Dedicated to Roxie, happy birthday!

Jonny and Hadji exchanged worried looks as they sat in the library holding the ray guns they had just gotten from the toy store for Jonny's ninth birthday.

Jonny swallowed compulsively. This would defiantly fall under the category of bad.

The last shards of his father's old vase lay on the floor by the toppled end table where it had fallen.

"Perhaps, if we glue it, he won't notice." Hadji said timidly.

Jonny swallowed again. He really really really didn't want his guns taken away. And that was what dad had said would happen if they broke anymore things. Ohhhhhhhhh, he was in trouble. Even Hadji looked worried, and that scared Jonny more than anything. "Lets go get the glue. But be quiet! Dad's taking a nap and we don't want to wake him up!" Silently they snuck through the living room, where his father was sleeping on the couch, into the kitchen and from there to the garage.

Jonny dug through the workstation, looking for the glue he knew had to be here.

"I believe I have found it!" Hadji said, holding up the Elmer's School Glue in triumph.

"Oh, great. Let's go."

Slowly they walked back by the sleeping man, to the large room where the vase lay.

***

"Here, I think this piece goes here."

"No, no, my friend! This piece goes here!" Hadji pushed the younger boy's hand away and stuck the piece where he wanted it to go, receiving a glare from Jonny.

"[yawn] Boys! What are you doing in there?" Came Benton's voice.

Jonny and Hadji looked up.

"NOTHING!!!!" They shouted in unison.

"Really? What kind of nothing?" Benton Quest started walking to the area where his two sons seemed so intensely involved with something when he was stopped by Jonny's bulleting body.

"TAG! YOU'RE IT!" Jonny shouted and ran off.

"Really? I think I've just about got you!"

Hadji gave a sigh of relief as Dr. Quest ran off in the other direction, taking the decoy. Now all he had to do was get this put together before he came back . . . Hadji looked at what had been done in the past hour. One small piece was assembled. He took a deep breath and started again, only to hear footsteps approaching. Leaping up he ran out of the room, straight into Dr. Quest.

"Um . . . um . . . don't go in there!" He said.

"Oh? Why not?" Now curious, Benton started to push by, wanting to see what was going on.

Hadji panicked. Whirling around he shoved a helpless Jonny into the door, smacking his head and getting a stunned look.

"Oh! Oh! Dr. Quest! Jonny tripped!"

Benton turned around just as Jonny started wailing. Picking him up he carried him into the kitchen where he set him on the sink while the older man went to get band-aids for the bleeding elbow.

***

Rachel Quest walked in the door, carrying Jonny's real birthday present in her arms. Looking around for her family she wandered into the library, where what had happen was quickly revealed. She summed the situation up in no time flat and shook her head. She knew what Benton had told the boys. And on Jonny's birthday. Hearing footsteps she bit her lip, trying to decide against the truth or a happy birthday. The footsteps grew nearer and she decided as Benton called out, "Rachel? Is that you?"

"Yes, it is." She quickly pried open the lid to the box she held and tipped it, letting the puppy inside fall out and run around the room.

"Oh!" She kicked the fallen endtable and then crunched glass under her foot. "Oh Benton! The dog got out, it knocked over your vase! I'm so sorry!" She said as her husband walked into the room, followed by Jonny and Hadji.

"It knocked over the endtable and the vase fell on the wood. I don't know how it happened." She said sadly.

Benton swallowed and squeaked out, "It's okay."

"A DOG! COOL!" Jonny shouted.

"Benton, why don't you go get the broom and I'll make sure no one comes near the shards." She said, gently pushing him out. Closing the door behind him she looked at Jonny and Hadji, holding and petting the puppy she'd brought. "Jonny . . ."

"Mom, I'm gonna name him Bandit."

"That's good. Are you okay? You didn't step in the glass did you?"

Jonny looked up sheepishly. "Naw. Dad would've taken my new stuff." He grinned. "But you're cool. Thanks, mom."

**********************************

Back to the Hangar
Back to the living room