NationStates Jolt Archive

He smiled, "Oh.... This might be very fun, I'm interesting to see how you treat your patients."

OOC:
I've worked too hard on this nation to see it get deated... I saw what happened to someone that went too far in an RP. :)

So let's just leave it at...

IC:

:fluffle:

Ooc- Good idea.


Ic-

A while later, William was lying on his back with a grin on his face, he looked to Sylvia, "You know, that was a very interesting form of treatment, I quite enjoyed it. Thank you." He then kissed her, "Did you like it, dear?"


He yawned a bit, "So, what now? Just lie around all couped up here, or do we go somewhere, do something? Or am I still confined to bed until further notice?"

Katrina, still slightly out of breath, told him, "I don't think its... safe to go to the airport. I'd rather have a helicopter pick us up and go directly to the aircraft. We can't risk another attempt on your life, dear."

William smiled, "Okay, if you insist dear, I wouldn't want you worried any. Okay, would you mind calling the helicopter?"

"Of course," she said, taking out her cell phone and dialing the number. After a brief conversation, she turned to William. "They'll be here in 20 minutes. Are you okay to travel?"

William nodded his head, weakly answering, "Yes, that'll be good", before he fell fast asleep.

She sighed. They could wait another day.

William was fast asleep when the helicopter arrived and the pilot sent word to a staff member in the hospital, to call William and Sylvia out to the helipad.

A hospital worker slowly entered the room, William wasn't awoken by his presence, Sylvia wasn't yet fully asleep, she heard the man whisper, "Your chopper is here, ma'am." Before the man left.

bump

"Eh," sighed Sylvia. "Screw it... come back tomorrow..."

The man, hearing what she said as the door was closing, stepped back into the doorway, silently nodded, then left, shutting the door behind him as we went on his way to tell the helicopter to wait till tomorrow, but wait, not leave. It had to be there and ready in the event she changed her mind.

The next day, at around 10:00, Sylvia rolled over a bit, and spoke into William's ear, "Hey, honey, wake up... you ready to go?"

William yawned and groggily replied as he was still a bit asleep, "What? Time to go already?"

"We don't have to go if you want, but the helicopter was here all night. The nice pilots have been here too..."

He smiled and then kissed her as he was now fully awake, well more or less fully awake. William nodded his head, "Okay, we can go, I guess, we're going back home for a while, right? Then to South Africa when you decide I'm healthy enough to go, right?"

"Well, I was going to have us go straight to the airport, then hop a jet from there, but if you want to go home first that would be okay too."

He nodded, "I thought you'd want to delay our going for a while, but if you're ready to go to South Africa, I'm game, shall we then?"

"Should I get you a wheelchair for the ride up to the roof? You can't be good to walk yet, and I wouldn't want you getting hurt again."

William nodded, "Yes, if you'd be so kind to, you're so kind to me, dear. I'm sure you'll have me nursed back to health in no time."

"That's what I'm here for, darling..." said Sylvia, walking over to a nurse and prodded her for a wheelchair.

"Yes, Mrs. Fabus, we'll get one in a second," said the nurse, walking away quickly to find a wheelchair. In about a minute, the nurse came back and Katrina helped William into the chair.

"Ready to go?"

William smiled at her and struggled to get up and climb into the chair, being helped by two SRG guards.


He looked to Sylvia, "So, dear, you want to go to Pretoria right away?"

"Pretoria? I thought we were going to South Africa," said Sylvia as she pushed William down the hall. A couple seconds earlier she had made a SRG relinquish the chair.

He had to stifle a laugh, "Dear, Pretoria is the capital of South Africa..."

"Oh... I knew that."

William smiled a bit, "Okay, well anyway, are we near the chopper yet? Where is it waiting, on the roof or outside? This is awful weather out, it's probably on the roof, they have had to move it..."

He looked out the window, "My word, there must be at least five or six feet of snow falling, I bet we'll get snowed in here if we linger around too long, eh?"

"We better get to the roof, then," said Sylvia, motioning the two SRG inside the elevator as she pushed the button. Arriving on the roof, she half-walked, half-ran William to the helicopter, and when the huge machine had taken off, she slumped down on a chair, exhausted.

"Well," she sighed, "That was fun."

William gave her a quick kiss on the lips, "Thanks for helping me get to the roof... I couldn't have made it without you."

He then whispered in her ear, with a sly grin on his face, "I'll thank you again later tonight..."



The guards thought they overheard him, but whatever the case, whatever he said, it wasn't their business to listen, so either way, they didn't say anything to each other or to William or Sylvia.

The pilot knew where to go, the only airbase in the region totally guaranteed to be completely cleared given the level of snow accumulation. Curtis Fabus Air Force Base near Biloxi.

She smiled back at him, a coy smile on her face. "I'm sure you will..."

William nodded his head, and started to feel he was going to drift off to sleep, he was a bit tired still and the cold weather wasn't helping any bit. He couldn't help but shiver a bit, it was quite cold and he wasn't used to the cold, he'd only seen snow a few times in his life, and those times were all on mountains, either Mount Fabus on Fabus Island, or Mount Curtis or Mount Fabus in Mississippi.

He looked to Sylvia, "Are you cold too dear? Tell the pilot to turn the heat on, would you please?"

"Sure, darling. I'm a bit chilly too."

She walked up to the cabin and told the pilot to jack up the heat in the passenger cabin. A crisp salute later, she was back in her chair, stroking William's head.

The pilot frowned a bit, "I'm sorry ma'am, this is as warm as we can get it without compromising power to primary systems, this model of helicopter was never built with operation in cold temperatures in mind..."


William smiled as she stroked his head, he was almost purring like a kitten, gently making soft sounds of content as he slowly started to fall asleep in her arms. He still shivered a bit, but in her arms as he was, he seemed not to notice the cold, it didn't bother him so long as he was with her.


One of the guards took a blanket out from an overhead compartment and handed it to Sylvia, "Ma'am, here you are..."

"Thank you, soldier," said Sylvia as she threw the blanket over William. Realizing that she was getting cold too, she went over to William's chair and snuggled up to him the best she could.

William smiled in his sleep and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her gently towards him, she could feel the warmth of his body, it was comforting.

