A Curious Tale: One girl's search for her father...

Chapter Five

Cora Curious discovered a little bit about her captor and her saviour, Oliver Bane. The most important discovery of all was his feelings for her that he had hidden since they were small children. Even though she didn't remember him, he had fond memories of her growing up. After so many years of planning to find her father, Cora let herself go and trusted this young man. Was she right to do so? This is the final chapter, will she meet up with Pascal?

 "I had no idea!" Cora smiled up at Oliver as he gazed lovingly back down at her.

"Well how would you?" he replied and gave her a quick kiss on the lips and laughed softly, "You don't even remember me!"

 She rubbed his back gently and whispered "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be, it's not your fault you were doped up half of your life, it's my father's!" Oliver frowned and clenched his fist.

"That scar...how did you get it?" she traced the long scar on the bridge of his nose and up to his forehead with her finger.

"It's a long story, but...I'll shorten it for you! The upshot is my father and I had a huge fight and I threatened to burn his research papers so he pushed me against the fireplace and I burst my nose wide open on the hearth. 12 stitches later and I packed my bags and moved out. I went back of course, sleeping on a friend's couch isn't ideal!"

"What about your mother? I never hear you talk about her!" Cora eyed him curiously as his face changed from a smile to a frown.

"She died when I was two. I've never seen a photo of her and my father never once talked about her. It wasn't until I went to school that I realised what a mother was. So you see, to me she doesn't exist, I might as well be an experiment from my father's lab too for all I know!"

"I'm sorry!" she whispered again, "I guess we have more in common than we thought!"

 After talking all night, Cora and Oliver finally fell asleep at 5am getting a couple of hours rest. Oliver had a plan to find her father. As she looked at herself in the mirror he called out something to her, she spun round with a puzzled look on her face, "Excuse me?"

 "It means the one with the silver eyes in your language, it's marked on your back, all my father's "finds" were marked in their own language! I studied your planet quite a bit when I was a teenager, I got your name tattooed on my arm in your language too. You spotted it the night we met, remember?"

"I do, oh that's so sweet! My name, on your arm." she gushed then her voice took on a more serious tone, "Tell me about my planet?"

"There's not much to tell, only that your race seem to be geniuses like you and I. They make gadgets and gizmos and invent all sorts of fabulous technology, even a device that can impregnate a human male! As you already know!"

"I...I don't understand...how do I know this?"

 "Well you know...your father was abducted and impregnated with you. You do know this right?" Oliver blushed as a look of shock played on Cora's pretty features, "You don't!" he sighed and shook his head, "IDIOT!" he muttered angrily.

 "It's okay Oliver. I knew that my father gave birth to me, I just didn't realise human males didn't actually do that on their own. Does this mean, like you, I have no mother?"

"Well, I think it does. So you see...we were meant to be!" he grinned and took hold of her, wrapping his arms around her.

 "You're a very pretty man!" Oliver let out a great, booming laugh as it was now Cora's turn to blush, "What did I say? Did I say something wrong?"

"No! Well yeah! Girls are pretty, boys are...handsome!"

"Oh, I think you have to teach me a thing or two Oliver! I get so muddled!"

"Well the first thing I'll teach you is this..."

 Oliver pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers in a long and forceful kiss. She responded happily, this was a lesson she liked very much!

 She ran her fingers through his blond hair and stroked his cheek, "I think we need a few more lessons, I'm very new to that!" she smiled as he squeezed her playfully by the waist.

"Later, right now I want to show you something!"

 "So this is my father's security system, this is the tracking device he had implanted in your uncle Vidcund when he worked there, and this is the tracking device your uncle Vidcund had planted in your father the night before you were abducted!"

"I'm lost, and how do you work this thing? Can you use any computer in the world to get into these things?"

"No..." Oliver replied bashfully, "I'm good at hacking, I'm a naughty genius!"

 "So what does this all mean naughty genius?" she nudged him coyly.

"It means...your father is right...here!" he pointed at a flashing dot on a map. "Unfortunately here is the lab and we DO NOT want to go back there! So, we just track the dot, er...your father until he's at a safe location!"

"It's really happening? My father is close?"

"Yes, he's very close and you're going to meet him I promise! I'll make sure of it!"

 "The planet I come from, what is it called?"

"It's called Lo'rhain, it's directly above Earth and it's so close your people visit a lot...and populate our planet with their own race, hence...you!"

"Oh! I think I'll go and look out for it on that kaleidoscope thingy!"

"Telescope, it's a telescope babe!"

"Sorry babe, I get things wrapped round the wrong way!" Oliver laughed again at Cora calling him "babe", no doubt she thought it was the normal thing to do, and he was calling her his babe already...

