[Despayre]

 "Hey man, I just wanted to thank you for doing this for us." Gabriel said as he stepped further inside of the foyer of the home of Synn and Despayre, two people that over the course of the last several years, he had come to know and regard as family. Synn had become something more than just a friend and mentor, but more so a father figure. And Despayre? That little nutter who Gabriel had affectionately coined 'Despy' was the loving little brother he had never had. As Synn took the large bag from his arm so that he might more easily tend to the fussy little baby in his arms, Gabriel continued, "O and I both do."

As Synn stood before him in the main hall of his home, hands folded as usual over his chest in the rigid demeanor he had come to be so well known for over the years, the travel bag dangling from his arm as his eyes remained on the small, blue laden bundle in Gabriel's arms.

"You don't need to thank us for doing what should be expected, Gabriel." Synn directed his attention with a tilt of the head toward the baby. "Your son was born over seven months ago, and you and Odette have not had any time to yourselves since." Synn's eyes glanced upward to meet Gabriel's own and there was the familiar twinkle of a father speaking to a father as he went on, "Truth be told, I'm surprised it took you this long to even ask."

"Well, it wasn't easy convincing O that we needed a bit of time to ourselves. She's even harder to separate from Lucas than I am..." Gabriel replied when the aforementioned Despayre came running in and he hurriedly took the baby's bag from Synn's arms and dashed off into the annals of the house, the light in his eyes never fading -- not even for an instant.

The eyes of the two men followed after him as he vanished down the hall, and then they returned to one another.

Gabriel smiled, "I take it then that Despy is looking forward to this?"

"That would be putting it mildly." Synn stated. "He was practically doing back flips when he found out that you and Odette were going to dinner and the theater and 'Uncle Joshua' would get to baby sit little Lucas for the duration of the evening."

Gabriel smiled, but despite the affection he held for his little brother, there was something nagging in the back of his mind, something that he and Odette had discussed at length ever since this idea had first manifested and the scenario of Despayre babysitting, or at the very least, helping to, was brought to light. Gabriel bit at his lower lip and rocked Lucas as the baby started to waken, wanting to lull him back to a peaceful slumber, when Synn's words brought him from out of his personal thoughts.

"Your son will be fine, Gabriel." Synn's words once again made the magician wonder if he had some sort of sixth sense or ESP. But no, it was simply because Synn could read people as easily as a book, and Synn knew what doubts lingered in the mind of the new father standing across from him. "You know Joshua will not allow anything to happen to him. he takes his responsibility as Uncle very seriously."

"I know," Gabriel sighed, feeling almost guilty for the doubts that swirled around in the recesses of his mind. "It's just..."

Synn finished for him, "You're worried Joshua's ... 'problems' might cause unforeseen complications."

Gabriel said, "I know Despy would never let something happen." He shrugged. "I guess it's just the worries of a new father."

"And an understandable one." Synn conceded. "Even on his medications, Joshua's mind is unpredictable. It can't be helped, but like you, I hold faith he knows where and when to draw the lines with his antics. You showed that very same faith when you named him as an Uncle, knowing what it would mean to him and what responsibilities he would wish to take on. Besides..." Synn smirked. "I'm fairly certain that he'll wait until your son is at least a few years older before the adventures begin."

"At least." Gabriel chuckled, when Despayre hurried back into the hallway, greeting the two men standing there, his words for them but his eyes entirely on the baby Lucas.

"Is he going to stay all night?" He asked with an eager hopefulness.

"`Fraid not, Despy." Gabriel answered, and quickly sought to quell the downcast look that suddenly soured Despayre's face. "He's still too young for sleep overs. But when he's old enough, and Odette and I feel the need for a little quality time, I promise."

That alone was enough to atone for Despayre's mindset. Gabriel's word was golden, as much as his own father's was. So if he said it was true, well then that was good enough for Despayre!

Gabriel then took a step closer toward Synn and said, "Now you, go to your Grandpa Synn." And before Synn could speak up, he found a small blue clad bundle being transferred carefully into his own, strong arms. This was not the first time that Synn had held a baby, surprisingly enough. He had held Lucas a time or two with Gabriel and Despayre's prodding, but it was as yet something he was unused to. Gabriel continued, "I need to have a little private chat with Uncle Despy."

"What are you...?" Synn started to ask with a frown as he carefully held the baby close against him.

"Relax, Grandpa." Gabriel chided as he slipped his arm around Despayre's slim shoulders to guide him down the hall and toward Synn's private office. "We'll only be a moment."

"Fine," Synn called after them. "But if Lucas makes a mess on my shirt, I'm rubbing your nose in it!"

