25.

~ Bug's father hated people calling him bug. He got the odd nickname when, in an effort to make a good impression in day care, he ate five live grasshoppers; much to the horrified delight of the girls and boys there. Since then, he obtained a sort of infamy among his contemporaries that was priceless.

His peers stated to call him bug and even his mother called him bug. His father, however, hated it.

"You're name is Richard." Arthur had said sternly when Bug got home from school. "Now, tell me what happened in class today. Your mother mentioned I needed to talk to you."

Bug looked at his father and wondered if he would ever grow as tall or as smart as him.

The little boy let out a long sigh. He had learned a long time ago that his father would never stay mad at him as long as he didn't lie about it.

"I got in trouble." Bug explained.

"Why?"

"I'm always talking in class." Bug explained.

"I see." Arthur said wisely.

The little boy nodded and looked ashamed of himself.

"Son, you can't talk over the teacher, I know your classes are boring sometimes, but you distract the other kids."

"I'm sorry." Bug said.

"I don't want to have this conversation again." Arthur told the little boy. "Let's let it go."

Bug felt the time was right to ask something that had been on his mind a lot lately.

"Is mommy mad at me?"

"Why do you think that?" his father asked.

"She never has time for me anymore." Bug whined. "She's always busy with Aubrey."

"You're little sister needs a lot of attention." Arthur explained and pulled out his guitar.

Bug got excited at seeing the instrument. One of his favorite things about his father was that he could make music. Bug was trying to learn to play the piano with his mother and, like everything else in life, he found it a wonderful challenge that had to be beaten.

"Sometimes, I don't think Mommy loves me as much as Aubrey." Bug said as his father expertly strummed a few cords.

"That's silly. No one loves you more than your mother does." Arthur said sternly.

"She's always mad at me." Bug voiced as his hands went to the strings and Arthur held the cords in place.

"She doesn't like the decisions you make sometimes. Like when you painted on the hallway wall. Or when you took the bus all alone to see your Aunt Ellen. She was scared and upset." Arthur told his son.

Bug nodded and felt ashamed all over again. His beautiful mother had yelled at him to the point that his father had to step in and calm her down that time.

"I don't know why I do those things." Bug explained. "Sometimes, I just feel..."

"Reckless?" Arthur offered and gave his son a smile as they played they guitar together.

"What does that mean?" Bug asked.

Arthur sighed.

"It's when we do dangerous things, and don't think about the consequences." Arthur told him.

Bug nodded. He liked that word, Reckless. His father was helping him learn new words and it was fun.

Arthur seemed to know what his son was thinking, and smiled at the boy.

"Tell me about your science project." he said.

"It's with bugs." Bug grinned foolishly.

"Naturally. Tell me about them." Arthur smiled as Bug expertly strummed the strings of Arthur's guitar.

"Butterflies, and how they are pretty, but carnivorous." Bug explained.

"What does carnivorous mean?" Arthur asked with a knowing smile.

"They eat meat." Bug told him in an expert tone.

"Wow, Richard, I didn't know that. You're very smart." Arthur told him.

Bug grinned happily.

"Boys?" came a voice from the kitchen.

Arthur looked up and saw his wife holding their three month old daughter on her hip. The baby teething on a ring and looking grumpy.

"Just having a talk, dear." Arthur said and winked at Bug.

The boy smiled.

"Bug, go wash up for dinner." Ariadne told him and Bug ran to the bathroom.

"Hey!" Ariadne shouted and kneeled down. "Get back here! What's wrong with you?"

Bug grinned and ran back to his mother; kissing her on the cheek.

"That's more like it." she told him.

Arthur watched his son run to the bathroom.

"The school wants to put him in a special class for kids with attention problems." Ariadne sighed when Bug was out of ear shot. "They want us to medicate him. I already told them no."

"There is nothing wrong with him. It's not his fault he's smarted than the other kids." Arthur told him.

"I don't want to move him up a few grades." Ariadne insisted. "He'll be in high school by the time he's ten at this rate."

"We won't." Arthur told her as Aubrey whined to be put down.

"Maybe we can look into gifted schools. He's only six and he can read at a high level." Arthur said as he played the opening cords of somewhere over the rainbow.

"Butterflies are carnivorous?" Ariadne teased.

"You son says so." Arthur told her with a smile.

"Well, my son is never wrong about that kind of thing." Ariadne told her husband.

Arthur smiled and played a little more.

"Your dad called today. He want's to see us and the kids this weekend if you have the time." Ariadne said as she went into her tiny studio to paint. She was working on a new children's book and had to get the art work done by next month.

Arthur sighed and started to protest.

"No, you've been blowing him off for too long. He's your father and he misses you." Ariadne scolded.

Arthur looked around the tiny apartment. It was so far away from the luxury of the Demeter, yet, it felt more at home than the Park Avenue address ever did. His son had painted finger paintings on the wall. His daughter was wanting to take her first steps here. It was too small and had too much second hand furniture packed into it, but it was home.

"Go see your dad, Arthur." Ariadne scolded as Bug raced back into the living room and asked for a guitar lesson.

Arthur carefully placed the guitar on his son's lap and held his small hands in his large ones.

"We start in key of E." Arthur said.

"Arthur, I mean it. Call your dad." Ariadne snapped.

Bug looked at his father and Arthur let his eyes find the two healthy looking white orchids blooming on the mantle piece in square pots. Reminders of where he had come from and what they really meant.

"See son?" Arthur sighed. "Nothing separates the ties that bind."

~ END ~

I hope you all enjoyed this story. It was hard to describe at first, so I let it do what it wanted. I first had this idea when I read something online about men having a fetish about impregnation. They were not looking to be fathers, really. But they got off on the idea of being with a woman, only to get her in the family way. I just thought it would make for an interesting story.

I know I dedicated a lot of chapters to Ariadne's first escape and not her and Arthur leaving together. She and Arthur were allowed to leave by the Elders because they believed the baby was damaged. Also, Ariadne couldn't have been a secret child of the Demeter, because Arthur picked her at random.

I deeply appreciate all the feedback you have sent my way. Lots and lots of love to you.

I'm working on a new story called "Dark Places". Arthur is suspicious that Ariadne may have committed murder in her past, and must go into her dreams to find out the truth. I am also working on a third part to my "Wife/Husband" stories called "The Bitter Fruit". It will have Olivia and Felicity all grown up and searching for answers to their shadowy past.

"Convenient Wife" has gotten over 50,000 visitors! Which is amazing to me!