They'd be at the airport in a few hours, well in this weather perhaps 4 or 5 hours, she might as well sleep for that time, nothing else to do.

Even the guards were asleep, the co-pilot and pilot were the only two in the helicopter actually awake, thankfully that is.

With a jolt and a harsh shaking motion, the helicopter landed rough on a helipad at an SRG base in Biloxi.

Sylvia and William were both immediately stirred from their sleep.

William looked at her, and held her hand, "Are you okay?" he asked.

Then he said, "I think we're here, right?"

"Yeah..." said Sylvia sleepily. "I don't know... just five more minutes..." She turned over and clutched the blanket.

William sighed, "I'll get you inside dear, don't worry..." He then stood up with great difficulty, and gently took her into his arms. He struggled to carry her in his current condition, but managed to get her inside and to the commander's house (the commander was off-base for the week and was only to glad to approve William using his house for a few days)

He set her down on the couch in the living room and then he collapsed into a chair, exhausted.

"Eh... mm... William..." sighed Sylvia sleepily, still a little groggy from her nap. "Where are we... what's going on...?"

William was panting, exhausted from being wounded and carrying her, "Dear, we're in an SRG colonel's house just outside of Biloxi... He is gone for the week, and was kind enough to agree to let us stay here... Tomorrow we'll get on a plane for South Africa if you're willing to allow me to fly in such a long plane ride in my condition, are you?"

He felt like a little kid having to ask his mother permission to go outside and play in the snow. He smiled a bit, happy in the knowledge that she cared so much about his health.

"Yawn... you're not going anywhere yet... you're hurt, and I won't let you aggrivate that wound..."

William smiled, "If you are up for the task of making sure I stay in bed all day... It would entail you staying in bed with me... To... Well... Keep an eye on me I suppose..."

Sylvia, now fully awake, replied, "Oh, I'll keep you down alright..."

bump

Ooc- Sorry for delay in response, I had some stuff to do relating to final exams and a few term papers.



Ic- William smiled, "Oh, I'm sure you will... So, now what? I'm still pretty tired, what about you? Want to go find where the bedroom is and get to sleep or are you a bit hungry? I myself could go for a light snack and then some good sleep, eh?"

"Let's just go straight up to bed young man... I don't want you to make that injury any worse..."

William nodded and said, "Yes ma'am... Where is it though? I know this officer from earlier, but I've never been here before."

"Niether have I. It's probably upstairs somewhere..."

William, with a bit of effort, managed to stand up and then said, "Okay, let's go see what's upstairs then, shall we?"

"You lead the way, I don't want to get shot by something..."

William smiled a bit, "Okay..."


He led her upstairs and found the bedroom, he checked around and found that everything looked good.

He walked back into the hallway and then carried her into the bedroom and gently set her down on the bed.

He laid down next to her and then yawned a bit, "So, now what do you..." He was asleep before he finished the question.

Sylvia sighed. Maybe in the morning... she thought, and laid her head down on William's chest, slipping off to sleep.

At about eight the next morning, the phone by the side of the bed rang, it didn't wake William but it woke Sylvia, she didn't know who it was though, who would know she and William were at this house.

ooc- bump, your line.

Sleepily, Sylvia reached over to the phone. "Eh... yeah? This is Sylvia Fabus..."

It was Roger Fabus calling, "Hello, Sylvia, this is Roger Fabus, how are you and William doing? I've heard about what happened with William at the airport, are you and he both okay?"

"Eh? Oh yeah, hi, Mr. Fabus. We're fine. We just got in yesterday night."

Roger smiled, "Ah, call me Roger, we're family, remember, you married my brother, you're my sister-in-law, anyway, how are you, your delivery date is fast approaching, yes?"

"Yes, that's what the doctor said. I'm really excited about having a little baby boy... my little baby."

Roger smiled, "Ah, I know, kids are great, I'm hoping Alice can have lots more after the two she's pregnant with now... Anyway, I'm sure you're tired, it's early, I shouldn't have called so early but I had to make sure you and William were okay... I'll let you go now... Expecting mothers need their sleep."

With that, he hung up.

"Yeah..." sighed Sylvia, hanging up the phone as well, and rolling over towards William. "We do..."

William yawned a bit and stirred in his sleep, then he was about half-awake, he looked to Sylvia, seeing she was awake, "Dear, was that the phone that just rang? I thought I heard it..."

"Yeah, it was Roger... he was just checking to see how you and I were doing. So, would you like to go ahead and fly to South Africa?"

William nodded his head, "Yeah, if you don't object to my being up and about, we can go to South Africa right away. You'll love the estate in Pretoria, it's great."

"I've heard that it isn't very warm in South Africa..."

William nearly laughed but he stifled it, "Sylvia, Sylvia, it is quite warm in South Africa, although in the winter it does get quite cold, but don't worry, we're going to permanently alter the climate there to allow for not only a twelve month growing season, but standard Mississippian temperate climate."

"Won't that hurt the animals there? How are you going to do it?"

He shook his head, "No, no, no, don't you worry any, it's all taken into consideration."

"Well, alright, but how do you do it?"

He shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't tell you... For one thing, it's classified, secondly, I don't know how it works and thus I couldn't even begin to explain it."


He smiled at the last part, a bit amused that he couldn't tell her because he just didn't know.

"Oh. Well, okay. I'm going to get dressed, I don't want to fly like this..." said Sylvia, climbing out of bed and opening her suitcase. She picked out a red maternity dress and held it in front of her. "How does this look?"

William smiled, "I think you look good in anything..." He then grinned, "But better in nothing at all."

Sylvia smiled. "Oh, you sly dog, you..."

William then asked a question he'd been wondering about for a while, "So, looking forward to living in Pretoria?"

"Well, yes, it's as warm as the Desert... right?"

William nodded his head a bit, "Well... Thanks to the alterations we had done on the climate, it's basically between 65 and 74 degrees throughout most of the year. In winter it can get quite cold though."

"Aw, that's a little chilly..."

William shook his head and then slyly smiled at her, "Don't worry dear... I'm sure you and I can think of ways to stay warm..."


He yawned a bit, "Well, we really should get ready though, eh?"

