By Darqstar

When Cierra Miles woke up one Saturday morning and looked out her window to a perfect spring day, she knew she could not just let it pass. I have to have an adventure, she thought, smiling brightly. Something... grand and wonderful. Days like these are special, so special things should happen!

She debated on what she could do. She could go into the back yard and pretend. She could make believe she was queen of the world, one of her favorite games. Or perhaps she could pretend she was a woodland fairy, ruler of all the fairies. She could pretend her dolls were the other fairies and had to do her bidding. However, neither of these things really appealed to her today. I don't want a make believe adventure, I want a real one, she thought. I want to go somewhere and do something, but what?

As she gazed out the window, a blue jay flew by. As she watched the brightly colored bird, and idea came to her. She would go and visit her best friend Sikudhani. So far, Siku had been to her house a few times, but Cierra had never been to Siku's. It was a long way to Siku's too, but Cierra was pretty sure she knew how to get there. It would be the perfect adventure.

I'll ride my bike, Cierra thought as she got dressed. She knew Siku lived in a big mansion and she wanted to make sure she looked good. She had met Siku's father before, but never the aunts and uncles Siku spoke about so often. She put a pair of dark green slacks and a lighter green blouse. The blouse had pretty yellow flowers on it. It's important to look good when you're going on an adventure.

Her mother was still asleep, which did not surprise Cierra. The rule of the house was that on Saturdays, Paula Miles could sleep until 10:00 and the clock on Cierra's nightstand only read 6:30. I don't want to wake Mom up and tell her, I'll just leave her a note, Cierra thought as she left her bedroom. There was a part of her that suspected her mother might not be as thrilled at the idea of this adventure as Cierra was, but by the time Paula awoke, Cierra figured she would be almost all the way to Siku's house. Once she arrived, Cierra would call her mother. When Paula knew Cierra was safe, Cierra thought she would probably be fine. Perhaps even thrilled that her daughter had gone on such an adventure.

Cierra labored over her note, wishing she could write as good as she could say. If Siku was here, she could help me write a great note, she thought. I could think of it and she could write all the words. Siku is so smart. She wanted to write explain to her mother that the day was just too perfect for ordinary things, that she was going on a great adventure. But she did not know how to write all those words.

She settled for what she could write:

Mom went to Siku's. Took my bike.

Looking at the note, Cierra sighed. While it was not quite the note she wished she could have written, she at least consoled herself with the cold comfort that the printing was neat.

She helped herself to some cookies and an orange, since she would not be having breakfast. Maybe Siku will ask me to lunch, she thought, as she put the cookies and fruit into her backpack and slung it over her shoulders.

Outside the weather was perfect. Warm, but not hot, with the smell of spring in the air. Cierra took a deep breath as she wheeled her bicycle from the back of the carriage house and started down the driveway. This is going to be so exciting, she thought. It's a perfect day for an adventure. Getting to Siku's will be an adventure in itself, and then when I get there, Siku and I can play together.

There was only one dark spot that marred her happy thoughts and that was that Cameron Quinn-now-Drake would probably be there and Siku might already be playing with him when she got there. Cierra did not like Cameron at all. He's such a boy, she thought, frowning, as she peddled down the road. I don't like boys. They're icky and all they ever think of are sports and finding other ways to be icky. She could not understand why Siku liked Cameron so much, why Siku got along so well with so many of the boys at school. All they ever want to do is play some stupid sweaty game with a lot of running around and chasing a ball. And if they don't want to do that, they want to pick up gross things like spiders or snakes. They have no imagination, either. To Cierra that was the worst crime of all, having no imagination. There were only two men that Cierra thought were worth the time of day, her father, who was with Jesus now, and Dr. McCoy, Siku's father. But they're different, they're fathers. She wondered about all the uncles Siku spoke so fondly of. They're probably icky too, she thought. But I'll at least be polite to them when I meet them. They could not expect more than that from her. And she would try to be extra polite and sweet with Siku's aunts to make up for it. Besides, if Cameron was playing with Siku, Siku would probably stop when she saw Cierra was there. After all, they were best friends. Did they not walk around the playground together, arms linked to show the world they were best friends? Did they not sit together at lunch? Sure, Siku might like Cameron, but Cierra was her best friend.

Quickly her frown changed to a smile and she rode faster, sailing down the street, her long red-orange hair flowing behind her. Adventures were so much fun!

 At the start of her journey, she noticed she was often the only person out on the streets, but the longer she rode the more signs of activity she saw. She found it fascinating, watching the world wake up bit by bit. She waved at people coming out of their houses to get their morning newspapers. I wonder if they know what I'm doing, she thought. I wonder if they realize that I'm on an adventure? And if they did know, would they envy me?

