Disclaimer : I claim only the character of Megan, and those associated with her.

 

Author : Eviefan.

 

Summary: Megan and Alex decide they need a tree house, like Peter Pan. Alex is 5 in this, and Megan is 6.

 

 

The Tree House

 

 

It was summer, and it wasn't long after breakfast, that Megan arrived as she did almost every morning. Her Nanny was busy preparing for some company her father was having over, and didn't mind not having her around. Now she and Alex were in his room playing Peter Pan. He, of coarse, was Pan, and Megan was Wendy. She didn't mind being Wendy, because she was tough, and brave, just like Megan was.

Right now the two children were jumping on the bed, trying to fly.

 

"I bet I can get higher than you," Megan said. She was a tough little girl, and bounced as high as she could go.

 

"Is that all you can do?" Alex asked her. He bounced as high as he could go, which was about the same as he had been doing all night. As they bounced the bed thumped against the floor, and neither one knew how much noise that made.

 

 

 

In the master bedroom, Rick had just gotten off the phone with a museum in the United States, interested in exhibiting the treasures of Hamunaptra. In a few weeks, he would fly with the treasure to New York City, and make the nessary arrangements. It was when he stopped talking, and in turn listening to the man on the other end of the phone, that he heard something thumping, a noise that originated from his son's room. He set down his planner, and went out of his and

Evie's room, walking down the hall to Alex's. When he walked ink, he found the kids jumping on the bed, something Alex knew not to be doing.

 

"Alex what do you think you are doing?" Rick asked dismayed. The children looked at him, stopping their jumping, both with guilty looks on their faces.

 

"We were trying to fly like Peter Pan does, Mr. O'Connell," Megan offered.

 

"Thank you Megan, but Alex knows better than that. Time out for you," Rick said, and settled him in the rocking chair, then led Megan out, downstairs, letting her play with Alex's toys, while waiting the 7 minutes his son would sit in time out.

 

 

 

Back upstairs Alex was scrubbing at his eyes, embarrassed for getting into trouble in front of his best friend. He jumped, when Cleo jumped up on his lap.

 

"Go away you dumb old cat," he said. She, being a typical cat, layed on his lap not listening to him.

 

"I said for you to get off of me." He grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her off of him throwing her to the ground. She landed on all four paws, and ran out past Rick, who had seen what his son had done. Before Alex knew what was happening he was on his feet, and got two swats, which didn't make matters any better. He howled, and Rick settled him back on the rocking chair.

 

"Don't you ever let me catch you hurting Cleo or any other animal that way again," he said. Alex continued to cry.

 

"But she wasn't listening dad," he sobbed.

 

"Then you set her down on the floor. You don't throw her down, and you don't grab her around the neck like that. If you ever do that again, I will use my belt to spank you," Rick told him.

 

 

"You stay put until I decide to come and get you." He left and Alex cried more. This was just not a good start to his day.

 

 

 

It was much later, that he and Megan were outside playing tag, when Alex got an idea.

 

"We need to build a tree house to live in." Alex told her. She frowned.

 

"How do we do that?" she asked

 

"Well we get tools out of the shed, and then we make a house." He took her hand, leading her to the tool shed, in the back of the large house. Once there, Alex got out a hammer, and handed it to her, as well as a jar of nails.

 

"We need to get some lumber, I think Charlie has some out near the back of the garden," Alex told her, as they headed for the woods. Charlie was their gardener.

 

"Are you sure about this Alex?" Megan asked. She wasn't so sure. Even though Alex was her best friend, he had a knack for getting into things that he shouldn't, and she wasn't in anyway looking forward to having his dad mad at him, or her for that matter.

 

"Don't be such a baby," he told her She set down the jar, and the hammer, and knocked him to the ground, stratling his back, and yanking on his hair.

 

"OUCH GET OFF ME," he yelled.

 

"Not till you tell me that I'm not a baby.

 

"Fine your not a baby, your strong just like any other guy," With that she was satisfied, and climbed off of him. Once she had the hammer, and the jar of nails, they continued on to the woods. Once they got to where that area began, Alex looked around.

 

"We need to find a tree that is good for climbing," Alex told her. It took them a while to agree on one, but finally they found a fat tall tree, whose branches were fairly high up.

 

"How do we get up there?" Megan asked.

 

"We have to go get the lumber, and a saw so that we can make a ladder that will lead us up to our branches. They walked back to the shed, and Alex found what he needed. Once they had that, they went to the garden, and found the lumber. It took both of them to carry one of the long pieces to their tree, and once they arrived, they set it on the dirty floor of the woods.

 

"Now what?" Megan asked.

 

"We saw it and make steps." Alex had seen his father do this once, and acted like he knew what he was doing measuring it with his hands. Once he had what he though he wanted he picked up the saw and began. When his dad had done it, it looked easy, but once the blade started to sink into the wood, he found out that it was very difficult.