"Yeah. I'll pack the stuff; you can go make arrangements to get the flight off. By the way, will we be passing by The Burnsian Desert on our way?"

William nodded and then picked up the phone, dialing the airport.


He held his hand over the phone and whispered to her, "Any preference when we leave? They can have my plane ready to go in an hour or so..."

"As soon as possible. I want to see the new house... or houses."

He let out a light laugh, "Ah, houses is right, we'll have a vacation house in Durban and Cape Town, and the mansion will be in Pretoria, you'll love them all, I'm sure of it."

"Hmm... I'll have to see, I'm in a decorating mood."

William frowned a bit, "Oh no... Somehow I feel that means you're in a spending mood... Well, I'm going to have to put my foot down and say no spending over fifty billion... I need to make sure I have enough cash readily available to buy-off any local politicians that try to harass my rule, and make sure I can buy all the industry I want to buy."

"Fifty billion... oh dear, I thought that you were going to say something in the thousands..."

He gently ran a hand through her hair and then slowly pressed his lips against hers, when he finished kissing her, he smiled and said, "Dear, decorating can be expensive, especially when the one doing the decorating has as fine tastes as you... So I have to make allowances for that..."

"Oh, you're so sweet," she said, leaning into him a bit.

He shook his head, whilst smiling, "Not nearly as sweet as my wife, she's a lovely woman you know."

"I'm sure she is... I think that she wants to go to Africa now. And see her houses. And sleep."

William grinned a bit, "Oh, she can get to Africa, and she can see the houses, but she isn't going to be getting to sleep too soon... I think her husband might want to keep her up for a while, to... Test the new beds at the mansion..."

Sylvia giggled. "I don't think she's so sleepy anymore..."

William chuckled a bit, "Well, I wonder if she'd get her cute little butt on the plane, because South Africa awaits..."


In a playful and gentle manner, he lightly swatted her on the butt as he said, "Are you going to go or am I going to have to carry you?"

"Oo, I suddenly can't walk..."

He lifted her up into his arms, "No problem... I can carry you..."


He then carried her out to the waiting plane and set her down gently in one of the seats, after which he said, "Okay dear, buckle up, we're readying to take off."

"Alright, but I don't want to be buckled down..." she giggled, clipping in her seatbelt.

He laughed, "You're a funny one, Sylvia, you are indeed..."


He then smiled and gently rubbed her stomach, "You're buckling up for two, don't forget... It should be in a few weeks now, right? In early May, right, when is the exact expected delivery date again? Was it the first of May, I think so, yes? The day Mount Mao fell in 1984 in the civil war, to our side..."

"I think that our little guy is going to be a great leader... but for now he's my little baby," she said, putting her hands over his.

He smiled, "Ah, yes... I shall make it my goal that when he comes of age, it be as the sovereign of his rightful kingdom of The Burnsian Desert..."

"We should name him something fitting, then. How about... Richard?"

William smiled a bit, "Well dear, your ancestry is Russian yes? I thought perhaps we'd give our first boy a Russian name."

"Well, I didn't think that you would agree to that... maybe Ivan, or Vladmir..."

William smiled, "Of course I'd agree to it... But how about Mikhail?"

"Oh, I've always loved that name. Wonderful idea, William. Oh, dear," she said, as the plane jolted a bit as it took off. "That wasn't comfortable..."

He smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, "Wait here dear, I'll go tell the pilot to fly better."

bump for TBD reply.

"Thank you, dear..."

William walked into the cockpit and sighed, "Hey, where'd you guys learn to fly? Iran? Keep it steady, my wife wants no turbulence."


The pilot nodded his head, "Sorry sir..." before turning back to the controls.



William walked back and sat down next to Sylvia and grinned a bit, "So Sylvia, now that the pilots have guaranteed a smooth ride, perhaps we should put it to good use eh? I'm sure we could be finished and still have time to shower and get dinner before landing in Pretoria."

"A shower might help... I'm feeling dirty right about now," she said, winking at William and leading him towards the back of the plane.

He didn't exactly pick up on that, he stood up and looked around, and then at her, whispering loudly, "I'm not sure if you really want to shower or if you want me to come with you? What exactly is your plan again?"

Sylvia dragged her hand down her face.

"Just follow me..." she said, smiling, tugging a bit on her gown's tie.

William smiled and did as he was told, following closely behind her.


The pilots continued to fly the plane flawlessly, a bit afraid to even relax for a second, for fear they would incur William's wrath (and who is to say they wouldn't)

Sylvia stood in front of William in the bathroom. Smiling at him seductively, she dropped her dress and twirled into the shower.

William smiled and followed her into the shower.


About ten minutes later, the plane tipped to the side and he was less than happy as he was rather busy at the time.

He shook his head said, "I'm going to have to get new pilots, eh?" and then went back to what he was busy with.


After he finished showering, which for some reason took nearly thirty minutes, he got dressed in a clean uniform and waited for Sylvia to join him in the dinning room of the plane.

Sylvia sighed happily and slipped on a black maternity dress, a pair of gloves, and finished up her sprucing. Then, she walked towards the dining room, ready for a good meal.

The chef had prepared chicken and pheasant, unsure of what they would want, so he made two things just to make sure they'd get at least one thing they'd be likely to enjoy.


William pulled her chair out for her and helped her get seated, then he took his own seat and looked at the food, smiling, "Ah, looks good eh? Hmm... One second... Don't eat anything yet..."


William called a guard in, pointed to the food, and said, "Take a bit of that, would you?"

The guard frowned, "You do have your dog on the plane, that german shepherd, don't you?"


William frowned, and sighed, "Just take a bite, don't complain..."

The guard complied and used his knife to get a small piece of meat from each plate of William's and Sylvia's, eating them down right away. A few minutes later William asked him, "How do you feel?"

The guard nodded his head and said, "Fine..."


William smiled, "Good, you are dismissed..."


The guard stood up and left the room.


William turned back to Sylvia, "Shall we then?"

Sylvia chuckled a bit, nodded, and daintily started picking apart her pheasant.

Just as they were finished eating, the pilot came over the intercom and said, "Next stop Pretoria, we're landing in twenty minutes..."

