Prince of Darkness vs Prom Queen 06

"Are you privilegiously tying Virgil?" Trent asked. "Is this bottle empty already?" He took another.

"It's privileges, Trent," Victor answered, "tying privileges. You know, for sex."

"I'm not sure why sex is privilegiously. Maybe Sara knows. I can ask her when she stops hating me. I like being privilegiously sexy with Sara. She's hot. Laci's hot. Marian's hot. I'm hot too, but not privilegiously sexy hot. More like, why is it 5000 degrees in here hot? Anybody else hot? Virgil? You hot? I'm really hot. Just not privilegiously hot."

"Doesn't Sara tie you to the bed?" Victor asked as he downed the last of the beer in his hand.

"How'd you know that? Laci said she wouldn't tell. She said she'd keep it our little secret and she broke her promise."

"Nah, she didn't," Victor said, "I just guessed. Marian ties me all the time."

"You tell my wife about your sex life?" Donovan thundered incredulously. "What the hell is wrong with you? She doesn't need any more ideas. She has enough of her own."

"But I just told her about Sara because I love Sara and Sara hates me," Trent was back to sounding distraught. "Laci thought it was fine for Sara to do privilegiously sexy things. Laci is my best friend. She used to love me but she mostly loves you and I think she loves Victor. Laci is nice. I love Laci, but I mostly love Sara. Sara is fun to be privilegiously sexy with. She's good at privilegiously sexy."

"Yeah," Victor responded, "Marian's good at it too. Marian's really good at whatever-you-said-sexy."

"Victor, I don't want to hear this. Don't talk about what you do with my cousin."

"Donovan, she's my wife and we do the same kinds of things you do with your wife."

"But my wife and your wife aren't here to do anything because they left and we don't know where they are and who they're doing anything with. And it's Trent's fault. I got mad at him and Laci got mad at me and Sara got mad at Trent and Laci got mad at him and I'm always mad at you and now everybody's mad. And I don't want any more beer. I just want my wife."

"I'm sorry I made Laci mad and you mad," Trent apologized. "All I want to do is get Sara back. I don't know if I do privilegiously sexy the right way. Donovan? Can you teach me how to be a Dominator then I can show Sara that I know all about privilegiously sexy and she'll marry me and we can all be happy. Unless she still wants to hate me. Damn, it's hot in here."

"You should do that Donovan. If you teach Trent how to be sexy with Sara..."

"Privilegiously sexy," Trent interrupted.

"Yeah, what he said," Victor agreed. "If you teach him then he'll get Sara back and they'll be spending lots of time doing what they want to do and Trent won't have time to call Laci because he'll be busy doing other things. You have to teach him all about it."

"Why don't you teach him if you're such an expert? You and my cousin seem to do it all the time."

"So do you and Laci," Victor retorted.

"You can both teach me, then I'll be double privilegiously sexy and I'll know all the privilegiously sexy things and Sara will love me again and stop thinking it over."

"Sure. I can show you. We both can show you. It's easy. I'll go get some rope," Victor volunteered. He grabbed another bottle. "Be right back. Uh...What am I getting again?"

"ROPE!" Donovan and Trent yelled in unison.

"Right. Rope. Be back in three shakes of a unicorn's tail. Sorry, Virgil. No offense."

"Damned unicorn likes you. Damned unicorn likes everybody except me. Virgil. Stupid name. Hey, Virgil! Make yourself useful. Quit snarling and hand me another beer."

Chapter 5 What Happens with Virgil, Stays with Virgil

It was already dark when the car pulled into the driveway.

"I wonder why every light in the house is on?" Laci questioned as she lifted a very sleepy Matthew from his car seat.

Marian looked around. "No lights on at our place so I guess Victor must be keeping Donovan company." Jeremy was also sound asleep as she took him out of the car. "Sara, I can't wait to see the look on Trent's face when you walk through the door. He's been so miserable for the last few weeks."

"Both of you are amazing for driving all that way to pick me up just so I could surprise him," Sara responded. "I'm sorry it took so long but the boys had a great time playing on the set. I really had no idea Trent would react the way he did when I said I needed a little time to think things over. I guess drama is in his blood and I'd better get used to it if I'm going to be Mrs. Nichols. Let me help with the bags." She reached into the car and took the small bags from the trunk. "C'mon, Virgil. You have to be the sweetest dog in the entire world. Let's go, boy."