 

"Maybe we should both do it," Megan suggested. Alex nodded and let her have grip on the handle and they began again.

 

 

 

Inside, Rick realized that it had been a while since he had heard from his son, or Megan, and something inside him made him feel uneasy. He went to the front of the house, and put on his jacket, then went outside. In the front he didn't find anyone, so he walked around the back of the house. The first thing he noticed, was that the shed door was opened, and he frowned. A look inside found his jar

of nails missing, as well as the hammer and the saw. With that observatiion, he ran to the garden.

 

"ALEX?" he yelled. After a moment he heard his son

 

"YEAH DAD WE ARE BACK BY THE WOODS," Alex yelled back. As soon as they heard him calling for Alex, the two children stashed away the things they had been using and quickly climbed into one of the near by trees, that they could reach. It wasn't long before Rick found them.

 

"Alex do you know where my tools might be?"

 

"In the shed?" he said.

 

"Well I thought that as well, but they seem to have disappeared. Megan do you know where they might be?" he asked, knowing that the look of innocence was a sign that both of the children had a part in the disappearance of the items he was missing.

 

"No Mr. O'Connell, me and Alex have been playing in the trees all day long," she said solemnly.

 

"Both of you come down right now." They hurried upd and did what was asked of them.

 

"Alex I'm giving you a chance to tell me the truth, because if you are lying to me, and continue to do so, and I find out about it, your bottom will be toast." Rick said. Alex looked at Megan, then spoke up.

 

"Okay we took them. We wanted to make a tree house, and we just wanted to do it on our own." While he talked Megan brought the tools in question out from where the had stashed it, among some weeds.

 

"Alex you did the right thing for telling me the truth, but you got into my tools, without asking, and for that, you will spend the rest of your day in your room. Megan you will stay down with me until you Nanny comes to get you." Both children hung their heads, and walked up to the house, dragging their feet, while Rick went to put away the tools.

 

 

 

 

It was a little before dinner, when Evelyn arrived home from the museum. Just inside the front entry way, she hung her coat on the coat rack as well as her scarf. With her back turned, she didn't see her husband, and it wasn't until his arms were around her, that she even knew he was there. When his lips lightly brushed the soft skin of her neck, Evelyn gasped.

 

"I love it when you do that," she said. She turned in his arms, and he kissed her passionately, as if for the first time. When they parted both were out of breath.

 

"Should we skip dinner?" she asked still against him.

 

"I wouldn't mind, except that Alex hasn't spoken to me all day." She gave him one last kiss, and took his hand, as he led her in to the parlor. Once she was settled on one of the many couches, Rick brought her some warm tea, and settled next to her.

 

"What did he do?" she asked.

 

"He, and Megan decided they wanted to build a tree house, and they got into my tools without me there. When I asked them about it, they lied, so he has been grounded to his room for the day. When I went to check on his he burrried his head under a pillow and told me he was never going to speak to me again." She nodded, having Alex mad at you was never a fun experience.

 

"I'll go speak to him." Before she could get up, she noticed Cleo limping in.

 

"What happened to Cleo?" The cat walked over and jumped on Evie's lap.

 

"She got thrown down by our son. I spanked him for that." She pursed her lips, not happy at all that he had harmed the cat.

 

"I've got a right mind to go add to that punishment," she said laying her cat on the cushion beside her.

 

"Evie its done, he knows that if he ever does that Again I will use my belt." She nodded, and left to go talk to her little boy.

 

 

 

 

 

In his room, Alex was in tears. He had out his little suitcase, and was packing his bags. Today had been the worst day of his life, and he had decided that he wanted to be and adventurer. As he was putting his favorite pajamas in, Evelyn came in. He wiped his face on the sleeve of his long shirt, and sniffed not even looking at her.

 

"Where are you going?" she asked gently.

 

"Running away. I'll go live in Egypt with Kiya." She was his friend from there, who had known him when he was a baby, and she wrote to him, and with his mum's help he responded to her mail.

 

"Your daddy, and I will miss you if you go," Evelyn said helping him pack. When ever he was this upset he always packed his bags to run away, and instead of getting mad, she had learned to help, and in the process get him to talk about what would make him want to leave.

 

"You have one another mum, you don't need me here," he said as more tears rolled down his cheeks. He was really upset, more so than she had ever seen.

 

"Alex come here a moment." His bottom lip drooped, and he sniffed more.

 

"I'm not going to. I'm really going to run away this time." He took in a shuttering breath. Evelyn had seated herself in his rocking chair.

 

"Why don't you think daddy and I will miss you?" he shrugged, and closed his suitcase.

 

"I want to call Kiya now," he said, very near tears.