"Shouldn't we sit down?"

William smiled and pulled her down gently on his lap and buckled the both of them up, "Comfortable?" he asked.

"Ooo..." said Katrina. "Very."

The plane suddenly touched down gently on the runway and slowly came to a stop.

William helped Sylvia get up and he gathered what things they had nearby that needed to be taken with them.

"Oh, my, look at the trees dear. They're so full. I want some for our new houses."

William called to a guard, and said, "Arrange that, my wife wants tree like those ones over there... Get at least a thousand so she can place them throughout the estate as she sees fit..."

The guard nodded his head and walked off to go see to it.


William turned back to Sylvia, "Will a thousand be enough?"

"Oh, I hope so. How many houses are there again?"

He smiled, "As many as you'd like, but one in each major city, and then a small vacation house on a beach in Cape Town."

"By small you mean big, right?"

He chuckled, "Well by small I mean it's no Stalingrad mansion, but it's still bigger than any ten normal houses put together..."

"Oh, I guess that will do. Does it have a firing range?"

William smiled, "But of course, would you ever except a Fabus not to have a firing range in his house?"

"We need trees lining the driveway, and around the range... can that house be our first stop?"

He chuckled a bit, "Ah Sylvia, don't worry, there will be time to see all the houses later, we need to first get settled in at the governor's mansion in Pretoria."

"Oh, alright, I could fancy a swim..."

He grinned a bit, "But what if your swim suits haven't arrived yet... You know all that is being shipped, it may take a while to get here... Whatever would you wear?"

"Oh, that's a tough one... I'm lucky that I brought my birthday suit..." she said, winking at William.

William smiled, and chuckled a bit, "Hmmm, I may have to pick up one of those suits for myself then, they sound rather nice. Shall we go then?"



Before she could reply, his phone rang. He excused himself for a minute and took the call. About five minutes later and he was back, he smiled, "Ah, just Roger and Alice wanting to know how the flight was and make sure we got here okay. They both said hello."

"That's nice, we should invite them to visit... it's really a nice country here."

William smiled a bit, "Yeah, well be ready, we'll be having two visitors in a while, a promotion for my beer company. They're running a contest, a winner and a guest, white of course, will spend the weekend here in a guestroom, see how things get done, and get to go hunting with me. It's just a promotion basically to sell more beer, you know?"

Katrina sighed. "A crude beverage... I always preferred smooth Russian vodka. I would kill for it... in fact, I have."

He smiled, somewhat amused at the remark, "Hmmm, well hey, selling beer makes me money, and about the vodka, you don't have to do anything as drastic as kill for it, just ask the governor of this territory to get you a bottle, I'm sure he'll be able to."

"I never told you about when I lived in Highfather? And I don't think that it would be a good idea for me to drink with little Mikheal, would you?"

"I never told you about when I lived in Highfather? And I don't think that it would be a good idea for me to drink with little Mikheal, would you?"


He shook his head, "No you didn't tell me... Ah and good point, I'll get you a bottle though and give it to you the day after you deliver, if you'd like..."

"Oh, there is no telling how much I would enjoy a nice smooth vodka... oh. That was strange..."

William smiled, "Ah, don't worry dear, you'll get the vodka in due time..."

After she said something was strange, he quickly asked, "What was it? Did our son kick?"

"I- I think so! Wow... he's a strong one..."

William smiled before kissing her cheek and saying, "He must take after both his mother and father then, eh?"

She smiled at him. "No forty pound packs when he's a baby, right?"

He smiled back, "I suppose that will be up to his mother to decide, well, shall she give an answer?"

"Yes, I will. He's my little boy, and he won't be doing any heavy lifting while he's in diapers."

William grinned, "Of course, if that is what the mother wants, that is how it shall be. I wouldn't want to argue with the mother now, would I? So tell me, how many children do you wish to be the mother of?"

"As many as my love can hold... a lot," she said, grinning.

William grinned back, "Well then, I think we're going to have a very interesting new few decades, eh?"

"That we shall, honey, that we shall..."

William grinned as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, after he leaned back out of the kiss, he sighed for a second and then wondered if he should ask what he was thinking.

After a few more seconds, he asked, "Dear, I don't think we're going to be getting back into power in TBD anytime soon, do you? I mean do you think we ought to just forget that and concentrate on raising our family here in South Africa?"

"Honey, we are in power. The rebels just don't see it that way," she smiled at him.

William nodded his head, "Yeah, I guess... But what do you think we ought to do? Keep issuing decrees to the Burnsian people and encourage them to rise up and topple the false government there?"

William nodded his head, "Yeah, I guess... But what do you think we ought to do? Keep issuing decrees to the Burnsian people and encourage them to rise up and topple the false government there?"

"William, they're not going to. That government has them too under control. The only way I can see that we will ever regain power is to take The Burnsian Desert back by force. And I don't want that to happen. I really don't want to see all those people die."

William sighed, sitting down and then tapping his lap, his way of suggesting she take a seat. After a seconds pause, he nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I guess, if you don't want to see all the deaths, we can just forget about leading the liberation army... Perhaps though we can use racially specific biological weapons to kill all the arabs?"

"That's a good half the country. And I really don't think that racially specific bioweapons are possible... you'd kill people with tans," she said, taking a seat on William's lap.

William kissed her on the cheek as he started to gently run a hand through her hair, replying, "No, dear, trust me, they have the weapons, they go by DNA, not by skin color or tanning... They'd work..."

William kissed her on the cheek as he started to gently run a hand through her hair, replying, "No, dear, trust me, they have the weapons, they go by DNA, not by skin color or tanning... They'd work..."

"Is there anything we could do for my half-brother?"

William was puzzled, she'd never mentioned him before. He was quick to ask, "Hmmm, who is he again? I'm not sure I remember..."

"I never told you about him. He protected me in the ghetto, when I was little... even if I was older than him... one time he took a bullet for me. I was thirteen and he was eleven," her eyes started to water. "I saw him in the hospital... but he was released without me knowing. He sent me a letter a while back. He said he was in jail... for being Arabic."