She stopped at a small park to eat her cookies and orange. No one was out at the park yet, except for some birds and squirrels. Years of hanging around at the park had tamed the little creatures to the point where they knew humans meant food and were not afraid to get close. Cierra shared her "breakfast" with them, telling them about her plans for the day. She would have sworn they understood every word she was saying.

When she finished eating, she threw the orange peels and cookie wrappers into the trash. Saying good-bye to her newfound "friends" she started to Siku's house again. The streets were starting to look busier now. That's good, Cierra thought. I don't want to wake anyone up at Siku's.

Pausing outside of the door to Remy's room, Joseph frowned. He had been worried that he would wake the Cajun up, knocking before noon, but he knew now that would not be the case. Music was blaring inside the room, spilling into the hallway.

He knocked on the door. To his lack of surprise there was no answer. I'd need an air siren to cut through this noise, Joseph thought. It was a surprisingly lively tune, but at decibels this loud, it was almost unbearable.

He knocked again, louder this time. When again, there was no answer, he tried the knob. It turned easily. Opening the door, he looked inside.

Remy was fully dressed, his back to Joseph. Looking in the mirror on his dresser, Joseph could see he was holding his hairbrush in his hand, pretending it was a microphone. Unaware of his audience, he sang along with the song:

Leaning in the doorway, Joseph watched this impromptu "performance," a smile playing over his lips.

Completely oblivious to anyone and everyone, Remy continued with his "playing," moving with the music.

The ironic thing is that he'd make a pretty good rock star, Joseph thought, as he watched him. Well, I'm not sure about the voice, but he's got the moves. He put his hand up to his mouth, suppressing a laugh.

How long do I let him continue with this? Joseph though. This isn't very polite of me. However, it could be worse. I'm just watching; I could be running for the video camera.

Suddenly, Remy spun around, one hand raised in the air, eyes closed, clutching the "microphone" tightly, and singing loudly:

His eyes opened, then widened and his mouth closed abruptly. Quickly, he rushed to the stereo and turned it off. "Er, 'ello, Joseph."

Unable to resist, Joseph clapped. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the heartthrob of teenage girls world over, The Ragin' Cajun, Remy LeBeau!"

Face flushed to a brilliant scarlet, Remy frowned. "Cute, Joseph. Okay, you caught me playin' You gonna run tell everyone?"

Joseph shook his head. "No. I think I'll wait for the perfect time before sharing this story."

Remy's frown deepened. "You got a reason for coming' in here, Joseph?" he asked, trying to change the subject. With any luck, Joseph would forget what he had just seen.

"Actually, I did," Joseph said. "There's a problem with the security system and Bishop wants to know if we can help him fix it. The cameras seem to be down."

"He wanted my help?" Remy asked, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment. It was a rare occasion for Bishop to ask for help, even rarer for him to pick Remy.

"Don't feel too flattered," Joseph said. "Everyone is gone except for the three of us. I'm sure Bishop would rather have Hank or Scott's help."

"Story of my life," Remy said with a mock-sigh. "Always de third choice. Tell 'im I'll be down soon."

"I will." Joseph turned to leave, then paused. Turning back to Remy he grinned. "Oh, Remy?"

"Oui?" Remy asked, looking at him.

"Don't quit your day job." He left the room and quickly shut the door. Pausing he heard the thud of the hairbrush hitting the closed door.

By the time Cierra made it to Greymalkin lane, the world seemed pretty much awake. This will be perfect, she thought as she started up a hill. Greymalkin lane was a long street, but she knew she was close to her goal and she could not wait to tell Siku about her trip here.

At the top of the hill, she saw a group of boys on bicycles, hanging by the side of the road. Most of them, she recognized from school. Ick, those are most of Cameron's friends, she thought.

"Look, it's Cierra!" One of them, shouted when they saw her.

Just go away, Cierra thought.

"Stop," another one called out.

"Why should I, Dav-id," Cierra called back, trying to make his name sound like a bad word.

"Cause this is our road," David said. "If you wanna pass, you have'ta pay a toll."

The other four boys laughed at this idea. Cierra was not amused. "You don't own the road," she said, still coming up the hill.

"Yes we do," another boy, Aaron, disagreed. "And you have to stop."

"I don't have to listen to you," Cierra said. "You're just a bunch of boys."

"We'll make you stop," David said.

She was almost to the top of the hill. Swerving her bike, she started past them. "You'll have to catch me first, you stupid creeps!" She sailed past them, heading down the hill. That'll show them, stupid boys, she thought.

