Need To Be

As Jane scribbled intently, a shadow fell across her and a figure thumped to the ground in front of her.

“OH! Oh my goodness!" Her hand flew to her chest, papers scattering. "Tarzan!”

With a weak smile and a fluttering blink of her bush baby eyes, Jane drew her palm through her hair to smooth sweaty tendrils from her face. “You’ve scared the daylights out of me!”

“Jane look too hard. Better to see all things in the jungle. Safer.” His remarkable gaze stared at her fixedly.

“Oh. Um. Yes, indeed.” Jane patted around for her supplies. “Yes. I think you’re quite right about that. It isn’t healthy to be so…”

Her fingers trailed over her lead and she blinked more slowly at him. “…That is…in the jungle.”

She cleared her throat. Gracious, but he made her silly as a popinjay!


“Right. Poor of me to become so absorbed in one little thing.”

She offered him self-depreciating grin, and collected her materials to her. “I should be more aware of my surroundings.”

He settled next to her, his gaze traveling over her minutely. “Tarzan watch for Jane too.”

"Well of course you do! That is the reason I suppose! I do feel uncommonly safe knowing you are nearby."

"Do you?" He smiled softly from under the heavy sections of his hair.

"Tarzan wants Jane to feel safe...Tarzan wants to protect Jane."

Jane raised her eyebrows, pleased at this. "Yes, of course. As do I!"

His head cocked slightly, and then he shifted closer. "Jane is part of Tarzan's family now. Jane belongs to Tarzan."


Good Heavens. She blinked and shifted away from him, her cheeks blazing. Her voice was smaller than she intended as she spoke. “Is everything alright Tarzan?”

Her gaze shifted towards the shuffling backside of her father as he endeavored to climb over a massive stump on the rise above her. The distinctive fuzzy outline of the female gorilla who Tarzan called Turk hovered near the Professor, keeping him company, and managing to look both amused and put out by the old man’s enthusiastic struggles.

“Yes. Jane is safe with Tarzan.” He reached for her art pad and drew it from her fingers; managing to shift closer on all fours…well, loom really, with his shoulders squared and chest thrust forward.

“Time to put away pictures. Spend time with Tarzan.” His voice dropped to a softer pitch. “Spend time with me.”

“Oh.” She said. “Oh my.”

Jane straightened up. “Sp-p-spend time with you, Tarzan? How, splendid. Capital really. A walk together would be very nice…Or perhaps you could teach me to swing properly amongst the vines? I don’t quite have the knack…”

She scooted backwards and rose to her feet abruptly, giggling nervously with a stuttering bounce of her narrow shoulders. He was in quite a mood, and she didn’t quite know how to respond to him.

Tarzan hesitated, and then paced around her, circling gracefully on all fours, effectively corralling her as she moved with him involuntarily to keep eye contact. “Jane doesn’t want to stay here? Tarzan will take her to another place…”

His words were soft with a compelling quality. He wanted something from her. She turned again towards her father, heat and panic on her face, only to realize that he was now out of sight, with Turk’s fuzzy crest hovering over the log as the only indication he was still nearby. She turned back, and gasped at Tarzan, now upright, towering over her with eyes inches from hers.

“Porter is safe with Turk.” He murmured. “Jane come with Tarzan.”

Heart hammering behind her ears, Jane swallowed. “All right.” She whispered. It was the only thing she could do, really.