As Gabriel shut the office door behind them, Synn hard Despayre say aloud, "That seems fair."

Once he had shut the door, Gabriel turned around and found Despayre's gray eyes watching him. Wasting no time and not wanting Synn to grow suspicious, Gabriel said, "You ran a pretty good shot there last week, Despy."

At the first words of praise, any wonderment Despayre might have felt was replaced with pride as his face lit up. Gabriel continued, "And you even signed a match for yourself for this weekend." Despayre nodded quickly. "Good on you. I am surprised, though."

"How come?"

"Because I know as well as anyone else how much you dislike singles matches." Was Gabriel's answer. "And you made quite a bit at stake, too. Your 'King' title and your future title shot."

Despayre shrugged without word, as if to silently declare that it was really no big deal.

Gabriel made his perceived move and asked, "You're not going to do the same thing here with Steve that you did with Sean Jackson, are you?"

"No." Despayre shook his head. "I'm just..." Then the words Gabriel spoke struck him and his eyes opened wide. "What are you... who TOLD you... I mean, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Really?" Gabriel leaned back against the office wall and folded his arms. He knew Despayre better than that. The lad was simply unable to tell a lie -- or at least a good one. Especially where his family was concerned. A fib to Synn or his mom or Nan, or himself, was simply the biggest of no-no's in Despayre's mind so all he had to do was bide his time and wait.

Finally his patience paid off as Despayre fidgeted and tucked his hands deep into his pockets and mumbled, "Did Angel tell you?"

"No." Gabriel smiled, seeing no sense in alerting Despayre to exactly how he had found out the little one-sided chat between his little brother and his teddy bear companion. "For once Angel kept a secret."

Despayre nodded. "Then how did you know?"

This time it was Gabriel who smiled as he shrugged and answered, "I'm Gabriel."

Despayre nodded, as if that answer made all the sense in the world, and to him, it did. He then glanced up through his eyebrows and asked timidly, "Did you tell dad?"

Gabriel raised his eyebrows in question and answered Despayre's question with one of his own, "Did it seem like I did?"

"No." Despayre shook his head in the negative. "The roof is still attached to the house."

"Exactly." Gabriel answered, "And I promise I wont tell him, if you just answer me one question."

"`Kay?"

"Why?" Came Gabriel's question. "If you indeed did lose to Sean on purpose, why did you do it? Especially after everything he did to us?"

Despayre answered, "It was Angel's brilliant scheme. I wanted a break so he cooked it up so when I decided to try to get the title back, Sean would be lulled into a false sense of security."

The next several seconds stretched out as Gabriel's eyes remained locked on Despayre's own. Despayre started to fidget and then he frowned and admitted, "It sounded a lot better coming from Angel than it did from me."

Gabriel only nodded and he asked, "And when exactly were you planning to take your return match? You have it, the fact you are still the number one challenger..."

"I know." Despayre sighed. "I dunno. I never really wanted it to start with. Just sorta got pushed into it anyway."

"Your dad just wanted to see you succeed, Despy." Gabriel stressed. "It's all we ever wanted after I retired."

"I know." Despayre practically rolled his eyes, as if he had heard this particular debate from others in the industry a hundred times -- and he probably had. From his father at least. "But nobody ever pays attention to what I want. I don't need a title to be successful. It's just window dressing. And I only went into that match to make Sean pay for what he'd do to you and Angel." A defiant expression crossed Despayre's face. "And I did."

The memory of just how Despayre had beaten Sean Jackson into a bloody mess inside of the steel cage before a mistimed moonsault from the top of the cage spelled a premature end to the match and Despayre's title reign came flooding back to Gabriel's memory.

"That you did, Despy." Gabriel soothed him and laced an arm around his shoulder in a friendly 'bro hug'. "But I don't want you to ever do something like that again. For one, you could have hurt yourself doing a move like that, and two?" Gabriel leaned in and whispered, "Sean Jackson is scum. You could have taken him any time in that match. Pulling a stunt like that just to give yourself a break? Buddy, you're better than that. I don't want you doing something like that again, specially with a guy like Steve Ramone."

Despayre's eyes opened wide and he shook his head rapidly, "Oh! I have no intention of losing to Steve Ramone!"

"Good." Gabriel nodded. "Then you'll forgive me if I ask ... why did you make sure to have it signed, knowing how much you hate singles matches? Especially after what you went through with Jackson?"

"This one is different." Despayre reasoned. "Dad and you never let anyone walk all over you like Steve is trying to do to me. So I thought what would either of you do, and I do'd it. And I'm gonna win!"