The boys looked at each other. While the original "toll" comment had been a joke, they did not like Cierra's attitude. They thought Cierra Miles was a little too stuck up for her own good.

"Oh yeah?" Aaron said, "We have to catch her first?"

"Let's go!" was David's suggestion. The five of them started on their bikes. "We'll show her who's the stupid creep!"

At first Cierra did not know she was being followed. It never occurred to her that the boys would be bothered by her insults. After all, they were boys, and everyone knew boys were too stupid to know when they were being insulted. Then she heard the screaming.

"We're gonna get you!"

Uh-oh, this isn't good, Cierra thought. Lowering her head, she began to peddle faster. Fortunately she was going downhill, which helped her go faster. Unfortunately, they were also going downhill. And their bikes were built more for speed than Cierra's was.

I know Siku's place isn't far, she thought. If I could just make it there, I'll be safe! She peddled faster; her little legs a blur of motion. She could hear them getting closer and closer.

"Stop and we won't hurt you!" David shouted.

"I'm not that stupid!" Cierra called back. "Only a boy would be that stupid!" She silently prayed that something would come along and distract them. Let one of them see a big, icky snake or a slimy frog or something, she asked God. Something that will make them stop chasing me! Oh, why did you have to make boys, God? Why?

By the time she made it down the hill and started up the next incline, the boys were much closer than she wanted them to be. Never on this whole trip had Sikudhani's place seemed so far away. She knew that the longer it was taking to catch up to her, the madder the boys were getting.

When she made it up the second, smaller hill, the gap between her and the boys had narrowed almost too close. Hunching over, until her head was almost between her handlebars, Cierra pushed herself with everything she had. To her relief, she saw the stone pillars that marked the entrance to Siku's place at the bottom of the hill. If I can just make it there, she thought.

Her legs were getting tired, but she knew she had to hurry. Putting on one last burst, she peddled the bike as hard as she could, managing to widen the gap between her and the boys just a bit. I'm doing it! she thought. I'm escaping those boys!

 She sat up, just a bit, to turn her head around and look, perhaps even to gloat a bit. That few seconds of taking her eyes off the road was a big mistake. She never saw the chunk of tar in the road. The front wheel of the bike hit it, coming to an abrupt stop. Her back wheel came off the ground, flipping Cierra over the handlebars. She landed in a patch of sand and skidded across the road on her stomach.

"Whaaaa!" she cried out, as she slid to a stop. She rolled to a sitting position, wincing at the stinging pain along her arms, stomach, and legs. Her pretty blouse was a shredded mess of material and blood. Tears came to her eyes and she just wanted to lay down and cry. Her adventure was turning into a disaster.

Looking out through tear-filled eyes, she saw the boys coming towards her. In the pain of falling, she had almost forgotten about them.

"Look, she fell!" David shouted. "Ugly Miles fell!"

"Get her!" Aaron cried.

Pain or not, Cierra knew she had to get away. Scrambling to her feet, she ran as fast as she could to Siku's driveway. The heavy gates leading inside were closed, but she was not going to let that stop her. Twisting sideways, she slid through the bars of the gate. I'll be safe soon, she told herself. Just keep running. I can outrun those stupid boys! She looked to see how far away the mansion was. Her heart sank when she saw how much of a front lawn Siku had. Why can't her house be closer to the road? She looked back at the gate, hoping maybe it would stop the boys.

No such luck. They started wriggling through the bars as Cierra had done. Swallowing to try to keep the panic at bay, Cierra began running across the lawn. Why doesn't someone look out the window and see what's happening?

Scowling, Bishop looked up from the security system. "Gambit, turn that music down!" he ordered, his voice thundering across the room, rising well above the volume of the music.

Managing to look only slightly miffed, Remy walked over to the boom box and turned down the radio. "Working wit' you is no fun at all," he said.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Bishop on this," Joseph said. "Your music was much too loud and much too distracting."

"Yeah? Well workin' wit' you ain't much fun either, homme," Remy said, his eyes glittering. "An' what's dis my music? I didn' write de song."

"Can we get back to work?" Bishop asked, the tone of his voice implying that this was a bit more than a casual request. "I want to get the visual up as soon as possible."

"Aw, chill out," Remy said, rolling his eyes. "It a beautiful spring mornin'. Even de bad guys must be taking advantage of a day like dis. Who gonna attack us today?"

As if on cue, the intruder alert began to sound. Whaaaaaaa! Whaaaaaaaaa! "Does that answer your question?" Bishop snapped.

"Who is it?" Remy asked, puzzled.

"With the cameras down, I have no way of knowing without doing a visual sweep," Bishop said, picking up his gun and heading for the door.