Wagging his huge, fluffy tail in appreciation, an excited Virgil lumbered ahead of the group and waited at the front door.

"Matthew is going to be so disappointed he's not seeing his dad tonight. He misses Donovan when he goes on a trip but I know he'll make up for it tomorrow." Still carrying her son, Laci unlocked the front door and led the way into the house. Marian had Jeremy snuggled in her arms while Sara and Virgil followed closely behind. "It'll probably be a good idea for Donovan to get some sleep tonight. If Matthew has anything to say about it, he won't slow down for one minute once he sees his dad in the morning and..." She stopped, shocked into silence at the sight in front of her.

Standing at Laci's side, even Virgil seemed bewildered at what he was seeing. Coming up from behind, Marian stood in the doorway to Donovan's office shaking her head in disbelief. "It looks like they were celebrating something. They all look like they're passed out. Are they drunk?"

"I'd say completely wasted judging from the number of empty beer bottles I see scattered around. That's the imported beer Donovan likes," Laci told her. "It has a much higher alcohol content than domestic beer. Could the three of them actually have consumed that much?"

"Trent almost never drinks. At least they were smart enough to have food with the beer," Sara observed, "considering the number of pizza boxes and wing buckets I see. Did they have a party?"

"Donovan never drinks this much either," Laci stated. "Do you suppose they were all feeling sorry for themselves and had their own private pity party?"

"Do you think they're okay?" Marian asked.

Sara took a step into the room for a closer look. "They're all breathing normally, so they seem to be fine at the moment. I'm not sure they'll be very fine in the morning."

Donovan's usually serene office was his work space and private sanctuary away from the noisy chaos that came with everyday life.

The primary color in the oblong shaped room was a rich shade of deep, forest green, the walls paneled with dark wood and lined with built-in bookshelves and file cabinets, their contents always orderly, properly arranged alphabetically by topic or type of book.

At one end of the room his antique desk sat in front of a large bay window overlooking the garden. At the other end a round conference table could comfortably accommodate six people. The center of the space contained a small seating area, complete with an overstuffed sofa and several comfortable chairs.

At the moment, the usually neat and organized room would certainly qualify as a small catastrophe.

Every table and flat surface, including Donovan's prized desk, was littered with pizza boxes, some empty, some containing slices of cold and half eaten pepperoni or pineapple pizza. The boxes were joined with several large, colorful cardboard buckets holding the remains of what appeared to be spicy wings.

A number of paper plates held leftovers, pizza crusts and the remnants of the wings. Dozens of crumpled and greasy paper napkins were on the tables, chairs, and scattered across the floor.

On the floor, between the sofa and one of the chairs, stood a large silver-colored bucket half filled with water. Two still capped bottles of beer stood upright in the water where a few small pieces of ice were floating. Condensation was dripping down the sides of the bucket, saturating the rug under it.

Enough brown beer bottles to stock a small pub were on the tables, on the floor, on the shelves, nestled between sofa cushions. Some were still partially full, most completely empty, some standing upright, some lying on their sides. A small puddle of spilled beer was making little plopping sounds as drops dripped off the side of one of the tables and onto the floor.

Victor and Trent were slumped, side by side on the sofa. Trent's right wrist was tied to Victor's left wrist with bright yellow, braided nylon rope. His right ankle was tied to Victor left ankle and Trent's left wrist was tied to the arm of the sofa with the same type of rope. Trent's plaid shirt was wide open, his hair in disarray. Victor, his head thrown back, was snoring quietly.

Seated in one of the chairs, Donovan's dark hair was ruffled, his usually neatly coordinated attire disheveled, shirt half unbuttoned and pulled out from the waist of his tailored slacks, his tie half untied and pulled to one side. His arms were wrapped tightly around Virgil who was scowling sullenly, perhaps from being forced to act as a pillow or perhaps from the piece of yellow rope tied from his foot to Donovan's wrist.

"I've known Donny my entire life and I've never seen him look that messy," Marian observed. "Even when he was a kid he was a neat-freak."

"Why do you think Trent and Victor are tied together?" Sara questioned.

"Can't imagine," Marian responded. "Party game, maybe?"

Laci smiled. "It's nice to see Donovan bonding with Virgil. They don't usually get along this well."

"Donovan doesn't get along with your unicorn?" Sara asked, curiously.

"Donovan is convinced Virgil hates him," Laci sighed. "It's a long story."

"Maybe we should get the boys upstairs and to bed," Marian suggested, "then we can take care of our grown-up, man-children."

