At Pop's Diner, there was Double D, sitting in a booth seat with his menu. He looked across from him, seeing no one there. He was waiting for his date to show up, but it was taking almost forever. He sighed as he sat there alone.
"Welcome to Pop's!" the owner greeted cheerfully, then frowned. "Oh, it's you, Eddward..."
"Good evening, Pops," Double D greeted him back. "Just waiting for my date..."
Pops chuckled. "Aren't you always? You're dating a Tu Xuan Ze."
"I know... I'll have my usual."
"Her usual too?"
Double D shrugged. "Save her the trouble... Also, bring a root beer float with two straws, please."
"Comin' up, son!" Pops beamed, then went to get the food for him.
Double D sighed as he put his head in his hands, then looked at the empty seat where the love of his life was supposed to be sitting.
"I'm telling you one last time!" Juniper "June" Lee was running with a blade, then jumped high into the air as she landed on top of a sea monster type creature with multiple eyes and white mutated rabbit ears. "You're making me late for a very important date!" She slashed the monster with her blade.
The monster hissed in pain, then threw her down to the ground next to the talking dog and her younger brother who often accompanied her on adventures.
"Come on, Juniper, ye can do it, ye can't quit!" Monroe encouraged.
"Yeah, beat him through the brisket!" Ray-Ray jumped hyperactively.
"It's impossible..." June rubbed her head as she sat next to them. "I'll never beat him..."
"June, ye are the Tu Xuan Ze, I believe in ye, yer grandmother, and any children you may have," Monroe said to her, then looked in the monster guide book June's grandmother Jasmine gave him. "Oh, June, that monster is half rabbit."
"Rabbit..." June whispered, then smiled. "That's it! HEY, BUNNY TUNA WHATEVER YOU ARE! Come and get me!"
The monster growled to her, then looked like he was ready to chase her down.
"Come on, guys!" June told Ray-Ray and Monroe, running with them to avoid the monster.
Ray-Ray panted as they ran. "June, where are we going?"
"Sheep's Barn, come on!" June told him, then went ahead.
Ray-Ray and Monroe stopped then.
"Sheep's Barn?" Monroe looked confused. "June, this is no time to talk to a sheep confused for a wee doggy wanted by the government!"
June kept going for the infamous barn in Cartoon Network City. She panted, then came to the carrot garden, looking back.
"Why, hello there, June..." Farmer John greeted her with a smile as he sat on the rocking chair on his porch. "Haven't you seen such beautiful carrots? I've borrowed Muriel Bagge's gardening tips..."
June went over to grab some carrots. "Hey, can I borrow these, Mr. Farmer John, sir?"
"Go ahead, you know, they say that carrots help you see in the dark..." Farmer John told her with a smile as he kept gently rocking.
June smiled as she grabbed a handful of plump and juicy carrots, then ran off again. "Thanks!" She kept running, then went to the Cartoon Network Park where most picnics were held and she placed them in a soccer goal net. "That oughta hold him for a while..."
The monster caught up with her and let out a horrendous scream.
"Heeeey... Got some yummy and scrumptious carrots for ya..." June stepped aside to show the orange vegetables with a smile.
The monster blinked, then grinned as he looked hungry. June let the monster eat up the carrots, munching noisily.
"Heh, you like those, huh?" June smirked as she waited for the monster to eat up all the carrots and get too big to fit in the net and would be trapped.
The monster kept eating, and expanded in size and was now stuck.
"Now, you're under arrest!" June smirked, folding her arms.
Ray-Ray and Monroe caught up with the young girl.
"I say, June, yer really doin' your job well now that yer a little bit older," Monroe smiled. "I hope those children ye have someday will live up to the name."
"Hopefully they might if this tradition doesn't skip a generation," June shrugged. "Ah-Mah was a little disappointed that it didn't pass down to Dad."
"On the contrary, Jasmine and I have found out that your future child will be the next Tu Xuan Ze." Monroe replied.
