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A Yook by Any Other Name Chapter Four |
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Chapter four: Terry Crowe Comes To Terms With Epilife
She leaned across his torso, encircling his neck with her arms. "I love you so," she murmured. "Nothing will ever take you from me again." Ah, were that only true! **************** Sid trotted along for several miles, finally coming to a road. Walking along it, he reached from time to time to let his hand rest on some object in the inner pocket of his suit coat. How glad he was he had retrieved it from beneath the trapdoor of the red barn before they left The Village. Without it, his idea would not be possible. He smiled, satisfied. It was, indeed, the best idea he'd ever had. He only wondered why the thought of it had taken so long to come to him. After about 15 minutes of walking on the road, an old pick-up truck came up behind him and stopped. An older man with a full grey beard leaned out the window and asked, "Need a lift?" Sid eyed
him a bit disdainfully at first, but then inquired, "Would you
be going anywhere near Bellingen?" Indeed he was, his
destination being none other than Boiling Billy's Coffee Shop.
"I did," Bunny replied. "That's what's the matter." Jocelyn's brow creased. "What did he say?" "I'm not really...sure. He had an idea." "An idea? What sort of idea?" "I don't know. I'm worried, Jocelyn. He...he...might...." "Might what?" "He might hurt Maximus." Jocelyn's eyes narrowed. "Not in THIS house, he won't!" Terry Crowe came in one end of the dining room just as Terry Thorne came in the other. Himself's brother stopped, looking around the room. There was Russ, two other seated Russes, and another by the door.
"Shit!" he said, "what's going on here?" "TERRY!" shouted Himself, coming over and clapping his brother roughly on the back. "I'm home!" "So I see. Several of you are. You want to explain?" Himself grinned broadly. "It's an epi, Terry. You're in the middle of an epi." Terry narrowed his eyes. "You promised. You said you would never...." "I know...I know," laughed Himself, "but it was, um, unavoidable." Terry
closed his eyes, placing his right palm over them. "I can't do
this," he moaned, shaking his head. Then he looked at Himself.
"How am I supposed to deal with FOUR of you?" Himself licked his lips. "Twenty-six," he said, almost inaudibly. Terry staggered as though punched in the gut. "My GOD!" he cried. "ALL of them?" Himself nodded. "Every one." "Even the new guy?" "Him,
too."
"The screenplay," he answered, not taking his eyes off it. "Is it good? Do you like it?" He circled another partial sentence then looked at her somberly. "Did you realize New South Wales was planning on seceding from Australia?" "John," she said, keeping her voice light, "why don't we go for a walk? The air is so warm and lovely and after being in all that blurry snow for so long, I need to see a flower or two. Won't you come with me?" "But...but...," he protested, looking back at the screenplay. She stood, holding out her hand. "Please?" He sighed. Some people just never grasped matters of international security. "Now?" "Yes," she smiled, "now." He sighed again, rose from the couch, tucked the screenplay under the center cushion of the seat, then said, "If I must." He was always so socially adept!
"You encouraged him!" Hando accused, his eyes flashing flames. "I did
NOT!" Ando shouted back. "I've never encouraged an
orangutan in my life!"
"You DID!" he glared. "Why else would he have grabbed you up like that?" "He...he's an ANIMAL, for Pete's sake!" she protested. The slow smile spreading across his face belied his words and she knew then that he had been teasing her. He tipped his head down a bit, looking up at her through his long lashes, his lips twitching slightly. "I've been known to be an animal from time to time myself." She gasped
with the violent physical changes inside her as her feelings lurched
instantly from indignant anger to passion. The former Welshwoman
leapt upon the Melbourner, wrapped her legs about his waist, sending
him toppling backwards onto the lawn. And so it was that between
Ando and Sue the Vile, the epis had ever so hard a time maintaining
their PG13ness. Sigh. "It would seem," she said. "But I think I may," she turned her eyes slightly toward Steve, "like it." He was so pleased he could hardly stand it. Terry followed her look and said to Steve, "You the fruit guy?"
Steve frowned slightly. "The photographer," he corrected. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Stan?" "Steve." Then Terry looked over at Bud. "LAPD?" he smiled. "That's right," Bud affirmed, adding , "Bud White." "I remember seeing you. Got pretty well shot up at the end, didn't you? Thought you were dead." "Most people did," Bud agreed. "If they hadn't read the book," he amended.
He introduced Berti to Himself's brother, then Terry's eyes turned to the other Terry, who stood leaning against the door frame. "Good name," he said, giving a quick, sharp upwards tip of his chin. "Thanks," the K&R agent replied. With eyes that for many years had been able to survey a herd and pick out the ones needing attention, he asked, "You OK?" Terry T.
let out a ragged, sighing breath. "Not entirely, I'm
afraid."
Himself
rested his hand on his brother's shoulder, whispering into his ear.
"Best not to pursue that further." "Ball melons?" Himself repeated. With eyes that flashed, "Don't you dare ask!" she ignored them both and quickly crossed the room to take Terry's arm. "You shouldn't be standing for so long," she admonished affectionately, leading him to a large, padded chair in the corner near the window. He sat down, sighing gratefully. "Where've you been, annsmac?" he asked. "I missed you." Carefully, using only one side of her mouth, she replied softly, "Trying to find a...replacement." "Did you?" "Not
so far," she said sadly, but looked at him quickly, adding,
"I will, though. Don't worry. I will." He knew she would.
She always had. Her presence in his life these past three years was
the only reason, indeed, that his equipment still functioned at all.
"Slowly, now," Joimus said, "you don't need to rush it." Maximus was sitting on the side of the bed again, getting ready to stand. This time, though, he didn't sway. He looked down at her, grinning a bit. "I'm up," he announced. "Can you help me with my armor?" She frowned. In epi canon his armor weighed 450 pounds, not a good weight for someone just come back from the nearly dead to carry about on his person. "It's warm," she said, "do you really think you need it?" She had no way of knowing that upcoming plotline developments required that he be fully attired generalistically. "I'll be fine," he smiled. Quite like
the old king of Rohan, he stood then in the center of the room as
she enarmored him, piece by piece. His greaves, like her gown, had
been restored by the unwaters, and as she buckled them on the front
of his lower legs, she looked up, enjoying to her core his
splendidness. All that remained was his cape. She picked it up,
letting it drape across both her forearms, then, unable to resist,
buried her face a moment in the fur. It was so...him.
Then he was complete, standing there the ultimate Roman General. He held out his arms and she came to him, sliding her own arms around his back under his cape. In that gesture they both so loved, he pulled the sides of his cape completely around her, cocooning her body, resting his cheek atop her hair. Thus they stood for long minutes, their breathing matched, their eyes closed. "I am...one...with you," he murmured. "You are," she sighed, "truly you are."
Sid opened the truck door, stepping into the main street of Bellingen without a thank-you to the driver. "Do you know in which direction 'Eucalyptus' will be filmed?" was all he said. "North," the grizzled man replied. "Out in the Gleniffer area we call 'The Promised Land.'" Sid smiled. He liked that. The Promised Land. His smile broadened. A good place for his idea to find its fruition! Now all he needed was to locate an abandoned shed.
Next
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