"Good idea," Laci responded. "We'll be down in a minute, Sara. C'mon Virgil."

"Take your time," Sara told her. "I'll start untying them so they don't hurt themselves."

Laci and Marian, holding Matthew and Jeremy still soundly sleeping, headed for the stairs, Virgil dutifully following at their heels.

Sara went into the office and started untying Trent and Victor's wrists. It only took a minute before she was able to move on to releasing the rope from around their ankles.

She started to untie Trent's wrist from the arm of the sofa. Trent's eyes fluttered open. "Sara? Is that you? Are you finished thinking it over?" he mumbled.

"Yes, Trent."

"Good. I learned how to be privilegiously for you because I love you."

"That's wonderful, Trent. Why don't you go back to sleep and we can talk about it tomorrow?"

"Okay," Trent agreed, closing his eyes and relaxing back into the sofa cushions.

Marian and Laci came into the room carrying blankets. "Since they're sound asleep, we thought we might as well leave them alone," Laci said. "We'll just cover them with blankets and let them rest until they sleep it off." She handed Sara a blanket before crossing over to Donovan. After untying the yellow rope around his wrist, she covered him and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Marian had already covered Victor. "I'm going to bring this bucket into the kitchen before it makes more of a mess on the rug."

"Trent woke up for a minute when I was untying him but I have a feeling he's not going to remember. He seems a little out of it. What am I saying? Trent is out of it when he's completely sober." She turned to Laci. "Does he really call you as much as he says he does?"

"He does and I honestly don't mind although it drives Donovan crazy," Laci responded. "I know he doesn't mean to be a pest. He's actually very sweet and I kind of look forward to his calls. I have to be honest. I love my job but Marian is a perfectionist and she'd be the first one to agree. It gets a little stressful sometimes. I want to be a good mother to Matthew. That's so important to me. And now that I have my father back in my life, I want to spend as much time as I can reconnecting with him. Victor does a tremendous amount around here but I still have certain responsibilities. Donovan definitely keeps me busy. Sometimes it feels like I'm thinking for everyone except myself."

Marian overheard Laci as she re-entered the room. "She also tries to give Jeremy as much attention as she can, which I appreciate more than I can say. Even though Victor is amazing, I spend so many hours working and Laci fills in some of the gaps. We have a wonderful little family here. It doesn't fit the typical pattern but it works for us. What matters is the kids are growing up happy and we all get along. Well, most of us get along. Victor and Donovan are great friends who annoy the hell out of each other and always need a referee. Laci helps with that, too. And let's not forget Donovan's ongoing battle with Virgil the First. My cousin is not easy to deal with sometimes."

Laci laughed at Marian's statement. "I truly love Donovan. He's a wonderful father and an incredible husband but, sometimes, he can be a little high maintenance. Believe me, Sara, talking to Trent is kind of like a vacation for me. I know his problems are important to him but most of what he frets about is ridiculous. He has a manager and a driver and a personal assistant and everything is done for him, so I think he forgets how to do things for himself. Has he seriously forgotten how to pick out his own clothes? Marian was right when she called them our man-children, but we love them just as they are. There really isn't one thing I would change about Donovan, including his unicorn phobia."

"That's how I feel about Victor. He's always there for me and Jeremy, he's 100% supportive of everything I do, nothing bothers him and nobody can irritate Donovan the way he can."

"Trent thinks of Victor as a friend but he looks up to Donovan. He likes that they both treat him as if he's just a regular person. He even likes it when Donovan growls at him."

"Donovan's a good growler," Laci acknowledged.

"Always makes me wonder why he's got something against your horse, "Marian stated sardonically. "They seem so much alike."

"He doesn't get along with your unicorn and he's got something against your horse?" Sara sounded perplexed. "Does Donovan have some kind of equine issues?"

"Only when the equines in questions are Laci's admirers," Marian responded. "Like she said earlier, it's a long story.

Donovan's head was aching more than usual and his eyes seemed to be glued shut. He struggled for a moment to open them, only to find himself face to face with his nemesis, Virgil the hateful, staring unicorn. He wasn't sure if the groaning sound he was making was because of his pounding headache, the disastrous condition of the room around him, or the sneering and scornful look he was getting from Virgil. He decided it was most likely all three.

A few feet away, Victor was groaning just a little louder as he attempted to focus his own eyes. "What time is it," he asked Donovan, "and why are you trying to kiss Virgil? Don't you hate each other?"