"In other words, we gonna go outside an' look," Remy added, following him. He was not at all concerned. It was probably no more than another malfunction of the security system, but Bishop would not be satisfied until he scoured every inch of the grounds. Dat man has got to learn to loosen up.

It seemed to Cierra that she had been running for a million years, trying to get across the huge expanse of lawn that lead to the door of the mansion. Like some awful dream, the more she ran, the further away it seemed to be. The boys were close behind her, too close for comfort. Doesn't anyone ever look out the windows in this huge place? she desperately wondered.

As if answering her prayers, the front door opened, and three men came running out. Tears of relief began mingling with the ones of pain as she looked. Then she stopped.

One of her "saviors" was the biggest man she had ever seen in her life. A huge man, with skin as black as midnight. His hands looked bigger than her entire head. If that was not bad enough, he was holding a gun!

She froze, unable to move; not knowing which was worse, the boys behind her, or the man in front of her.

What in de world? Remy thought, as he looked over the lawn. While he had not feared a major attack on the mansion, he had not quite been prepared for the sight that greeted him. A little girl with hair the color of a flaming sunset running across the yard, her clothes ripped and bloody, being chased by a group of boys around Cameron's age.

"You know who dat is?" he asked Joseph, pointing to the girl.

"It looks like Siku's little friend," Joseph murmured. "Doesn't she have red hair?"

"Oui," Remy said. "But what she doing here?"

"Obviously being chased," Bishop said, pointing to the boys.

The boys were so intent on catching up with Cierra they had not even seen Bishop, Gambit, and Joseph. Suddenly the young girl came to a stop, staring at the three of them. Even from the distance, the men could see the terror in her eyes. The boys pressed their advantage.

"Bishop, put down de freakin' gun, dey just kids!" Remy ordered. He looked at Joseph. "We gotta stop dem. Dey gonna kick de crap outa' her an' it looks like she been through enough."

Joseph agreed, but wondered what he could do. He did not want to hurt any of them, they were just children, but he did want to slow them down. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He looked at the boys, concentrating.

Five snaps on five pair of jeans came undone. Five zippers slid down, five pair of jeans slid down. Five young boys tripped and went sprawling into the grass.

"Nice job!" Gambit called out, running towards the girl.

"Thanks," Joseph said. He followed Bishop down toward the boys.

The boys scrambled to their feet, frantically pulling up their pants. "What the heck just happened?" one of them cried.

"You boys are trespassing," Bishop thundered.

They looked up. Bishop towered over them, scowling fiercely. "Huh," David began.

"I'd strongly suggest you boys leave," Joseph said. "You don't want to get my friend here angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry."

"Leave this property, now!" Bishop ordered.

Still scrambling to get their pants zipped, the boys turned and started running down the lawn, screaming as if the devil was after them.

Cierra did not see Bishop and Joseph scaring off the boys, nor did she see the boys pants falling down. All Cierra could see was one person. A man, a wonderful man with the most handsome face and the most beautiful hair coming towards her. His hair is the color I hope mine is someday, she thought, her eyes widening. He's not a man; he's a prince!

He ran over and scooped her up in his arms. "Hey dere," he said, his voice warm and friendly. "Are you Cierra Miles?"

He even knew her name! She swallowed several times, unable to speak. His arms tightened around her and for the first time since she had reached the top of the hill and saw the boys, Cierra felt safe and protected. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly.

"You look kinda messed up," her prince said. "Mebe we best get you inside an' get you cleaned up." He started to carry her towards the house.

My prince is going to carry me into the castle, Cierra thought. It was all just too much; she fainted in his arms.

"Cierra, Cierra? Wake up, Petite Belle,"

I was having a dream, Cierra thought. A dream about evil trolls chasing me, until a prince came to rescue me. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"'Ello, little one, you gave us a scare."

She swallowed, looking up at him. "You're...you're real," she stammered.

"Oui," He grinned. "Remy LeBeau. An' you are Cierra Miles, aren't you?"

"Yeah." She struggled to sit up. She was lying on a couch in an unfamiliar room. "Am I in your castle?" she whispered.

Remy laughed. "Non, you in de mansion. Careful, don' sit up too fast, you've got some nasty cuts an' scrapes."

"I fell off my bike," Cierra whispered. Now that the accident was mentioned, she began to feel the stinging pain of her injuries. "Ow!"

"You gonna be okay," Remy assured her. "Little sore, but not'in time won' take care of. If you feelin' up to it, we can' go into the kitchen an' get you cleaned up a bit. Sorry 'bout your clothes."