William sighed, shaking his head before saying, "Sylvia, surely you don't want to make a big fuss over some Arab, do you? I mean he's an Arab, right? We've established that, anyway, what would you propose I do, let him move here and stay with us?"

William sighed, shaking his head before saying, "Sylvia, surely you don't want to make a big fuss over some Arab, do you? I mean he's an Arab, right? We've established that, anyway, what would you propose I do, let him move here and stay with us?"

"There's gotta be something you can do... If you can kill someone, you can heal them too, right? He took a bullet for me, William. I would have died. I wouldn't be here right now, with little Mikheal," she stroked his cheek. "Pleeeaase, there's got to be something you can do for him... maybe make him an officer or something... give him a new life."

William shook his head, remaining defiant, "I took a bullet for you, and now you ask me to let an Arab into my Commonwealth's armed forces? What would the nobles think? I'd be the laughing stock of all the papers for weeks... Maybe he could just move to the Middle East, I could get him a passport from the Syrian embassy here, but that's the best I could do..."

William shook his head, remaining defiant, "I took a bullet for you, and now you ask me to let an Arab into my Commonwealth's armed forces? What would the nobles think? I'd be the laughing stock of all the papers for weeks... Maybe he could just move to the Middle East, I could get him a passport from the Syrian embassy here, but that's the best I could do..."

"No one would need to know, William..." she said, with a little sniffle. "He's not all that bad, really. He just looks Arabic, he's not really like the rest..."

William sighed, having to reaffirm his position, saying "No", as he put his foot down, tapping it lightly against the ground before continuing, "Now, Sylvia, the foot is down... I have spoken. He can go to the Middle East, I will help him go there, but he is not coming to South Africa and he is certainly not coming to this estate..."

William sighed, having to reaffirm his position, saying "No", as he put his foot down, tapping it lightly against the ground before continuing, "Now, Sylvia, the foot is down... I have spoken. He can go to the Middle East, I will help him go there, but he is not coming to South Africa and he is certainly not coming to this estate..."

Sylvia sighed softly. "Can I at least see him? Or talk to him? It's been years."

William shook his head, "I'm afraid I must forbid that, after what the Arabs tried to do to you and I, you'd not be safe meeting with him... Perhaps you can talk to him, but I'll have to listen in and make sure he doesn't attempt any mind control or suggestion... You ladies can be open to suggestion you know..." he said the last part with a bit of a smile and light laugh.

William shook his head, "I'm afraid I must forbid that, after what the Arabs tried to do to you and I, you'd not be safe meeting with him... Perhaps you can talk to him, but I'll have to listen in and make sure he doesn't attempt any mind control or suggestion... You ladies can be open to suggestion you know..." he said the last part with a bit of a smile and light laugh.

Sylvia didn't feel perticularly humourous at the moment. "I don't mind if you listen, just please don't do anything... rash. He's my brother."

William finally sighed deeply before taking an even deeper breath, "Fine, he can come to South Africa... Or perhaps Mississippian Egypt, I'll leave the choice up to him, he'd fit in better with all the other arabs that are in Mississippian Egypt... But he is welcome here."

He was quick to clarify, "I mean here as in the country, not here as in this mansion with you and I. He can come here, but he can't stay with us, okay?"

William finally sighed deeply before taking an even deeper breath, "Fine, he can come to South Africa... Or perhaps Mississippian Egypt, I'll leave the choice up to him, he'd fit in better with all the other arabs that are in Mississippian Egypt... But he is welcome here."

He was quick to clarify, "I mean here as in the country, not here as in this mansion with you and I. He can come here, but he can't stay with us, okay?"

She threw her arms around him. "Oh, William, you're the best! Thank you thank you thank you!!"

William smiled and hugged her back, saying, "I know, I know... And I'd better not end up regretting this, okay, dear... I'm taking a chance her, but I trust your judgement of the man, okay?"

William smiled and hugged her back, saying, "I know, I know... And I'd better not end up regretting this, okay, dear... I'm taking a chance her, but I trust your judgement of the man, okay?"

"He's only fifteen, William... his name is John, by the way."

William was less than pleased to hear that, "Wait, he's fifteen and he saved your life? And you suggested he be given, given, a commission in my army..."

He sighed and shook his head, "Never mind, we'll discuss it later, he might make a good officer if we get him the right training..."

After a few seconds he grinned at her before saying, "And as for you, little lady, I think you ought to accompany me upstairs for, well, hmmm, rest, yes, lots of rest..."

William was less than pleased to hear that, "Wait, he's fifteen and he saved your life? And you suggested he be given, given, a commission in my army..."

He sighed and shook his head, "Never mind, we'll discuss it later, he might make a good officer if we get him the right training..."

After a few seconds he grinned at her before saying, "And as for you, little lady, I think you ought to accompany me upstairs for, well, hmmm, rest, yes, lots of rest..."

"I have a feeling that I won't be getting a lot of rest if I go upstairs, William," she said, smiling back at him.

William smiled as well while nodding his head, saying, "Right you are, dear, right you are..."

"Something tells me you have something in mind, William," said Sylvia, stroking his chin.

William nodded his head, grinning, "Yeah, exactly... Let's just say at any rate, neither of us is getting much rest tonight, I'll just leave it at that..."

She grinned back, "Well, maybe you can show me where I'm not going to be sleeping..."

He proceeded to lead her to where they were not going to be sleeping.

The next morning, William woke up at about nine thirty, a bit tired from the lack of sleep, less than six hours, but still rather well off because he slept well.

William leaned over and gently whispered in Sylvia's ear, "Wake up dear, morning has come, the night is spent."

She yawned, "Mmm... can we spend the night again..."

He shook his head, "Nope, it's morning, time to get up..."

"Aw..." she yawned. "When is- William."

He shrugged, confused, "What? It's morning right now... About nine thirty, come on, up, up, up..."

Sylvia looked at him with a concerned smiled, "William, it's time."

William was puzzled, "What? Time for what? Is something scheduled today?"

She made it obvious, "William, get me to the hospital. Now."

William's jaw dropped, "Oh, you mean that time... Shall I fetch the doctor?"

She rolled her eyes, "What do you think?"

He sighed, "Well I've never been in this situation before... Shall we get the doctor here or go there to him?"

