Testing The Waters

By:  M. J. Cogburn and C. E. Krawiec

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"Good night, Dad," Siren laughed softly then continued to her bedroom.  However, as she went about changing into a nightgown and getting ready for bed - after all, six in the morning came awfully early - on the perimeter of her thoughts, just out of direct sight of her mind's eye, lurked a small yet not so innocent thought about Allen McAllister.  It didn't manage to get fully into her thoughts but it was still there when she crawled between the sheets a few minutes later and turned out the light.  She wasn't even aware when, as sleep took her captive that she had murmured under her breath, "Allen..."

PART ONE

Even though her dreams were filled with numerous pictures of Trevor Conroy intermingled with constant awakenings to go to the restroom, Siren opened her eyes feeling more tired than when she had gone to sleep.  Reaching out to silence the alarm on the nightstand, Siren moaned lowly.  "It can't already be time to get up," she mumbled, turning in her bed to take a closer a look at the clock itself.

She was ready to hit the snooze button and get a five more minutes of sleep when the door opened and Xavier emerged with a tray full of food.  His smile was enough to stop her from hitting the snooze button and smile back up at her father.  "Morning," she murmured softly.

"Good morning, my dear," Xavier responded brightly, waiting as Siren first sat up in bed then wriggled and scooted back against the bed's headboard.  "Ready?" he asked, the smile becoming a grin as he watched her stuff a pillow behind her back then give it a couple of tweaks and punches to get it just right to suit her.

Siren wriggled once more and leaned back against the properly positioned pillow lodged comfortably between her back and the headboard. "Now, I'm ready," she declared at last then giggled when her father responded, "The surrender of the Japanese to MacArthur took less time," as he set the breakfast tray over her lap.

Grabbing a slice of the crisp bacon from the plate in front of her, Siren took a bite and crunched happily then swallowed.  "To what do I owe this special treatment?" she asked then finished the rest of the slice of bacon.

Moving back a step, Xavier went to sit at the foot of the bed, as he did on occasion.  It wasn't the first time he had opted to spoil his daughter with breakfast in bed.  Now, though he had no specific motive in mind, the relaxed situation presented by doing so, gave him ample options for testing the waters about certain things now holding a stronger position of focus in Siren's life.

"Are you complaining?" he teased lightly.  The grin that flashed across Siren's face as she popped a forkful of scrambled eggs with cheese in her mouth was the answer he'd expected.

"Not on your life!" Siren declared.  Picking up one of the two half-slices of toast, she nibbled a corner of it.  "You know, I could really get used to this," she hinted broadly, her tone pure cheek as she continued eating with gusto.

Xavier chuckled.  "I'm sure you could, my sweet," he bantered back. "However, since we both have jobs to perform, I don't foresee it as a foregone certainty."

"Oh well, it was a nice dream while it lasted," Siren sighed dramatically.

"Speaking of dreams," Xavier subtly took advantage of the opening her answer presented. "Did you have a nice time with Mr. McAllister last evening?"  The loving and attentive fatherly expression on his face didn't give away the tiniest hint of his reason for inquiring.

Siren took a sip of her orange juice and nodded her head as she swallowed.  "Most definitely.  You know, Daddy, Allen is really a kind man.  A big pain at times, but quite the charmer, too.  I like being around him.  He…" Siren paused as she turned her full attention to her father who was showing his usual loving and attentive self.  Siren paused, licked her lips then told her father very plainly, "He's a great guy."

Xavier kept the pleasant face he'd adorned for a specific purpose and hearing Siren say so many good things about Allen McAllister rubbed his fur the wrong way - especially when the father of the twins was far away from home. 

"I'm glad that you've found a friend to keep you company while Trevor is at Ft. Hildren ," Xavier responded carefully as he kept his tone and expression light.

Siren smiled at her father before she shoved another forkful of the scrambled eggs into her mouth.  After swallowing she nodded her head then responded, "You know, Daddy, I really have.  I know that today after I finish my routine chores, I'm going to search out Allen and see if he'd like to go to the movies this evening.  There's a really good movie out and thankfully it's not one of those horror flicks that scare me half silly."

A fleeting flicker of disapproval crossed Xavier's face, vanishing almost immediately.  "Siren, don't you think that you are spending too much time with Mr. McAllister?"

Even as Siren looked up from her plate to her father, Lothos had already given Xavier a direction through his implants.  "Leave it alone."

Siren frowned.  "What do you mean?  Yes, we work together and we eat out on occasion.  We've even seen a few movies.  He's a friend, Daddy.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  That's all."  Siren forked some more eggs into her mouth and regarded her father's countenance.  "Daddy?"

Xavier's brain was going faster than light trying to figure out what was going on.  Lothos butting into the conversation bothered him greatly.  He couldn't see how a relationship with Allen McAllister and his daughter would help things along, but he was always of the mind to help Lothos and to follow his wishes.  Blinking when he heard her call his name, Xavier quickly stood and smiled.  "Siren, I know you will make the best choice concerning those around you.  You always have."  Moving to her, he leaned down and brushed a kiss on her cheek.  "Have a good day, sweetheart.  I've got some rat killing of my own to do."

"Ok, Daddy.  Thank you for breakfast in bed.  It was lovely and delicious as always."  Siren smiled up to him.

"You’re welcome, dear," he replied softly as he stood over her for a moment, wanting to say more but knowing that he shouldn't.