"You bet you are." Gabriel reached over and opened the office door back up, escorting Despayre through the frame and to the hall outside. "And after that, you're going to take your title back from Jackson."

"Don't push it!"

The pair soon found themselves back in the hallway, and a very disgruntled looking Synn staring holes in them as he held the baby at arm's length - and small wonder why; the evidence of a noticeable stain on the shoulder of his shirt. Gabriel slapped a hand over his mouth but not before a bark of laughter escaped his lips.

"Wow!" Gabriel chuckled. "How did milk turn into that?"

"Funny." Synn growled as he slowly passed the baby into Despayre's arms and started down the hallway. "I'll be back as soon as I change!"

"Don't rush. I have to split anyway." Gabriel called after the man. Gabriel walked over and gave Lucas a kiss atop his small head, then ruffled Despayre's hair, reducing the young man to all smiles. Gabriel then reached into the travel bag and pulled out a familiar kimono-clad plush form, Lucas's own teddy bear, Snowbird. Despayre smiled, thrilled that Lucas's protector was to spend the evening with them as well, and Gabriel set the teddy bear on the edge of an oak table in the hallway.

Gabriel headed for the door and saluted Despayre, saying, "We'll be back to pick up Lucas before midnight, Despy."

"Okay." Despayre called as the door closed behind Gabriel. "Have fun!"

At this age, most babies suffer from separation anxiety from the familiar, but Lucas just looked up into Despayre's gray eyes and smiling face and blinked.

He said, "Gee, I don't know why dad has a problem holding a widdle baby like you. What could you possibly do to make someone..."

Despayre then frowned and drew in a breath through his nose. He looked down and kicked up his foot so he could look at the underside of his shoe, then stood upright again. He drew Lucas in a little closer and smelled... "GAH!" Then choked back a cough and made a face, one eye squinted shut and his tongue halfway out.



Synn and Theresa stood just on the outside of the living room, both with curios expressions on their faces as they kept a close watch on what was unfolding before them while trying not to remain too obvious. There in the front room was the endearing sight of Despayre seated cross-legged on the living room floor, and opposite him was Gabriel and Odette's baby, Lucas, propped up on a large bean bag, and a curled up bed comforter to keep the baby snug and warm. And beside that comforter, one on each side of Lucas, was Angel and Snowbird, acting as protectors while listening to the very same story that Despayre was reciting to Lucas...

"Once upon a time in the magical land of Muppetopia..."

Theresa snorted back a laugh and Synn glanced back over his shoulder at her and gifted her with a wink while the story unfolded....

"... There lived a wise and brave King named King Joshua, but everyone always called Him King Despayre -- because that's what he always brought upon his enemies. Despair! King Despayre was brave, and handsome, and the people loved him -- especially the fair maidens of the realm. No matter what he did, or how much he resisted, the fair maidens themselves were unable to resist his royal machismo and were forever stealing smooches! Now, King Despayre was forever being called upon to dispatch the vile and the dastardly, and sometimes the unwashed, but that's a story for another day."

The brilliant form of the dazzling figure clad in white armor stood in battle against the dreaded Kryss Hack,a beast with many heads but no prospects. the first of many heads darted from the snake-like body, striking at the King but so brave was he that he remained undaunted and without fear! He ducked under the lunging head and struck it down with a swing from his mighty sword...

"A mighty sword made of wood?"

"Shh! There's a method to telling a baby a fairy tale like this."

"`Scuse me!"

The rumble of the land shaking as the beast Hack hit the grounded was felt miles around, but that was the day the people remembered most; when King Despayre became a King to the people! He stood atop that mountainside, a figure of majestic standing as he pulled off his armor helmet and his gray eyes scanned the horizon of his kingdom while his silken black hair whipped around in the wind...

"Oh brother..."

"The challenges to his rule did not end there! Another threat came from the high seas in the form of Black Heart, the most feared pirate of the land! ...

One would think you were watching an Errol Flynn pirate film with the slick moves fought aboard the pirate vessel of Black Heart's, the scourge of the sea; the Anal Annie! King Despayre, now dressed like a smooth talking pirate/sailor (he had an image to maintain y'know!), swung from the ship's mast and with one smooth stroke, sliced through the ropes with his sword...

"Cutlass."

"Huh?"

"A pirate's sword is called a cutlass."

"Can he please continue? This is getting good!"

"But perhaps the biggest threat yet to King Despayre's kingdom came not from a monster or a vile villainous pirate, but a chicken!"

"Come again?"

"Yes, the threat came in the form of Steve Roman, the dreaded Yellow Knight!"

"Yellow Knight? Shouldn't that be Black Knight?"

"No, I see what he did there. Yellow mans coward, so hence the chicken comment."