Sylvia shook her head whilst sighing, "It doesn’t matter, just get me a doctor!"

William nodded his head and immediately ran off, coming back about two minutes later with a doctor.

Sylvia was quick to say, "Doctor, I think I'm in labor. Do something useful!"

The doctor frowned at her, "Keep quiet would you, you're not helping..." He said.

Sylvia exclaimed, "What do you want me to do, you son of a bitch? I'm in labor!"

The doctor turned to William, saying, "I think we ought to sedate her, or at least gag her or something..."

William was shaking his head and tapping his foot, less than pleased. He replied, "Just deliver the boy would you..."

Sylvia gave the doctor a deadly look.

The doctor looked back at her, smirking before saying, "Now, now, I don't respond to threats, okay?"

She sighed before shouting, "Will you hurry up and stop stalling? If you don't have the balls to do this I'll get a different doctor!"

The doctor suddenly sedated her when William's back was turned.

"God... damnit..." she mumbled, before slipping into a semi-consciousness.

He then induced labor and delivered the child.

Sylvia was barely coherent, saying, "William... what the hell...?"

William was holding the baby, looking at a very groggy and drugged up Sylvia before asking, "Hey, what happened to you?"

She sighed, "The son of a bitch doctor..." before mumbling, “Ugh..."

William leaned down and asked her, "What happened?"

The doctor said, "She needed to be sedated, she was too nervous to deliver the child..."

William nodded his head, "Hmmm, I see... Okay."

Sylvia glared at the doctor, before turning to William, saying, "He can go... fuck himself..."

The doctor looked over to William, saying, "She needs her rest..." before he discretely stuck another needle in her, one containing a tranquilizer.

"I'm going..." she yawned, "to have a long talk with you... William..." she said, falling asleep.


William sighed and sat down on the other side of the bed as the servants removed the towels that had been brought in. William was holding his just born son in his arms and waiting for Sylvia to wake. The doctor and a nurse then, after about twenty minutes, took the boy to be weighed in and cleaned off.

About four hours later, Sylvia woke. William was still there, sitting by her side.

She immediately asked, “William, where's Mikhail? Is everything okay? Is he healthy?"

He was smiling as he said, "Yes indeed, he is perfectly fine... I'll go get him." He stood up and left the room, coming back into the room with Mikhail cradled in his arms about a minute later. He gently handed the boy to Sylvia.

"Aw..." she said, touching his nose. "He's so beautiful..."

William nodded his head, "Yup, just like his ma and pa... eh?"

She smiled at him. "Yeah..." then her expression turned darker. "I need to talk to you about your choice of doctors."

William sat back down on the edge of the bed as he said, "Okay, sure, what is up?"

Sylvia was frowning as she started to explain, "Your doctors could use a serious attitude adjustment, and a more limited... access... to syringes. Do you know how many needles I got poked with?"

William chuckled lightly, "Oh surely you jest?"

She glared.

William immediately stopped laughing, but not before he let out one last stifled "hehe" which turned into a "huh", as his expression grew serious. He then quickly said, "Ah, of course if you're not happy with the doctors we have, we can get other ones, yes?"

Sylvia nodded in agreement, "Yes, we can."

Then she suggested, "And we can fire the others." Quick to add, “And send them to a frontline somewhere."

William sighed, "Now, now, most of those men are great doctors... I won't send them off to die just because you disagree with their manners, or lack there of..."

She thought it was obvious, "They need to get some respect."

William nodded his head, saying, "Yes I know..." But then sighing and frowning before adding, "But you dear, are not the one to teach them such, okay?"

She frowned at him. "I expect that they get some the next time I go for a checkup..."

William yawned a bit, replying, "Yes, you know though, you could be a tad more cooperative with the doctors though, yes?"

She glared again.

William smiled, saying in a very non-purposefully patronizing tone, "Ah, come on now... Surely you're not upset over a few doctors, are you?"

She was starting to seethe at him, and resisted it as best she could. But, for the sake of the baby, she decided not to slap William.

William then realized his tone was demeaning, but not intended as such. He quickly said, "I'm sorry dear, that all sounded better in my head... Sorry..."

"I'm sure it did," she said, and sighed.

William kissed her gently of the forehead and then said, "Is there anything I can get you? Hey, want that vodka now?"

She shouted, "Yes! Please."

William went over to a nearby liquor cabinet and got a bottle of vodka for her, pouring about four shots worth into a glass. He then asked, "Want anything mixed in it, like juice or something?"

She sighed, "Kramstaak... you wouldn't have it."

William chuckled as he pulled out a bottle from the back of the cabinet, "Well then, what is this?" he asked with a grin.

She was thrilled he had it, shouting, "My God, you have it! I used to drink that stuff as a kid, I loved it..."

William smiled as he poured some into the glass, saying, "Say when...."

"Keep going... keep going... keep going... okay."

William then walked over and set the glass down on the nightstand right next to the bed.

Sylvia picked up the glass and took a long draught. "Oohh, yeah... that's good"

William was grinning, he then said, "I can't wait until we get started on our next child... In a few months or maybe next year, if you're up for it, we can start on that... Your call, okay?"

Sylvia giggled, "Give me a few months to recoup, William, I'm not a factory you know..."

William smiled, "Oh, I know... Although I think we could make an argument that you're a delicate and fancy machine... And that I know how to push the right buttons to get the right responses, eh? If you doubt this, I'm sure I could demonstrate my craft..."

"Oh, William, I'm tired..."

William nodded his head, "Yah, in the morning perhaps..."

Sylvia then said, "As long as I don't have to do anything..."

William shook his head whilst grinning, quick to say, "Oh don't worry, all you have to do is enjoy... Hold on though, I'm going to go brush my teeth first..."

Sylvia sighed and put her head down on the pillow, and smiled.

William went to go do, and then when he finished, he had the nurse take their son and put him to bed in his room, telling her, "Have somebody watching him at all times..."

He then turned to Sylvia and did what she was expecting.

After that, he got up and went to get a glass of brandy, asking her as he walked to the cabinet, "Did you enjoy that then, dear?"

She nodded her head, "Oh, yes... I feel so much better now..."

