Part 4

Ann and Alivda managed to ‘share’ their Amel for the rest of the day, but in this case, 'share' meant Ann watching Amel fuss over his little Diff. She put up with it for the rest of the day, but come nighttime Ann was tired of it.

“She has a bedtime, right?” Ann asked Amel while the dragon jumped on her furniture.

“Well,” Amel said tentatively.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Ann said. “Does she ever get tired?”

“Oh, yes,” Amel said. “But on her own time. She is only two years old, after all.” He smiled. Only Amel would think staying up with a hyper child was fun.

Then Ann realized what Amel had just said, and felt her mouth fall open as she stared at him like he had just said Rire had voted to become a monarchy.

“What?” Amel asked, sounding annoyed.

“Are you telling me the three-foot monster of a child who is destroying my furniture is only two years old?” Ann almost shrieked. This was even worse than she thought.

“Well, two and a half, really,” Amel said.

“Oh I’m sorry, six months makes that much difference, does it!” Ann said.

“When you are as Vrellish as she is it can,” Amel said. “But how old did you think she was?”

“Six.”

Amel giggled. “Really?”

“Yes,” Ann said.

“Well, she is very Vrellish,” Amel said.

Ann just looked flabbergasted, but when her face finally returned to normal she had just one question.

“I am not going to get laid tonight, am I?” she asked.

Amel gave her a sheepish grin.

Ann threw her arms up in the air and collapsed onto the couch.

“We can still cuddle,” Amel said, smiling.

“Oh, great!” Ann said sarcastically. “That will be such a rush.”

Amel sat down next to her on the couch and put an arm around her.

“You know it can be,” he whispered in her ear.

She felt a shiver run through her body and before she even thought about it, she was kissing him. And he was kissing her back.

The baby dragon did not appreciate this.

“No,” she said loudly and ran up to sit between them.

“Get off!” Ann yelled and pushed Alivda off the couch.

A normal toddler would have cried, but Alivda kicked Ann in the shin. Again.

Ann yelled and swore; Amel tried to cover Alivda’s ears.

“Did you have to hit the same spot!” Ann yelled at the smug looking child-sized toddler.

“Ann!” Amel said. “Be nice. She is just a baby!”

“That’s no baby,” Ann muttered under her breath, now thinking a dragon would have been offended to have his name attached to such a beast.

“Now, Diff,” Amel said. “You know you aren’t supposed to kick my friends.”

As soon as Amel looked at her, Alivda’s smug grin changed to an angelic smile.

“That’s better,” Amel said.

“Why did you call her Diff?” Ann asked.

“That is my nickname for her,” Amel said. “Only I call her that.” He grinned. It seemed the existence of a name only he used made him feel closer to the child.

“I am going to go get more ice,” Ann said and went to the kitchen.

“Diff,” Amel said when Ann had come back, “no more kicking Ann, okay?”

The baby dragon put on her most angelic face and nodded.

“That’s my girl,” Amel said and scooped her up into a huge hug.

Diff decided a hug wasn’t enough and climbed around Amel until she was clinging to his back like a koala bear.

“Are you tired?” Amel asked his back.

Alivda gave a huge fake-sounding yawn.

“Okay, let’s get ready for bed, then,” Amel said, and he carried her off to the bathroom to wash.

They took a long time in there, and eventually a wonderful thought struck Ann: maybe the little terror had actually fallen asleep. But just after Amel had returned to her and pulled her into his arms for a kiss, she heard a blood-curdling scream from the other room. Ann sighed. She felt like screaming herself.

Part 3

“Where is he?” Ann was saying to well, no one, since she was alone. The arbiter answered her as if it could somehow provide new information, which, of course, it could not."

“The information at hand indicates Amel Dem’Vrel will arrive shortly.”

He should have docked an hour ago. Ann stared at the holographic representation in outrage “Oh, what do you know?” Ann said. “You don’t get horny!”

“Please restate the question,” the arbiter said.

Ann glared at it and started pacing.

She paced nervously around her room and occasionally yelled at the arbiter, until finally the door opened.

“Amel!” Ann cried with joy and relief, drinking in his smile and the beautiful eyes and fair complexion that to her represented sex personified. but then she saw a small blonde toddler standing behind Amel and balked.

“What’s with the kid?” Ann asked, hoping Amel could somehow claim ignorance, but she knew already that this little kid was no Reetion.

“She is my baby dragon,” Amel said, as if this explained everything.

“Baby what now?” Ann asked.

“Baby dragon,” Amel said.

“A dragon is a mythical creature, right?” Ann said. “I think I have seen them in synth-dramas.”

Amel laughed. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Ann said slowly, “but what is an inaccurately named Demish toddler doing with you?”