"At the moment, I'd rather kiss him than you," Donovan pushed Virgil away, grumbling in reply. "What the hell happened?"

"Uhh..." Victor appeared to be trying to think. "Damned if I know. Last thing I remember Trent was the one kissing Virgil. Oh, and I remember spicy wings. A lot of them."

Donovan groaned again. "Do not, under any circumstances, mention spicy anything. I don't want to hear that word for the rest of my life. There isn't one inch of me that feels right. My head hurts. My gut hurts. My back hurts. My eyelashes hurt." He looked at Trent who was curled up on the sofa next to Victor, sleeping peacefully. "Why is he still here? Does he live here now? Surely somebody must be missing him. Maybe there's a reward for his return."

"Did you ever tell me what time it is? Or what day it is?"

Donovan glared as much as his headache would allow. "I don't know what day it is. What am I forgetting? Why did we start drinking?"

"That's a good question. We were wondering the same thing. It looks like almost everyone is finally awake." Donovan and Victor painfully turned their heads toward the sound. Marian was standing in the doorway. Laci, Sara and the dog-moose were by her side.

Victor was rubbing his own head as he struggled to sit upright. "Hi Honey," he greeted his wife.

"Hi yourself," Marian responded affectionately. "How are you feeling after your party last night?"

"I'm not sure," he responded. Victor looked at Donovan. "I don't remember a party. Did we have a party?"

"I don't recall very much of anything after I walked through the front door." Donovan was wincing at the sound of his own voice echoing in his head. "Yes, I do. You said our wives left us," he yelled at Victor accusingly. "Why the hell would you say something like that? I was frantic."

Victor squinted at Donovan and held his hands up as though trying to shield himself from the sound of his friend's voice. "It's all a little hazy."

"A little hazy? Let me assure you things will be perfectly clear after I wring your neck."

Laci shook her head with a frustrated smile. "Jeremy and Matthew are going to be three years old in a couple of weeks and they act more grown-up than the two of you. Matthew! Look who's here!"

The sound of little feet pounding across the floor made Donovan's headache worse. "DADDY! YOU'RE HOME!" Matthew ran into the room at top speed and propelled himself directly at Donovan who grimaced at the moment of impact.

"UNCLE DONOVAN!" Jeremy followed right behind Matthew and Donovan braced for a second crash.

"Hey, Matt," Donovan painfully greeted his exuberant son. "Jeremy."

Not one to be left out, Virgil number two lumbered across the room giving all three affectionate and slobbering moose kisses. Donovan wasn't feeling particularly well as he responded to the triple collision. He wasn't sure if the unwell feeling was due to Matthew and Jeremy who were bouncing on him or because Laci was giving him her special look and, at the moment, he wasn't in any shape to do a damn thing about it. Where was the aspirin?

"Well," Marian stated, "to clear up any confusion, Laci and I went to pick up Sara so she could surprise Trent. We had no idea you'd be coming back earlier than expected, Donny, and since Virgil seems to have been the designated unicorn and may be the most reliable source of information, perhaps he can explain why Victor and Trent were tied together with yellow rope."

"Stupid unicorn must have tied them together," Donovan grumbled.

"And who tied you to Virgil?" Laci asked.

"I wasn't tied to Virgil," Donovan disputed. "He was probably trying to strangle me."

Trent opened his eyes and stretched. "I had a good dream. I had a dream Sara was here."

"I am here, Trent," Sara answered.

Startled, Trent looked around. "Sara? You really came back?"

"Of course I did, Trent and we'll talk about everything a little later but we have a question. Do you know why you and Victor were tied together? When we got in last night, the two of you were tied to each other with yellow rope and Donovan was tied to the unicorn. Can you tell us why?"

"Sure. Donovan and Victor taught me something. They're my friends. Virgil's my friend, too."

"What were they teaching you?" Marian asked with curiosity.

Trent was frowning as he looked first at Donovan then at Victor. "I can't remember."

Laci didn't sound especially convinced when she turned to Trent. "Well, you can tell us later. Maybe it will all come back to you and your friends while you're cleaning up this room."

"We have to clean up? Aren't you going to help?" Donovan asked.

"Marian is going to work. Sara and I are taking the kids to their favorite playground as a special reward for being so good yesterday during that long drive. There's coffee in the kitchen if any of you feel up to having some and Victor knows where the trash bags are. C'mon boys. Time for the playground."