Though Lothos didn't speak further after giving Xavier the succinct warning, he continued to observe the man's interaction with his eldest daughter.  Unlike his daughter who had been focusing more on her meal, Lothos had seen the fleeting changes of expression on the older man's face and read them without problem.  He knew the man damn near as well as he knew himself.  His Master Torture Master was not one to allow something he considered important to just be brushed aside.

While Siren finished her unexpected treat of breakfast in bed, Xavier followed his own inner discipline by going into his small office and closing the door.  There were certain duties set for him to accomplish today and he wanted to review those files without interruption.  There was no question of Siren disturbing him.  She had been taught since the time she was able to understand that when his office door was closed she was never, for any reason whatsoever, to enter.

Yet as he carefully reviewed the half dozen files before him, making a note here and there, more than once Xavier caught his mind replaying again and again the pithy warning to, "Leave it alone."  He understood his place in the complex, and he understood and appreciated highly Lothos' trust in him.  Still, that did not take away the notion that he'd had his knuckles rapped with a ruler as had happened to him as a schoolboy so many decades ago.  He hadn't liked it then and he didn't like it now. Hence, a short while later as he was finishing with the last file, Xavier's resolve to do something about it was firmly set in his mind.

"Yes," he murmured to himself as he closed the file and added it to the short stack already reviewed then stood up. Any other thought he might have been about to voice was forgotten at the sound of a light tap on the office door.  Crossing to the door, he opened it, a smile already on his lips as he met his daughter's gaze.

"So, what's on your agenda for today besides going to the movies tonight, my dear?" he asked.

"I have an appointment with Dr. Hugen.  He says that it's just a bi-weekly, sometimes weekly check, especially with my blood sugar.  I honestly think that he's being over-protective, but I guess I can understand after all of the problems that I've caused him."

"Him?"  Xavier questioned with a slight grin.  "What about the problems that you've caused me?"

Siren playfully swatted at his arm.  "Oh you," she said warmly before she grabbed his arm and pulled him into her embrace.  "I love you, Daddy."

Xavier leaned back to look into her eyes.  He genuinely smiled at her then reciprocated with, "And I, you, Siren.  I'm just glad that I raised such a beautiful and intelligent young woman."

Siren blushed under his gaze then tiptoed and placed a small kiss on his cheek.  Coming back down, she lightly tapped his chest.  "Don't worry about waiting up for me tonight, Dad.  It's a super later movie and I may crash on the floor of the theatre."

Xavier's lips twitched at the mental picture and the memory the comment conjured up.  "The last time that happened," he reminded her, a gleam brightening his gaze. "You were seven.  You and two or three of your little friends went to a Halloween kiddy matinee and got so scared all three of you crawled under your seats."

"We did not!" Siren exclaimed, giggling in spite of herself as her father continued with the story as if she hadn't spoken.

"As I recall," Xavier continued the recitation of one of his favorite memories of Siren's childhood. "It was a sight to behold - me and your friends' mothers all down on our hands and knees, crawling between the rows of seats to find you."

"Daddy!" Siren, by this time was holding her sides as her laughter grew.

Reaching to draw his beloved child into a lazy but warm fatherly hug, he watched her animated face and bright eyes as she leaned back within the circle of his arms.  "It was a full month before you would step foot back into the theatre."  Accepting her giving him another quick hug before stepping away from him, he ended with, "So, if I get a call from the theatre manager about some dizzy redhead crawling around under the seats, young lady..."

Siren just shook a playful finger at him as she turned aside to get started on the chores that she always left to do on the weekend.  "That story gets a little more out there every time you tell it, Daddy."

It was on that light note that Siren set about tidying her room and collecting her laundry to be picked up by the laundry service while she was out.  A couple of other things were also accomplished before she turned her thoughts to getting a shower in preparation to going out for her appointment in the infirmary.  It was very close to eleven when her father interrupted her to remind her of the time.

"What time is your appointment with Dr. Hugen?" he asked.

Holding up a blouse she had pulled out of the back of her closet that she was sorting out, she considered it then tossed it into a box at the foot of her bed.  "It's for 1:00 o'clock," she responded thoughtfully.  "Why?"

"Because its ten minutes until noon and you still haven't showered yet," Xavier pointed out.

Siren nodded at her father's words.  "Thank you, Daddy.  Between the shower and getting something to eat, it'll be time to get down there."

"You're welcome," Xavier said simply before he turned back to go to his office and work on some more work, where he hoped he could turn off the words that kept repeating in his mind, 'Leave it alone.'  He just hoped that he could.

Hearing the water coming on in her bathroom, Xavier leaned back in his chair ignoring the work that before him for a moment.  "But why?" he questioned softly to himself as he looked down at the work that called out to him.  "What's going on?" he murmured even softer.  He knew that something wasn't right.  He was still pondering on what it could have been when he heard a throat cleared at the door of his office.

Blinking, he looked up to find Siren re-dressed, her hair slicked back, makeup on and eating a ham sandwich.  "Daddy?  Are you okay?"

"You caught me, daydreaming, again," he said simply as he stood and started toward the door.  As he walked he looked down at his watch and noticed the time.  "You better get going.  You know how Dr. Hugen doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Yes sir," she responded meekly before she turned and followed him toward the door.  "You have your own rat killing, to do, right?" she teased him back.

"You could say that," he said simply then smiled at her.  "Have a good day, sweetheart.  Just... be careful."

Siren tilted her head slightly at him as she stepped through the door and watched him lock the door behind him.  Not knowing how else to respond, Siren only said, "Yes sir."

Together they went to the bank of elevators.  Xavier made sure that Siren got on her own elevator before he called for another one to come pick him up.  He had only one destination in mind, and Siren didn't need to know that it involved her in anyway.