped on the horse behind him and they rode pell mell to the castle, beating the cock's crow by nothing more than a heartbeat. The prince sagged into bed and Kate knew she had little time to spare if she wanted to save his life. She stewed the bird in her little pot and made a rich broth of it. She brought it over to the prince, and for the first time in days, he spoke. 'Oh,' he said, 'If I could only have a bite of that birdie.' "Kate was more than happy to oblige, and spooned a big mouthful into him. "'Oh,' he cried out again, and this time he raised himself on his own elbows, 'If only I could have another bite of that birdie!' "Kate spooned another big mouthful into him, and he licked his lips and looked at her as if he actually saw her. 'Oh,' he said, 'If only I could have one more bite of that birdie.' "Kate spooned the last of the bird into his mouth, and he sat up in bed, clear eyed and rosy-cheeked. "He spoke as if he had just woken from a dream and asked her what she was doing there. She told him of his illness, how she had sat there and gone to the fairy world with him and brought him from out of their power. He was ever so grateful, and they found themselves chatting quite amiably about all sorts of things, until his father the king finally opened the door to see if the scullery maid had actually been able to work a miracle. "The king was so overjoyed, and the queen right behind him, that when the prince said it was his intention to marry the girl, neither protested in the slightest. But before anyone could congratulate the happy couple, Kate ran over to her sister's corner and tapped her on the head with the fairy wand. Off popped the sheep's head and rolled away. In its place was the girl's own head, and the prince's younger brother, when he saw that she was as gentle as she was pretty, decided that it ought to be a double wedding. "So Kate got her man, and one for her sister besides, because she loved her step-sister more than most children love their blood relations. Sisterhood is powerful, my friends. It releases prisoners and makes love blossom," Queenie stood up and curtsied. Dawn leaned over to me. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "Whose her stylist?" She giggled. "No. Let's name her Kate." I smiled and laid my hand on her stomach. "Hey Squirt, what do you think of that?" There was an appreciative kick. "I think that's a 'yes'," Dawn grinned. I leaned over and kissed her long and sweetly. "I love you." She grinned and grabbed my hand. "Let's go talk to her." I was pulled to the other side of the coffee house where Queenie was sitting, ordering a cup of hot cocoa. "Excuse me," Dawn whispered. She looked up and smiled. "What can I do for you?" "We were wondering where you'd heard the story?" Queenie smiled. "Sit down, girls." I helped Dawn get situated. "Do you need any water? Tea, maybe?" She shook her head and took my hand in hers. I smiled and sat down next to her, bringing our chairs quite close. Queenie smiled at us. "Clever Gretchen and the Forgotten Fairytales." "Pardon?" "Clever Gretchen and the Forgotten Fairytales is a book of fairytales featuring strong women and strong female protagonists." "Like Kate Crackernuts." She nodded. "Just like Kate Crackernuts." I smiled at Dawn. "Perfect." "So what are you two girls doing here looking like royalty?" Dawn sighed. "We wanted to have a quiet evening out at a nice restaurant and everything was going great until these two knuckleheads decided to intrude." "Where did you go?" "The Garden Strip. It's where we first met." Queenie frowned. "That's a nice little restaurant. I'm sorry it was ruined." I shrugged. "Your story made up for it, though." "I'm glad I could help you out," she smiled at Dawn. "When's the babe due?" She grinned wildly and stroked her stomach. "About 4 and a half months." "Congratulations. Boy or girl?" "Girl." "Oh," she cooed. "How wonderful. Any names picked out yet?" We smiled at each other. "Kate," I said, kissing the back of Dawn's hand. "We've decided to name her Kate." Queenie laughed. "Wonderful, absolutely wonderful." Our conversation with Queenie seemed to fly by until Jillian's starting to close at 11 o'clock. She yawned loudly. "Oh my. I need to be getting home." Dawn yawned with her and nodded. "It's later than I thought." "It was nice talking to you girls. I hope everything works out with the babe." "Thank you, Queenie," I smiled. Dawn grinned sheepishly. "Would it be too forward of me to ask you for a hug?" Queenie laughed. "Not at all, darlin'." Dawn smiled and hugged the old woman tightly. She looked up at me. "Join in, if you like." I grinned and wrapped my arms around both of them. "You two girls get home to your new pup." We nodded as if complying with our own grandmothers. "G'nite Queenie." "G'nite Girls." We left the coffee house as the sign on Jillian's switched to 'closed'. i read bad poetry into your machine. i save your messages just to hear you voice. you always listen carefully to awkward rhymes. you always say your name, like i wouldn't know it's you, at your most beautiful. -- *whew* it's finally done. Okay. Yeah. I can't think of anything to say. I'm tired and gitty and I'm going to go listen to R.E.M. now. Don't forget to smile, Secret Dreamer