"Ha! Very clever! But waitaminute! What about the evil hypnotist, Sean Mentallo?"

"His page is strangely missing from this tale, but that's alright, because this is all about the threat posed by Steve the Yellow Knight!..."

The figure clad in yellow armor trotted along the countryside, perched on the back of what was assumed to be a stallion but really resembled a worn out old donkey...

"Would you look at that armor? Looks like he has a bladder problem!"

"And indeed he does as each time the Yellow Knight sought to usurp King Despayre and the love the people had for him, he practically peed his armor and rusted them shut! When facing down the same beasties as King Despayre, the same end result! That is why nobody ever laid eyes on the true face of the Pretender, because his armor could not be removed!"

High atop a hill was the Rower With No Door! And in that Tower was the imprisoned Princess Mikah. She sat on the edge of the lone window's window sill, texting (hey, it's fantasy people! Work with me here!), when a ladder casually propped up against the side of the Tower. The beautiful Princess was forced to tear her gaze away from her game of Candy Crush when the upper half of the Yellow Knight arrived at the window.

"Fear not, fair Princess! For I, the Yellow Knight, shall save you!"

"Feh!" Said Princess Mikah as she took one look at the imposter to King Despayre's throne and she nudged the ladder away from the wall, sending it toppling to the ground so very far below. Of course she could not resist watching the fool fall down, as that was just her way, and she leaned too far out of the window and ended up spilling her alcoholic beverage down to the ground blow, splashing it onto the Yellow Knight aka Steve Roman!

The Princess shot to her feet and started to scream, "You made me spill my drink you miserable ^#$*$#@*&%^$#@*!!"

"Wow! Can you say something like that in a nursery rhyme!?"

"Nope! That's why I used those symbols everyone reading this just saw."

"What's he talking about?"

"Just go with it."

It was then that King Despayre happened upon the Tower and Princess Mikah called out to him...

"Oh King Despayre! The one and only TRUE King of the land, won't you vanquish this annoying prat and reaffirm your reign -- and get me a new drink because that dink made me spill mine!"

"Fear not princess!" The King called up to her. "Your wish is my taking into consideration!"

"You have embarrassed me for the last time!" The Yellow Knight cried out in anger, drawing his sword. "Your reign and your title will be mine!"

"What about the princess?" The King asked.

The Yellow Knight shrugged, "I'm on the fence about her." And a split second later, a margaritas glass came crashing down atop the helmet of the Yellow Knight, followed by an angry shut from above, "I heard that!"

"You know not what it takes to be a King!" The true King declared, unsheathing his own blade. "I defeated you in the battle that brought me to power! You can not simply ignore history, declare yourself a King and expect the people to follow you!"

"I can if I defeat you!" The two gladiators circled as Princess Mikah watched from high atop her tower, putting her dukes up and jabbing as the battle ignited! The Yellow Knight yelled, "You issued this challenge to me, so all I have to do is defeat you and your Kingdom becomes mine!"

"That will never happen!" King Despayre decreed and their blades met in an unyielding clash between them!

"RIP HIS ARM OUT OF ITS SOCKET!!!" The always ladylike Princess Mikah bellowed, watching and dancing like a boxer in tune to the battle being waged below her window!

The ground shook and the wind ripped as the two titans struggled for supremacy! Blows were thrown, sword strikes blocked, but in the end, an over handed sword swing missed King Despayre by feet inches and the blade of the Yellow Knight found itself stuck in the ground. The pretender tugged and pulled but being the weak and wimpy sort that he was, he was unable to remove it!

King Despayre, ever the valiant soul that he was, tapped the Yellow Knight on the shoulder, rather than attack a foe from behind. The usurper turned around and the true King tossed his sword to the side and kicked his chain mail boot up between the Yellow Knight's legs...

Princess Mikah winced at the impact from her tower window, but that was soon lost upon her as the sound of metal on stone was heard in a "CLUNK! CLUNK!" noise, and soon King Despayre arrived at her Tower window, with a fresh martini in his gauntlet covered hand.

The Princess accepted this royal gift and took a sip, then went to give the King a peck on the cheek, when the King leaned back to avoid it and lost his grip...

"WHOAAAAAA!!!!"

*CRASH!*

The Princess sighed and leaned back against the window frame and took a sip from the glass.

"I lose more Kings that way."

"Hey, do you think anyone out there figured it out that the nursery rhyme was a cleverly disguised promo for Despy's match this weekend?"

"They'd be blind not to!"

"The End!"

And this weekend, for Steve Ramone, and his unending quest for greatness, it will be! Some Kings you just shouldn't start a war against, Steve!