 

"Will you give me a hug good bye please?" He nodded, and walked over to her. Once he was in her arms, his tears fell, and he cried hard, as though his little heart had broken into a thousand pieces.

 

"Shh, mummy is here baby." It was her touch, as always, that helped him fell safe, and once the tears stopped flowing he told her what had happened, and how he felt.

 

"He won't let me try things out even. I know not to run with sharp objects, and I know not to hurt people, but daddy won't even let me have a chance to show," He rested his cheek against her chest, as she rocked him.

 

"Alex saws and hammers are very dangerous. If it makes you feel any better, your daddy won't let me help him when he has a project he wants to work on. He thinks I'll hurt myself, and you know what? I know he is right. Daddy just protects us baby, thats what he is used to." What she had said had gotten a giggle, which was a start.

 

"Do you think he would make us a tree house?" he asked lifting his head and looking up at her.

 

"Well maybe you should go ask him." Alex frowned.

 

"He told me I'm not allowed to come out." Evie kissed the top of his head.

 

"Well for this you can." She lifted him off of her lap, and then stood, taking his hand in hers. They walked downstairs, finding Rick reading the post.

 

"Daddy?" He looked up, and saw that Evie was with him. Once he settled his paper down he told Alex to come over to him. When he was close enough, Alex was lifted into his fathers strong arms.

 

"I wanted to know if you would help me, and Megan make a tree house." Rick smiled and kissed his sons head.

 

"I would be more than happy to do that." Alex sighed.

 

"I'm sorry I got mad, and sorry that I lied, and took the tools, and hurt Cleo."

 

Rick's response was just to hold him.

 

"Whats the post say?" Alex asked, and Rick picked it up holding it in front of them.

 

"In local news, the Constable and his men caught the thieves who robbed three of the banks in London."

 

"What happens when they get caught?" Alex asked. Rick smiled and kissed the top of his head again.

 

"They get sent to prison," he said catching Evelyn's eye. There was more too it than that, but for now that explanation was enough for their young child.

 

"In international news, a new German party is pushing for power, they are called the Nazi party, and their leader is Adolph Hitler," Rick read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was the weekend, before Rick could get time to help the kids with their project, and it wasn't just Alex and Megan, but also Thomas, and Petey. Rick had a pretty good idea of how to get the treehouse put up, and had drawn some plans.

 

Now they stood at the tree Megan ,and Alex had picked, and Rick had sawed, the ladder pieces, and was nailing in the first one. While he did that, the kids were wearing play cloths, and Jonathan was keeping them busy with games. Right now it was tag, and Uncle John was it. All of the kids were on base.

 

"All right you can't all stay there forever," Jonathan complained sounding just like they did. They all scattered, and of coarse Jonathan chased after his nephew. He finally caught him and grabbed him up in his arms.

 

"Help the monster has me," Alex yelled. The other kids ganged up on him, and Jonathan was soon on the ground wrestling off the kids.

 

"Who wants some fresh Lemonade?" Evelyn asked, bringing out a tray. The day was quite warm, and the kids all gathered around sitting in the garden with their drinks. She took one over to Rick, and he climbed down from the fifth step on the ladder, and accepted what she had to offer drinking it down.

 

"Its a good thing you got an early start," she said.

 

"Very good. I hope to have this done by the end of the weekend." Once he had rested, he went back to work, and the kids all decided to go play on their bikes.

 

 

 

 

Sunday evening, they were all around front riding their bicycles when Rick appeared with Jonathan behind him.

 

"Dad is it done?"

 

"Yes." Evelyn came out then, and they followed the screaming children out the the tree. The treehouse wasn't so much a house, having just a floor that made its way around the tree, and rails to keep the kids safe. When they arrived the boys were all up in the tree, and Megan was the only one not up in the tree.

 

"Megan whats wrong?" Evie asked.

 

"My dress gets in the way." Her father never allowed her to wear pants.

 

"Well honey I'll show you how to climb up this tree with a dress." Evelyn took off the belt she had on, and helped Megan lift her dress, then put the belt around her, and tied it. Once that was done Megan made it up easily, and all was well. The adults went the short way to the garden and settled down. It was only when Jonathan noticed Ricks hand on Evies knee that he left.

 

"That got rid of him," she said leaning against him.

 

"I thought I did a good job," he responded, and nibbled at her neck

 

"OH YUCK THEY'RE GETTING MUSHY," Petey yelled.

 

"Why don't we go raid their fort," Rick told her. She smiled

 

"I haven't been in a tree since I was a girl," she told him.

 

"Well what do you think?" In responce, she took his hand, and as the approached the kids screamed, and laughed as they were joined by the adults. Out of all the parents, the O'Connells were by far the most fun to be around.

 

 

THE END