Missing Moments in PoM: Red Queen

Missing Moments in PoM: Red Queen, Ch 6: Extra Shorts

(Warning for heavy angst!)

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Extra 1: Thoughts in the Dark

(set while Clemson was in the crate travelling back to Hoboken in ch 5)

'I failed... I failed... I failed...' the mantra echoed through the box, effectively drowning the lemur in waves of guilt.

Was he dismayed over failing his mission? Was he anxious over the fact that he failed his mother and tarnished his family's reputation? Or was he upset that he had failed Julien? Those thoughts haunted him during the long ride, driving him deeper into the depths of his own mind.

Here, in the dark... alone, there was no comfort to be found. In those brief few days, he had grown so accustomed to being surrounded by warmth, that to be so utterly alone now was excruciatingly painful. He was ashamed that he wanted them back. He knew they'd NEVER take him back, but more than anything, he wanted to feel that trusting warmth again. Even if it was just a lie.

But there was no going back, only forward. Back to his solitary life, his dark and dusty habitat, his over-bearing mother...

Clemson felt the truck hit a bump. In the darkness, something knocked against his feet. Picking the strange object up, the lemur held it out into a patch of moonlight streaming through one of the crate's air-holes. The silvery light glinted off the object and Clemson had to resist the urge to embrace it as tightly as he could.

Delicately, he trailed his dark fingers over one of the leaves, his cheeks now feeling suspiciously wet. {Julien will be upset} Clemson thought to himself as he examined the crown. The lemur sighed and curled up at the bottom of the crate, holding his precious treasure gently. {I failed... Julien must hate me... I'm so lonely...}

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Extra 2: Enigma

(set after Hans walked Clemson home in ch 5)

Hans was right. Dr. mammal-fish was pissed.

'I should have known he'd mess it up. This is why I hired Black Velvet. She NEVER fails a mission. But noooo, she had something else lined up, so I had to take her son instead,' the dolphin ranted over the communicator.

Hans rolled his eyes and waited for the fish to stop complaining. After ten long minutes of half-listening, the puffin finally broke into the one-sided conversation, 'And what do you plan to do about Clemson?'

'What is a Clemson?' Dr. Blowhole turned his scooter around and eyed the puffin on the viewing screen.

'Uh... the lemur, I mean,' Hans replied.

'Yessss, what shall I do with Crimson Velvet? I doubt he'd be stupid enough to just come waltzing up to my lair. But I could hire Black Velvet to take care of the problem. Yessss...' the dolphin gave a chilling laugh before the screen went black.

Had Clemson lied about being on the mission or had Crimson Velvet hired him on the side? Something just didn't add up.

Hans nestled down in his nest, his thoughts churning. Memories flashed through his brain. His first time meeting the animals at Hoboken, including the lemurs. How innocently adorable the red lemur had been next to his icy cold mother. Suddenly finding himself coerced into training the young lemur in wing-to-wing... er, hand-to-hand combat.

Actually, he'd been quite impressed with Little Red. The lemur had a knack for picking things up quickly and Hans had found himself looking forward to their daily sparring sessions. Even the days when Clemson had walked into his habitat, dripping with Savio's stomach juices. The memories of those times still made Hans' feathers stand on end.

Then the disappearance of the pair for an entire week several months before. Clemson left the zoo as a young, impressionable teenager, and returned a cold-hearted, ruthless adult. The pair barely socialized with the other Hoboken animals after that, preferring to stay in their small habitat alone.

Although... he'd heard the rumours. Hard-to-believe rumours, yes, but a broken wing and bruised ribs had let Hans know that Little Red wasn't so cute and innocent anymore. Barry, the poison-dart frog, had even been transferred to another zoo because of lemur. And Savio... well, the snake now had a healthy fear for what was once his favourite snack.

Then the arrival of the crate tonight with Clemson inside. What could have happened to him out there? Hans wished he knew. Maybe then he could stop thinking of the little lemur's pain-filled eyes. It bothered him to see the young mammal looking so depressed. And yet, part of him was relieved that Clemson could still show emotions. It meant that he wasn't as cold and vicious as his mother clearly wanted him to be.

Hans rolled over onto his side and sighed loudly. The lemurs of Hoboken were certainly a curious enigma. Add in the Velvet Assassin's Guild making an appearance (without actually being seen, of course) and the puffin couldn't help but be suspicious. It was quite easy to see Selene as a Velvet. It would certainly explain many things. But Clemson? Well, if the rumours held true... the Velvet Assassin's Guild was a family affair.

(Yes, I know. Dolphins aren't fish. But Hans doesn't really care)

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Extra 3: Comfort

(after Hans returned the lemur to his habitat (ch 5), Clemson goes to visit an old friend)

Lulu was woken from her peaceful sleep at the sound of her name. At least, she thought she heard someone calling her name. Glancing around her dark, moonlit habitat, she could only assume she'd dreamed the voice. Oh well, back to sleep.

'Lulu.'

The voice was a whisper on the breeze, soft and uncertain. The chimpanzee sat up again, her eyes locked on a small form at the foot of her tree.

'Oh my. Clemson, are you alright, sweetie?' she asked, watching those green eyes widen as she spoke to him. Suddenly there was a soft body hurling itself against her, small hands wrapping around her neck, face burrowed into her fur.

Lulu's first instinct was to defend herself. After all, the red lemur hadn't been the same after Selene finished her "training." He was deadly and agile, the perfect little killer. Just what the bitch of a lemur had wanted her son to become.

But now... with that familiar body pressed against her and the feeling of tears on her shoulder, Lulu could feel her motherly instincts returning.

'Shuuu, Clemson. It's alright. Lulu has you. I'll keep you safe. Shuuu...'

Eventually, the tears slowed to a stop and the arms slowly released their tight grip. As the little lemur pulled back, Lulu was startled to see the raw emotional turmoil in his bright green eyes.

'What did Selene do to you, baby?' the chimp asked, assuming the worst.

Clemson hung his head and tried to regain his composure. This just wasn't done. His mother would be furious if she found out he'd sought out his old friend Lulu for comfort. His mother would...

'Lulu, I... I met someone. He was very sweet and he showed me many new things,' Clemson began, refusing to meet her eyes.

'Oh. Is he here at Hoboken?' Lulu asked, keeping one hand securely positioned behind the little lemur's back, just in case he needed the support.

'No. I met him during one of my... jobs,' Clemson admitted, rubbing his neck.

'I see.'

'I think... I think I might be in love with him,' the red lemur whispered the last part so softly that Lulu could only stare at him in shock.

'That's wonderful,' the chimp finally answered, sweeping the lemur into a hug.

'No, it isn't. I betrayed him. I was suppose to capture him and send him to... someone very, very evil. But he got away and I was sent back here. I betrayed his trust, Lulu. And now he hates me,' the tears were back before Clemson could stop them.

'There, there, my Little Red. No matter what happens, I will always be here for you,' Lulu snuggled the lemur close and laid back against the tree. 'We have all the time in the world. Tell me everything.'

And so Clemson did, though he left out any mention of the Velvet Assassins. Perhaps his mother had been wrong about not trusting others. Lulu might not be a blood relative, but she had always been a better mother than Selene.

...tbc...