"Oh, boy," June rolled her brown eyes slightly. "Leave it to me to be the one to have the kid next in line..."
"Yeah, that's totally bogus!" Ray-Ray spoke up in protest. "I mean, how cool would it be for MY kids to be the next ones? I'd tell them stories of how I helped their Aunt June fight alongside the monsters and mayhem from Orchid Bay!"
"If only you could get a date to the prom first, little bro." June teased, ruffling up her younger brother's hair, then blinked. "Oh, man... That battle felt like it took forever... What time is it?"
"It be going on 8:30, lass." Monroe told her.
"8:30!?" June sounded panicked, then checked her watch. "Oh, man, I'm late!"
"Late?" Monroe asked.
"She has a date with that Double D guy, he's waitin' for her at Pop's Diner." Ray-Ray told the dog.
"Monroe, take Ray-Ray home, I gotta get going!" June said, then started to run off in the distance. "Double D, wait for me!"
"Girls..." Ray-Ray scoffed, shaking his head.
"Ye'll understand when yer older, young man." Monroe told the boy, then walked him home like promised.
June ran and panted, then came to Pop's Diner and opened the doors. "Double D, I'm here!" she shrieked with heavy gasps as she ran all the way over.
Everyone stared at the girl. Otto was with Little Suzy, about to eat another bite of his ice cream. Mike was laughing at a joke Eddy told her, then they looked to June. Ed was writing something down on his napkin for Dee Dee, then they stared. Dexter and Blossom even stared. June smiled sheepishly, then went to her table and saw a plate of her favorite dinner: Two pork chops with creamy mashed potatoes, a small bowl of macaroni and cheese, and a nearly empty glass of a root beer float with two straws.
"Double D...?" June felt heartbroken.
"Ah, June, there you are," Pops came up to the girl, taking Double D's empty plate with some money underneath it. "Eddward's been waitin' for you a while."
"I know..." June sighed. "He left now, didn't he?"
"I'm afraid so, dear," Pops said as he collected the empty plates and dishes to wash them later tonight. "He waited for an hour, but you never came."
"I'm really sorry... Do you know where he went?" June grew frantic.
"Probably home, why don't you check there?"
"Oh, thanks... Um, can I have this dinner to go?"
"Of course, honey."
June smiled, but she was still sad she missed her date with Double D.
After June got her to-go container, she left the diner. Before going home, she decided to check on Double D. She went to the neighborhood and went to the front door. She was about to knock on the Vincent family home door, but then the married couple's car pulled up and were on their way inside. June decided to get away and let them come inside first.
"I hope Eddward isn't too disappointed that we had to miss dinner with him tonight..." Samuel said to his wife.
"Oh, he's alright, dear," Anna replied. "He's going out with that Juniper girl, remember? They had a date tonight."
June sighed as she faded in the background. She couldn't talk to Double D now. When Samuel and Anna got into their home and shut the door behind them, June sighed. She decided to get herself home and write a quick apology on ToonFace before going to bed.
Juniper Lee to Eddward Vincent
Double D, I'm sorry that I missed our date. I know it was really important and I tried to make it on time, but my job is just too important. I can't just quit it like any other job I might have, fighting monsters is my life and it's to keep you and everyone else around here safe. I can try to make it up to you tomorrow, I don't want us to fight in school on Monday.
"I hope he can forgive me..." June sighed as she posted the message, then logged off her laptop, gently shutting the top down to power it down for the night. She then hopped into bed, feeling very exhausted and curled up with the pillow, falling asleep instantly.
Double D stared at his laptop before going to bed. He saw the message from ToonFace that came from June. He read it. He was sure June was sincere, but he wasn't sure what to do. Her Tu Xuan Ze career was getting in the way of their relationship. It had become more extreme than it did when they were both in sixth grade and they would be in high school soon. He didn't like it or comment on the status, he pushed the top of his computer to turn it off for the night and went to bed himself.