William grinned, "You know what they say, Republican Guard, we aim to please..."

"She grinned back, as she said, And you certainly do. I love you, William..."

William smiled wide at that, immediately replying, "And I love you too, Sylvia."

Sylvia then asked, "Where's Mikhail?"

William motioned at the door and down the hall, "He's been put to bed for the night, the recently born need lots of rest..." He then gently patted her shoulder, adding, "As do those who were recently in labor..."

She smiled. "You always know what I want, William."

William nodded his head, "Yup, I know best... Don't I?" he said with a grin.

"Mm-hmm..." she said, drifting back into sleep.

William laid down next to her and immediately fell asleep.

William was pacing back and forth as he summarized the SRGIO reports to Sylvia... "Dear, they think Romalia is still alive, no wait, they know she's still alive... What do we do?"

Sylvia nodded her head, "I wouldn't be surprised. She was an excellent soldier."

William shrugged, "Oh well, what do we do? Call her up, see if she's going to be around, we need to figure out a way to kill her, don't we?"

Sylvia was puzzled, "How will we call her? Intel says she's in a Xeraphian hospital." She asked.

William shrugged again, "I don't know, just dial her up and see how she is doing..." He replied.

"How will we call her? Intel says she's in a Xeraphian hospital." She inquired.

William shrugged again, "I don't know, just dial her up and see how she is doing..."

"Fine. She'll be pissed at me." She said with a slight smile.

William chuckled, "Well of course she will, but what can she do about it, eh?" he asked.

Sylvia grinned, “Not much. Put it through.”

William activated the videophone and dialed the number.

Romalia, reading a book, put the videophone on her screen. "Yeah? Who is this?"

William was grinning as he said, "Guess who..."

"You bastard. What the hell do you want?" Romalia immediately asked.

He playfully sighed, "Tskk... Tskk... Tskk. What are you up to, woman..."

She glared, "Go fuck yourself."

William chuckled, "It's big enough I probably could... But no thanks, I don't do that sort of thing. Anyway, how are you doing?"

Romalia sighed, "What do you think? I'm in a fucking hospital, with a fucking bullet in my leg, an IV in my arm, talking to you."

William frowned, "Hmmm, are you okay though? How did the bullet get in your leg?"

Romalia replied, "That's classified."

William gave her a sly grin, "Hmmm, well I'm sure you're on so many drugs you aren't feeling much eh? Although if you want, I know how to make you feel better... Ask Sylvia, I'm an expert..." He turned to Sylvia, barely managing to keep from laughing at the lewd suggestions he was making at Romalia.

Romalia scoffed as she said, "Go fuck yourself you fucking prude."

William sighed and said to Sylvia, "You talk to her, would you... I'm tired of chatting with this WHORE." He made sure to say that part loud enough for Romalia to hear.

Romalia grinned before firing back with another insult, “What are you talking about? I'm sure you two have had enough sex to supply a whole new third world country. Like Mississippi."

William turned back and faced the camera again, shouting, "Damn you, you whore! My nation is a first world country, and having sex with Sylvia, my wife, is natural and healthy, and sanctioned, indeed commanded, by the bible! You godless whore!"

Romalia smiled. She had gotten under his skin. "Don't lose your cool there oxboy."

William stamped his foot on the ground as he spat back, "You're just a weak whore, and you're mad because I could personally kill a dozen Burnsians with my bare hands... Yes, I'm strong, and yes I'm coordinated and expertly trained, I love it! You fear it!"

She was still smiling as she said, "Then why am I smiling? Because I know that I can order a missile strike that can decimate your country. Hell, I know that my country will die too, but that's the price I pay for ridding the world of you scum. I'm a martyr for world peace."

William shrugged, "We have SDI, we could keep about seventy or so, percent, of our lands intact, although we'd be able to blanket you with over two hundred thousand warheads and five plus million Special Advanced Scuds, by sheer numbers we'd ravage you."

Romalia grinned before replying, "As if we don't have a missile shield as well. It's called MAD, William, read once."

William sighed and whispered to Sylvia, "You talk to Romalia, I can't stand her, it's a wonder you didn't try to kill her earlier."

Sylvia nodded her head as she sighed, "Fine."

Romalia glared as she said, "You bitch. I gave you a job. A life. I pulled you out of a hellhole and gave you everything you ever wanted. But still you wanted more. You wanted to rule the country. But you know what? People don't like to be killed. It happens, a natural instinct."

Sylvia sighed before saying, "What can I say, you were ruining TBD and making it an arab dominated slum, that can't be allowed."

Romalia was puzzled, "What are you talking about? Your own brother is arabic."

Sylvia shook her head, "Half brother... Besides, just because I love him as my half-brother, doesn't mean I want his people to rule over our people."

Romalia scoffed, "A hypocrite." She said.

Sylvia sighed before saying, "Meh, what do you want me to say? You need to be taken care of before you ruin TBD."

Romalia was frowning as she spat, "I'll kill you, Sylvia. You betrayed my trust."

William interjected at this point, "Wrong, bitch, you'll never touch my wife unless you want TBD and your entire family line snuffed out."

Sylvia smiled before adding, "Yes, William's right, you know."

"Tell me, Sylvia, how many Mississippians does it take to screw in a light bulb?" Romalia asked.

William replied, "How many whores does it take to service the Arabs of TBD? One, just Rachel Romalia..."

"You're avoiding the question. Typical." Romalia said with a disgusted sigh.

William shrugged before saying, "So, tell me, do you want to get together someday and discuss with Sylvia whatever you two ladies might have to discuss? I mean you probably have a lot to talk about, yes?"

"All i want to talk to her about is how much the bullet hurt when it went through her brain. And yours," Romalia said, closing the videophone.

William turned back to Sylvia, "Hmm, what a rude bitch, eh? Too bad she isn't dead yet, eh?"

"She's going down. I don't care what she did for me, I'm going to kill her..." she said, ignoring William's question.

William nodded his head and asked, "So you want to personally kill her?"

Sylvia smiled, saying only, "I want her dead."

William nodded his head again, "I can have that taken care of, dear, if you really want it... It might cause some trouble though, won't it?"