 ...and as she left to go check out the skies, Oliver hoped that after she met up with her father and uncles, she'd have time to get to know him too. Maybe even love him the way he loved her. Things were nice at the moment but he honestly didn't know where he fitted into the whole situation, or where he fitted in to Cora's life!

 Cora had been using the telescope for hours and she thought she had spotted her home planet, it was a purplish blue and it was as big as the Earth. She wondered if she was more like them, or more like her human family! Soon she was going to find out.

 Darkness fell on Bridgeport and Cora settled into Oliver's arms for the night. Hopefully in the morning it would be safe enough to track down Pascal and his brothers. She couldn't wait for them to meet Oliver!

"It would have to be raining! We're so close, the tracker located your father in these woods!" Oliver smiled up at the sky, he found it amusing that it would rain on this very day...

...when Cora wasn't wearing a rain coat! "I told you to bring a coat, now you'll catch your death in this rain!" Oliver scolded her.

"Is it raining? I hadn't even noticed!" Cora gushed. "Do I look alright Oliver?" She bit her lip and did a small twirl as drops of rain spun round like a catherine wheel.

"You're perfect! Your dad will be so proud of you!" he smiled at her and took hold of her hands, "Go! He's in there! This is what you've been waiting for!" 

"Oh Oliver! Thank you for everything you've done!"

"Hey, it's the least I could do after taking you back there. Even though you forgive me, I still don't forgive myself. Now go! Go get your dad!" Cora kissed him softly on the cheek and made her way into the woods...

Pascal had been searching for his daughter for over twenty four hours, he hadn't slept much at all. As he sat on a bench in the woods, almost giving up, a little green figure came into his view...

...it was a young girl. She was wearing a pretty dress and her hair was soaked by the rain. Pascal was soaked to the skin too but the thought of never finding Cora had been too much for him to even care about that! The young girl stood on the spot, rain dripping from every bit of her, and yet she was smiling!

Pascal's instincts kicked in and he got up off of the seat quickly, "Cora?" he called to the girl and she giggled at the sound of his voice saying her name, as if she'd heard it long ago and it was music to her ears to hear it again!

As he ran towards her she put her arm up and waved, still smiling and as he got closer, raindrops dripped down her face...or were they tears?

"Cora? Is that you?"

"Hello father! I...I can't believe you're here! I've looked for you for a long long time!"

"Oh Cora..."

Pascal drew his daughter into a tight hug, she still smelled the same, that sweet scent on her skin that she'd had since she was a baby. His little girl wasn't so little any more! "It's...it's so good to see you my Cora! Oh how you've grown!"

"And you haven't changed a bit!"

"Oh come now, the grey in my hair says otherwise!"

"There is someone I really want you to meet. His name is Oliver and..." Pascal cut his daughter off,

"And he's the son of the evil creep who took you from me twenty years ago!" seeing her face fall, he could tell how much the boy meant to her. His little girl...was in love! "But..." Pascal sighed, "...he is the young man who brought you back to me. I presume he helped you find me?"

"Yes daddy!" For the first time, Cora felt she could call him "daddy", for the first time she felt like they'd never been apart! "He's a good man, he just got...lost! Like we all did!"

"I know he is, and you have my blessing!"

"For what?" Cora looked puzzled.

"To get married my dear, I doubt that after everything you've been through together he's going to let you go. He's going to want you as his wife!"

Pascal took hold of Cora's hand and led her out of the woods, "I think there are two other very anxious boys waiting to see you!" he smiled as they walked together, " Your uncles have missed you very much!"

Oliver, Vidcund and Lazlo were there to meet them on the outskirts of the woods, there was so much to say, so much to catch up on. And they were going to do it all together!

CURIOUS RESIDENCE, STRANGETOWN: ONE YEAR LATER...

It was Christmas, the second one that the Curious brothers would spend with Cora, the first one they would spend with her as Mrs Oliver Bane! The snow was thick on the ground and Vidcund was where he loved to be...

At the top of the house, looking for UFO's. As the rest of the family prepared for Christmas, Vidcund discovered a star he named after his niece, the niece he sold to an evil scientist! He had a lot of guilt to get over on that score!

"It's beautiful!" Cora told her husband, admiring his handiwork.

"Just like the two most beautiful women in my life!" he smiled and put his arm around her shoulder.

Cora had never seen such a wonderful Christmas tree! Her father and uncles tried their best the year before but Oliver just had the knack for these things!

"Speaking of your beautiful girls, I think I hear her now!" Cora sighed and lay her head on Oliver's shoulder.

"Yep, I'll go! And I want it noted that I love you more than anything in this Universe because I'm wearing this ghastly cardigan just for you! Got it?" he squeezed her shoulder, laughing loudly and headed out the door.