"It's okay," Cierra said, smiling shyly. "And I think I'm fine." She swung her legs off the couch and winced. "It still stings."

"Mebe I'd better carry you." He scooped her into his arms and lifted her off the couch.

Cierra smiled, her eyes taking on an almost dreamy glow as he carried her into the kitchen. She tried to be brave and not flinch a bit when he attended to her cuts and scrapes.

"You a brave little girl," Remy commented as he applied Band-Aids.

"Well, I've always tried to be," Cierra said. She did not know if she was brave or not, but she would be for his sake.

While Remy played "nurse," the telephone rang. He made no move to get it. "Joseph or Bishop will get it," he said.

As he was applying the last Band-Aid, Joseph came into the kitchen. "How's the patient?" he asked.

"She's gonna live," Remy said, grinning. "She's quite a trooper. Cierra, dis is Joseph."

"Hello," Cierra said.

"Hello Cierra." Joseph sat down on a chair next to her. "Your mother just called. She is very worried about you. Apparently, you left the house this morning when she was asleep."

Uh oh, Cierra thought. This is trouble. "I-I wanted to go on an adventure," she whispered. "It was such a perfect day for one. And I've never been here before. I mean, Siku's come to my place, but I've never been to hers." Would they think she was dumb for doing this? Would they yell at her? Would they forbid her to ever see Siku again? She hoped not.

"Well, maybe next time you'll ask permission before you decide to visit Siku," Joseph said gently. "I told your mother what happened, but I told her you were fine, just a bit... shaken. She's on her way to get you."

"Did she sound mad?" Cierra asked, trying not to cringe. In light of what had happened, she was starting to think that this whole adventure thing might have been a dumb idea.

"No, she didn't sound mad," Joseph smiled, and patted her on the shoulder. "She sounded very concerned."

"That's how it starts," Cierra said, sighing. "First she's worried. Then she gets mad, then I get punished. It's not easy being six."

Joseph and Remy exchanged glances, trying not to laugh.

Half an hour later, Paula's mother was there to pick up Cierra. Paula Miles made a bit of a fuss over her bruised and bandaged daughter, thanking Joseph and Remy for all their help. They assured her it was no trouble at all.

As the four of them were walking to Paula's car, Bishop came out of the garage, wheeling Cierra's bike. "It was damaged," he stated. "I repaired it."

Cierra looked carefully at her bike. There was no sign of the earlier spill she had taken. She looked back at Bishop. He did not look so... intimidating anymore. "Th-thank you," she said. She was starting to understand why Siku spoke so highly of her uncles.

"You're welcome." He looked almost embarrassed at the gratitude.

As they said their good-byes, Remy scooped her up into her arms. "Next time you visit Siku, maybe she'll be here," he said, grinning. "So you won' make a wasted trip."

"Okay," Cierra said, looking at him. She could have looked at him forever.

"An' next time, you ask your mama if it's okay, first," he continued. "She can give you a lift over. Or if she's busy, one of us can pick you up."

"Would you be willing to pick me up?" she blurted out.

He smiled. "It would be an honor t'be able to offer a such a lovely young lady a ride to her best friend's 'ouse."

Eyes widening, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "You are the most wonderful, handsome man in the whole wide world," she blurted out. "And I'm so glad that you rescued me!"

"It was my pleasure," Remy said, hugging her back.

As they were driving away, Joseph looked at Remy. "I don't understand it," he said, shaking his head.

"Understand what?" Remy asked.

"It was really Bishop and I who scared those boys away," Joseph said. "Yet in her mind, you're the one who rescued her. I wonder why that is."

"Oh, dat's easy," Remy said, smiling. He blew on his fingernails and wiped them across his shirt. "I'm de man."

"Well, Cierra, I hope you learned your lesson," Paula said, as they headed home. "You're lucky you weren't more seriously hurt. I don't want you to ever leave the house without my knowing where you're going again."

"I'm sorry, Mother," Cierra said. "I promise, I'll never do it again."

Paula looked over at her daughter's bandaged body and sighed. As upset as she was that her daughter had snuck out of the house, she felt sorry for her. "This must have been an awful day for you, honey."

Cierra looked at her, shaking her head. "No, it wasn't awful! Well, okay, the part with the boys chasing me and falling off my bike was bad... but mother, you don't understand. Today I met the man of my dreams!"

The End.

Author's Notes:

This one is for Bethany, who thought it was time I came up with a story explaining Cierra's fascination for Remy. Did Remy's taste in music make you smile or scream? :::Grins::

The song Remy was singing was Run-Around and it was done by the Blues Travelers. The other song was Ah, Leah, an 80's tune done by Donny Iris.