“What do you mean, inaccurately named?” Amel said in outrage. He seemed very proud of the name he had come up with.

“Well, she isn’t really a dragon, is she?” Ann asked.

The little girl went over to Ann and kicked her as hard as she could.

Amel smiled. “She really isn’t Demish either,” he said.

“But why do you have her here now?” Ann asked again.

“Perry had her in a cage!” Amel said, again as if that explained everything. Amel's talent for storytelling evidently didn't extend to his habit of picking up strays.

“Who is she!” Ann yelled.

“Ayrium and Ameron’s second daughter, Alivda,” Amel said. “But no one else can handle her, so I get to look after her!” He looked positively gleeful about this.

“But can’t you, you know,” Ann said, nudging her head a little to try and indicate what she meant.

“What?” Amel asked kindly.

“I was hoping for some adult time,” Ann said.

Amel still looked confused. Ann couldn't understand why; she knew he loved sex just as much as she did, but right now he seemed to be entirely smitten with the little beast and only had eyes for her.

Alivda kicked Ann again.

“How is it that she can figure out what I am saying, but you can’t!” Ann said, going to sit down and holding her shin. That had hurt.

“Bad baby dragon!” Amel was saying to Alivda. “Don’t kick Ann. She is our friend.”

“Are you even listening to me?” Ann asked.

“What?” Amel said, looking up.

“Never mind,” Ann grumbled, and went to put ice on her leg.

An Unwelcome Visitor

Part 2

Amel held the baby dragon protectively in his arms, while she tried to wriggle free.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that!” Perry said.

“She is your granddaughter!” Amel said.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Perry asked. “I just can’t handle her. I am getting too old for this.” She sighed. Amel just didn't understand how hard it was dealing with the girl. Only Ayrium could calm her, and Ayrium couldn't be around all the time. The rest of the time she had to deal with a destructive menace.

“Why don’t I look after her?” Amel asked while the dragon got her nails into his skin beneath his hair.

By the mad gods of Earth, was he serious? She could be saved! “By all means!” Perry said waving a hand toward the blonde that had destroyed her living room. “Please!”

“What shall I call you?” Amel asked the baby, pulling her away from his face, where her too-sharp nails had been coming dangerously close to his beautiful eyes. Amel didn't appear at all concerned. “Hmmm.”

“That daughter of mine named her Alivda,” Perry said.

“Yeah, but I think I will need something that only I call her,” Amel said, then after a moment of thought added, “like Diff.”

“Di,” Alivda said, trying to whack Amel’s face with both hands, “ft-ft-ft.”

“See?” Amel said. “She likes it.” He smiled. Perry frowned. That was the sort of smile he usually had for her, not for the little monster.

Amel made to leave when Perry called out to him, suddenly seeing a major downside to his plan. “So I take it this means you’re not staying the night, then?”

Amel chuckled. “No, but I will come back eventually. You know that.”

He walked out of Perry’s room and toward the docks, taking little Diff with him. For a moment Perry thought she should go after him and tell him to wait for Ayrium. Her daughter wouldn't be happy to discover the dragon had been taken off-planet without her knowledge, even if it was with Amel, whom she adored. And maybe this way, Amel could be persuaded to spend the night after all….

But no, she realized with a shudder. If he stayed any longer, Amel might change his mind. The horror of that possibility was unthinkable. She could explain things to Ayrium. Right?

***

Amel was in high spirits as he walked out toward the docks. He had never had a habitual travelling companion before, especially not one so little, but he was excited for the change. Ayrium and Ameron were two of his favourite people, and this was their daughter. What could possibly go wrong? As appalled as he had been by the cage, he did understand that Perry was at her wits' end. Barmi II, it seemed, just wasn't big enough for a baby dragon. But exploring the galaxy would be fun. Amel wondered what she would think of Rire, which was his next stop. He had a date with an old friend there.

“You’re going to get to meet Ann,” Amel said softly to Diff while he carried her to his ship.

Diff got very excited when she saw Amel’s ship. Though she didn't talk, Amel could tell that she knew she was going to fly; her babble got louder and faster and she flapped her arms.

Amel smiled. “You are definitely Vrellish on the inside, even if you look like a Demish Princess.”

Diff made a few happy sounds from her perch on Amel’s shoulders.

They went into his ship and Amel showed Diff her seat, but it seemed she was happier sitting on his shoulders so he let her. “Just don’t cover my eyes, okay?” Amel said.

Diff screamed with joy and used her legs to jump up while still on Amel’s shoulders.

“Ow,” Amel said, and left dock.

The baby dragon calmed down once they entered skim, and Amel found that she was a great traveling companion.

Amel and the Dragon