Title: Her Friend Boober

Author: Sidebottom (Boober's Fun-Loving Alter-Ego)

Rating: K

Genre: General

Disclaimer: Fraggle Rock and "The Friendship Song" belong to Henson Inc. The childhood memories I associate with this show belong to me.

Summary: Fraggle Rock. Tag to episode 1.17: "Marooned". A short conversation between Red and Boober a few days after their experience in Spiral Cavern.

AN:Redmay seema little out of character because I'm not too good writing a hyper-active Fraggle just yet...just stretch your imaginations and figure she's still a little subdued from coming close to death in that cave-in.

Red was surprised to find herself down in Spiral Cavern again, just two days after she and Boober had been rescued. She wasn't scared—certainly not!—but she hadn't expected her feet to take her that way for a while—due to the cavern being blocked by a huge stone, of course...it had nothing to do with the fact that she and Boober could have died.

The passage was quiet. It seemed most of the Fraggles were avoiding Spiral Cavern just to be on the safe side. When she reached the cavern, she could see Doozer constructions shoring up the walls. For once, she wasn't inclined at all to eat them—the Doozers were trying to make the cavern safe once more.

As she went further into the cavern, she found that the boulder that had trapped her and Boober had been removed, and the other stones carried away—likely by the ever-enterprising Doozers.

With a sigh, she sat down on one of the rocks, picking at the hem of her red sweater. She felt like she was looking for something, but couldn't figure out what.

A soft tune seemed to float on the air, and she looked up. She knew that tune—someone was humming "The Friendship Song"! "Boober?"

The humming stopped. Red hopped off the rock, scurrying about the cavern in search of the blue-furred Fraggle. "Boober, what are you doing here?" she asked when she found him.

"Hi, Red," the shorter Fraggle said quietly. "I was looking for my lucky skipping stone. I thought maybe I left it here, but I must have dropped it somewhere else."

"Boober," Red sighed. "It's dangerous down here, you shouldn't be here."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because," Red hemmed, trying to think up a good response. "Because I'm not scared of the cavern."

Boober sighed. "Good for you, Red," he replied, standing up to leave the cavern.

"Wait, where are you going?" Red asked.

"I'm leaving...you might not be scared, but I am."

"Boober," Red huffed impatiently. "Sit here for a minute."

Suspiciously, Boober climbed back onto his rock. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Boober intently studying his feet and Red focusing on the ceiling. Red shook her head—why was she doing this? She and Boober had never really gotten along...and had it not been for their experience in Spiral Cavern she could have lived the rest of her life happy with that. But something had changed. Something inside her really wanted to be Boober's friend, if only a little bit. After all, it wasn't every day you met a Fraggle who could keep his composure when you were running out of air in a caved-in cavern.

"Remember when, now and then, everything went wrong..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Boober look up when she softly sang the first line of "The Friendship Song".

"Boober...I'm glad you're my friend."

The blue Fraggle was startled. "I'm your friend?" he asked.

"Of course. Aren't I yours?"

She could see Boober considering this, and felt a little disappointed. They had mutual friends— like Mokey, Gobo, and Wembley—but weren't she and Boober friends, too?

"I guess you are," Boober said, the faintest of smiles in his voice.

Red smiled. They were a strange pair of friends...but she really was glad, even if Boober did worry too much, and was altogether a rather dull Fraggle. And she knew he thought she was reckless and irresponsible, but they were friends, and Red knew that was the only way they could have made it during the cave-in in Spiral Cavern.

"I'll see you later?" she asked, as Boober climbed off his rock.

He nodded, slowly walking out of the cavern. "Hey, Red?" he turned back for a moment. "I'm glad you're my friend, too."

Red grinned, and knew she had found what she'd been looking for: her friend Boober.

The End

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