A Brit Trip With Freakazoid

 

A/N: A sequel to ‘A Lovely Shade of Blue’, we get to meet Basil Peters and his tremendous family.  

Table of Contents

Chapter 1—Meeting An Old Mate

Chapter 2—The Grand Tour

Chapter 3—High Tea with the Locals

Chapter 4—More Historic Sites

Chapter 5—Flying Home

Epilogue

 

 

Chapter 1—Meeting An Old Mate

                Dexter and Stephanie were thrilled to be having their anniversary in England.   It wasn’t anything new perse, but Luke and Leia would be seeing Great Britain for the first time.   They would also be meeting Madame Blue, Britannica, and Squire for the first time.  

                ‘Hey, dad !  How long has it been since you and mom were in Basil, I mean Lord Bravery’s neck of the woods ?’, Luke asked, inquisitively.   Dexter hearkened to old times.  It was always a treat for the Peters family, but he had never been there with their little ones in toe. 

                ‘Most likely a few months at best, last I recall.’, Dexter said, grinning from ear to ear.   Luke and Leia became more excited and eager the closer they came to 21 B Baker Street.  It was no coincidence that Basil resided there, just exactly like the Sherlock Holmes he truly was.    If he was Sherlock, his wife was an equally lovely and comely Watson and the kids were sleuths in training.  

 

Chapter 2—The Grand Tour

                Basil and Elizabeth were more than pleased to welcome Dexter and his family to their rather large, sprawling house.   He was surprised Elizabeth had an American accent but didn’t find that at all odd for Basil’s tastes.   He didn’t exactly date whom his mummy had wanted to, which embittered him to the ‘old bat’ as he often called her.   Regardless, Basil’s mum came to love his ‘Yank’ bride and found her charming.   She was an Anglophile and could even put on the Queen’s English, passing easily for a redcoat any day.  

                Nigel, Basil’s eldest son, directed Luke and Leia around the house.  He was Squire, and his sister Brittany was Britannica.   His youngest sister, Caroline, was Madame Blue.  Elizabeth was the lovely Lady Liberty, so it was interesting to see which kids had inherited which talents and abilities from their parents while in the field.    Luke and Leia had their own superhero monikers.    Luke was Super Freak while Leia was Fanatical.    She made her alias even funnier by going as ‘Fanny’ as an appellation, more to make the villains laugh at her as a distraction.  Nine times out of ten that often worked in their favor.   

                ‘What’s it like living under Bravery’s rules ?’, Luke questioned. 

                ‘He can be strict at times, but actually, he’s got a real wacky sense of humor.  He really lets his hair down with mum.   He’ll act all looney just to get a smile out of her, it’s really quite endearing.’, Brittany said, batting her eyelashes at Luke flirtatiously.    Luke felt a blush rise to his cheeks and lowered his gaze for a second.   Like her mother, Brittany was very pretty.   In fact, the whole family was the very essence of a ‘perfect family’.  Genetics had certainly been generous with them all.  

                Basil was able to book a double-decker bus tour for all of them and they saw the entirety of London, taking in all the sights and sounds.   It definitely exceeded everyone’s expectations and luckily there were no crimes, incidents, or deviants in need of redirection.   Simply a laid-back vacation where everyone could have fun and relax.

 

Chapter 3—High Tea with the Locals

                Feeling a bit hungry, Basil looked at his clock. 

                ‘Oh, we’re in luck !  It’s high tea.  I know a swell place where we could all have a spot of lunch if you’d like.’, he said.   Elizabeth drew him near in a bit of a side hug and kissed his cheek.   Basil blushed and whispered, ‘You and your public displays of affection !’, clearly a little embarrassed about how open she was in her obvious love language of touch.

                The restaurant was called The Welsh Dragon, and it was more a pub than anything.

                ‘Aren’t the kids a bit young for a pub ?’, Elizabeth questioned, a bit concerned.   Yes, of course, beer was sold there but it was a family eatery, so there weren’t any problems having young children eating there.  It was a sophisticated restaurant that was highly appreciated and rather posh.   The history of the eatery went back quite a way.  It was rather old and had seen many trials, triumphs, and tribulations over its centuries.   Although it was ancient, it had survived the worst of times and come back swinging more often than not.   

                The meal the families had was delightful and the tea soothed them.   Since it was warmer, they savored some sweet, iced tea with their lunches and soon returned to their tour.   One of their final destinations before coming home was the famous London Eye.

                ‘Are you scared ?  I know you’re not keen on heights !’, Caroline said to her eldest brother Nigel.   Nigel rode rollercoasters and lived for the adrenaline rush it gave him.  In fact, he was the one sibling that sat in the front seat every time he rode a rollercoaster, raising his hands up to the sky and screaming the loudest while his siblings would hold each other, shrieking in holy bloody terror.  

                ‘You know me well enough, Carol !  I fear almost nothing.’, Nigel said, confidently.   As soon as they were all seated on the gargantuan Ferris wheel, he was near the window, looking at the splendid view below.   Dexter snapped photos while Stephanie rested her head upon his shoulder, holding his hand and caressing it with her thumb and forefinger.

                ‘This is so romantic.’, she cooed as she softly kissed his cheek.  

                ‘I’m glad this is pleasing to you, Steph.   I do admit it is beautiful up here, but you’re even more so.’, he confessed.   The two smooched until the gondola descended, and they walked side by side back into the double decker bus.   

Chapter 3—More Historical Sites

                The day ended with several familiar popular sites ending with the Tower of London.

                ‘Hey, Basil.  Is it true this place is haunted ?’, Dexter asked inquisitively.  None of them were up to the challenge of actually sticking around to see if the rumor held true. 

                ‘They are extremely true.  I’m not really keen on the paranormal !’, Basil said as he grasped Elizabeth’s hand and promptly left the premises with the others as the cold started to permeate the air around them.    Dexter had taken a photo and he had caught the apparition of Anne Bolyn giving him bunny ears.   He showed Basil and he laughed.

                ‘People think we Brits are so cold, sterile, and stoic.  Look at ol’ Anne though.  Still laughing from the veil.’, he chuckled.   

 

Chapter 4—Flying Home

                Inasmuch as the Douglases wanted to stay with the Peters family, they had to return to their typical lives back in the States.   They hoped that the next time they reunited it would be for crimefighting rather than palling around.

                Basil and his family saw Dex and his family off at the terminal, waving farewell as they left.   Each family went their own way and continued in their daily lives as they typically would, but they always texted, emailed, and called every so often simply to stay connected.

 

Epilogue

                Luke and Leia attend school just like typical tweens their age do.    Sometimes they disrespect authority and rebel, but the two fraternal twins are actually tremendous kids, nonetheless.   Their friends overseas are their favorite ones even though they have buddies at home.   It’s probably because Peters’ kids have special abilities that the Douglas kids understand, and they feel accepted and ‘normal’.   Someday, they hope to do some traveling themselves, but for now, school is of utmost importance and having family days with their parents makes their lives memorable and worthwhile. 

 

The End