"I know, it's noted!" Cora laughed back.

"Well well well! I see you're awake little one!" Oliver called to a tiny wriggling thing sitting in Cora's old cot.

"Yes daddy! Can I haves pwesents nows???" Hope Bane, like her mother before her, had aged rather quickly and was extremely intelligent like both of her parents. Her speech for a three month old was amazing.

Having grasped all the basic skills at her tender age, Hope could walk and talk and use her potty all by herself. Having two genius parents helped with that. As she ran through to the Christmas tree, checking for Santa Claus her little eyes filled up with tears as she realised he hadn't come. "Where is Santa daddy?" she whimpered as Oliver scooped her up in his arms.

He tickled her as she giggled with delight, having forgotten that Santa hadn't arrived. "Stoooop! Daddeeeeee!"

"If you don't laugh louder, Santa will never hear you and you won't get any presents!" Oliver tickled her even more as she laughed even louder, taking on board what her father had told her. She so wanted Santa to come!

"So Hope, what do you want for Christmas?" Oliver looked his baby daughter in the eyes and smiled.

"I wants lots a pwesents aaaaaaand..."

"And what princess?"

"...a baby bwuva or sista!" Oliver laughed and squeezed her softly before replying,

"I'll see what I can do kiddo!"

 As Oliver settled Hope into her high chair, Pascal and his brothers were looking rather worried. "What's up guys?" Oliver eyed them warily. Lazlo replied in a rather flat tone,

"Cora's cooking pancakes!" all three brothers sat uncomfortably in their Christmas jumpers dreading what Cora was about to cook and put in front of them. She wasn't a cook! She was a beautiful genius from another planet, but no cook!

 Cora stirred furiously in the bowl she was holding and made a tutting sound, "Well thank you very much! I can do this, we're going to have a nice family breakfast this fine Christmas morning and may I just say that all my boys look fetching in their festive jumpers that I knitted especially for today!" the boys mumbled unenthusiastically words of praise over Cora's handiwork.

 "Who put them there?" Lazlo drooled at the bowl of sweets on the counter...

 "I did!" Oliver replied between mouthfuls, "Gotta have something in my stomach before Cora's pancakes annihilate the lining!"

"HEY!" Cora called from the stove, "I heard that!"

 As she flipped her pancakes in the most professional manner, the smell of burning flour surrounded the room as the boys and even Hope groaned at their impending doom!

 "Guys, food poisoning is bad, but it's not the end of the world. Just eat them and smile!" Oliver joked as Vidcund grunted and screwed up his face.

 "I hope we don't die! I really don't want to be caught dead in this EVIL jumper!" he muttered as his older brother kicked him hard under the table.

 "That's my daughter's wonderful craftsmanship and you will appreciate her efforts Vidcund!" Pascal scolded him.

"Yes, I quite like it, it keeps me warm!" Lazlo chipped in cheerily.

 Hope giggled in her high chair and pointed at her father, grandfather and great uncles, "Yoos look funneh! Heeheeeee!"

 Cora sadly burnt her pancakes as the boys all let out huge sighs of relief, "I guess we could have salad!" Cora lamented as she looked down upon her burnt offerings.

 "And you young lady! You be grateful that I didn't knit you a jumper too!" as she picked up little Hope, giggling all the time, she noticed that there were a heap of presents waiting to be opened by the tree.

 "Well guess what Hope?"

"What mummy?"

"I think Santa came after all!"

 Hope had never seen so many presents! She didn't know where to start as her parents and grandfather came in to join her.

 "Is these all fur mees?" she gasped as Pascal laughed lovingly.

"Oh Cora, she's just like her mother! I remember you at that age, so adorable!" his smile widened as he gazed upon his granddaughter who was extremely excited!

 Hope sat for a little while surveying all the parcels, she shook a few and put them down again, she had no idea which one to open first! The adults were growing impatient but they allowed her the time to explore everything.

 Pascal sighed happily and squeezed Cora's hand, "So much time we lost my dear!"

"We did, but look at the hope we have for the future! You get to see my daughter grow up, and I want you to be as much of a part of her life as Oliver and I!"

"I would like that, very much!"

 "Merry Christmas daddy!" Cora whispered to her father.

"Merry Christmas, my Cora!"

 Hope still sat on the floor surrounded by the gifts Santa had left her, and she happily declared "I knows which one I wants ta open furst!"

"Gwampa will have ta help me, it's very big!" she giggled, "Mewwy Cwistmas gwampa!" Hope grinned up at Pascal. Finding Cora had given him his daughter back, but the greatest gift of all was knowing he would be a part of little Hope's future and watch her grow up, a second chance!

THE END!