"Whatever you need to do." Sylvia said with a grin.

William grinned back as he said, "Dear, I promise you, you'll have her head on a plate for your birthday, okay? By June 21st, she'll be dead and forgotten..."

Sylvia nodded her head, "I'd like to see that."

William sat down on a nearby couch as he cut and lit up a cigar, exhaling before saying, "Would you mind getting me a brandy?"

Sylvia nodded her head and said, “Okay. I’ll get it for you.” She walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured him a glass of brandy.

William nodded his head as he accepted the glass of brandy Sylvia was extending to him. He smiled before saying, "Thanks dear... Oh, why don't you go check on the boy, I think he might need feeding and changing, eh?"

[b]"Yeah, I'll go check on him," said Sylvia, walking out.

About ten minutes later, Sylvia carried in Mikhail. Her arms wrapped around him protectively.

William smiled and said, "Hmmm, how is the boy doing?"

Sylvia grinned before saying, "He's a strong little guy, I'll tell you that right now."

William smiled again before saying, "Hmmm, does he need to be fed or changed?"

She quickly replied, "Done already."

William nodded his head as he lit up another cigar, immediately taking a deep drag on it. After he exhaled, a large cloud of smoke permeated the room.

Sylvia frowned, "William, the baby." She said.

He nodded his head and put it out, saying, "Oh, yeah, good point... Sorry about that."

"You have to be more careful now, William..." She said.

William then sighed before saying, "I know, I know, I just... Forget things sometimes, you know what I mean?"
"I understand honey." She said with a slight smile.

"Why don't you take him outside for a bit, I'm going to lay down." She suggested.

William smiled as he said, "Okay, sure... But one thing," he said, his tone changing, "Do you think that Romalia will be easily dealt with?" he asked.

"No. She's a battle, street-hardened... would I dare to say man?" She said with a slight grin of humor.

William stifled one of his characteristic boyish giggles before he let out a more masculine laugh and said, "Ah, I see... So you think she's a brute, eh?"

Sylvia replied with a hint of possible admiration for the deeds of Romalia, "Deadly efficient. I saw her kill five people in a meeting room, mercifully she passed over me... she didn't take a breath..."

William raised a brow before replying, "Hmmm, I guess we'll just have to see she is dead, buried, and forgotten then, yes?"

"Yeah... but how?" She asked, seriously wanting to know.

William shrugged, "I could kill her myself if it came to it... Or how about we just send her an exploding cigar..."

"She doesn't smoke," said Sylvia, laughingly.

William grinned, "Ah, how about replace her birth control pills with cyanide, I'm sure a whore like her uses lots of those things..."

She's not very trusting either... last I heard she was making combat jumps over Xeraph." She informed him.

William shrugged yet again, "Hmm, well then I just don't..." He suddenly stopped before exclaiming, "I know, kill her with a satellite laser weapon!"

Sylvia looked at him blankly. "Wha-?"

William nodded his head eagerly, "Yes, yes, it could work, right?" he asked, not really wanting an answer as he was certain it could work.

Sylvia frowned before replying, “The Burnsians have ASAT missiles.... they wouldn't let a Mississippian satellite over their territory, much less an offensive satellite of any kind. And you have to figure out where she is. Right know I know she's in Xeraph, but who the hell knows where. I for one do not want to start a war with Alaric."

William shrugged again, "Hmm, we could put plastique in her food and kill her that way, eh?"

Sylvia nodded her head slightly before calmly saying, “Okay. Figure out where she is and infiltrate her food source."

William shook his head before saying, "No, no, no, put plastique into all the food in the area we suspect her to be in, then by the laws of probability, she ought to get it!"

She gave him a blank stare.

He looked at her with an odd stare that inquired as to what her blank stare was about.

Sylvia sighed, "Wouldn't it be simpler just to wait until she assumes power, then find a way to her?"

William shrugged again, "I dunno, send some DISFB agent to seduce her maybe?"

Sylvia shook her head, "She's not one to be seduced. She saw right through me as soon as I got involved with you... that's why she had to go into hiding. She knew she was vulnerable."

William yawned a bit before saying, "Hmmm, I don't know then, how about we just let SRGIO or DISFB figure something out?"

She rubbed her forehead and temples as she said, "Yeah, let them do the thinking... my head hurts...”

Something she had just said sparked a thought, he had to know. "Sylvia, dear, you said when you got involved with me she knew something was up... How would she though? I mean it's not like you got involved with me with the intent of having me help you gain the throne, was it?"

She nervously smiled as she concealed her uneasiness at the question."Ah... no, William..." she said.

William smiled before replying, "I thought as much. Anyway, then, you go enjoy your nap, is there anything I can get for you first? Water, cigar, a pinch of opium or a sniff of cocaine? Anything at all to help that headache?"

She forced a smile at the offer, she hated the idea of any sort of narcotics, "Eh, I was never one for powder or sap... maybe a tall glass of water... with lemon..."

William nodded his head and immediately got her the glass of water she asked for, tall, with the lemon, just as she wanted.

Sylvia smiled as she took the glass into her hands, drinking heavily from it. "Oh, thank you William, you're such a good husband... why don't you take Mikhail outside for a bit..."

He kissed her on the forehead as he blushed. Then he patted her gently on the shoulder, saying, "Okay, dear, I hope you feel better. I'll be outside if you need anything..."

That said, he took his boy into his arms and carried him outside to get some sunlight for a while.

Sylvia fell soundly to sleep, relaxing in the cozy armchair.

William was outside with Mikhail, speaking to the boy in Afrikaans.

After a few hours, the phone rang, William was still outside with the boy. The phone woke Sylvia after a few rings, she wondered who it might be.

After answering, she'd find out it was Roger calling, and he wanted to talk to William, which was really no surprise.

"Hi Roger, good afternoon," she said, a little sleepily.

Roger smiled before asking, "Ah, Sylvia, how are you?"

Before she could reply, he immediately asked, "Oh, is William there? Would you please get him for me?"

"Yeah," she yawned, "He's out in the garden. Holdon..." she turned to the door. "William! Roger's on the phone!"

William shouted back, "Ok! I'll call him back on my cell phone! Thanks dear!"